New Blue less than awesome

Friday night's performance not overly impressive

By: Paul Wiecek Posted: 3:00 AM CDT Saturday, Jun. 20, 2015

Yes, it's just pre-season football.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/06/2015 (3760 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Yes, it’s just pre-season football.

No, it means nothing in the standings.

And yes, no one is going to remember what happened Friday night in the first football game of the 2015 CFL season at Investors Group Field if the Winnipeg Blue Bombers go on to win the last game of this season on the final Sunday in November.

JOHN WOODS / CANADIAN PRESS
Winnipeg Blue Bombers' quarterback Robert Marve (16) runs for yards against Hamilton Tiger-Cats' Brandon Stewart (9) during the second half of CFL action in Winnipeg Friday. — JOHN WOODS / CANADIAN PRESS Winnipeg Blue Bombers' quarterback Robert Marve (16) runs for yards against Hamilton Tiger-Cats' Brandon Stewart (9) during the second half of CFL action in Winnipeg Friday.

But having dispensed with all those qualifiers, we can also report the long-awaited and highly anticipated unveiling of the team the Bombers will take into regular season battle next Saturday was something decidedly less than inspiring on offence, defence and special teams.

The final score — a 26-15 Bombers’ loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats — was simultaneously beside the point and exactly the point on a night when the Bombers fielded for the first time a very close facsimile of the starting offence, defence and special teams that will open Winnipeg’s regular season in Regina.

What was supposed to be a coming out party for the team GM Kyle Walters wheeled and dealed all winter long for — and which has Bombers fans so excited — was missing both the booze and the music on a night the Ticats took it to the Bombers’ first-teamers.

With the first-team offence and defence in the game for most of the first half, the Ticats dominated on both sides of the ball, running up 243 yards of offence in just the first two quarters to head into half-time up 20-7.

The good news? The Bombers’ first-team defence — which was the worst in the CFL last season against the run — gave up just 38 yards on the ground in the first half.

The bad news? That same defence gave up 205 yards passing in that same first half.

More bad news? The Bombers offence — which had the second-worst running game in the CFL last year — mustered just 14 yards on the ground in the first two quarters behind the much-discussed new offensive line.

To be fair, part of the problem in the first half was the Bombers offensive backfield was depleted early after tailbacks Paris Cotton and Carlos Anderson left the game in the first half with injuries.

Cotton appeared to sustain an ankle injury, but he returned in the second half and ripped off a 28-yard run followed by a one-yard touchdown plunge early in the fourth quarter to narrow the Hamilton lead to 23-13.

The injury to Anderson, however, appeared to be much more serious — a knee injury that required him to be helped off the field.

An injury to Anderson that would keep him out a prolonged period of time would be a blow to the Bombers. Anderson had been pressed into kick-return duty after veteran returner Troy Stoudermire broke his hand during training camp. Anderson had been effective on special teams, running back a punt last week against Toronto for a 93-yard TD and returning a kickoff 38 yards Friday on the play on which he was injured early in the first quarter.

With Anderson out of the game, rookie import receivers Justin Veltung and Jhomo Gordon handled the returns for Winnipeg for the rest of the evening uneventfully.

Bombers starting quarterback Drew Willy played the entire first half and a series in the second half. His numbers were respectable — 11-of-17 for 142 yards — but he struggled to complete drives and was on a different page than his receivers on a couple of errant passes. Hamilton QB Zach Collaros mostly had his way with the Bombers defence in the first half, going 14-of-17 for 183 yards and one TD. Collaros also had two other TD passes negated by Hamilton penalties.

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea has to have his final cuts into the league offices by 9 p.m. today and then the hard work will really begin as the Bombers begin preparations to head into a stadium in Regina where they haven’t won since 2004.

The Bombers finished their 2015 pre-season schedule 1-1. Winnipeg beat the Argos in Toronto 34-27 last Tuesday.

A win over Hamilton would have marked the first time the Bombers went 2-0 in the pre-season since 1995.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @PaulWiecek

Game Balls

Offence:

Zach Collaros, QB, Hamilton: Yes, on a night of yawn-inspiring efforts by the Bombers projected starters, the most dynamic player on the field was wearing Ticat black, white and yellow. The Hamilton pivot finished 14 of 17 for 183 yards with one TD and zero picks, slicing through the Bomber defence like a diamond cutter.

Defence:

Kahlil Bass, LB, Winnipeg: Tough to single out anyone in particular with the revolving door of personnel all night, but Bass led all defenders with seven tackles.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Justin Medlock, K, Hamilton: Connected on all four of his field-goal attempts, including a 49-yard bomb and was steady again in the punting department.

THE BLUE

QBS

(IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE)

Drew Willy: His numbers: 11 of 17 for 142 yards; 0 TDs, 0 INTs. Wires got crossed a couple of times with his receivers and the starting pivot, usually as cool as the underside of a pillow, was spotted barking at his intended targets.Summation: The offensive mojo Willy & Co. wanted to carry into the opener next week in Regina was MIA.

Brian Brohm: His numbers: 2 of 6 for 20 yards; 0 TDs, 0 INTs. The stats speak for themselves. Summation: Not exactly the kind of performance that will have fans chanting ‘We want Brohm!’ should Willy struggle.

Josh Portis: His numbers: 3 of 5 for 28 yards; 0 TDs, 0 INTs. Was at the controls for one of the Bombers TDs, a run by Paris Cotton. Summation: He did his thing and looked comfy at the controls.

Robert Marve: His numbers: 11 of 16 for 115 yards; also rushed for 42 yards on five carries. Summation: Also did his thing — which is bring some life to the huddle and to the ball park — while moving the offence, although two drives stalled in Ticat territory.

OOPS

Bombers kicker Lirim Hajrullahu whiffed on a 36-yard field-goal attempt and was wide on a convert, now taken from the 32 yard line.

FYI

RB Carlos Anderson, who returned a punt for a TD in the pre-season win over Toronto, was making more magic on his first touch against the Ticats when he pulled up lame on a kickoff return with an apparent left knee injury. He had to be helped from the field… RB Paris Cotton also left the game with a leg injury, but did not leave the sidelines and returned near the end of the third quarter to rush for 42 yards… In the interim, with no other tailbacks dressed, Cameron Marshall got a ton of work.

— Ed Tait