Mystery injuries stymie Big Blue

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This article was published 04/09/2017 (2959 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

REGINA — When the Winnipeg Blue Bombers sit down this week to go over game film of their 38-24 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Sunday’s Labour Day Classic, there will be a stark change in mood when it comes to self-reflection.

For five weeks the Bombers have entered the meeting room following wins and although there are always mistakes to correct, the process of dissecting the tape is always easier when it comes with two points. They won’t be afforded that luxury this time around. Instead they will have to go over arguably their worst performance of the 2017 season.

“We’ve got a good squad here, a good group of guys and we’ll regroup from this one,” said veteran receiver Weston Dressler. “The good news is we get another shot at them next week.”

The rematch goes Saturday in what should be a spirited Banjo Bowl at Investors Group Field.

A SHIFT IN THE STANDINGS 

Let’s take a look at what has become an even tighter West Division after this weekend’s games.

The Bombers remain in good shape despite the loss. At 7-3, Winnipeg remains in full control of their destiny as far as securing a home playoff berth.

As for the Roughriders, a three-game win streak, all of which have come against West Division opponents, has put them at 5-4 and right back in the mix, ahead of the 5-5 B.C. Lions. A win over the Bombers in this week’s rematch would leave them just two points shy of their prairie rival, with one game in hand.

Winnipeg is currently tied for second place in the West with the Edmonton Eskimos, who were disposed of by the first place Calgary Stampeders 39-18 at McMahon Stadium Monday. While the Eskimos have lost three straight, the Stampeders improved to 8-1-1, extending their winning streak to six games.

It looks like the Stampeders will again be the class of the league, with the other clubs jockeying for position in what should be a wild finish in the West.

RIDERS ACCUSED OF FAKING

The Bombers offence has been among the best in the CFL this season, averaging the most points per game (32), heading into Sunday. A large chunk of that success has been their ability to run a no-huddle offence — a tactic that has kept opposing defences tired and confused.

It appears Roughriders head coach Chris Jones knew exactly how to prevent his team from getting burned: by faking injuries. Bombers offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice was visibly upset in the booth, at one point slamming his headset in disgust at Jones’ approach. After the match, a number of players accused the Roughriders of what they considered to be “obvious” and “ridiculous” attempts to stall Winnipeg’s hurry-up offence.

“It’s a real coincidence that guys are falling down every time we go no huddle and they have the same injury,” running back Andrew Harris said. “And it’s a different guy every time.”

“It was pretty easy to see what was happening,” added quarterback Matt Nichols.

The allegations against Jones aren’t punishable — or at least not yet. After all, it’s not the first time a defensive player has taken a knee in order to stall momentum from an opposing offence. What’s questionable, however, is how often it happened and not once did a player need to sit out for any notable amount of time. It didn’t help much that in some cases the injured Roughrider was seen on TV leaving the field with a smile on his face.

CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie has proven quick to address what might be perceived as unsportsmanlike tactics by coaches. Earlier this year, he limited the number of coach’s challenges from three to one after accusations were made some teams were abusing the rules by instructing receivers to run into opposing defensive backs in hope of earning a successful challenge for pass interference.

As it stands, any player who pulls up lame on the field must miss three plays. That’s hardly a deterrent, with most teams dressing seven to eight defensive lineman as part of a rotation. It should be interesting to see what, if anything, Ambrosie, who was at the game, does to prevent that from happening again this week.

OFF DAY FOR OFFENCE

Though the Bombers surely have a case for their frustration, the inability to run a hurry-up attack wasn’t the only issue for the offence on this day.

Winnipeg put up a respectable 400 yards against a talented Roughriders defence, with Nichols tossing for 364 yards, his second highest total this season. Those numbers certainly don’t tell the greater story about a unit that never seemed to find its groove.

“They made plays and we didn’t,” said Nichols. “It’s unfortunate we didn’t come and play a clean game but that’s what it comes down to when two good football teams meet and we weren’t able to overcome it.”

It didn’t help that because the Bombers trailed early in this one they were left with little choice but to abandon the run game. Though Harris and Timothy Flanders accounted for a dismal 37 yards on the ground, they did finish one and two in receiving totals, with 72 and 78 yards, respectively. They also accounted for Nichols’ two touchdowns in the game.

That can’t exactly be seen as a positive, however, not when you have Weston Dressler (64 yards), Darvin Adams (57) and Clarence Denmark (55) all under the 70-yard threshold.

“We probably would have looked to the run game a little bit more but we couldn’t get it going,” said Harris. “Whatever they did, they did a good job stopping the run today. We just got to be better next week.”

In addition to having a one-dimensional offence for most of the game, the noise of a raucous Mosaic Stadium crowd made it next to impossible to communicate. The Bombers were forced to run a silent count for the most part, putting any chance of a comeback in serious doubt.

They won’t have the same excuse this week at home, and with the opportunity to learn from their mistakes should put forth a much better performance come Saturday.

A DEFENCELESS EFFORT

While it was a rare disappointing game for the offence, it was much of the same for a Bombers defence that continues to give up too many yards. Kevin Glenn completed 26 of 36 passes for 386 yards and three touchdowns, as the Roughriders put up 458 yards of net offence.

Saskatchewan scored points on each of its first four series, including three touchdowns in the span of 10 minutes to take a 24-3 lead after the first quarter. They punted only once in the first half, scoring points on six of eight series to finish two quarters up 34-16.

The first touchdown was a 53-yard pass to a wide open Naaman Roosevelt, who capitalized on a breakdown in the Bombers secondary. It should be noted the other two scores early on weren’t completely on the defence, as each drive started inside the Bombers’ 10-yard line.

An interception by Nichols to Ed Gainey, who finished with two picks on the day to take the CFL lead with six, led to a one-yard punch-in by backup quarterback Vernon Adams. The other – a nine-yard catch by Rob Bagg — was aided by a 53-yard punt return by former U of M Bison Nic Demski.

“It doesn’t matter. We always say that as a defence, when we’re on the field, we got to stop them,” said Bombers defensive end Jamaal Westerman. “I don’t care how we got on the field because there have been times where we played like crap and our offence has backed us up. So it’s our job to stop them when we’re on the field and we didn’t do that today.”

RIDERS READY TO BREAK OUT?

Bombers fans won’t like hearing this, but the Roughriders look like a team that could do some damage.

With all the controversy that has come out of Regina in recent years, it’s almost unbelievable to think Jones has only been with Saskatchewan for a season and a half. It’s important to note it took the Bombers three seasons to reap the benefits of a rebuild, with last year’s 11-7 record being the first winning season under the current regime.

When Jones left the Eskimos, he brought with him a majority of his staff and a plan to completely rebuild the organization. After an embarrassing 5-13 season in 2016, the Roughriders look primed to make a real push. A three-game win streak is a small sample size to suggest just how much noise they’ll make, but it’s easier when you consider the opponents.

They dismantled the Lions 41-8, even with the return of quarterback Jonathan Jennings, knocked off the Eskimos 54-31, and then beat a Bombers club that was considered the hottest team in the CFL.

With all the advantages noted from this weekend aside, a scan of their roster shows dangerous units on both sides of the ball. The offence features a receivers group that can expose any secondary in the CFL, while you won’t see a defence much more violent and stingy when it comes giving up yards after the catch.

That doesn’t mean they should be expected to continue their roll this week. If the Bombers are anything it’s resilient, and many in the locker room after are expecting a bounce back game this week.

“These guys are already working on their relationships with their teammates, they’re already talking football and how to get back at it,” said Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea. “Obviously nobody is hooting and hollering like after a win… they’re already moving on to how we’re going to get better.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter:@jeffkhamilton