New pivot racks up a passing grade

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This article was published 27/07/2013 (4449 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HE might not have shown quite enough of it on the turf at Investors Group Field Friday night, but Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Justin Goltz, after making his first-ever CFL start, displayed plenty of maturity after the 37-24 loss to the Calgary Stampeders.

He took ownership of much of the disappointing result, one that dropped the Bombers to 1-4.

“We scored more points (than last week), but we didn’t score enough points,” Goltz said after he passed for 194 yards, completing 19 of 35 throws.

“It’s tough to take away silver linings. We’re all disappointed. There’s a lot of room for growth. The only thing is that we’re close, we’re on the cusp, but there’s just too many mistakes from myself and by a lot of people in this locker-room.”

How did he assess he own performance?

“I had my ups and I had my downs,” Goltz said. “There’s a handful of throws I’d like to have back, to be completely honest. Those are throws I can make. Those are throws I should make.”

The 25-year-old from Michigan had some odd throws indeed on Friday. One interception, some miscommunication and some misreads, to be sure.

“I felt some of the throws, my first goal was to protect the football,” Goltz said. “I don’t think that was the reason I missed those throws. Those are throws I can make. Those are throws I will make.”

He did say later he felt he rushed a few things during the game.

“I think the timing will come, but yeah, that’s something that’s always a big factor in how you perform,” he said. “Football’s always a big timing game, especially at the quarterback position.

“If you rush things, you’re going to be off, and that split second can be the difference between a completion and an incompletion. There were a few instances where I think I rushed things tonight; I’m not going to deny it. At the same time, those are small things that can make a big difference that I know I can change.”

Assessments from others were also valuable in the Goltz story Friday night.

Teammate Terrence Edwards, who caught four of his passes, gave his quarterback a thumbs-up.

“I think he played well,” Edwards said. “I think there are some things he’s going to want back, but overall for his first start, I think he played with poise, with confidence and I think we can win games with Justin.”

‘There’s a handful of throws I’d like to have back… Those are throws I can make’

Head coach Tim Burke was a shade more lukewarm.

“I thought he had some positive moments,” Burke said. “I thought he started off the game pretty strong. I think he tried to do too much with his feet in the second quarter. I think he tried to extend plays too much rather than get rid of the football.”

But Burke was much more upset by the team’s defensive play than its offensive performance, a reversal of the first four weeks of the season.

“We couldn’t tackle, we couldn’t cover. we couldn’t sack the quarterback,” Burke said

Goltz got near the heart of the matter on Friday’s result when he tabbed three straight second-quarter two-and-outs as a hurtful period for the Bombers, a time that saw their 14-8 lead turn into a 17-14 halftime deficit.

“I felt good, I felt comfortable, I felt well-prepared,” Goltz said. “They didn’t do a whole lot that we didn’t see in film, but it was a big momentum shift when you have a few two-and-outs and they’re on the field for a long time.”

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca