3 keys to victory

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/10/2009 (5844 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

1. ATTACK AND EXPLOIT

It’s right there on the Eskimos’ depth chart in black and white — two changes in the secondary, two on the defensive line — and the Bombers aren’t really shying away from talking about taking advantage of the absences of defensive linemen Dario Romero and Eric Taylor and defensive backs Kelly Malveaux and Tristan Jackson. "We have to remain patient in what we do and try to wear them down a little bit, to be quite honest with ya," said Bomber head coach Mike Kelly. "We’re aware of that, but I think they’re going to pay those guys this week. We understand that they have some changes over there.

But we also understand that the players they brought in are good players and they’re going to play hard. Now, getting to know each other, understanding the scheme completely… I would guess that they will have some snafus tomorrow.

We have to make sure that they have more than we do and just be consistent in what we’re doing and try to steadily attack that group of players."

Interestingly, even before injuries hit the Eskimos’ defence they were already last in some critical statistical categories like points per game (30.8), yards per game (391.4) and yards passing per game (301.2).

2. MORE OF THE SAME, ‘O’

We’ve been clamouring about this for weeks, but if the Bombers are to go anywhere down the stretch, they’ll need to find some sort of balance offen­sively. They rush for a club record 393 yards vs. B.C. in August and then man­age only 37 in their next game. Last week, they passed for 312 yards as Mi­chael Bishop found his groove working with a game plan that featured more motion, more shotgun and more five-receiver sets. Expect that to be cranked up even more this week. But Fred Reid needs to be busier both along the ground — he has 191 yards in the four games since racking up 260 against the Leos — but also through the air. Both Reid (19 receptions) and Yvenson Ber­nard (10 catches) are dangerous in open space and need to be more involved in the passing game. Winnipeg hasn’t had back-to-back 300-yard passing games by a QB since games over Saskatchewan and Toronto last September.

3. CRUNCH FRITO RAY & CO.

No surprises here: Eskimo QB Ricky Ray has long been a Bomber killer and is 6-3-1 against Winnipeg in his last 10 games, with — get this — nine 300-yard passing games over that span. What he does effectively against most teams, but particularly the Bombers, is use a precise short-yardage passing game that often features swing passes and screens to his running backs that help set up the occasional home-run shot downfield. That forces a defence to be especially sharp in their open-field tackling and tight in coverage. The former Frito Lay trainee — thus the clever Frito Ray nickname — is also a far more adept runner than most think and does have the ability to extend drives when the pocket collapses and his targets are blanketed.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of our Three Keys.