Bombers squander plum opportunity

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This article was published 21/07/2016 (3365 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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It was all there for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The motivation, playing a Calgary Stampeders team they had beaten just once in their last 15 games, including seven straight losses on home turf.

The sense of urgency that comes with a 1-3 start to the season.

And the rallying point, one empowered by negativity, knowing their quarterback had been under fire all week from fans and media.

But none of that seemed to matter on this night as the Bombers fell, 33-18, to the Stampeders in front of a crowd of 24,674 at Investors Group Field and now sit at 1-4 on the season.

“It’s hard to keep coming in each week and not getting the job done,” said Bombers offensive lineman Stanley Bryant after the game. “Somehow, someway we got to get things on track or else it’s going to be the same result from last year.”

The Bombers finished last season 5-13 last season, missing out on the playoffs for a fourth straight year. As for the Stamps, they look primed for another good season, the win improving their record to 2-1-1.

 

DÉJÀ BLUE

The loss was eerily similar to the one against the Stamps earlier in the year — an embarrassing 36-22 loss on Canada Day head coach Mike O’Shea described as “garbage in the second and third quarters.”

Much of what happened in that Week 2 loss — an inability to tackle, catch the ball, stop the run game while also establishing their own — was once again on display. Thursday, it was another slow start — the Bombers trailed 20-3 at halftime, compared to 20-7 three weeks ago — followed by another late push.

There were the usual suspects, including Calgary quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, who continued his dominance against the Bombers, completing 29 of his 41 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns. Mitchell now has 30 wins in his first 38 games as a starter; only CFL legends Jackie Parker and Ken Ploen reached the 30-win mark in fewer games (37).

Mitchell went back to his favourite target in Marquay McDaniel, who toasted the Bombers secondary in the first game, making seven catches for 116 yards and one touchdown. Thursday, he finished with seven catches for 80 yards and a score.

 

SHIFT IN MOMENTUM

It was the breakout game fans were hoping to see from Weston Dressler.

Dressler, one of Winnipeg’s key off-season signings, brought in to boost an underwhelming receivers group, had his best game of the season. His 12 catches for 118 yards and one touchdown was the best stat line of any Bombers’ receiver.

Dressler had just one mistake in the game, and it cost the Bombers greatly.

Up 3-1 midway through the first quarter, and following a big turnover by the defence with the Stampeders marching, Dressler fumbled the ball on the Bombers’ next drive.

Three plays later, Mitchell hit McDaniel from 10 yards out to give the Stampeders a 7-3 lead. Calgary would score on their next two drives, including a 29-yard touchdown to Anthony Parker on the Stamps’ first drive of the second quarter that made it 20-7.

That’s not to suggest Dressler was to blame — far from it. But there’s no denying his drop marked a major shift in momentum and a lead for Calgary they wouldn’t relinquish.

 

BOO-WILLY

Drew Willy has started three games at Investors Group Field this season and in each game he’s been booed off the field. None of which came louder than in the early stages of the fourth quarter, the Bombers trailing 20-10, when Willy threw a ball into the hands of Calgary’s Joe Burnett, who returned the ball 34 yards for a touchdown.

That would mark the end of Willy’s night, giving fans their wish to finally see backup Matt Nichols take over the struggling offence.

“I’ve just got to be ready to play,” said Willy, when asked whether he was surprised to be pulled. “Nothing I can really do about it but stay ready and execute.”

Nichols looked good in relief, leading the Bombers to a touchdown on his first drive — an 18-yard strike to Dressler, who also reeled in the ensuing two-point conversion to cut the lead to 26-18. Nichols finished 9-for-15 with 88 yards and a touchdown.

But it would be too little, too late. Mitchell returned on the very next possession, leading the Stamps down the field for a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a five-yard touchdown pass to Simon Charbonneau-Campeau.

After the game, O’Shea wouldn’t commit to a starter next week when the team travels to Edmonton.

“That’s a decision we’ll make later on in the week,” he said.

 

BLUE AND BATTERED

The loss will likely mean more than just two points in the standings.

A number of bodies were unable to finish the game for the Blue and Gold, including defensive backs Chris Randle and Macho Harris, both of whom left the game injured after Parker’s touchdown in the second quarter, along with Julian Posey, who left late in the third quarter. It’s more bad news for a Bombers’ secondary already without Johnny Adams and Bruce Johnson.

Not to be outdone, the offensive line also took a major hit. Patrick Neufeld left the game in the first half and Jermarcus Hardrick, who was reported to have suffered a finger to the eye, left in the third quarter and did not return. The team provided no new information on the injuries.

 

 

COMMONWEALTH CURSE

If you thought Winnipeg was cursed against Calgary, Edmonton has also provided a house of horrors for the Blue and Gold.

In fact, it’s been a full decade since the Bombers last won at Commonwealth, dating back to that Miracle Catch from Milt Stegall, who reeled in a last-second, 100-yard catch to edge the Esks, 25-22, on July 20, 2006.

 

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.catwitter: @jeffkhamilton

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