Three phases

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/08/2015 (3881 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OFFENCE

Where to begin? Or, maybe, why begin? The Bombers managed just 136 yards net offence, turned the ball over twice and gave up five sacks. Other than that…

Yes, there were some key pieces missing due to injuries, but Game 2 of the Robert Marve era will be seen as regression, not progression. He finished 12-of-20 for 94 yards with two interceptions and the attack had all the ferocity of a crawling baby.

DEFENCE

Bo Levi Mitchell finished with 314 yards passing and two TDs and the Stamps piled up 395 yards net offence. But the Bomber defence doesn’t take the blame for this one. They had some heat up front, with three sacks and saw Matt Bucknor pick off a pass in the end zone. Yes, Eric Rogers chewed up the secondary with 152 yards on seven receptions, but with no offensive counterpunch it was just a matter of time before this unit succumbed.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Figures the Bombers would get a solid night’s work from the most-maligned unit on the team, but it would be lost in another massacre. Derek Jones blocked a punt that set up a field goal, Lirim Hajrullahu hit both of his field-goal attempts and averaged 47.8 yards on 10 punts. The Bombers also got some decent returns from Troy Stoudermire, but it mattered little in a 28-point loss.

THE HERO:

Mitchell made one glaring mistake — being picked by Bucknor in the Bombers end zone — but finished 19-of-28 for 314 yards and TD strikes to Jeff Fuller and Tory Harrison. Just as important was his decision-making: he took some sacks rather than force throws and, with Stamps offensive boss Dave Dickenson calling another brilliant game, managed the offence effectively.

THE GOAT:

Too easy to point all the fingers at Marve, although his two interceptions were critical. But the protection up front was iffy, giving him very little time to attack vertically. And when an offence musters only 136 yards in a pass-happy league, it means nobody should enjoy the film sessions this week.

Notable:

Marve and Brian Brohm — who was one-of-five for seven yards in relief — have combined to throw just one TD while being intercepted eight times. Drew Willy’s TD-to-interception ratio, FYI, is 8:3.

Extra points:

Calgary’s TD machine, Eric Rogers, who had scores in six straight games, had his streak snapped. But he also had over 100 yards with four minutes left in the first half… Bomber centre Dominic Picard did not dress for the game, with the club officially scratching him about an hour before kickoff. Second-year pro Matthias Goossen started in his place… The announced crowd was 27,148, but many of them spent the second half again huddled around the Rum Hut to drown their sorrows.

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Critical numbers:

13-3: Calgary’s record in their last 16 meetings against the Bombers. They are 12-1 in their last 13 vs. Winnipeg.

3-17: Winnipeg’s record when having given up the same number of turnovers or surrendering more turnovers than the opposition in a game since 2014.

22-4: Calgary’s record in games Bo Levi Mitchell starts. That ranks him up there with Hall of Famers Jackie Parker (22-3) and Warren Moon (20-4-1), who piled up gaudy totals in their first 25 starts.