The Winnipeg New Bombers

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/10/2009 (5839 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HAMILTON — Three wins in a row, a share of second place and real hopes of a home playoff game. Surely those facts can’t pertain to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers? You bet your sweet petunias they do.

The Blue Bombers, for a long stretch of this season the laughingstock of the CFL and free spot on the opposition’s Bingo card, have transformed into a dangerous football team, with Monday’s 38-28 drubbing of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats making noise across the nation.

"Any time you win it’s fun and I’m just so happy for our players. They just kept plugging along and they’re beginning to reap some of the rewards of all their hard work," said Bombers coach Mike Kelly.

"We saw this coming. We’ve never wavered in our belief in each other. We stuck together no matter what was said about us. We know what’s going on in here. They only write about the plane crashes. They don’t write about the ones that land. Our landing gear is out right now and our flaps are working. We just believe. We expect to put ourselves in a position to play later on in the season."

Kelly’s zeros are becoming Kelly’s heroes and the Bombers are now locked at 6-8 with the Tiger-Cats to share second place in the East Division with four games left — one more against Hamilton in Winnipeg on Nov. 8.

The season series is tied at one win apiece and depending on what each club does in the interim, that finale could have a home playoff date as the stakes.

"Coming into September, looking at the schedule, we said we controlled our own destiny and we didn’t have to worry about anyone else helping us out, we just had to take care of our business," said Kelly. "To our players’ credit, they’re doing that."

At the heart of Winnipeg’s resurgence has been an updated offence and a much-improved quarterback in Michael Bishop.

Bishop has flourished under the guidance of Manny Matsakis, running backs coach and de facto offensive co-ordinator. While Bishop’s game does have warts — two interceptions along with three touchdown passes on Monday in a 21-for-38 and 356-yard performance — he is getting better.

"You could see it coming for a month," said Kelly. "He’s having fun out there and that has a lot to do with it. We don’t put any pressure on him and we continue teaching and he’s getting a better understanding of his role. As long as he takes care of the football it works."

Home wins against the Toronto Argonauts and slumping Edmonton Eskimos to begin this streak were one thing, but a road victory over the Ticats is another. Hamilton had so much to gain from a win after spending most of the season in second spot and emerging as the feel-good CFL story of the year.

Far from a masterpiece, but easily Winnipeg’s best game since they thumped the B.C. Lions 37-10 in August, the Bombers were hot and heavy in the first half and then soft and sloppy in the second as they let the Tiger-Cats tighten up the score.

Leading 31-0 at one point, Winnipeg lost some of its drive and focus in the game’s latter stages.

"We don’t have any experience with leads like that," said defensive tackle Doug Brown. "How many times have the 2009 Winnipeg Blue Bombers been up 31-0? That takes experience to learn how to close a game out and we haven’t put ourselves in that position before. This was a good learning experience for us."

While the Bombers have won three in a row, the Tiger-Cats have lost three straight.

"I’m astonished it took us that long to get going as a team. With everything that was at stake, we needed to have more sense of urgency," said Ticats head coach Marcel Bellefeuille. "For whatever reason, that complacency was there and it can’t be. The only thing you can point your finger at is that maybe you’re more confident in your abilities than you should be."

Linebacker Barrin Simpson, who had missed the last three games due to a combination of injury and trade demand, returned to the lineup and liked what he saw from the team that has accepted him back.

"It was fun to be back in there. The difference in our team now is the offence has caught up to the defence and the special teams," said Simpson. "Our offence came out and took control. That allowed us to get off the field and rest."

The Bombers did suffer a pair of injuries that will have to be monitored, as punter Mike Renaud left the game with a bruised knee and tailback Fred Reid landed on his hip early in the second half and did not return.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca