Bombers disappointing again, but Marve a ray of Blue hope

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This article was published 14/08/2015 (3949 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

So, life without Drew Willy may not be a post-apocalyptic wasteland for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers after all.

The Bombers head to the bye at 3-5 having lost two games in a row but with evidence third-string quarterback now turned starter Robert Marve doesn’t equate to a loss before the game even begins.

Marve stepped in and did his job well enough to win but saw his team let down by a sloppy special-teams play and a late-game collapse as the Bombers fell 27-20 to the visiting Toronto Argonauts.

A punt returned for a TD, a fumble and back-to-back turnovers on downs were how the Bombers handled themselves on their final four possessions. They gagged on a night when they had done a lot to put themselves into a position to win.

Marve used his feet to escape pressure at times and was steady at the helm for much of the game. There were signs of impetuousness, and he hurled the ball into double coverage a few times when he would have been better to tuck in and run or just throw it away.

But he’s an athlete and brims with confidence. He can win games in the CFL. The Bombers have some hope with Marve. He’s not Willy or anything close to a franchise QB at this point, but there’s something to work with in this player.

Hope is key for the Bombers right now as they have a week off before facing the Calgary Stampeders and then the Saskatchewan Roughriders in back-to-back games.

Marve will likely be spending the next 10 days in a classroom watching film and working to understand the offence.

The Bombers’ season looked dead when they announced Willy would be out for the next six to eight weeks.

Marve has given them a pulse. 

Up front: Winnipeg got some of its best play along the line of scrimmage this season as both the offensive and defensive lines had strong games. If Marve is to have a chance — he needs a foundation in front of him and a stout defence to keep providing him with possessions.

The offensive line gave him time for most of the night and opened holes for the run game. On defence, the front four was excellent for most of the game, holding the Argos to just 14 points through three quarters.

Too big: Investors Group Field is the most beautiful football stadium in the country. But it’s too big. With a capacity just over 33,000, sellouts have become hard to achieve.

When the Bombers are struggling, fans are comfortable staying away knowing tickets will be there if and when they decide to return to the team.

It was a flaw in the planning of the stadium and gives away any chance of winning the supply-and-demand battle.

The best decision True North Sports & Entertainment will ever make in terms of business was made long before the arrival of the Winnipeg Jets. They built a rink that fit this city. Now, with big-league entertainment to sell, the demand far outstrips the supply.

The Bombers don’t have that edge in their marketing arsenal. And at 33,000, it’s hard to imagine they ever will.

Friday night’s announced crowd of 27,246 doesn’t work financially for this team. They have major debt obligations to meet and have now had just four sellouts for football games since opening the new park.

The old place had its faults, but with a capacity right around 29,000, it was perfectly sized for the CFL, the Bombers and Winnipeg.

Heat from above: It’s hard to imagine Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea didn’t apply some pressure on his coaches this week. Regardless of what O’Shea told the media following last week’s disaster in Hamilton, he had to be embarrassed and no doubt didn’t want a repeat.

The buck stops with O’Shea. He gets the abuse from fans and supporters when things go poorly and he was hearing and feeling it this week unless he spent it underground.

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So it should surprise no one if O’Shea was looking over every detail this week and pressing his coaches to have their best week of the season.

It showed. The offensive game plan was solid, and the defence had one of its best games of the season. Offensive co-ordinator Marcel Bellefeuille and defensive equal Richie Hall installed innovative and aggressive plans. More importantly, their players executed.

This game swung on a special-teams gaffe and then a fumble. The coaches did their job this week. The players let themselves down on Friday.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @garylawless