Five storylines

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/10/2014 (4071 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Five storylines to ponder heading into Monday’s Eskimos-Blue Bombers game in Edmonton:

1. THE SHORT-TERM PROBLEM THAT NEEDS A LONG-TERM FIX

This from the Department of Redundancy Department: the Bomber offensive line remains a serious problem — now 14 games into the season and years into the hunt for the right combination. The Bombers will start this crew in Edmonton — right to left — Glenn January, Chris Greaves, Steve Morley, Cordaro Howard and Devin Tyler.

That’s the eighth combination the club will have used through 15 games and the revolving door doesn’t look like it’s going to stop spinning any time soon.

The idea of drafting and developing Canadians rarely offers a quick fix and 2014 first-rounder Matthias Goossen, who figures to one day be an anchor at centre, is a classic example of the need for patience.

The real issue isn’t so much the homegrowns, but this: The Bombers start three Americans up front in January, Howard and Tyler and only January has been a fixture. And so, as much as the Bombers would kill to start Canadians across the line, if they do start Americans — especially three — they better be dominant. On that front, the search will continue, because no one is jumping off the page here.

In the meantime, the same scenes keep playing out: The running game remains stuck in mud and QB Drew Willy might end the season being scraped off the turf with a spatula.

2. TACKLE THIS

Just for the record, 16 different Bombers were credited with 21 total defensive tackles in last week’s 42-20 loss to the Ottawa Redblacks. What wasn’t tracked was the number of absolute whiffs by the Bomber defenders — who made running back Jonathan Williams look like he should be posing for his hall of fame bust — in the loss. It wasn’t just sloppy, it was poor angles and terrible technique.

And the punishment for all their sins? Bomber head coach Mike O’Shea forced everyone to watch the videotape evidence over and over again.

“It was one of those ones you want to erase,” admitted Johnny Sears, Jr. “But it was one of those ‘teach’ games. There was so much tape you had to watch. It forces you to either man up or crumble. And we’re not that type of group. We’re going to come out and show we’ve fixed our mistakes and play a lot harder.

“We talked about three things this week: No. 1, shoring up tackles. No. 2, making sure we execute the defence that is called and, three, get to the ball in numbers. That was a point of emphasis coming in, before we watched review film. We had a meeting among ourselves knowing what we had to correct playing (Edmonton), because it could get just as ugly doing the same thing.”

3. THE REILLY FACTOR

Rewind now to the first meeting between these clubs, back on July 17 when the unbeaten Eskimos rolled into Winnipeg to face the unbeaten Bombers. The Esks owned the Bombers that night in a 23-6 win and much of their success came from the work of QB Mike Reilly. His passing numbers were a modest 18 of 31 for 192 yards with one TD and one interception, but he also rushed 10 times for 96 yards — extending drives with his legs and frustrating would-be tacklers in the process.

Reilly isn’t going to be the home-run rushing threat of former Eskimo QBs such as Tracy Ham, Damon Allen or Nealon Greene, but his overall skill set — coupled with the Bombers’ tackling issues — makes this a scary matchup for the visitors. How do you stop him?

“Sure tackling, keeping your eyes on him and understanding where he’s going to escape to,” said head coach Mike O’Shea. “I don’t think there’s any magic formula to it.

“It’s interesting… I think Reilly is more of the rugged type of runner. He’s more like a Matt Dunigan runner than a Nealon Greene runner. Some teams used to put a faster guy to mark (shadow) the quarterback when he was that pure runner like a Tracy Ham. We’ll see what Etch (defensive co-ordinator Gary Etcheverry) has cooked up.”

4. A GROUNDED GROUND GAME

Not a whole lot of fuss was raised earlier this week when the Bombers made public their plans to bench running back Nic Grigsby and replace him with Paris Cotton in the backfield. After all, over the last three games Grigsby had rushed for just 121 yards and a 3.78-yard average. But here’s what is curious about the move: Grigsby is tied for third in CFL rushing, leads the league with 45 carries resulting in first downs and is an adept receiver with 55 catches for 444 yards.

Still, the consensus is a change might help spark the offence and it’s a lot easier to sit Grigsby and insert Cotton than to change the O-line en masse. So, with Grigsby out as well as Aaron Kelly — the club’s second-leading receiver behind Clarence Denmark, who has been benched in favour of Nick Moore — the Bombers are leaving themselves open for some serious second-guessing if the moves yield diddly squat.

5. TICK, TOCK

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There has been lots of chatter this week about the Bombers still having the chance to author their own destiny here. Fair enough. With four games remaining, including one against the team they are chasing — the B.C. Lions — the playoffs can remain in their collective crosshairs.

But focusing only on what is just ahead means teams can sometimes miss the big picture. A five-game skid and nosedive that has seen them drop seven of their last eight means it’s time for a little desperation to enter their approach.

The mantra has long been “it’s a big game because it’s the next game.” True. But it’s also a big game for this bunch because the clock is ticking on the 2014 season. And if they don’t stop the bleeding soon, the Bomber obit will be penned long before they finish the regular season Nov. 1 in Calgary.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPEdTait