Blue too legit to quit

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/10/2009 (5837 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Such is life for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers these days that one big game leads exactly into another. Time to take a breath? Not really. Tighten up the chinstraps and wade back into the fray, fellas.

The Bombers spent any slack in their collective rope earlier this campaign as they stumbled to a 3-8 mark before scraping the ice off the windshield in order to see where they were heading and then pulling out of the ditch with a mighty yank on the steering wheel.

Monday’s 38-28 win over division rival Hamilton Tiger-Cats gave the Bombers a fresh perspective where the playoffs are concerned and they’ll go into this weekend’s action holding onto a share of second place and battling the Tabbies for the right to host the East Division semifinal on Nov. 15.

Get over the whiplash that comes along with that statement; this is the CFL, folks, and part of its quaint charm is that a bottom-feeder can lurch into the playoffs casino wearing rags but get lucky at the table just as the bouncers arrive, only to turn them back with a couple of winning hands.

For the Bombers, it’s been three straight victories and they’re holding hot dice with the B.C. Lions coming to Winnipeg this Sunday for another giant game on the schedule.

"We’re in second place and we’re in control now. We play three of our last four at home and we have the same mindset we’ve had all season," said Bombers coach Mike Kelly. "We know what we are in the locker-room. We’ve been the same way through all of this. The only time you saw a little crack was the two games against Saskatchewan when we turned the ball over 14 times. But other than that, it’s been the same way in that locker-room."

The Bombers, were they to win to finish out the regular season, would host the East Division semifinal. Kelly understands the importance of each game going forward, but doesn’t want his players to get too far ahead of themselves.

"We’ll just continue to plug along and take it one game at a time and hopefully we can improve, and that’s what we’ve been doing," Kelly said. "We’ll see where it all falls out.

"Perseverance would be a good term to use with these guys. We’ve had some things… some of it I just don’t think is public right now. But I do think the guys’ perseverance and the way they’ve stuck together and believed in themselves — it’s an us-against-the-world mentality to some degree — has really solidified this group. I’d have to say a lot of it is Michael Bishop taking some ownership and finally saying, ‘Enough’s enough.’ We’ve got guys that just believe in each other, and that’s a big thing."

Winning, it has been said wherever they talk about sports, cures all. Regardless of any revisionist history, the Bombers have had some rocky days, to say the least, behind their closed doors. Those days may have served to build a stronger bond among this group, who are now talking about doing some big things in the coming weeks.

Kelly expressed that to his men before they hit the field on Monday in Hamilton.

"I told them I’ve been doing this for close to 30 years and there’s no other group I’d like to go down the stretch with than this one," Kelly shared. "We’ve believed in ourselves and each other and our program. Now it’s time to go start cashing some of our cheques."

The Bombers’ offence, which has rebounded from moribund to flashy over the last three games, has played a major role in what the team has done of late and will be key moving forward.

"It’s coming around. What Mike (quarterback Michael Bishop) is doing is taking care of the football better," Kelly assessed. "We’ve got receivers that are making plays now after the catch and have a better overall understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish and it’s all coming into place. And the offensive line did a great job (Monday) and Michael had plenty of time to throw the football."

The Bombers did allow the Tiger-Cats to creep back into Monday’s game after taking a 31-point lead in the third quarter. Closing games, particularly at this point of the season, is a skill the Bombers must develop.

Bishop had a big day, with three TD passes and 355 passing yards, but he also threw two interceptions. He needs to be more judicious with the ball when he has a lead as well as late in games.

"That all comes with the package," Kelly said. "But he’s done a good job and he’s comfortable and he’s really taken on a leadership role. I would have liked him to have dropped it down in that case and kick a field goal and play a little safer than that, but he does have a gunslinger mentality and you can’t take that away from him."

Bishop feels good about where his team is right now.

"We did a great job. We’re starting to come around. We had three bonehead plays… but the DB made a great play on the one interception in the end zone. On the second pick, I took a shot while I was throwing, and I thought they should have thrown a penalty on the third turnover because Brock was coming open and we thought it would have been an 80-yard play but the DB pulled him down, which caused me to pull the ball down and I got hit from the backside," said Bishop, now 5-5 as the Bombers’ QB this season.

"Take away that, I think we played a great game. We still left some points out there on the field, but overall we did what we wanted to do."

The Bombers have a pair of injuries they are monitoring, one to punter Mike Renaud and another to tailback Fred Reid. Reid has what the team is calling a hip flexor.

"I’ll be OK. It wasn’t me banging into the table, it’s just the way I landed. It was awkward and I just hyperextended it a little bit. I’ll be OK. I’ll be good to go," Reid said.

Renaud left the field on Monday on crutches and was still using them on Tuesday when the team arrived in Winnipeg. Both players are listed as day-to-day.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

A November to remember?

The Bombers and Tiger-Cats share second place in the East and will spend the final month of the season fighting over which club will host the East Division Semifinal (Nov. 15). Second place gets the home game but third doesn’t automatically earn a berth in the game as a crossover club. The West could bump off an East Division team if they have a superior record. The Eskimos would seem the most likely candidate to have a hand in any crossover fun. Here’s a look at the three teams’ remaining schedules:

WINNIPEG (6-8)

Sunday, Oct. 18: B.C. at Winnipeg

Saturday, Oct. 24: Montreal at Winnipeg

Sunday, Nov. 01: Winnipeg at Montreal

Sunday, Nov. 08: Hamilton at Winnipeg

Two toughies against the Als but Montreal has less and less to play for having already clinched the East. The season finale against the Tiger-Cats could be an ‘all-in’ game.

HAMILTON (6-8)

Sunday, Oct. 18: Hamilton at Montreal

Friday, Oct. 23: Hamilton at Toronto

Saturday, Oct. 31: Saskatchewan at Hamilton

Sunday, Nov. 8: Hamilton at Winnipeg

One softie against the Argos but the rest of Hamilton’s schedule is stiff, especially with the Riders coming in late in the season for a game that will likely have big significance in the West standings.

EDMONTON (6-8)

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Friday, Oct. 16: Edmonton at Toronto

Friday, Oct. 23: Edmonton at Calgary

Friday, Oct. 30: Toronto at Edmonton

Friday, Nov. 6: Edmonton at B.C.

Two more against the awful Argos gives the Eskimos the edge in terms of schedule.