Win tonight not essential, but would be somewhat helpful

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/07/2009 (5934 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There are those who would argue that the second game of a marathon football season should never be construed as a must-win.

And they would be correct, Sherlock.

But what of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who tonight will take the home field for the first time in the already drama-soaked 2009 campaign against an opponent to last hoist the Grey Cup, the Calgary Stampeders?

Because it seems that the nervous faithful, their nails gnawed to the nub, are flocking into two camps: Those who steadfastly believe the new Mike Kelly regime was not only required, but already showing signs of progress, in spite of an opening 19-17 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos; and the disbelievers, who contend that the new head coach’s nuclear approach has left the Bombers with a mushroom cloud and a lost prayer.

Each camp has begun to entrench, already making plans to gleefully tell the other side, “I told you so” as the season unfolds.

And with every passing game, the attitudes of wet cement will shift.

For example, after all the heat Kelly has taken, for all the questioning of his starting quarterback Stefan LeFors, a Bombers victory tonight — which would be a huge upset, by the way — would undoubtedly buy the coach and QB enough grace to continue working out the kinks in a newly installed offence. (After all, there as yet seems to be precious little to worry about on the defensive side of the ball, although the season is young.)

Football is a curious business. In no other sport do the fortunes of a team fluctuate so wildly. And that’s exactly what would happen if the Bombers somehow managed to prevail at Canad Inns Stadium.

The guts of a win would be irrelevant. It would stem the tide of unease and serve as a validation of Kelly’s sledgehammer work to date.

You can argue with a lot of things, but never a W.

Conversely, if the Stampeders, who are favoured by five on the road, manage to cover their end and avoid a 0-2 start, then it would be left for the vanquished home team to regroup in the face of uncertainty.

The voices of the dissenters would crank up a couple volumes and Kelly and Co. would have to spend another week reciting much chatter about baby steps and peaking in Week 18.

(This is all well and good, as long as “peaking in Week 18” doesn’t mean winning the last game of the season to finish 1-17. But we digress.)

Look, it’s not as though the Bombers have had any breaks, even if the road bumps have been of their own accord. For example, much has been made of the procedure call taken by sophomore offensive lineman Brendon LaBatte that turned a 42-yard attempt for kicker Alexis Serna to tie in Edmonton into a 47-yard miss.

But remember that, on one of the Bombers first drives into Eskimos territory last week, offensive lineman Glenn January took an unsportsmanlike major that pushed Winnipeg out of field goal range. This infraction in a game the Bombers eventually lost by two points.

And what about Derick Armstrong? Seriously, what are the odds that a player would refuse to take the field because he was pouting for being listed as a designated import? Our calculation is approximately one-in-a-million, because we’ve seen about a million football games and never witnessed anything close to Armstrong’s stunt.

Then there’s Doug Brown, the all-star defensive lineman struck down by a viral infection on the eve of the contest. Again, what are the odds?

Of course, this all means nothing to the Calgary Stampeders, who will be looking for vengeance after an opening week loss to Montreal. And what better patsy than the Bombers, who are still widely considered a CFL weak sister in transition.

Like we said, football is a funny game. Each week has its own storyline, each game an episode in a five-month series. And for the Bombers, undoubtedly, it could be a watershed moment that could have ramifications stretching well into the season.

That Kelly’s regime should be given time to manifest itself is a given. That LeFors needs to have a statement game to reward the faith of his head coach is self evident. And that the Bombers, as a whole, must give those who believe hope and those who don’t a reason to reconsider is undeniable.

A must win for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers?

Absolutely not.

But, heaven knows, they must do something. And Soon.

Even promise has an expiry date.

randy.turner@freepress.mb.ca

Randy Turner
Reporter

Randy Turner spent much of his journalistic career on the road. A lot of roads. Dirt roads, snow-packed roads, U.S. interstates and foreign highways. In other words, he got a lot of kilometres on the odometer, if you know what we mean.

   Read full biography