Redblacks provide truer test

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This article was published 12/06/2016 (3402 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — By all accounts, it was a successful opening to 2016 for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

A sluggish start to Wednesday’s pre-season game was quickly forgiven after the Bombers, down 13-3 late in the first half, scored 33 unanswered points in a 36-13 win over the Montreal Alouettes at Investors Group Field.

Indeed, the night offered plenty to be happy with. Fans saw early returns on a number of the big off-season investments, including flashes from newcomers Andrew Harris and Ryan Smith, while a few of the other, lesser-known names — Timothy Flanders, who rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown; a 28-yard grab from Fred Williams in the end zone — made favourable impressions in a game that featured more than 70 players dressed in blue and gold.

With the first hurdle cleared, focus now shifts to an encore. The Bombers have taken the show on the road, landing in Ottawa for a date with the Redblacks Monday night for what will be their final tune-up before the regular season gets underway June 24.

The stakes will be higher; so, too, will the expectations. Here are five storylines to keep in mind.

Putting on a show

It was a 40-yard catch and run to the end zone from running back Harris — a penalty eventually reduced the play to an 18-yard gain — and a nifty 32-yard grab from receiver Smith that highlighted the Bombers’ first-team offence, which played just one quarter against the Als.

And though it was enough to suggest there may be some real punch to the Bombers’ new-look attack this season, the Drew Willy-led group still only accounted for three of the team’s 36 points.

That number will have to improve if fans are to be further convinced of a real transformation from 2015, a shift from an offence that finished last in almost every meaningful statistic.

“We think we’ve done some really good things so far in training camp, but we know there’s a long way to go,” said QB Willy. “It all starts again (Monday), so go out there and put on a good show.”

Given it’s the final game before the regular season, they should get every opportunity to do just that. It’s expected the first team will get more reps Monday, likely close to a full half, as it looks to build a comfort level for the regular season.

Work in progress

As much as Wednesday’s game marked a step in the right direction, it wasn’t without its blemishes. Of notable concern: an underwhelming performance from the starting defence, particularly the secondary.

Kevin Glenn, the Alouettes’ 37-year-old starting quarterback, toyed with the Bombers’ last line of defence, stretching the field with short and long passes. Glenn finished the night 14 of 19 for 140 yards and a touchdown pass — a bullet to Nik Lewis from four yards out that ended a 15-play, 88-yard drive.

“Building camaraderie, communication and finding the effort we need to put out on the field, that’s what the pre-season is for,” said defensive back Chris Randle. “What we want to be focused on now is creating those turnovers and making big plays.”

At this point, making an assessment on any part of the defence would be premature and unfair. But a solid performance at Monday’s game would help change any negative preconceived notions that may have formed last week.

The ageless wonder

As good as Glenn was, the task only gets harder in Ottawa, where the challenge will be yet another aging quarterback, this time in Henry Burris.

Burris, who turned 41 this month, is proving age is simply a number. He’s coming off a monster 2015 season where he was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player, throwing for a career-high 5,703 yards, while adding 26 touchdowns to only 13 interceptions.

“He’s a proven vet, knows what he’s doing, so to have a good game against him,” said Randle, “yeah, it would mean a lot.”

Redblacks coach Rick Campbell said Burris will start and will get a majority of the first half to find his groove in what will be the first pre-season game in three years at Lansdowne Park — Women’s World Cup games in 2015 and construction in 2014 forced the Redblacks to make alternative plans — and the first time fans will get the chance to see their team since the 26-20 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos in last year’s Grey Cup.

With more than 20,000 tickets already sold for the game, the home team has vowed not to disappoint.

Experience needed

There’s a reason Canadian offensive linemen are among the most coveted and highly paid players in the CFL. In a league where skill positions — quarterback, running backs and receivers — are usually reserved for players with American passports, the O-line is the most important part to fulfilling a team’s ratio needs.

So when the Bombers signed Jeff Keeping, an 11-year CFL veteran and native of Uxbridge, Ont., in the off-season, it was to boost their Canadian depth up front. Needless to say, when he was forced to leave last Wednesday’s game in the second quarter and later ruled out six to eight weeks with a left-knee injury, that depth took a major hit.

If the Bombers are unable to replace Keeping it will likely mean an increased role for Michael Couture, who Winnipeg took with the 10th overall pick in May’s CFL Draft.

The boost should be a big one for Couture’s experience level, said coach Mike O’Shea, something that should only “skyrocket” with more meaningful reps.

“Any time a rookie can get in and get those reps when they probably weren’t going to be afforded to him before that time, it’s pretty valuable stuff,” said O’Shea.

The pre-season was always going to be a feeling out period for Couture, who came into training camp with the goal of becoming the sixth man on the O-line and eventually working his way into a starter’s role. If he can impress while Keeping is out, he may reach his goal sooner than planned.

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No return just yet

The Bombers are still looking for a front-runner in the return game. Three players got the chance to return kicks last week, but none showed enough to separate themselves from the pack.

Quincey McDuffie paced a group that included Justin Veltung and Carlos Anderson, averaging just more than 14 yards with his three carries. Veltung, who did spot duty as a kick returner last season, is injured and won’t be in the lineup Monday.

For now, it looks like a two-horse race. We’ll have to wait and see if one of them can finally hit their stride.

 jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton

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Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

Every piece of reporting Jeff produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.