Run game evaporates against Stampeders

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/07/2015 (3703 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

EVERY quarterback on the planet lives to drop back and play pitch and catch with his receivers. But every QB who has picked himself up off the turf after being drilled — hello, Drew Willy — will also preach the merits of a balanced attack.

And a good ground game, clearly, means a QB can feel a whole lot more comfortable in the pocket.

The Bombers rushed for just 76 yards in Saturday’s loss to the Calgary Stampeders, but it wasn’t so much that total that jumped out in the analysis afterward, but the commitment to the run — or lack thereof. Winnipeg rushed just 17 times against the Stamps, with Paris Cotton finishing with 56 yards on 10 attempts.

Boosting those totals will be critical in keeping the Edmonton Eskimos’ ferocious defence on its heels this weekend in Alberta.

“We’d like to get it going a little bit better, but I think it’s going to happen,” said Willy. “We’re close on a lot of different things that we’re doing and we feel we have the guys to be able to do it, to get the running game going.”

“You see signs on some plays where, wow, it looks great,” added head coach Mike O’Shea. “I mean, we are committed to running the ball. We also understand we’re going to do whatever it takes in any one game to win the game. And if the running game isn’t going in that game, then we’ll have to find a way to win.

“But we also understand what division we’re in and how much these outdoor games in November require the running game. So, we’re committed to it.

The Bombers are averaging 95.7 yards rushing per game — fifth-best in the CFL.

OUCH REPORT: The Bombers were without four starters as they returned to the practice field Tuesday for the first time since the loss to the Stampeders, and will be down another man along the D-line this weekend in Edmonton.

Greg Peach, who led the club in sacks last year, sustained a lower-body injury in Calgary and will be out for at least this week. Thaddeus Gibson lined up in his defensive end position Tuesday. Peach joins defensive tackle Bryant Turner on the hurts list, although O’Shea said the club will attempt to have Turner fitted with a playing cast. He might be able to rejoin his teammates on the field next week.

Offensive linemen Dominic Picard and Jace Daniels were also both absent from practice but both are expected back as early as today. O’Shea said Picard was sick and the club told him to stay away on Tuesday, while Daniels has a minor lower-body injury that isn’t expected to keep him off the practice field long. Devin Tyler was working in Daniels’ right tackle spot Tuesday.