Relax, they’re all bad

Blue can still win East Division, because nobody is any darn good

By: Gary Lawless Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have lost four of the last five and watched their solo hold on first place wriggle through their white-knuckled hands, but never fear -- because no one in the East is any good.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/10/2011 (5176 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have lost four of the last five and watched their solo hold on first place wriggle through their white-knuckled hands, but never fear — because no one in the East is any good.

Winnipeg is just as likely to win the East, despite looking absolutely dreadful for all but a handful of quarters since Labour Day, as are the Montreal Alouettes or Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The Als have gotten old in a hurry and the Tabbies have Kevin Glenn at quarterback, which means they are always just one pick away from a meltdown. No, as much as the Bombers have come unglued, there’s still enough life in them to believe they’ve got a puncher’s chance at finishing first and hosting the Eastern Final.

Fred Greenslade / reuters
Blue Bombers running back Chris Garrett is brought down by Montreal Alouettes tackle J.P. Bekasiak (96) during first-half action. — Fred Greenslade / reuters Blue Bombers running back Chris Garrett is brought down by Montreal Alouettes tackle J.P. Bekasiak (96) during first-half action.

Just as easily, however, they could continue to swoon and find themselves on the road for an East Division semi.

The Bombers, should Buck Pierce get healthy, are still very much in the mix in the East. Mediocrity is going to carry the day in the East Division this year and the Bombers can live up to that disturbingly low bar.

The Bombers and Als are tied for first in the East with records of 8-5 while the Tiger-Cats, who face the lowly Toronto Argos today, could be just a game back at 7-6 by Sunday.

The race has just begun, and in this apparent season of parity, the Bombers are positioned to grab some glory.

But they’ll need to start winning again and winning in the difficult end of the campaign.

Sure, the Bombers were dandy in the early going as they broke out to a 7-1 mark, but they’ve been dreadful in the middle portion of their schedule and have come back to the pack.

The Bombers travel to Hamilton next weekend and to Edmonton the following week before hosting Montreal and the Argos back-to-back. They finish in Calgary against the Stamps.

Four out of those five games are testers, with only the Argos presenting a soft spot in the schedule. To say the Bombers are in tough is an understatement.

Remember those back-to-back losses to the Saskatchewan Roughriders? Turns out they were important. Even a split over that stretch would have the Big Blue still in first place. Dumping them both was inexcusable.

Wins become harder to come by later in a season in whatever league one resides and in pro football true contenders step forth once the frost shows itself on the pumpkin.

The Bombers were a great prom date when the band first took the stage, but they’re looking ragged and worn out sitting in the gymnasium bleachers trying to catch their breath.

Will they return to the dance floor and waltz until the music stops, or will they be carried to the limo and driven home like a passed-out teenager?

Your guess is as good as any with this bunch.

The price of the corsage should be worth watching this unfold.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca