Bombers needing the D to step up

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This article was published 07/09/2017 (2954 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Three times this season the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have faced the Saskatchewan Roughriders, with each game yielding a different result. What has remained constant throughout, though, is a troubling amount of total yards — and points — surrendered by the Bombers’ defence.

In those three games — a pre-season tie, followed by a regular-season series now locked at one game apiece following last week’s defeat in the annual Labour Day Classic in Regina — Winnipeg has relinquished an average of 420 yards per game, while giving up a combined 103 points.

In last week’s affair alone, the Roughriders put up 38 points and 467 yards on offence, with a majority of their production coming in the first half. By then it was too late for Winnipeg to mount a comeback, with Saskatchewan coasting to a 38-24 win.

“We got to be prepared and be ready because a game like that can’t happen again,” said rookie defensive back Brandon Alexander following practice at Investors Group Field Thursday. “It happened in the pre-season, it happened in the first regular-season game and it happened last week… there are a couple plays you can’t leave on the table if you’re going to win those games.”

What was most troubling for many in the locker room after the game was not just the total yards but the number of big “explosion” plays the Roughriders were able to generate. Explosion plays mean plays that are 30 yards or more and the Bombers gave up four of them to Saskatchewan: a 53-yard touchdown to Naaman Roosevelt; a 50-yard catch by Bakari Grant; a 48-yard run by Cameron Marshall and another grab by Grant for 44 yards.

In total, it cost the Bombers 17 points and accounted for nearly 40 per cent of quarterback Kevin Glenn’s 386 passing yards and more than half of the Roughriders’ rushing yards.

Bombers cornerback Chris Randle said the defence was “humbled” by those plays. His opinion hasn’t changed much since watching game film, but he does feel they’ve identified their weaknesses and expects a comeback performance Saturday.

“We’re going to try to win ball games by any means and we know what we need to get better at,” he said.

As for the yards, Randle admits the Bombers are giving up too many but he’s not overly concerned. He doesn’t like surrendering all those yards, of course, because he knows if the other team is racking them up, it means they’re moving downfield. But he’s also aware of the league he’s in — the CFL is designed for offence and the rules are made to empower that side of the ball.

“We understand the yardage, that it was a thing last year and is a thing this year,” he said. “We understand what this game entails — it’s a throwing game — and honestly we try to play to the situations of the game more so than worry about our stats.”

A penchant for giving up too many yards is not new for the Bombers, nor has Saskatchewan been the only team to dismantle the Bombers’ defence this season.

Winnipeg has given up an average of 398 yards to opposing offences, a number that has only the Hamilton Tiger-Cats faring worse this year. When it comes to points allowed, Hamilton’s average (34) is worse than Winnipeg’s average of 30 per game.

So far, however, the damage has been limited by the Bombers.

At 7-3, Winnipeg is off to one of its best starts since 2011, primed for a second straight trip to the playoffs after four years without a post-season berth.

But the Roughriders aren’t far behind and at 5-4, a win this weekend would put them just two points behind the Bombers in an ultra competitive West Division, with one game in hand. That deficit could be erased completely by next week when Saskatchewan plays the hapless Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1-8), as the Bombers will have a bye.

The Bombers will have a final chance to redeem themselves against their prairie rival when the two teams meet Saturday in the Banjo Bowl at IGF. It’s the final time — barring playoffs — the two teams will square off this season, with the implications being more than just saving face for the Bombers.

“If you try to make the game bigger than it is or try to go out there thinking what you should do, you’ll be slower,” Randle said. “We got the guys out there that can make plays and we’re going to show everybody what we can do this weekend.”

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The Bombers have been stubbornly consistent with their one-game-at-a-time approach this season, with coaches and players rarely mentioning the team’s overall record or their position in the standings.

It’s been much the same when evaluating overall performances on each side of the ball. So it was no surprise that defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall stayed consistent with that message when delivering his current assessment of the defence.

“You’re only as good as your last game,” said Hall. “How did we perform in our last game? Well, we stunk. If that doesn’t motivate you… you got to be physically and mentally ready to go.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

Every piece of reporting Jeff produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.