A chance for redemption

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This article was published 12/07/2017 (3007 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Through the first two games of the 2017 CFL season, the jury is still very much out on who and what the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will become this year.

In a season-opening 43-40 overtime win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the Bombers didn’t show up until the second half before the offence exploded for three touchdowns and 24 points en route to the victory. Against a beat up Calgary Stampeders team last week at Investors Group Field, Winnipeg kept the game close through two quarters but faltered down the stretch, with Calgary coasting to a 29-10 victory.

Tonight, there’s a chance for redemption against the Toronto Argonauts who, despite undergoing a major overhaul during the off-season, sit atop the East Division with a record of 2-1.

With that, here are five storylines to keep an eye leading up to kickoff…

BOUNCE BACK FOR NICHOLS

Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols took sole ownership for the loss against Calgary, lamenting after the game mostly about his two costly interceptions. His first came early in the opening frame, when he had the ball picked off by Josh Bell in the end zone after the Bombers had marched deep into Stampeders’ territory. Two quarters later, Nichols was fooled by Maleki Harris, who dropped back in coverage before stepping in front of a pass that ended with 27-yard return for a score that put Calgary up 19-10.

The performance was in stark contrast to what transpired a week before, when Nichols threw for a career-high four touchdowns with just one interception against the Roughriders. Nichols, 30, was lauded all last season — a breakout year that ended in career highs in almost every statistical category measured for quarterbacks — for his ability to protect the ball. He finished with nine interceptions in 14 starts, with a stretch of seven games where he threw just one.

“This game is all about how you bounce back; there’s never going to be 18 games where you play perfectly every single game,” Nichols said Wednesday. “I’ve been through a lot in my career and having one game where I didn’t feel like I played my best is not a tough challenge for me. I’m going to answer the call and come back and play a better game for my teammates.”

Nichols’ success against the Argonauts won’t simply be determined by what he can control. The offensive line hasn’t yet lived up to the lofty expectations set from last year. Far too often this season Nichols has been hurried or sacked, including seven trips to the turf through two games. Establishing the run game will also be key to opening up the air attack, one that last week paled in comparison to the effort in the win in Regina.

BATTERED BLUE

The stable of linebackers for the Bombers took a major hit this week with the loss of Ian Wild, who suffered an arm injury against the Stampeders and will be out at least six weeks.

With Wild out, second-year import linebacker Kyle Knox, who missed most of last season with an ankle injury, gets his first CFL start. Knox, 28, was considered the favourite to take over for Khalil Bass at middle linebacker heading into training camp but ultimately lost the job to non-import Sam Hurl, who displayed better communication skills and comfort level with the defence.

Now, Knox will be expected to lean on Hurl as he begins to fill the void left by Wild at the weak side. To excel at the weak side you have to possess a blend of athleticism, an ability to read opposing defences and have the quickness to cover in space, whether against a receiver or running back.

“He’s a guy that’s in his fifth season — third in this system — and has been a starter for the last two years, so he can’t be replaced,” defensive end Jamaal Westerman said of Wild. “But there are things that Knox brings, and we believe he can pick up the slack.”

To make matters worse, Winnipeg will also be without import defensive end Tristan Okpalaugo, who was a surprise addition to the six-game injured list. Jackson Jeffcoat, a CFL rookie and son of former Dallas Cowboy and two-time Super Bowl champion Jim Jeffcoat, is the replacement.

Though the Bombers believe Knox and Jeffcoat are both quality replacements, neither have been truly tested in a CFL game, making their first start against a prolific Argonauts offence as heavy a task as there is.

DREADED D IN DOUBLE BLUE

Of all the moving pieces that took place throughout the off-season for the Argonauts, it’s hard to pinpoint a single reason for what appears to be a vastly improved team compared to the one that finished with a league-worst five wins in 2016.

The toughest challenge for the Bombers, however, will undoubtedly be stopping an upgraded Toronto defence that has created nightmares for opposing offences, particularly quarterbacks. The Argonauts have 14 sacks through three games, double the total of the second-ranked Calgary Stampeders.

Defensive end Victor Butler — a CFL rookie who before joining the Argonauts hadn’t played a football game since failing an NFL drug test two years ago — has made the transition to the Canadian game look seamless. His seven sacks is the most of any player in a three-game stretch to open a season, since Elfred Payton (eight) and Joe Montford (seven) did it in 1999. Playing opposite Shawn Lemon, the Argonauts have arguably the best pass rush in the CFL.

Then there’s the crew of linebackers and defensive backs that have dubbed themselves the “Dreaded D” — named after the five starters with dreadlock hairstyles. The addition of former Montreal Alouette’s middle linebacker Bear Woods, the East Division nominee for most outstanding defensive player last season, highlights a linebacker trio that also features veteran Marcus Ball.

The Argonauts are the only defence to limit opposing offences to below 20 points per game and their seven turnovers ranks second in the CFL.

RAY OF HOPE

Don’t call it a comeback. Ricky Ray has been here for years.

The veteran quarterback is entering his 15th season in the CFL, and at the age of 37 shows few signs of slowing down. After an injury riddled 2016 season that limited him to nine games, Ray has provided a ray of hope to an Argonauts offence that was once considered to be the team’s weakest area.

Ray currently leads the CFL in passing yards with 1,199, averaging close to 400 yards per game while completing 70 per cent of his passes (89 of 127). He set a career-high for passing yards in a single game with 507 in season-opening win against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Last week, Ray recorded his 81st 300-plus yard game in a road victory against the defending Grey Cup champion Ottawa Redblacks.

“He’s everything you want in a quarterback,” Argonauts head coach Marc Trestman said. “It all starts with him and it always will.”

But that’s not where it ends. Along with a strong offensive line, the Argonauts have a receivers group that has seen four players reach the 100-yard mark in a game this season. None, however, have been as dominant as ex-Alouette S.J. Green, who is second in receiving yards this season, with 367, only two yards short of league-leader Greg Ellingson of Ottawa. Green is coming off a performance against the Redblacks where he registered 10 catches for 210 yards.

THIS IS OUR HOUSE… KIND OF

The Bombers were granted a shiny new home in 2013, moving into a stadium that remains among the crown jewels in the CFL. Through fixing structural issues to adding new seating areas and food venues, the Winnipeg Football Club has done as much as they can to create a positive game experience. The one thing that has constantly evaded them, however, is a similar consistency on the field.

With the loss to Calgary, the Bombers’ record dropped to an unexplainable 11-26 at IGF. Now in the fifth season in their new digs, the Bombers boast a winning record against just one of nine teams in the CFL: a 3-2 mark against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, a team that has won just eight games in the past two seasons.

There is something sacred, whether in professional sports or any level of competition, about protecting home field. It is, after all, quite literally your house, filled with the energy of your fans. Though the Bombers have adopted a strict one-game-at-a-time focus to each season, those who have been in Winnipeg for some time understand the importance of righting this wrong.

“We know it, we recognize it and we want to win, whether it be at home or away,” veteran cornerback Chris Randle said. “But we also understand it does something for the city, it does something for the fans and this organization if we win at home. It’s something we need and have to take advantage of.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton

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.

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