Not everything on Blue is busted

All hell breaking loose, but some parts still intact

By: Paul Wiecek Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011

So remember that scene in Apollo 13 right after the explosion?

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So remember that scene in Apollo 13 right after the explosion?

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/10/2011 (5095 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

So remember that scene in Apollo 13 right after the explosion?

All hell is breaking loose and the controllers in Houston are in a panic, shouting at flight director Gene Kranz, played by Ed Harris, about how the oxygen is leaking, the fuel is leaking, the batteries are draining, the guidance system is broken and just about everything else that could be going wrong is going wrong.

And finally, in the midst of the tumult, Kranz takes a breath and says: “Just tell me what is working.”

JOHN WOODS
john woods / winnipeg free press
Replacement running back Chris Garrett (19) ripped off some good runs, scored a TD and was perfect on his assignments. — JOHN WOODS john woods / winnipeg free press Replacement running back Chris Garrett (19) ripped off some good runs, scored a TD and was perfect on his assignments.

Well, welcome to Week 13 of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ 2011 CFL season.

With a 32-26 stomach-churning loss to the Montreal Alouettes at Canad Inns Stadium Friday night, the Bombers have now lost four of their last five games and what was looking like a dream season barely a month ago is in danger of turning into a nightmare.

Like that crippled spacecraft, there are myriad things going wrong on the Bombers ship right now. And you’ll be hearing plenty about it over the course of the next week as the Bombers prepare to face the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton.

And so today, how about we pause for a moment and reflect on what is still right with a team that, for all its recent struggles, remains a very respectable 8-5 and tied for first in the East Division.

“What’s right with this team? After a game like that, you get…,” Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice said Saturday, his voice trailing off before catching himself.

“What’s right with this team is (backup quarterback) Alex (Brink) went into the game and I thought Alex performed well. That’s a pretty good team in Montreal and he moved the ball well for the most part. And when we were down, he didn’t cave in. He put us in a position to score, he put us in a position to win the game.

CP
jason halstead / the canadian press
Alex Brink just couldn�t penetrate the Als� defence with two tries from the one-yard line. He should have had a third, Bombers coach Paul LaPolice believes. — CP jason halstead / the canadian press Alex Brink just couldn�t penetrate the Als� defence with two tries from the one-yard line. He should have had a third, Bombers coach Paul LaPolice believes.

“(Tailback) Chris Garrett, I thought, had a couple nice runs and was perfect on his assignments. And defensively…we made stops all game long. We even turned the ball over and then forced them out of field goal range. But we have to do it for four quarters, not just two.”

Indeed, while Friday’s game will always be best remembered for the Bombers failure to score the game-winning touchdown despite having two tries from the Montreal one-yard line in the dying seconds, the fact is this game was lost in the second and third quarters as Montreal went on a 29-3 run on a Bombers squad that has been too easily — and too often — discouraged in the last month by mid-game adversities.

This 2011 Bombers squad has played its best, especially on defence, when it has played emotionally. The problem on Friday — and in all of the club’s four losses in September — was the ease with which that intensity seemed to seep away at the first sign of trouble.

The Bombers recaptured their mojo in the fourth quarter Friday night and the result was a Winnipeg onslaught that very nearly authored what would have been perhaps the most remarkable comeback in the CFL this season.

The larger question now is whether this club can do the same with what remains of their season. The schedule ahead is a formidable one — Hamilton and Edmonton on the road, followed by Montreal and Toronto at home and then Calgary on the road to finish the season Nov. 5.

You want a challenge? Try that one on for size.

Pivot Alex Brink is a bright spot for the Blue, having nearly authored the comeback win of the season.

The good news is that where there’s life, there’s hope. Starting QB Buck Pierce could be back this week in time for the Hamilton game and that will help. The Bombers have also won twice as many games this season on the road — four — as they’ve lost — two — and that can only be a good thing given the upcoming schedule.

The turning point in Apollo 13 came the moment Harris got everyone focussed on what was still working with the spacecraft and they cobbled together a brilliantly improvised plan to get Tom Hanks and the fellas back home in one piece.

Triumphant landing or crash and burn? There seems only two storylines remaining for this Bombers team — and they’re both compelling.