Bombers lacking balance

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/07/2015 (3890 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Take the win, Blue Bombers, enjoy the moment and be happy with the 3-3 record.

Then look in the mirror and realize you have pimples. Lots of them. Too many to get a prom date. Too many to take a yearbook picture. Too many to leave the house for anything but a tube of Clearasil.

Drew Willy is one helluva football player and he beat the B.C. Lions 23-13 Thursday night. Drew Willy did this. Not the Bombers.

It’s a given the quarterback is the best player on a team, but the gap between Willy’s performance and the rest of his teammates this season is far too great. Relying on one player, even one as gifted and gutsy as Willy, isn’t a formula for success.

The Lions are not very good right now and Willy was able to expose them. A better team would have shut down Winnipeg’s one-trick offence and taken advantage of the Bombers’ early mistakes.

This was a case of one dude doing more than anyone could have expected or believed and getting his team over the top. Bravo, Willy.

But it can’t last. It won’t stand up against a good team. The Bombers are ridiculously unbalanced. Not even a rumour of a rushing game.

Offensive co-ordinator Marcel Bellefeuille must have forgotten how to say the word run. He never orders one up.

The Bombers were predictable and eventually reckless in their play calling. Again and again on first down, Bellefeuille signalled in a pass and the Lions were able to charge at Willy.

The quarterback led his team in rushing yards with 72 as he called his own number five times, despite playing the game with an injured and heavily braced right knee. Willy’s runs shocked and frustrated the Lions. But not the next opponent.

Bombers running backs combined for 59 yards on 15 rushing plays. B.C.’s Andrew Harris had 24 carries for 124 yards. This isn’t a favourable statistic for the Bombers and they managed to buck the trend and earn a win. But over time, this type of line will work against them. Crushingly.

Winnipeg’s offensive line had a strong night and the four sacks against Willy were more due to a stubborn refusal to commit to the run.

Willy won’t last at this rate. We watched this unfold last season as defensive co-ordinators around the league installed game plans that focused almost solely on shutting down Winnipeg’s quarterback. They hit him and knocked him down and eventually his play fell off and the Bombers faded.

The irony of it is the Bombers don’t need to be all gun and no run. The offensive line is improved, and if given the chance, capable of sustaining a run offence. They’re likely begging to step into a run block rather than be on their heels in pass protection all game.

Winnipeg’s defence did its job last night in a bend-but-don’t-break manner. They avoided the big play against and created turnovers. But they were on the field for long stretches early and, if not for an inept Lions offence, could have been victimized for points.

The Lions won the overall time of possession battle holding the ball for 32:06 in the game, but had it for 18:34 against Winnipeg’s 11:26 in the first half.

In most games that adds up to a loss. Again, if not for Willy, this game doesn’t finish this way.

It’s incumbent upon the Bombers to develop a run game. They won’t thrive under the current strategy.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Head Start

Weekday Mornings

A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day.

Sign up for Head Start

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Sitting .500 after six games and with 12 to go it’s still hard to figure what this version of the Bombers is capable of. But if they think Drew Willy is going to outplay the entire league on his own, they’re mistaken.

Time to help out the quarterback. Time to bet balanced.

Take the glass-half-full approach if you like. But if the Bombers can’t find a way to move the ball on the ground, they’ll soon be running on empty.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @garylawless