True Blue identity revealed Sunday

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/09/2011 (5313 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In this most enigmatic of Winnipeg Blue Bombers seasons, some long awaited clarity promises to emerge this Sunday afternoon in Montreal.

Win or lose, this weekend’s first-place battle between the Bombers and the Montreal Alouettes at Molson Stadium will not only define who this team really is, it will also go a long way to revealing what they are made of and whether they really are the unit that can finally end the two-decade drought of Grey Cups in this town.

There are really only two scenarios that could emerge Sunday:

— The Bombers win.

Hallelujah. After getting drilled the last two weeks by Saskatchewan, there is no one — and I mean no one — expecting the Bombers to beat the two-time defending Grey Cup champions at home. The doubters and critics are all over the place — the Swaggerville brand has taken a savage beating on Twitter all week — and that creates a huge opportunity for team-building this week.

There is nothing like having seemingly the whole world against you and then winning to rally the troops, extinguish the self-doubt and bring a team closer together. And with three dates against Montreal over the next six weeks of the CFL schedule, first blood and a four-point lead for first in the East could be the single most important thing the Bombers do in the second half of the 2011 season.

— The Bombers lose.

(Cue theme from Jaws.) The Bombers had a five-game winning streak going until they ran into Saskatchewan two weeks ago. Another loss this Sunday would drop them into a tie for first with Montreal and have them mired in a three-game losing streak, saddled with exactly the opposite kind of momentum you need in the CFL when the leaves turn and the kids head back to school.

There were lots of folks who thought all along the Bombers’ 7-1 record was a mirage and a three-game losing streak would suggest it just might have been.

There will be calls for change if the Bombers lose Sunday and it will be hard for the brain trust to stand pat and do nothing in the face of three straight losses. What’s more, you’d have to wonder what it would do to the collective psyche of the team and, in particular, the defence, whose strength early in the season seemed to be their unwavering belief that no one could beat them.

On top of all that, there’d be the lingering issue of what Winnipeg has to do to solve the Montreal riddle. The Bombers have an awful record against the Als in recent years and another loss this week, particularly against a team with a decimated secondary, would only raise the question anew.

“This is a big one,” Bombers starting quarterback Buck Pierce said Friday after pronouncing himself fit to go on Sunday. “We’ve lost two in a row and we’re going into a place against a team that everyone still feels is the team to beat in this league. We’re going to have to execute and play a great game.

“And if we do that, I think people will finally give us the respect we deserve.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s the biggest game we played this year,” said Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice, “but all those things are true. It’s a conference opponent, it’s a four-point game… and there’s big playoff implications.

“And we don’t want to lose three in a row. None of us wants to do that.”

Veteran Bombers defensive tackle Doug Brown says he views Sunday’s contest both as a formidable challenge — and an opportunity. “We’ve fared well against Toronto this year and we’ve fared well against Hamilton. But until you square off with the two-time defending champion, you don’t really know how good you are,” Brown said.

“I see this as the best measuring stick we’ve had this season. We get to find out how far we have to go.”

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca