Argos coach likes Blue skill level

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This article was published 11/08/2016 (3626 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO — Winnipeg receiver Clarence Denmark, a strong start should lead to a happy ending for the Blue Bombers when they face the Toronto Argonauts at BMO Field Friday night.

“That’s the most important thing,” Denmark told reporters during the team’s media availability at a hotel in downtown Toronto Thursday afternoon. “If we can start fast, like the last few weeks, I think we’ll be fine.”

Denmark, who spent five years with the Blue and Gold before being released in the off-season, returned to the Winnipeg lineup last week. It didn’t take long for him to leave a mark, hauling in a 12-yard touchdown pass less than four minutes into a 37-11 win over the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The score put the Bombers up 14-0. That lead was extended to 21-0 by the end of the first quarter and 34-0 by halftime.

It was a similar story the week before, when the Bombers topped the reigning Grey Cup champion Edmonton Eskimos 30-23. Winnipeg was up 11-0 by the 15-minute mark and 19-3 heading into the second half.

Simply put, the Bombers have had a real strong push the last two games, outscoring their opponents 53-3 in the first half. Strong starts have been a big reason why the Bombers have bounced back from 1-4 to sit 3-4, winning back-to-back games for the first time in two seasons.

Indeed, a lot has been made about the Bombers and their play of late, particularly around the depth of their talent pool and how they’ve been able to overcome a number of key injuries this season.

Even Argos head coach Scott Milanovich, who used to coach with Bombers boss Mike O’Shea when O’Shea was special teams coach in Toronto, credited Winnipeg’s roster this season, going as far as to suggest it’s the best team he’s seen them field in years.

“This, to me, is the first team he’s had enough talent to really make a run,” said Milanovich. “I think this is a noticeably more talented team than he’s had the past two years.”

Denmark agreed with the statement. But, he added, you can have all the talent in the world but none of that matters if it doesn’t translate onto the field.

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“We’re doing some good things,” Denmark said. “It’s just all about executing and putting it on the field. Talent is not the only thing you have to have, you have to go out there and actually make it happen.”

Extra points: The Bombers haven’t trailed once in their last two games, nor have they turned the ball over. The last time Winnipeg had consecutive games without turnovers was during Weeks 3 and 4 of the 2006 season… Winnipeg 26-point margin of victory in last week’s win over Hamilton was the biggest since the Bombers’ 31-2 win over Saskatchewan on July 12, 2010 — a stretch of 106 games… The Argos have won six of the last seven and 10 of the last 12 games against the Bombers… Winnipeg kicker Justin Medlock seems to have found his groove, hitting his last 12 field-goal attempts and 14 of his last 15 over the past four games…Bombers linebacker Ian Wild leads the CFL in defensive tackles with 48, making at least seven tackles in each of the team’s seven games this season, as well as total defensive plays with 60.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton joined the Free Press newsroom in 2015, reporting on the sports and investigative beats until he left the Free Press in July 2026.

Every piece of reporting Jeff produced was reviewed by an editing team before it was 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.