Five storylines for Montreal vs. Winnipeg

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This article was published 18/09/2015 (3841 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MONTREAL — Five storylines to ponder in advance of Sunday’s CFL showdown between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Montreal Alouettes:

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 It may have taken Matt Nichols a good 30 minutes to get started, but once he found his stride he was pretty solid in his debut with the Bombers, going 21 of 30 for 283 yards with one touchdown and one interception. More importantly, the Bombers were able to pick up first downs and limit their two-and-outs. They had more first downs than the opposition and had more time of possession. A member of Bombers management this week said Nichols didn’t just lift the offence, he lifted the entire team.

“They were just waiting for someone to give them hope. He did it with his leadership and his demeanour, and then with his skills,” he said. “Guys were like, ‘finally, we have a chance.’ It changed us as a team.”

Great. But one week does not a season make, and the Bombers will need Nichols operating at a high level of efficiency to win against a tough Als defence. No. 1 Drew Willy is coming along, but his return is at least one month away judging from his awkward walk at this stage. The Bombers’ playoff chances, in all likelihood, ride on the shoulders of Nichols.

Coaching clues

Prior to last week, folks around Winnipeg were beginning to believe it was more like clueless coaching. But there were major clues last week the Bombers are now approaching things the right way. Head coach Mike O’Shea has decided to get more aggressive in all facets of the game.

The Bombers threw the ball downfield, rushed more players in passing situations on defence and used a gadget play on special teams. Expect more of the same. The Bombers aren’t at the stage where they can beat teams on fundamentals alone. They need to create their own luck. To create turnovers on defence, win the special-teams battle and make a big play or two on offence.

It’s taken a while for this staff to gel, and the offence remains very much an area of concern, but there were positives last week. In particular, Richie Hall’s defence is getting more exotic and layered by the week. Hall is known for installing a base defence and adding to it as the season goes on, until it reaches its peak down the stretch. The defence will have more fronts, blitzes and cover schemes each week. Hall has made a living in this league with his system and it’s beginning to take root in Winnipeg.

Offensive Als

The Alouettes have done most of their offensive work this season with the rush. But the return of No. 1 quarterback Jonathan Crompton, as well as some more familiarity for offensive co-ordinator Ryan Dinwiddie and quarterbacks coach Anthony Calvillo should help a passing attack ranked last in the CFL.

Dinwiddie and Calvillo were promoted into new positions after former head coach Tom Higgins was fired. GM and interim head coach Jim Popp has given his young coaches a lot of opportunity, and Crompton represents this offence’s best chance at stability, but he’s not exactly a playmaker.

The offence in Montreal is a bit of a head scratcher. They’ve struggled to find a replacement for Calvillo, who made them one of the best offences in the CFL for over a decade when he was under centre. The Als haven’t scored an offensive TD at home in two games. Rakeem Cato is the Als’ most talented quarterback, but he’s missed some time due to a death in the family. Expect Crompton to get the first half, but be on a tight leash. If he isn’t moving the ball, look for Cato to come on in relief.

My D is bigger than your D

Both of these defences are ranked in the middle of the league in yards against, but would have better numbers if they got more help from their respective offences. The Als are better against the rush, the Bombers rate higher against the pass. Montreal has allowed an average of 347.5 total offensive yards per game while Winnipeg has given up 374.5.

Montreal allows only 16.6 points per game, second in the league. Both teams have offences ranked in the bottom third of the league and their defences have kept them afloat. Montreal had the better unit early on, but Winnipeg’s D is really coming on. More offence leads to less time on the field and fewer opportunities to give up points. Look for the team that can move the ball Sunday to have a more dominant defence as a result.

Crossover crunch

Both of these teams sit just out of the playoff picture in their respective divisions with four wins apiece. Montreal trails third-place Toronto by two wins in the East Division, while the Bombers are tied with the third-place B.C. Lions (B.C. has a game in hand) in the West. It’s still early, but the potential for a crossover playoff team is there, as all three of these teams have four wins.

A fourth-place team in one division must have more points than the third place team in the other division to cross over and take a playoff spot.

A win for the Alouettes and they improve their crossover chances. A win for the Bombers and they put Montreal, for the time being at least, out of a crossover position.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @garylawless