Bomb Squad set to explode

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/07/2010 (5893 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A CFL season can be a whole lot like a novel with each game/week/crisis pushing followers toward a dramatic — or, in the case of the 2009 Winnipeg Blue Bombers not so-dramatic — finale.

All of which brings us to the new-and-improved local footballers, a crew which shook up the neighbourhood last Friday with an eyebrow-raising 49-29 skinning of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. It was a dramatic introductory chapter to the season and one which has grabbed everyone’s attention and suddenly made this story a real page turner.

Chapter 2 opens with the Bombers playing host to the Toronto Argonauts against the backdrop of huge expectations and possibilities as the Bomb Squad looks to go 2-0 to open a season for the first time since 2003. They are 11 1/2-point favourites against a team on a nine-game losing skid dating back to last year.

"People have the right to not expect much of us right now because we were 7-11 last year. We were horrible," began Bombers linebacker Ike Charlton. "But this year we want to prove we belong and prove we’re one of the top teams in the CFL. A lot of people may have said, ‘Well, it’s going to take them five or six weeks to jell.’ No, we jelled in training camp. We’re preparing to win right now."

But therein lies the danger of coming off such a stunning debut. If the Bombers take their foot off the gas now and stumble they fall to 1-1 heading into Hamilton next week. Take care of business again and they’ll remain atop the East Division at 2-0 — with two victories against divisional opponents.

Yes, it’s only July. But that kind of start could also be critical when the post-season assignments are settled in November.

Now, in an effort to keep his squad focussed and not get all fat and sassy while the current love-fest swirls around them, head coach Paul LaPolice had the Bomber video people put together a highlight package for the troops to watch on Monday.

And then it was back to work on Tuesday with the blinders on in full.

"That’s part of our process, you have to be humble and go back to work," LaPolice said. "A lot of players were here early, they spent extra time together on their own without coaches. That’s our message to them: you’ve got to be consistent. If you want to be a good team you have to play consistently good football."

And that means more than just four quarters, impressive as it was a week ago. Two points of reference of which the Bombers should be wary:

— 1. The Argos may have only won seven games in the last two years, but three of them have been against the Bombers — including a 19-5 spanking of the home side at Canada Inns Stadium last July 24. For the record, that marks the last time the Argos won a game on the road.

— 2. And Argo defensive tackle Adriano Belli returns to the lineup after serving a one-game suspension for venturing into the Montreal Alouettes locker-room to confront the opposition last season. Belli, to put it nicely, each week walks the tightrope between playing tough hard-nosed football and acting like a lunatic in pads.

"We’re ready to kill some quarterbacks," began Belli after the Argos’ workout in Winnipeg Thursday. "Buck Pierce… I can’t wait to sink my teeth into him. He played well last week and we’re just going to try to contain him."

When it was suggested it might be tough for Belli to get his licks in now that Pierce has become more adept at sliding, the Argo defensive tackle grinned and added: "He’s a quarterback. Quarterbacks slide, right? They’re like little girls. He’s on a roll and we’ve got to stop his roll for sure. They pay us to throw the quarterback down on the ground and ruin his day. That’s what we’re going to try to do."

That’s nothing Pierce hasn’t heard or seen — or lived — before. Interestingly, just to make this chapter potentially that much more compelling, the Argos also opted to steer clear of Pierce this winter when he was a free agent, feeling he was too big an injury risk.

"It’s a business," said Pierce with a shrug. "Would I have entertained some offers? Of course. I was looking for a job. Would it have been the right fit? You never know. My fit right now is the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and I love it. I couldn’t be happier where I’m at."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca