Five storylines

By: Adam Wazny Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Friday, Oct. 28, 2011

Tonight, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (10-6) take on the Toronto Argonauts (4-12) at Canad Inns Stadium. A few things to watch for during the contest:

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Tonight, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (10-6) take on the Toronto Argonauts (4-12) at Canad Inns Stadium. A few things to watch for during the contest:

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/10/2011 (5150 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tonight, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (10-6) take on the Toronto Argonauts (4-12) at Canad Inns Stadium. A few things to watch for during the contest:

1. Pick party

The last time these teams met, Bombers defensive back Jovon Johnson intercepted Argos quarterback Steven Jyles twice, including one for the touchdown early in the first quarter. Johnson has a league-leading seven interceptions. His partner in crime, Jonathan Hefney, sits tied for second place with five.

John Woods/Winnipeg Free Press
Jovon Johnson intercepts a pass intended for Argos' Spencer Watt (on ground) in a July game. Johnson leads the league in picks, with seven. — John Woods/Winnipeg Free Press Jovon Johnson intercepts a pass intended for Argos' Spencer Watt (on ground) in a July game. Johnson leads the league in picks, with seven.

Following an impressive three-pick showing against Montreal, the Bombers (10 interceptions in the last five games) now lead the CFL with 23 interceptions. Meanwhile, a generous Jyles has thrown 10 picks in his seven starts this year.

See where this is headed? The probability of the Blue and Gold generating turnovers in this manner is high, so don’t be surprised to see everyone in the Bombers secondary jump a few routes this evening.

2. The consistency conundrum

The unrest over the offence starts like this: There was the 32-26 loss to Montreal, a game that saw Winnipeg do little for three quarters before coming to life too late. In Hamilton, however, the attack was sharp as a tack and the club won with relative ease.

In Edmonton, the Bombers only managed 10 points, and against Montreal (again) last week, the club did nothing for three quarters before putting up 16 points in the final quarter to squeeze out a victory.

What’s the point here?

Winnipeg needs to get off to a fast start and keep the stress levels down as the evening moves along. Last-minute, game-winning touchdowns are exciting and everything, but try selling that to the boo-birds. They don’t believe in miracles.

3. Football focus

The potential for a letdown. You’ve heard about it before and you know it by heart.

The players say they’re ready to play. Bombers coach Paul LaPolice says his team is ready to play. Sounds great, but don’t rule out the potential for a letdown following the Montreal win. This team has shown an inability to deal with success and there have been a few bumps in the road to first place in the East Division.

Put it this way: Do you think it’s easier for the Bombers to get up for a game against the defending Grey Cup champs or a game against a last-place team playing out the string?

Exactly, and that’s the danger of tonight’s contest for Winnipeg. Accidents usually happen when the driver is distracted at the wheel.

4. Tricks and treats

The Argos are out of the playoffs and are looking at who they have for next year. With that in front of them, here’s a request to the coaching staff — particularly head man Jim Barker and special-teams coach Mike O’Shea: Please pull out all the stops.

Really yank them out. Seriously. Toronto is the king of gadget plays in the CFL and they’ve been able to burn Winnipeg a few times in the last two seasons. Here’s hoping they treat everyone to a few more tricks tonight.

5. Five and out

Is Toronto as bad as its 4-12 record suggests? Where will Steven Jyles be next season? How many passes will Argos kicker Noel Prefontaine try tonight? Can the Bombers take care of business? Will section S be allowed to build a beer-cup snake as a tribute to the old stadium?

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @wazoowazny

Key matchup

Winnipeg’s defence vs. Toronto’s ground attack

First, there’s Argos kick returner Chad Owens, who broke through the 3,000 all-purpose yards mark last week. Quite a feat, considering the closest player to the speedy returner hasn’t hit the 2,000-yard mark yet (Hamilton’s Marcus Thigpen). Owens is the first player in CFL history to record back-to-back 3,000 all-purpose yards seasons.

Then there’s running back Cory Boyd, who has quietly put up 945 yards and five touchdowns — despite missing a handful of games earlier in the season. He has averaged 280 yards and 8.5-yards-per-carry average in his last two games.

These two players are the foundation of the Toronto offence. Everyone knows this.

Pierre-Luc Labbe, the special-teams captain, is part of the group assigned to stop Owens on returns. The linebacker also will see some time in the defence against Boyd, rotating in on certain running situations.

He expects to see a lot of No. 2 (Owens) and No. 3 (Boyd). “The key is to get to them before they have a chance to get rolling,” Labbe said Thursday. “You want to take them out of rhythm. Hopefully, we can slow them up that way, ’cause if we don’t, it could be a long game.”