Same old Blue vanishes as club offers some hope

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/07/2010 (5637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was a sweltering, muggy, sweaty night at Canad Inns Stadium.

So why did it all feel so damn refreshing?

Cool, even.

Yes, the Paul LaPolice era began on Friday night with a lot of questions hanging in the air like clouds of mosquitoes. It ended with the Bombers unleashing their own brand of malathion on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

When the mist had cleared, the Bombers walked away from opening night with a decisive 49-29 victory to — get this — finish Week 1 in first place in the East.

And to think the Bombers were trailing 8-0 before most of the 26,302 fans had even found their seats — thanks to a 93-yard TD return by Hamilton’s Marcus Thigpen on the opening kickoff.

Gulp.

Not what Bombers rookie head coach LaPolice had planned, we’re guessing. So it took all of 10 seconds in that inauspicious debut to have the faithful envisioning dark shades of 2010.

It wasn’t an omen, it was a blip.

In fact, as soon as Buck Pierce sauntered onto the field — also No. 4’s debut in Blue and Gold — the angst began to ebb. Pierce came as advertised, killing the Tiger-Cats slowly with both his feet and right arm.

Right from the Bombers’ opening offensive series, Pierce was scrambling like a line cook at Denny’s. Thirty yards here. Twenty yards here. Enough to keep the Tiger-Cats guessing. And honest.

By the time Pierce hit a wide-open Terrence Edwards for a 90-yard bomb midway through the second quarter — giving the Bombers a lead they would not relinquish — it was clear this 2010 edition is a different animal, indeed.

That’s what happens when you land a quarterback who throws for 291 yards and runs for another 89 for three touchdowns in total. That’s what you get with an offensive scheme built for the 21st century.

Because make no mistake: This wasn’t a game where the home team was favoured by most pundits, and for good reason. The Tiger-Cats under veteran pivot Kevin Glenn are considered a team in ascension, perhaps even poised to challenge the Montreal Alouettes for the East crown.

But clearly, the Bombers gave stern warning that they just might not be CFL speed bumps anymore.

Only one aspect of the Bombers game appeared suspect, that being two glaring special teams disasters on kick coverage and three missed field goals from Alexis Serna. That can be fixed.

The secondary was tight, to the point where the ever-dangerous Tiger-Cats receiver Arland Bruce III was a non-factor; the defensive front, anchored by veteran Doug Brown as always, had Glenn dancing in the pocket. The Tiger-Cats offensive front had no answer for Winnipeg rush end Phillip Hunt, a monster who must have finished the game knowing what Glenn ate for supper.

And when Pierce finished off the Tiger-Cats with a 13-yard scamper to give the Bombers an insurmountable 46-29 cushion late in the fourth quarter, the Bombers were unrecognizable from the outfit who lost to Hamilton on the same field just last October, ending a forgettable 2009 season, sans playoffs.

No question, one game is not the foundation for any definitive statements. It’s a long season. Even longer, if you lose.

But in just 60 minutes, LaPolice and Co. have given Bombers fans something they haven’t seen in these parts for some time: Hope.

With Pierce at the controls, all bets are off. Even those that had the Bombers 14-1 to win the Grey Cup, the longest odds outside of the Toronto Argonauts.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, a common occurrence in places so long between championships.

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So let’s take the Bombers 2010 debut for what it’s worth, a huge momentum-builder for a team only just beginning to rebuild a fractured image, one game at a time.

Still, it’s always nice to get the view from the penthouse.

Even if it’s only for one week.

randy.turner@freepress.mb.ca

That’s what happens when you land a quarterback who throws for 291 yards and runs for another 89 for three touchdowns in total. That’s what you get with an offensive scheme built for the 21st century.

Randy Turner
Reporter

Randy Turner spent much of his journalistic career on the road. A lot of roads. Dirt roads, snow-packed roads, U.S. interstates and foreign highways. In other words, he got a lot of kilometres on the odometer, if you know what we mean.

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