Losers can’t kick habit
Playoffs a pipe dream after loss to Leos Try as they might, Big Blue still addicted to defeat
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/10/2010 (5518 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
VANCOUVER — The dates and placelines change, but it’s the same old script for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The Bombers dropped to 3-10 with a 16-14 loss to the B.C. Lions at picturesque Empire Field Saturday night and, as a result, their 2010 playoff hopes are essentially on life support after falling for the seventh time this season by a TD or less.
“Losing is very tiring, very exhausting,” said defensive end Phillip Hunt. “Down the stretch they made more plays than we did.
“We just have to learn how to finish games. We play well for three quarters and then in the fourth quarter it just seems to slip away from us. It’s happened to us a few times this year.”
Yes, you could say that and then some. Even after blowing a 10-0 halftime lead and seeing Justin Palardy miss from 29 yards on a field-goal attempt that would have tied the score at 13, the Bombers did take a 14-13 lead with just over five minutes remaining when Palardy connected from 26 yards.
That’s when Lions QB Travis Lulay led the Leos on a 12-play, 77-yard drive that consumed over five minutes on the clock and set up Paul McCallum for a 19-yard chip shot and the game’s decisive points with just 12 seconds remaining.
And so, once again, the Bombers missed a glorious opportunity to breathe life into their 2010 season. Winnipeg now trails the Toronto Argonauts by six points in the East Division and the Lions, who improve to 5-8, by four points. However, the Bombers would need to finish ahead of the Lions to grab the crossover playoff spot as a West Division side.
Realistically, the Bombers would need to go 4-1 in their final five games and then pray for help from others to have a shot at the post-season.
“You’ve got to give them all the credit in the world because they came out and earned it in the last couple minutes of the game,” said Bomber defensive back Jovon Johnson. “At the end of the day we do control our own destiny but it’s going to take a lot. And it starts with next week.
“I don’t know what it is. I honestly couldn’t even tell you. Whatever it is, though, it needs to get fixed as soon as possible. We’ve got to go do something about it. We’ve got to look in the mirror, put it on our back to go out and win games and we’re not doing a good job of that now.
“It takes a toll after awhile. But this is what we get paid to do and we’ve got to keep playing.”
Bomber QB Steven Jyles completed six of his first nine passes for 91 yards and a 58-yard TD strike to Terrence Edwards as the visitors built a 10-zip lead. But the first half also included a dropped Greg Carr pass on the game’s first drive that led to a short Palardy field goal instead of a TD, and a fumble by Jyles — which he recovered after a 26-yard loss — that took the Bombers out of field-goal range.
The Bombers were awful in the third quarter, registering just one first down and seeing Jyles throw an interception as Lulay and kick returner Yonus Davis brought the Lions back to tie the game at 10-10. B.C. outscored Winnipeg 16-4 in the second half to seal the deal.
“We play with great effort. We just have to find a way to win,” said Jyles, who finished 21 of 37 for 258 yards with one TD and one pick. “It’s little plays here and there. One miscue, one missed throw, one dropped pass, one missed assignment and that’s a drive right there. We can’t make those mistakes. We’ve got to find a way to put together a complete ball game and put games away when we’re up.
“(On the interception) it was good coverage and I should have pulled that one down and gone somewhere else with it,” he said. “The fumble was me trying to make a play. I could have thrown that one away, too. That’s what hurts me the most: mistakes with me, too. I could have made two better decisions that could have changed the outcome of the ball game.”
OUCH UPDATE: DB James Green suffered a suspected torn bicep and will be evaluated in the next few days. DE Deji Oduwole was experiencing back spasms and did not finish the game.
ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca
