Juggernaut keeps on rolling

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This article was published 22/07/2019 (2242 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers just keep on rolling.

The Bombers rocked the Ottawa Redblacks to the tune of 31-1 on Friday night at IG Field. The victory improved Winnipeg’s record to 5-0, making it the best start to a season since Bud Grant led the Blue and Gold to 10 straight wins in 1960. The Redblacks suffered their third straight defeat after opening the year with back-to-back wins.

The Bombers will return to practice today before heading out on the road for two straight games, beginning with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday. They’ll stay in Ontario after the game, practising in Guelph before facing the Toronto Argonauts Aug. 1.

Before we look too far ahead, here are five takeaways from Friday’s win:

 

1) Whether Matt Nichols is the right quarterback to lead this team to a Grey Cup has been debated since he took over the starter’s role from Drew Willy five games into the 2016 season.

To be sure, Nichols still has his fair share of critics, those who seemingly will always believe the Bombers’ championship drought will continue as long as No. 15 is behind centre. I’ll admit, there have been points where I, too, have felt the Bombers required an upgrade at quarterback, and when a number of high-calibre pivots decided to test the market this past winter, I wondered if Winnipeg might be willing to make a push for Mike Reilly, Trevor Harris or Bo Levi Mitchell.

Ask me again today and I not only believe Nichols is the right guy to steer the ship, but, given what’s he’s done this season so far this year, he should also be in the conversation for league MVP. It’s easy to look at his mediocre passing yards, currently ranked sixth with 1,150 through five games, and dismiss his overall work. But a deeper dive into the numbers suggests he’s everything you want in a player — and leader.

Consider this: Nichols leads CFL starters in completion percentage (73.2), passing touchdowns (12) and passer-efficiency rating (129.1). He’s also thrown the fewest interceptions, with just one in 127 attempts.

On Friday, Nichols completed 25 of 29 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns. He ended the game with 19 straight completions, setting a franchise mark. He looks more mobile — one of the big reasons the offence has succeeded despite injuries to the offensive line — and has the full trust of his teammates.

Could this be the year he finally silences his haters?

 

2) The Bombers gambled and it paid off — for now.

Despite receiver Chris Matthews being cleared to play after suffering a serious finger injury in Week 4, Winnipeg opted to go with Kenny Lawler. The move raised eyebrows, not because Lawler is an inferior player — he isn’t — but because Matthews was brought in to be that missing piece on Paul LaPolice’s offence. It’s also a bit of a head-scratcher to have the team’s highest-paid receiver sitting out.

Lawler proved the Bombers right, with a game-leading 83 receiving yards on five catches. The 25-year-old looked particularly impressive on a 54-yard catch-and-run touchdown early in the second quarter that involved breaking a couple of tackles. It’s hard to imagine he hasn’t bought himself a longer look.

What the Bombers plan to do with Matthews is up in the air. What is clear is he’s not going anywhere, or at least the team isn’t looking to lose him. Head coach Mike O’Shea said last week Matthews “is going to be a big part of why we win games further on down the season” and that “one roster move, in one week, doesn’t tell a lot, really.”

It will be interesting to see where this goes. Matthews might benefit from another week of rest, but he wants to play. And, with only five quarters of healthy football this year, he hasn’t had the chance to shine.

 

3) The sign of any good professional sports team is having quality depth behind its starters, and Lawler playing for Matthews was just one example on Friday.

The Bombers were once again without middle linebacker Adam Bighill, and with Jesse Briggs out for the foreseeable future with an upper-body injury and Nick Temple released for off-field concerns, Winnipeg looked to be strapped.

But just like Briggs stepped in and made it look like a seamless transition, so, too, did another Canadian in Thomas Miles. Miles, like Briggs, took over at the weak-side and played admirably beside Kyrie Wilson in the middle and strong-side linebacker Anthony Gaitor. He finished with two tackles, helping plug the run and dropping into coverage when required.

Then there was the stellar play of Daniel Petermann, who was thrown into action after an injury to Nic Demski. Petermann, a product of McMaster University and the Bombers’ third-round pick in 2018, caught all five of his targets for 46 yards. Two of those receptions were second-down conversions, while another two put the Bombers’ at third and short, both of which were close enough for Winnipeg to gamble.

“All he does is break tackles, it seems like,” O’Shea said after the game. “He gets the ball in his hands and I’m yelling from the sidelines for him to get north and he’s making moves and he’s always right. So, I just got to shut my mouth.”

 

4) Let’s be clear about something: Bighill would have played these past two weeks had the games been important enough to justify his presence.

After all, this is a guy who played with a badly broken thumb in the West Division final last year, and I get the feeling pain doesn’t affect him as much as most. Of course, it was the smart move to keep the No. 4 out.

Bighill is working through a hamstring issue, an injury that can dramatically improve with every week of rest, and with the level of trust in the players behind him, the risk didn’t match the reward. Simply put, Bighill now isn’t as important as Bighill later.

It’s also a testament to how good the defence has been this season. Friday, they were at their most dominant.

We’ve talked a lot about yards against this season — the fact the Bombers give up too many, even if they allow the fewest points. Against the Redblacks, they finally excelled in both areas.

They were a 75-yard punt single away from pitching a shutout, and by night’s end, Ottawa had put up just 175 yards of net offence. Jonathon Jennings, making his first start of the season for an injured Dominique Davis, had just six completions for a pitiful 45 passing yards.

It’s almost scary to think what will happen when Bighill is back. My guess is we won’t have to wait much longer.

 

5) I’ve noticed a lot of talk over social media, and have received a fair amount of emails from readers suggesting the Bombers are over-hyped despite being the only unbeaten team in the CFL at 5-0.

The argument I’ve heard most often is the level of competition has been sub-par thus far, and until they can beat a “contender” the win streak means little. I suppose there’s some validity to that view, as the Toronto Argonauts, B.C. Lions and Redblacks have a combined three victories in 19 games this season.

Still, it’s not as if Winnipeg has been squeaking by. The Bombers average margin of victory has been nearly 18 points, and they have not once trailed in the past four games. They’re getting quality work from all three phases, including a return game that has finally arrived after years of futility.

The Bombers face a rested Tiger-Cats team this week. Hamilton is coming off the bye and its 4-1 record confirms its worthiness as legitimate opponents. A Blue victory would go a long way in validating their place as kings of the CFL castle. But I have a feeling even a victory in Steeltown won’t be enough for some. For many, myself included, it’s what they can do against the reigning Grey Cup champion, Calgary Stampeders, that will be the ultimate test.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton