Being popular team has its highs and lows

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This article was published 27/08/2018 (2618 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CALGARY – It can be a blessing playing in a city with a passionate fan base. When things are going well, meaning the team is winning, there is no better place to be for a pro athlete than somewhere that cares. You’re immortalized simply for playing a game.

But it can also be a curse. When you’re losing, like the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are right now, that passion often turns to anger. Suddenly, you can do no right, and if the losing continues that anger will only strengthen and lead to calls for change by those who spend their hard-earned money in support of their local club.

The Bombers and their fans find themselves at a bit of a crossroads right now. A 39-26 road loss to the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday has many calling for coaches to be fired and players to be benched. Case in point on how quickly the script can flip: just two weeks ago, following a three-game winning streak, the narrative focused on an offence that led the league in points and a defence that appeared to finally be hitting its groove.

Both of those phases unravelled against the Stampeders this past weekend, creating a fierce bout of the “blame game,” with no one seemingly safe from criticism. And, believe me, there was plenty of blame to go around, and it likely won’t stop — and could very well intensify — if Winnipeg doesn’t have an answer for the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday in the annual Labour Day Classic Game. But before we get too far ahead, here are five takeaways from Saturday’s loss.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

When Matt Nichols addressed the fans he believed were booing him when he returned late in a 44-21 loss to the Ottawa Redblacks in Week 10, his words not only sparked rage among the Bombers faithful, but also seemed to take on a whole new meaning at every corner.

A week later, the Bombers quarterback was once again the target of heavy criticism after Saturday’s game for his comments during a post-game interview with local radio station, CJOB, where he spoke about how often it was difficult to find an open receiver after going through four or five reads.

His words were immediately shared over social media, through text and void of any context, and shortly thereafter were picked up by CFL on TSN panelist — and former Blue Bomber great — Milt Stegall. Stegall, who is easily one of the best analysts on the sports show, believed Nichols was calling out his receivers and in turn used his platform to do the same, advising Nichols that he “needs to play and keep his mouth shut.”

That would certainly be good advice if Nichols were actually calling out his teammates. But he wasn’t. He was giving credit where credit was due, complimenting a Stampeders defence that limited him to 258 passing yards and two interceptions, with his lone touchdown coming as time expired in the fourth quarter.

This isn’t a defence — it’s a fact. And Nichols said much of the same when speaking to reporters after the game.

A QB CONTROVERSY?

What is much more difficult to defend, however, is the play of Nichols this season. There’s a reason why the quarterback shoulders much of the blame when the team loses, because he’s not only the most important player but is also the highest paid — criticism, like accolades when things are good, comes with the job.

A lot has been made about Nichols’ statistics this year, specifically the fact that he has been unable to hit the 300-yard passing mark in seven games since returning from a knee injury. For weeks, it’s made sense his throwing numbers were low because of the production in the run game, led by Andrew Harris, who leads the CFL with 805 rushing yards.

But Harris had just seven carries totalling 13 yards Saturday, and when the Bombers needed their leader to make a play against the CFL’s best, he couldn’t. Whether that’s the play calling of offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice or perhaps lingering effects from the knee — or both/neither — it’s created a conversation outside the locker room as to whether it might be time to look to Chris Streveler for a spark.

For the record, I think, at this point, switching to a rookie quarterback and away from Nichols, a veteran who is 25-12 as a Bomber, is a recipe for disaster. But, although Nichols has deserved a longer leash because of what he’s done for this team in recent years, is it that crazy to call on a fresh face when clearly things just aren’t going well, even for a few drives?

BO FEASTS ON BOMBERS D

File this under the more unpopular opinions, but I thought the Bombers defence didn’t actually play as bad as the numbers suggested.

Yes, Bo Levi Mitchell threw for a career-high 452 passing yards — along with three touchdowns — and, yes, Kamar Jorden carved up Winnipeg’s secondary to the tune of 249 receiving yards, including a pivotal 68-yard touchdown that should have been stopped at midfield but instead ultimately put the game out of reach.

The passing and receiving yards, by the way, were both Stampeders single-game records, which is insane when you consider the talent that has passed through that organization over the years.

Still, yards and explosive plays aside — gulp — it was the defence that gave the Bombers a chance to win the game, limiting Mitchell and the Stampeders to just 12 points through much of the first 45 minutes, until Calgary took its first lead with two minutes left in the third quarter. And, with no help from the offence — the Bombers had just four first downs in their first six possessions in the second half, all of which resulted in punts — it was really only a matter of time before fatigue took over and the Stampeders capitalized big time.

Now, that’s not saying the defence has been good, and you certainly won’t read that here. They’ve given up more than 1,000 net yards of offence in the past two games, and those big plays down field should only intensify the calls to fire defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall.

But the lack of success hasn’t been lost on this group, with linebacker Adam Bighill having this to say about the defence following back-to-back losses: “It puts us in a continually learning state. Cleaning up mistakes, improving technique, improving eyes, improving how we communicate, how we work together.

“Those are the little details about football that make things really spin, and turn good defences into great defences. That’s our quest, is turning ourselves into a great defence. We’re not there, yet. But we’re on our way. It starts with cleaning things up and learning from these kinds of things.”

WHO ARE THE BLUE BOMBERS?

The Bombers are now 5-5, and in fourth place in the West Division after the Roughriders (5-4) defeated the B.C. Lions late Saturday. It’s often said a team is what its record says, and that would make Winnipeg an average club.

Who exactly are the Blue Bombers? It’s a question I pondered after the game and couldn’t really come up with an answer. After two years of great success in the regular season, why have the Bombers, despite a talented roster, struggled to find the consistency required of an upper-echelon team?

Offensive lineman Patrick Neufeld had the best answer: “I think we’re a team that just doesn’t overcome some of those momentum swells that other teams get. We fight a lot, we battle hard… we just have to dig deeper when those momentum plays happen.

“We just have to be able to overcome those things better. It’s all on us; we always worry about us first and we’re going to go look back at the film and watch it and understand why we don’t do those things. We’re going to keep fighting and working to overcome that and be the team that we need to be.”

BIGGEST TEST AHEAD

If the Bombers have proven anything in recent years, it’s the ability to push through adversity.

Collectively, they’ve been consistent in their approach, taking each week as it comes, and have resisted any temptation to waver from the values O’Shea has firmly entrenched with the team.

But after posting a combined record of 23-13 over the 2016 and 2017 seasons, Winnipeg is sailing through unchartered waters. Hovering around .500, it’s not unthinkable the Bombers could find themselves below that mark after what will be a tough clash against their Prairie rivals this weekend. If they do lose, they’ll return to a heated fan base, all too hungry to jump on every little mistake.

Because of that, it can be argued this might be the biggest test ahead for the Blue and Gold, at least mentally. If the tough times continue, how might the locker room react to the pressure that will inevitably come from a football-mad community? They wouldn’t be the first to crack.

Thing is, the recipe to prevent all that is easy: win. Now they just have to do it.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton