Take solace, Bombers fans

At least Blue are better than the Roughriders

By: Gary Lawless Posted: 11:10 PM CDT Sunday, Aug. 9, 2015

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are the best team in the country right now. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers? Well, they have a better record than the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but that’s about it.

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The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are the best team in the country right now. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers? Well, they have a better record than the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but that’s about it.

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This article was published 09/08/2015 (3953 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are the best team in the country right now. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers? Well, they have a better record than the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but that’s about it.

This was as much about the Tiger-Cats playing near-perfect football as it was about the Bombers having their worst game of the season.

Hamilton led 21-0 before the first quarter was half over and cruised to a 38-8 win before a sold-out house of 24,125 at Tim Hortons Field.

CP
Hamilton Tiger-Cats' Terrence Toliver, centre, gets some yards while being tackled by Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Khalil Bass, bottom, during the second half of CFL football action in Hamilton, Ont., on Sunday. (Peter Power / The Canadian Press) — CP Hamilton Tiger-Cats' Terrence Toliver, centre, gets some yards while being tackled by Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Khalil Bass, bottom, during the second half of CFL football action in Hamilton, Ont., on Sunday. (Peter Power / The Canadian Press)

After every mistake the Bombers made, the Tiger-Cats responded with a good play. Hamilton is balanced, athletic, experienced and talented. Oh, they might have the best coach in the country, too.

The Bombers? This loss wasn’t a surprise, but the manner in which it unfolded has to have GM Kyle Walters and head coach Mike O’Shea evaluating their entire operation. Top to bottom, the Bombers were outmatched.

Let’s do the checklist:

Game plan — Hamilton

Coaching — Hamilton

Preparation — Hamilton

Scouting — Hamilton

Roster — Hamilton

Offence — Hamilton

Defence — Hamilton

Special teams — Hamilton

Stadium — Winnipeg. The Bombers have the nicer venue. I’ll give them that.

This one was over in 12 plays.

Tiger-Cats pick-six, 7-0. Bombers running play. Sack. Blocked punt. Ticats passing play for touchdown, 14-0. Turnover on kickoff. Ticats running play. Ticats running play. Ticats running play. Ticats passing play for touchdown, 21-0. All by 7:45 of the first quarter.

Winnipeg is now 3-4 and will host the Toronto Argonauts Friday, but might have to do so without three offensive stars, most importantly starting quarterback Drew Willy.

Counting Willy out is a losing gambit, but he took a vicious hit on the right knee, which bent in a very unnatural way. Maybe the Bombers can get him ready for Friday, but it’s doubtful. Oh, and the much-requested appearance of Robert Marve in a game finally took place and was fairly unimpressive.

The Bombers have a pair of backups in Brian Brohm and Marve who fail to inspire confidence. If one of these quarterbacks starts against the Argos, the Vegas line will comfortably favour the visitors.

“They got us up on early and the defence didn’t do a very good job of stopping them when they got the ball,” said veteran defensive lineman Jamaal Westerman. “Sure, we were put in bad positions, but we have to respond. We didn’t. But it’s one game. We can’t dwell on it. We’ve got a game next week, it’s a short week, and we have to get ready for the Argos. They’re a good team. This is football. One week at a time. When you win, you park it. When you lose, you park it faster.”

O’Shea was asked what went through his mind at 21-0 early in the first quarter.

“Keep them together and make sure they understand that the only thing that is going to get them out of this mess, this hole we’ve dug ourselves, is hard work. And if they are willing to work hard, let’s just keep playing the game and see what happens. And they were, they were willing to keep playing the game and they worked hard,” said O’Shea. “We’ve got to find a way to stop those five or six plays from happening, and when they do, you’ve got to find a way to survive that.”

Once again the Bombers treated the run-game portion of their playbook like it was glued shut, handing the ball to running backs on just 10 plays.

No run game equals an endangered Drew Willy. He can get healthy and return, but if there’s no improvement in the ground game he’ll soon enough be in peril again.

One might argue it was a blowout that forced the Bombers to focus on the pass, but a predictable and one-dimensional attack is a losing formula.

The Bombers trailed 31-0 at the half and were trailing 31-8 when Willy was knocked out of the game the fifth time he was sacked. O’Shea was asked if he had considered getting Willy out earlier.

“I can’t ask our team to try and win the game, to come out and believe they can win, and then start making moves. I just can’t do it. I’ve got a lot of faith in Drew. I still believe he gave us the best chance to win,” said O’Shea.

If one considered this game a measuring stick, the answer was definitive: The Tiger-Cats are way better than the Blue Bombers — in every conceivable fashion.

O’Shea’s team has been clobbered by the Tiger-Cats twice this season. One would think that would be enough.

“They’re a good team. Yep, they’re a good team,” he said. “I hope we meet them in the playoffs.”

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @garylawless