Searching for light in the darkness

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This article was published 06/09/2019 (2194 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s an old saying that “It’s always darkest before the dawn,” which is meant to offer hope that things are about to take a turn for the better.

Fans of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are no doubt hoping this proves to be true. After all, the sunshine and rainbows that were in abundance around these parts after a sizzling 5-0 start have been eclipsed by a mediocre 3-3 run since — including a disappointing, last-second 19-17 loss in the Labour Day Classic last weekend in Regina that will go down as a major opportunity missed.

And with the red-hot Roughriders in town for today’s annual Banjo Bowl rematch at IG Field — with first place in the CFL’s ultra-competitive West Division hanging in the balance — it’s hard to see a lot of light right now in Bomberville.

No. 1 quarterback Matt Nichols is injured, with no clear return date in sight. Most-outstanding-player candidate Andrew Harris is suspended after the running back flunked a test for performance-enhancing drugs. Injuries to key offensive players are piling up, including top receivers Lucky Whitehead (out for today’s game) and Nic Demski (questionable). Another wideout expected to be a major player, Chris Matthews, was instead given his walking papers in a decision that may be coming back to bite the Bombers.

Long-snapper Chad Rempel is out after suffering a concussion following a vicious, controversial hit last week. Defensive back Brandon Alexander and defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat are also in the infirmary. The list goes on.

Is there a doctor in the house? And maybe a sports psychologist as well, both for the team and its fragile fan base?

There’s no escaping the feeling of impending doom and gloom that seems to be surrounding the Blue and Gold these days, with the belief that perhaps they peaked far too early.

Sure, the Bombers are 8-3 and have every other team in the CFL, aside from the 9-2 Hamilton Tiger-Cats, looking up at them. But there’s no escaping the feeling of impending doom and gloom that seems to be surrounding the Blue and Gold these days, with the belief that perhaps they peaked far too early.

All of which makes today’s game so intriguing. A season-altering fork in the road, if you will.

Grind out a win over the Roughriders and life is suddenly a lot more rosy, with a two-game cushion over the rest of the division, just six regular-season contests left on the schedule and a rested and no doubt motivated Harris set to return the next time they take the field, along with a massive chip on his shoulder due to his claim of being falsely flagged as a cheat.

But a second straight loss to their pesky Prairie neighbours might have the once-full Bombers bandwagon quickly emptying, not to mention spiralling out of control.

The Bombers would head into their bye week in second place, by virtue of Saskatchewan having the same number of wins but a game in hand, not to mention taking the season series. And the winner of tonight’s Calgary Stampeders-Edmonton Eskimos game would be just one victory behind them, with the loser in fourth place but still very much within striking distance, just two wins behind.

Yes, objects in the rear-view mirror may be closer than they appear.

And don’t look now, but the remaining schedule isn’t exactly a cakewalk for Winnipeg, especially if they remain significantly short-handed. There’s no more dates with the brutal British Columbia Lions, Toronto Argonauts or Ottawa Redblacks, who have a combined win-loss record of 5-25. The Bombers feasted against that terrible trio, going 5-1 this season.

Two games still with Saskatchewan, including today’s. Two more with always-dangerous Calgary. League-leading Hamilton. And a pair against the surprisingly capable Montreal Alouettes. The combined win-loss record of those clubs is 27-13, with the Bombers going 1-2 so far against them.

Nichols’ absence is looming large, and those who wanted to see backup Chris Streveler take on a more prominent role might be suffering from a bit of “Be careful what you wish for” syndrome.

Nichols’ absence is looming large, and those who wanted to see backup Chris Streveler take on a more prominent role might be suffering from a bit of “Be careful what you wish for” syndrome. An offence that already relied heavily on the ground game has become even more one-dimensional, making it easier for opponents to plan a counterattack.

This is putting even more pressure on the defence to come up big — as it did for nearly the entirety of last weekend’s Labour Day Classic before self-destructing when it was needed most as the Roughriders drove the field for the game-winning field goal.

A troubling trend, indeed. And one that is going to be tough to reverse unless something changes dramatically.

Now, maybe all of this adversity — some of it self-inflicted, some of it just the product of bad luck from playing a physical, violent sport — may be just what the long-suffering club needs to get it to the promised land. Strengthen the team’s resolve and get the players battle-tested. Beware the wounded animal, so to speak.

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The journey to a championship in any sport is usually paved with various obstacles, and the Bombers are certainly coming up against their fair share this season. But it’s worth remembering this is still the deepest, most talented Winnipeg roster in years, one that was built with the idea of surviving these kinds of challenges and winning a Grey Cup for the first time since 1990.

We’re about to find out if that’s the case. If not, there may be even darker days on the horizon.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.