Bombers’ victory far from perfect

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This article was published 21/07/2023 (843 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Apparently, showing up for all four quarters isn’t actually a requirement.

After a dull first half ended in a 6-6 tie thanks to sloppy play from both sides, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers found their groove to defeat the dumpster fire known as the Edmonton Elks 28-14 in front of 28,512 fans at IG Field on Thursday night.

A win is a win, and the Bombers are in good shape with a 5-2 record, but still face plenty of questions entering their first bye week of the 2023 CFL season

As for the Elks (0-7), their historic slide continues.

The next contest for the Blue and Gold is Aug. 3 when the squad hosts the B.C. Lions — a team that stomped them 30-6 in Week 3 at IG Field — in what will be a game loaded with storylines. Before we get to that, or kick our feet up for the week off, let’s revisit Winnipeg’s most recent tilt.

A slow-motion start

The smart thinking was the Bombers would come out of the gates firing on all cylinders. Surely they’d waste no time in getting the taste from last week’s embarrassing 31-28 overtime loss in Ottawa out of their mouths.

To further help their cause, they were also playing a short-handed Elks team that is terrible even at full strength.

Well, so much for that.

Winnipeg started the game with back-to back turnovers — a turnover on downs followed by Zach Collaros throwing an interception. If they were playing a half decent opponent — or if Elks quarterback Taylor Cornelius didn’t throw a pick right back to defensive tackle Cameron Lawson near the goal line — they would’ve started the game in a hole. Fortunately for them, the Elks squandered both opportunities before allowing the Bombers to go on a 12-play drive to open the scoring with a two-yard touchdown run by short-yardage quarterback Dakota Prukop. After Prukop hit pay dirt, Winnipeg stalled as their next four drives were punt, fumble, punt, missed field goal.

The tension in the air was palpable in Bomberland after the opening 30 minutes.

Yes, it was a short week with just one practice, but that’s no excuse. The Bombers, who were favoured by 14.5 points, can roll out of bed and beat the Elks, but a start like that against almost any other opponent is likely ending in a different result.

Another big day for Demski

Everyone’s excited to talk about Kenny Lawler’s return, but let’s not forget about Nic Demski.

He hit the 100-yard receiving mark for the second time this season with 115 on four grabs.

The 29-year-old from the University of Manitoba is on pace for his best season yet and currently has the third most receiving yards in the CFL with 435. His career-high came in 2022 when he had 772 in 13 games (Demski missed several weeks due to injury).

If Demski can stay healthy, he has a legitimate shot at hitting the 1,000-yard mark. He missed a 17-3 win in Montreal to stay home for the birth of his first child.

A Canadian in blue and gold hasn’t hit 1,000 receiving yards in a season since Gerald Wilcox did it in three consecutive seasons (1993-95).

Thursday was a total snoozefest until Demski broke things up with a 70-yard touchdown catch at the beginning of the third quarter. Edmonton responded right away with Cornelius hitting Dillon Mitchell — who left Bombers defensive back Demerio Houston in the dust — for an 80-yard score.

Receiver Dalton Schoen, the league’s leading pass catcher with 473 yards, left the game late in the third quarter after being sandwiched between a pair of defenders. Schoen downplayed the injury afterward and should be fine after a week of rest.

Jefferson for MODP?

Is there a Bomber having a better year than Willie Jefferson?

If the season ended today, the 32-year-old from Beaumont, Texas, (who now makes his home in the Manitoba capital) would be a strong candidate for the CFL’s most outstanding defensive player award.

Jefferson picked up his eighth sack in seven weeks when he got to Corenlius with less than a minute left in the game. He now has the second most quarterback takedowns in the league this season (Lions defensive tackle Mathieu Betts leads the way with nine. Betts sacked Collaros three times in Week 3). Jefferson has already surpassed his sack total from the previous two years as he had seven in 2021 and 2022. His career high of 12 came in 2019, his first season in Winnipeg, when he won MODP.

Jefferson also leads the league in pass knockdowns with seven after having two against the Elks. His ability to get a hand on passes is something you just don’t see from defensive ends as the rest of the names on the top 10 list are all defensive backs.

Not the same O-line

Some criticism has been directed at the Bombers offensive line this season. I’m not ready to call the group a weakness just yet, but they’re no longer the identity of the team.

Collaros was sacked twice, which isn’t the end of the world, but he didn’t always have the cleanest of pockets to work with. His lone interception was caused by a defensive lineman getting in his face which resulted in a poor throw to Lawler.

The short-yardage game used to be automatic, but it was off on this night. It’s hard to say if the blame goes to Prukop, the O-line, or both, but either way, they were stuffed on third-and-short on two occasions. That’s something we haven’t seen around these parts in quite some time.

The running game was non-existent for three quarters as running back Brady Oliveira entered the fourth with just 26 yards on the ground. To their credit, they owned the line of scrimmage at the end to help Oliveira turn his day around with 110 yards on 17 touches.

Is it age? It could be. While still very good players, left tackle Stanley Bryant (37), right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick (33), and right guard Patrick Neufeld (34) haven’t been as dominant as they have been in the past. People need to remember Drew Desjarlais (2019-21, now with Ottawa) and Michael Couture (2016-22, now with B.C.) left big shoes to fill.

Left guard Geoff Gray dressed Thursday, but Liam Dobson — the third overall pick in the 2021 CFL Draft — started in his place. Gray didn’t go into detail, but said he wasn’t feeling 100 per cent.

Brutal time to be an Elks fan

On paper, Taylor Cornelius has the tools to be a solid professional quarterback. He has the prototypical size, a big arm, and can use his legs.

Despite being in his third season, the former Oklahoma State passer still hasn’t put it all together. Cornelius, who was initially brought to Edmonton by former head coach Jaime Elizondo, is now 4-22 in his CFL career.

It’s time for his current boss, head coach/GM Chris Jones, to pull the plug and roll with one of the young guys behind him — Jarret Doege and Tre Ford — or pick up the phone and make a deal. That, however, is the thing with Jones, there has been nothing to indicate he’s capable of putting out the flames and rebuilding the Elks into a respectable franchise. Edmonton has now lost 11 straight dating back to last year and are 4-21 since hiring Jones prior to the 2022 campaign. Jones, who’s now 57-58 in his CFL coaching career, has two years left on his deal.

The Elks being the free space on a bingo card is not good for the CFL, but with their next two games coming against the Lions (July 29) and the Bombers (Aug. 10), things are going to get even worse.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31