Bombers leave ugly loss behind

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This article was published 24/10/2017 (2934 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers returned to the practice field Tuesday morning with a renewed optimism and committed to wiping the slate clean after a weekend loss to the host Toronto Argonauts.

They’ll need industrial-strength solvent — something strong and fast-acting — to remove traces of a distressing 29-28 defeat Saturday afternoon at BMO Field.

Two missed field-goal attempts by kicker Justin Medlock, including a wide-right 40-yarder with just seconds left on the clock, missed tackles on defence, and running back Andrew Harris simply missing in action were the lowlights as the Bombers (11-5) suffered their second CFL loss in three weeks and failed to lock down second spot in the West Division.

The Argos racked up 556 yards of net offence and were most effective on first downs, averaging 8.3 yards from scrimmage. Winnipeg was victimized by quarterback Ricky Ray’s accurate throwing arm and the fleeting hooves of running back James Wilder.

Ray finished 32-of-43 passing for 423 yards and one touchdown, while Wilder had 18 carries for 112 yards and snared seven tosses for 85 yards. He also scored two touchdowns.

Bombers defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall didn’t mince words following the nearly two-hour practice at Investors Group Field, calling the performance by his unit “embarrassing.”

“We got our butts kicked.”

With just two weeks to go before the post-season begins, this is not the time for wholesale changes to either the plan or personnel. But corrective measures need to be taken immediately, as the squad prepares to host the B.C. Lions (6-10) on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Coaches and players alike said the loss to Toronto is gone, but can’t and won’t be forgotten.

“We’ve moved on from it. In pro football you have to, wins and losses. But you also have to learn from it,” said linebacker Sam Hurl. “(Toronto) has a good team, but I feel like we didn’t put our best foot forward in that game.

“It stings… way too many yards given up and too easily. We want to make teams earn things, we don’t want to give them things. There were too many plays where we made it too easy.”

Medlock, who until this season was the most accurate placekicker in CFL history, isn’t even among the best in the league this year. The Canadian game’s highest-paid kicker has missed six of his last 13 field-goal attempts, dropping his percentage to a league-worst 76.7.

His crucial miss Saturday was his second failed attempt of the game. He finished two-for-four, also botching an attempt from 39 yards out on Winnipeg’s last drive of the first half.

The 34-year-old product of Santa Clara, Calif., said he analyzed the video but wouldn’t initially divulge whether he noticed an issue with his mechanics.

“Yeah, I watched it. But I’ll keep it in-house,” he said, before clarifying: “I don’t think it’s technical. You could say it could be mental, a little bit. I was definitely ready to go make that kick. I was definitely proud of that. I had the right mindset. It was good.

“I’m supposed to make those kicks. That’s what they brought me in (for), to make those kicks. I was telling somebody today, that’s what is disappointing,” said Medlock. “It’s a little upsetting. It happened and I beat myself up a little bit about it. That was definitely one where I was like, ‘Whoa.’ It’s kind of hard to talk about. I definitely thought I could have made that.”

Medlock wants to leave the Toronto mess in the rear-view mirror.

“I’m just trying to move on, honestly. That’s what I’ve told people. Hey, I’ve got two games here and the playoffs, I’m going to focus on that. I don’t really care about anything I’ve done in the past, whether I made 60 field goals last year, that I started off the season really well, whether I had a great camp, it doesn’t really matter.”

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea revealed he hasn’t said much to Medlock since the miss, but stressed not a soul within the organization has lost confidence in their kicker.

“I generally leave him alone. I let him know that I’m going to keep trotting him out there. He’s our guy,” O’Shea said. “He’s a good teammate, he’s our guy and he’s damned good. I leave him alone and let him do his work, because he does work extremely hard.”

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Harris, the Bombers’ dual threat, wasn’t a factor on the ground or through the air against the Argos. He picked up 32 yards on nine carries and caught two passes for four yards.

Offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice said the Argos effectively stacked the line to eliminate any chance for the rushing game to become a factor.

“If somebody is putting seven people at the line of scrimmage when we’re in spread-out, nobody’s going to run the ball successfully and nobody wants us to run the ball when that happens,” LaPolice said. “So, we have to make sure we can get Andrew involved. But we’re not going to force it down our throat.”

Harris remains in hot pursuit of the 1K-1K mark — 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 more receiving — but with just two games left he’ll have to pull off a fantastic finish to the 2017 campain.

Heading into Saturday’s clash with the Lions, he has 903 rushing yards and 820 receiving yards.

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O’Shea hinted offensive lineman Travis Bond might not be ready for Saturday’s game. The 6-7, 356-pound pillar from North Carolina suffered an upper-body injury last weekend against the Argos and did not return. He did take part in practice Tuesday.

“Day-to-day… we’ll give him whatever time he needs to get better,” said O’Shea, noting Pat Neufeld did an admirable job filling in at left guard.

Running back Timothy Flanders, fullback Mike Miller, defensive back Chris Randle and linebacker Jesse Briggs also didn’t practise but should be good to go Saturday.

Meanwhile, O-lineman Jermarcus Hardrick left midway through practice with an apparent leg injury. His status isn’t known, although O’Shea said it’s “hard to keep a guy like that down.”

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The Bombers dropped Canadian defensive back Abu Conteh and import quarterback Josh Straughan from their practice roster Tuesday.

In their place, the club added import defensive end Chris Casher and import quarterback Philip Nelson.

Casher, 6-4, 265 pounds, played four seasons with the Florida State University Seminoles and was part of the 2014 national championship team. He spent time with the Oakland Raiders and New York Giants as an undrafted rookie this past year.

Nelson, 6-3, 220 pounds, played two years for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and finished his collegiate career with the East Carolina University Pirates, where Nelson threw for 2,621 yards and 16 touchdowns with a 68 per cent completion rate.

jason.bell@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @WFPJasonBell