Five storylines

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This article was published 01/11/2014 (3992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Five story lines to ponder heading into today’s Stampeders-Bombers battle in Calgary:

1. Bad Bombers

A loss and the Bombers will end their season with a nine-game losing skid and a 6-12 record. For Winnipeg it will be either nine or 10 wins over the past two seasons after collecting just three last season. A loss would give this version of the Bombers the second-longest season-ending losing streak in club history. The record is 13, set in 1964.

Winnipeg’s season can be described in a fairly simple manner. They are last in the league in points allowed having given up 468 to this point. They are seventh in the league in team defence, having allowed an average of 361.2 yards per game.

The big culprit is the run defence. The Bombers sit last in the league, having allowed an average of 131.2 yards per game on the ground.

2. Super Stamps

Calgary enters the game 14-2 and if they win out can tie the record for wins in a season at 16 set by Edmonton (16-2) in 1989. The can also tie the record for wins in back-to-back seasons with 30. Calgary had 30 wins across 1993-94 and 1994-95 while Toronto did the same in 1996-97.

Calgary’s offence has been outstanding all season, with a balance of QB Bo Levi Mitchell operating at a high efficiency and Jon Cornish grinding along the ground.

The Stampeders have more TD drives from deep in their own territory (eight times in 44 chances starting inside their own 20-yard line) than any other team.

Calgary has also taken possession in their opponents’ end a league-high 38 times and turned those opportunities into 16 TDs. Calgary has an 82 per cent TD rate in the red zone, the highest ever since the league starting recording this stat in 2008.

3. King Cornish

Calgary running back Jon Cornish remains the CFL’s best player and most consistent offensive weapon. Despite playing in just eight games so far due to injury, Cornish leads the league in rushing with 977 yards.

If he can win the rushing title having played in just 10 games he can better Michael Richardson’s mark of leading the CFL in rushing having played 11. Cornish has crushed the Bombers over the years, and he recorded his career single-game high of 208 yards against Winnipeg in 2013.

Cornish has led the CFL in rushing the past two seasons and if he wins the title this season he’ll become just the fourth player to lead for three straight years, joining Johnny Bright (three in a row from 1957-59), George Reed (five straight from 1965-69) and Mike Pringle (four in a row from 1997-2000).

4. Wind-up Willy

Drew Willy will make it 17 starts this season. No Winnipeg quarterback has started 17 games in one season since Kevin Glenn started all 18 games in 2007. Willy had started in four CFL contests prior to joining the Bombers this year and has had a breakout season, throwing for 3,747 yards on 301 completions in 468 attempts. Willy has thrown for 14 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. If he can pass for 253 yards he’ll eclipse the 4,000-yard mark, considered an excellent season in the CFL. The big blemish on his season, however, is the win total — finishing up with six or seven wins just isn’t good enough.

5. Job interviews

A lot of coaches and players are playing for the opportunity to come back next season. First and foremost is defensive co-ordinator Gary Etcheverry.

His defensive scheme proved ineffective this season. From very early on the book on beating the Bombers was to run the ball. The Bombers have been pushed around all season and Etcheverry’s scheme and the type of personnel required to execute it have been viewed as the big issue.

Can Etcheverry adapt? That’s the question GM Kyle Walters and coach Mike O’Shea will be discussing when they begin evaluating the defence. The Bombers need to get bigger on the defensive line and they need a middle linebacker who can both run the field in pass situations and provide help stopping the run.

Size and speed are the prerequisites and these players are tough to find. On the offensive side of the ball, just about the entire offensive line should be concerned about where they’ll be working next year.

Could this be the last game in Bombers colours for former all-star Glenn January?

The receiving corps has also been a disappointment this season and Walters will want to upgrade this position in the off-season.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @garylawless