Big smiles for Big Blue after first win

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This article was published 07/07/2024 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It had been a while since the Winnipeg Blue Bombers locker room was filled with joy.

After a month of losing, starting the season 0-4 for the first time in more than a decade, the Bombers finally found the win column with a 25-16 triumph over the Ottawa Redblacks at Princess Auto Stadium Friday night.

While 1-4 isn’t exactly impressive, the first taste of victory was enough for players to let loose afterwards, especially after having lost their previous three games by a combined nine points. Several players could be seen consuming adult beverages and dancing to loud music.

The plan now is to hopefully keep the good times rolling.

“We just kept shooting ourselves in the foot in prior games and this is going to sound like a broken record by now, but we didn’t feel like we were us,” veteran offensive lineman Patrick Neufeld told the Free Press after the game, a case of beer nestled under one arm. “This game felt like we were getting closer to what we envisioned to be. By no means was it perfect, with lots of things to correct, but when you get back on track it makes those corrections a little easier.”

Meanwhile, the Redblacks dropped to 2-2 with the loss, with the season series with the Bombers now tied one game apiece, although Winnipeg has the edge in point differential.

The Bombers return to practice this week in preparation for a matchup at home against the Calgary Stampeders. But before we look too far ahead, let’s take a glance back at Friday’s win in the latest edition of 5 Takeaways.

THE STREV-OLUTION

Few would have predicted Chris Streveler to be the one to lead the Bombers to their first victory after returning to Winnipeg on a one-year deal signed over the offseason.

But the fan favourite looked determined leading up to his first start in almost five years and while his numbers — Streveler finished 13-for-21 passing for 127 yards, while adding 79 rushing yards on 13 carries — don’t necessarily pop, the 29-year-old deserves a ton of credit for his gusty effort while under a lot of pressure.

With Zach Collaros sidelined with a thorax injury suffered the week before, Streveler took full advantage of the opportunity, bringing a lot of energy and passion to the huddle. He never threw for a touchdown — though he did punch one in on a QB sneak — and also didn’t surrender an interception, putting forth the kind of mistake-free, physical game the Bombers were asking of him.

There’s not a single fan who doesn’t love watching Streveler put his head down and drive through oncoming tacklers. And while some of his throws were certainly off, he was able to connect on a few notable passes, including a 21-yarder to Nic Demski that set up a critical field goal late in the third quarter.

It’s unclear how long Collaros will miss; there’s a chance he could be ready to go this week. So, perhaps this point might be moot, but if Collaros does need more time, and especially if he’s out longer than expected, it’s hard to imagine Streveler will be able to take the kind of beating he took Friday, week after week. It’s something to consider as we continue to monitor Collaros’ status.

BULLY BALL

It was a stellar performance for running back Brady Oliveira, as the Bombers returned to an old-school style of football known around these parts as Bully Ball.

Bully Ball is just how it sounds, with the Bombers leaning on the run game to bully their opponent at the line of scrimmage. It’s something Winnipeg has become known for in recent years, and especially last season, with Oliveira having a breakout campaign in 2023, helping the Bombers to a CFL-best average of 139 rushing yards per game.

Oliveira had been plagued with injuries to start the season, including missing all of training camp, as well as Week 2, with a bum knee. Leading into Friday, his best rushing performance was 64 yards on nine carries in a Week 3 loss to the B.C. Lions.

Oliveira torched the Redblacks for 129 yards on 23 rushes, while also adding a team-high 37 yards on five catches. On the lone TD drive, the Bombers rushed 11 times, not attempting a single pass, and Oliveira had 5 carries for 54 yards.

A lot of credit also belongs to the O-line for putting up a combined 212 rushing yards. But I wrote in my 5 Storylines leading into the game that Oliveira needed to be a game-breaker if the Bombers were to win, and he delivered in spades.

CASTILLO KICKS ANOTHER CLEAN SHEET

Sergio Castillo made a lot of noise when he took the league to task Week 1 for their microchipped balls. Since then, he’s let his foot do the talking.

Indeed, after going one-for-three on field goals and missing his lone one-point convert, Castillo has been perfect the last four games, with the Bombers kicker connecting on all 13 of his field goals and seven one-point converts.

Castillo had his best CFL regular-season performance against the Redblacks, going six-for-six for the first time in his career. He’s gone five-for-five twice and even six-for-seven on one occasion, but even in those games the longest attempt he made was from 51 yards.

On Friday, Castillo connected on two 53-yard field goals and another from 49, with three more coming from 13, 18 and 28 yards. The performance was a follow-up to Castillo hitting from 60 yards out versus Calgary last week, which set a new franchise record and tied the second-longest field goal in CFL history.

To think it took some time this winter to reach a contract with Castillo, over what wasn’t a big asking price. I’d be looking to see what his plans are for next season.

DOWN GOES BROWN

It was a scary moment to see Redblacks quarterback Dru Brown getting worked on by medical personnel shortly after taking Bomber linebacker Redha Kramdi’s arm to the head during a slide late in the second quarter.

The former Bomber eventually made his way to the locker room, where Brown was soon ruled out of the game. Kramdi said afterwards his intent wasn’t to injure, and while he was spared an ejection from the game, there’s a chance he could still face supplemental discipline.

There was little update after the game. Brown will go through the league’s concussion protocol, and we should know more this week when the Redblacks hit the field for practice.

Brown defeated his former club in Week 2 but was unable to gain much momentum before he got injured, ending his night completing just two of his six passes for 24 yards. Dustin Crum took over from there and didn’t fare much better, as the Bombers limited him to 102 yards on eight-for-11 passing and an interception.

The Bombers defence has been steady for much of the year and were again on Friday, keeping the Redblacks to 283 yards of net offence. But the group had been lamenting the lack of takeaways they were generating, as well as how few sacks they had registered.

With three takeaways on the night, that’s now five in their last two games after having just two through the first three. Three sacks against Ottawa was also a good sign after being shut out the last two games in losses to Calgary and B.C.

KEEP ROLLING

It’s pretty obvious that the Bombers couldn’t afford to drop to 0-5 if they planned on making the playoffs, even if there is plenty of season still to play.

Just taking a peek at the standings, the West won’t be easy to climb, not with the Saskatchewan Roughriders at 4-0 and the Lions at 3-1. If the Bombers have any chance of hosting a playoff game, they needed to get back on track and start stacking up wins.

It will be interesting to see how the Bombers respond to the win. As previously mentioned, they had some close calls already, losing one-score games in their previous three.

Things don’t exactly get easier over the next six weeks. After Calgary, the Bombers have two tough road games against the Roughriders and Toronto Argonauts, followed by a home-and-home with the Lions, with a bye week in between.

Will the Bombers keep rolling from here? Or is this just a break from your regularly scheduled programming and the Bombers will return to their slide?

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton