Blue unleash two-headed monster

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This article was published 12/11/2019 (2125 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CALGARY – Adam Bighill, stuffed in the back corner of a spirited visitor’s locker room at McMahon Stadium, was picking at some tape stuck to his arm when I asked him to consider how different a feeling this was compared to last season.

I prefaced the question by mentioning how painful it seemed a year ago, when his Winnipeg Blue Bombers lost here to the Calgary Stampeders in the West Division final, a game that brought a promising 2018 season to a sudden halt. I noted this time, following their 35-14 victory Sunday over the Stampeders in the West semifinal, they weren’t just celebrating a redeeming win, but a dominant victory over the CFL’s heaviest hitter for much of the past decade.

Running through my checklist in his head, the Bombers middle linebacker wanted to be sure of one thing…

"Did you say at their house? Did you say that?" Bighill asked, almost defiantly, to which I nodded. "Ok, then."

Being sure to check all boxes from a proverbial checklist about my question off the field felt symbolic of an evening where the Bombers executed everything they needed to do on it. Winnipeg completed the daunting task of knocking off the Stampeders on their own turf, and are now just one game away from punching its ticket to the Grey Cup.

The Bombers must get through the 13-5 Saskatchewan Roughriders first, in what will surely be another hostile environment, as they usually are at Mosaic Stadium. But before we look too far ahead, here are five takeaways from Sunday’s drubbing over the Stampeders.

1) I’ve given him much praise over the years, but I’ve been critical this season of Bombers offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice, particularly in recent weeks for what I felt were lacklustre performances from his group. But what we saw unfold on Sunday from the man calling the plays was nothing short of incredible.

Using a two-headed quarterback monster in Zach Collaros and Chris Streveler, LaPolice the Bombers offence rebounded from a slow first half to put up 27 points against a solid Stampeders defence.

.@ZCollaros7 finds @DarvinAdams 71-yards away for a @Wpg_BlueBombers TD!

WPG 25 – CGY 14 pic.twitter.com/2RcTXNHOol

— CFL on TSN (@CFLonTSN) November 10, 2019

Collaros threw for 192 passing yards and one touchdown – a 71-yard strike to Darvin Adams early in the fourth quarter that had even the most sceptical of Bomber fans feeling this actually might happen. Streveler highlighted a stellar run game, putting up 72 of his team-leading 82 rushing yards in the second half. The 24-year-old provided the final blow when late in the game he scampered 24 yards for a touchdown that ended any chance of a Calgary comeback.

The fact that the Bombers didn’t have to lean completely on their star running back Andrew Harris – Nic Demski also had a 33-yard touchdown run – is a major step for this team. They’ll need their playmakers to show up again on Sunday against a Roughriders defence that plays just a physical as Calgary and likes to take the ball away.

"I want to break free"@Demski9 bursts through for the major. #GCPlayoffs @shaw_Cfl #RoadtotheGreyCup pic.twitter.com/03ILq144BH

— CFL (@CFL) November 10, 2019

2) I’m on record saying I don’t believe Streveler is a good enough starting quarterback to lead the Bombers to a Grey Cup. And while I still think the jury is out on what his full potential might be, I also think the Bombers are hard pressed to snap a 28-year championship drought without him.

Collaros is still the team’s No. 1 pivot, and for good reason, but Streveler is the heartbeat of the offence, the kind of teammate that makes everyone around him better just by showing up. There was no doubt he was feeling the aftermath of the last few weeks, as he worked hard to rehab a broken bone in his foot and a high ankle sprain that had him sitting out the final game of the regular season.

"Strev’s a dog, man. He’s got all the respect on this team," Demski said. "He comes in and plays with his heart, obviously he’s athletic and he runs people over. What more can you ask out of him?"

"He embodies the idea of honouring your teammates," added head coach Mike O’Shea.

Streveler and his gusty performances might just be the X-factor in these playoffs.

.@cstrevy goes for a 24-yard run for another @Wpg_BlueBombers TD! #GCPlayoffs

WPG 35 – CGY 14 pic.twitter.com/WP3VNdiJeL

— CFL on TSN (@CFLonTSN) November 11, 2019

3) Not many people are capable of making Bo Levi Mitchell disappear, but defensive coordinator Richie Hall was able to dig into his bag of tricks to do just that.

Mitchell, the Stampeders quarterback and reigning league and Grey Cup MVP, was nearly invisible Sunday, and completely irrelevant in the second half. In what was easily the worst game of his career, Mitchell finished the night with just 116 passing yards, with more than half of that coming through the first two quarters.

He didn’t register a single completion in the third quarter, and had just five passes connect in the final frame. Mitchell said after the game the Bombers disguised a lot of the same looks from previous games, only to drop into different coverages that were confusing to dissect.

Most costly, though, were the three interceptions he threw.

The first was from Mike Jones, who had a rough start after getting flagged for a 47-yard pass interference penalty on Calgary’s first play of the game (a drive that eventually led to a touchdown). Jones’ pick snuffed out a promising series for the Stampeders that had made it as far as the Bombers’ 25-yard line.

The #Bombers will all the momentum!#GCPlayoffs @Shaw_CFL #RoadtotheGreyCup pic.twitter.com/XVREYRKscj

— CFL (@CFL) November 10, 2019

The other two interceptions – from Mercy Maston and then Nick Taylor – came in the second half and led to 10 crucial points for the Bombers. The Stampeders had turnovers on their final three drives.

4) Many in the media made a big deal about the weather Sunday and how it might affect each side come game time, including a column from yours truly.

The players mostly downplayed the effect Mother Nature might have, and afterwards neither team used it as an excuse. But you only had to be outside, the snow blowing for spurts and the frigid temperatures dipping well beyond freezing, to know it would.

And though both teams had to manage the same conditions, it was clear the Bombers were better equipped at doing so. So, I asked around the locker room to find out why that was.

The obvious answer is the Bombers were the better running team and if you saw how many balls Mitchell threw that were closer to the turf than his target’s hands, you knew the weather was not ideal for passing.

But most of the credit from the players went to O’Shea and the mindset he’s instilled for playing in these conditions.

Receiver Nic Demski put it best.

"When you get that engraved in your head, even before playoffs start, you’re going to come out here and cold isn’t even going to be a factor," he said. "I saw a couple of their players come out after halftime with sleeves on and we’re just out there balling out. It made us want this opportunity to come out here and beat these boys and we came out and did it."

What a day for football in CGY!#GCPlayoffs @shaw_cfl #RoadtotheGreyCup pic.twitter.com/1jjfQbokPJ

— CFL (@CFL) November 10, 2019

5) However, I believe the Bombers greatest advantage was the bye in the final week of the regular season.

The Bombers knew well ahead who their opponent was going to be and having just played a home-and-home series with the Stampeders to close out the year, it gave them the time and knowledge to put together a solid game plan.

“I thought the staff did a great job and then the players take the plan and run with it on the field,” O’Shea said. “I can’t thank our guys enough for the amount of work they did to make sure they used every little bit of time they had.”

That won’t be the case this week. In fact, it’s the Roughriders who will be coming off the break, having earned a first-round bye by clinching the division.

Perhaps a saving grace is that it’s likely the Roughriders weren’t predicting a Bombers victory, meaning more attention might have been paid to Calgary this past week. Either way, it’s going to be a battle at Mosaic, with a berth in the Grey Cup on the line.

 

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton