Special teams woes hurt Bombers in loss to Argos

They’ve been the most consistent of the three phases in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers arsenal this season.

A port in the proverbial storm, throughout this topsy-turvy campaign of ups-and-downs, the special-teams units have been supplying strength to a group that is still searching for consistency with only four games left in the regular season.

That’s what made this momentary lapse so costly in a 30-28 loss to the Toronto Argonauts on Friday at Princess Auto Stadium.

“We didn’t keep up our end of the bargain. And that hurts our football team, hurts our chances of winning games,” said Blue Bombers special teams ace Tanner Cadwallader. “And if we want to win close games. we’ve got to be a whole lot better than that. And we will. We’re going to come in (on Saturday for the film session) and go through it with a fine-tooth comb and just work a little bit harder.”

Whether it was sure-footed Sergio Castillo seeing his consecutive field goal streak snapped at 26 (missing wide left on a 45-yard attempt) or the 128-yard return touchdown from Janarion Grant that followed, the film session wasn’t going to be enjoyable for a group that prides itself on its precision.

“There’s a 10-point swing, which we should probably have better coverage on,” Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said after the loss that pushed his team back to .500 at 7-7. “Obviously, we had him here (in Winnipeg) and he is legitimately one of the best returners in the CFL.”

Grant wasn’t done making an impact there.

Late in the fourth quarter, with the Blue Bombers holding onto a one-point lead, Grant fielded a Jamieson Sheahan punt at his own 32-yard line and rather than try to work his way up the field, he transferred the ball into his left hand and unloaded a lateral across the field to David Ungerrer III, who hustled 32 yards down the field to leave the Argonauts with great field position.

“It sucks. Janarion is such a threat, everybody is really trying to cover him,” said Cadwallader. “Then, he lets it fly like that. It’s a good play. We’ve got to be better, closing on that a bit sooner and hopefully contain the (return) game a little bit more.”

O’Shea said the Blue Bombers were aware of Grant’s arm strength and willingness to show it off when called upon.

“Yeah, because we had the same play here,” said O’Shea.

Five plays later, Lirim Hajrullahu hit a 36-yard field goal that stood up as the game-winner and left the Blue Bombers to lament over what might have been had the execution been a little crisper on special teams.

No, this wasn’t about a singular play or a series of missed tackles.

The Argonauts simply won a few more one-on-one battles and made several critical blocks to open up lanes for a returner who doesn’t need much of a crease to bring it to the house.

Grant finished the game with a pair of missed field goal returns for 163 yards (including the touchdown), four punt returns for 31 yards and five kickoff returns for 85 yards.

With 279 all-purpose yards, it’s clear that Grant made a massive impact on the final outcome.

“Such a dynamic football player. That’s what got him to the NFL,” said Cadwallader. “He’s a hard worker too, he always just keeps to it. He’s fast, he hits it or he can buy himself time with how fast he is and give up ground and still make a play happen. A very special player. He’s one of the best to ever do it. Tough to contain.”

Blue Bombers ace returner Trey Vaval did his part, with six kickoff returns for 146 yards, two punt returns for 27 yards and a 35-yard missed field goal return but there aren’t many occasions when he’s the second most productive player in that category.

“(Grant) is fast, but I don’t think people realize how strong he is. He’s able to break tackles,” said Blue Bombers quarterback Dru Brown,

Castillo has been a force throughout this season, but it doesn’t take a mathematician to realize that making one of the two misses woulda teammate of Grant’s for three seasons (2021 to 2023). “He’s similar to Trey (Vaval). These guys are maybe not necessarily huge in stature, but they’re pound-for-pound real strong and can break tackles.”have turned the tables in what might have been a playoff preview should the Blue Bombers finish fourth in the West Division and end up in the crossover position.

“I miss hit both of them. They were both miss hits. After that, every ball was a beautiful hit. So it’s like ‘why can’t it be like that?’” said Castillo, who also missed a 55-yard attempt with just under three minutes to go in the first half. “But hey, you live and learn and that’s the amazing thing about if I compare myself to even 2021. I would be just lingering on those kicks and maybe miss an extra point or screw up a kickoff.”

Speaking of mistakes, the Blue Bombers field goal return unit also had a major miscue early in the fourth quarter, when they were called for having 13 players on the field.

Although the defence forced a two-and-out after the 10-yard penalty extended the Argonauts drive, the time lost on the clock would have probably come in handy during the Blue Bombers final drive.

“We had a couple bad off the field killers. Where we’re going to put them in a bad spot or get the ball back and we just take very untimely penalties,” said O’Shea. “There are moments in the game where it’s going bad and we need to not contribute to that little ebb. We need to be better, to not put us a little further down.

“It’s three phases working together, so when one phase falters, the next phase needs to come out and stop it.”

One game won’t define a season for the folks on special teams, but you can be sure this group will be looking to get back to the high standard they’ve set for themselves next week against the Montreal Alouettes.

“In our room, we know what we’re capable of,” said Cadwallader. “We know we’ve got the goods in this room and we’re a great football team. We’ve just got to string it together and play three-phase football.”

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