Bombers need to take care of business

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/10/2019 (2146 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With just one game remaining on their regular-season schedule, the most the Winnipeg Blue Bombers can hope for is second best.

To get there, the Bombers (10-7) first need to take care of business against the Calgary Stampeders Friday night at IG Field. A win would not only keep their dream of second place in the CFL’s West Division alive, it would also avenge last week’s 37-33 road loss to the Stampeders.

As for Calgary (11-5), it’s the top of the castle the Stamps desire. A victory over the Bombers followed by a win against the B.C. Lions next week would earn them a spot in the West final. A week after that Calgary plays host to the Grey Cup, whether the Stampeders are in it or not.

“The No. 1 goal is you want to go into the playoffs with a win and a win against a good team like Calgary is a big opportunity for us right now,” said Bombers running back Andrew Harris. “We got to get in done.”

With that, here are five storylines to keep an eye on in Friday’s game.

 

1) PLENTY TO PLAY FOR

It’s clear the Bombers need some help, both on and off the field.

The Bombers have been a dismal 5-7 since a perfect 5-0 start to the year, and hit particularly tough sledding of late, with losses in four of their last five games. It’s not the kind of momentum teams hope for when entering the post-season, and it’s far too late to go on any kind of run as Winnipeg wraps up the final week of the regular season with the bye.

Still, the Bombers have plenty to play for.

As mentioned, this game has major ramifications in the standings. A win this week and a Calgary loss to B.C. and suddenly the Bombers would be in a good position. In that scenario, the Bombers would clinch second place in the West and have a week to rest before hosting the Stamps in the West semifinal game.

“It’s really about coming out here and trying to put it on these guys,” Bombers linebacker Adam Bighill said. “You come out to win games all the time but at this point it’s even more. We know we’ll likely see them again in the playoffs. That makes it more personal… it’s more of everything.”

The Stampeders are battle tested more than any other team, having made the Grey Cup in each of the last three seasons and winning it last year. Every edge will be important come playoffs and if you’re the Bombers you’d much rather be hosting the Stampeders than having to best them on the road.

 

2) COLLAROS GETS THE CALL

Many have been wondering if we’d ever get the chance to see Zach Collaros don Blue and Gold. Well, the time has officially arrived.

Collaros, the veteran quarterback with more than 70 career games who was acquired from the Toronto Argonauts at the trade deadline earlier this month, will be the starting quarterback for the Bombers. He takes the place of Chris Streveler, who injured his right ankle in last week’s loss and has been assigned to the one-game injured list.

A 31-year-old from Steubenville, Ohio, Collaros hasn’t taken a snap since suffering a concussion in Week 1, when he was still a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. After being ruled out for a significant amount of time, and with the emergence of Cody Fajardo in Saskatchewan, Collaros was traded to Toronto before being flipped to Winnipeg.

Friday will be the first time Collaros has taken a live snap in 114 days.

“You always put pressure on yourself… anyone who wants to be a really good player does,” Collaros said. “What’s nice is knowing you’re prepared for the game. Now it’s all about execution.”

 

3) FINDING A BALANCED ATTACK

It might be a lot to ask Collaros to perform on such little notice and with less than two weeks of practise. There’s little doubt he’ll show some rust given how long he’s been away from the game.

But it’s also a major opportunity, both for Collaros and the Bombers. A strong game, and especially a victory, would go a long way in boosting both his and the team’s confidence.

More importantly, with Collaros the Bombers have a real chance to establish a much-needed air attack, something that’s been desperately missing with Streveler at the controls. Winnipeg boasts the best run-game in the CFL — in no small part because of Streveler’s ability to rush the ball for big gains — but when it comes to moving the ball downfield with the pass, the offence just hasn’t hit the mark.

Collaros is far from a mobile quarterback, with fewer than 200 rushing yards over the last four seasons (44 games). The Bombers will still lean on Harris to carry the rock but it will also mean pushing the ball downfield through the air.

That kind of balanced attack should only help confuse teams, which should lead to a less-predictable offence, especially in the second half. Far too often the Bombers have become one-dimensional as the game moves on, evident by the 8.5 points they’ve averaged in the final two quarters over the past 12 games.

It also bodes well that wide receiver Darvin Adams is back in the lineup after missing last week’s game due to injury.

 

4) UH OH, IT’S BO

No group on the Bombers took last week’s loss to the Stampeders more personal than the secondary — and rightfully so.

After all, Stamps quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, who, by night’s end, torched the Bombers for 337 passing yards and three touchdowns, embarrassed Winnipeg’s last line of defence. The victory improved Mitchell’s record to 11-2 all-time over the Bombers — a stretch that spans more than seven seasons, 4,000 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

If you were to ask what’s behind Mitchell’s success, many in the Bombers room lament not just having to beat the CFL’s best arm, but its best mind, too. No one, players say, can break down a defence ahead of a play better than him.

But getting dominated twice in as many weeks by the same guy just won’t cut it. For the Bombers, it’s payback time.

“Fool me once? Shame on you. Fool me twice? Shame on me,” said Bombers safety Brandon Alexander. “You can’t make the same mistakes twice.”

If the Bombers are to stop Mitchell this time around, it will be with a rejigged secondary, with Mike Jones making his first CFL start at field corner, in for an injured Chandler Fenner, and Mercy Maston replacing Marcus Rios at strong-side linebacker.

 

5) A SPECIAL IMPACT

It’s often said if you can win two of the three phases — offence, defence, special teams — you usually win the game.

Assuming the Bombers are unable to outduel the Stampeders on offence and defence, there’s a good chance special teams could play a pivotal role in this one.

It bodes well that in what’s been an up-and-down season, Bombers kicker Justin Medlock has been in fine form of late. He’s a 10-for-10 on field goals in his last four games, including half from beyond 40 yards.

The Bombers did an admirable job in the return game last week, with just once being pinned inside their own 30-yard line. Calgary, on the other hand, had seven of its 13 drives start inside the 25.

What would make life a lot easier is if Bombers returner Janarion Grant could find the end zone. That’s a lot easier said than done but Grant has done it before, scoring two punt-return touchdowns against the Stampeders in a win back in August.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton