Category Archives: CFL

Random Thoughts on Staggerville Sunday

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
Buck Pierce 4 200x300 Random Thoughts on Staggerville Sunday

Run Buck, Run! (Photo by Shawn Coates)

It used to be known as “Re-Match Weekend” around the CFL, but we here in Winnipeg now refer to it as “Banjo Bowl Weekend.” Then again, after Sunday’s debacle it might now be referred to as “Embarrassment Weekend.”

For the uninitiated, Banjo Bowl Weekend became a big deal eight years ago. It started after Bombers kicker Troy Westwood, a native of Saskatchewan, said, “The trouble with Roughriders fans is that they’re all banjo-picking inbreds.”

That, of course, led to an apoplectic fit from just about every person living in Saskatchewan, so Westwood was forced to apologize: “I’m sorry,” he said. “I was mistaken. Most Roughriders fans aren’t smart enough to play the banjo.” Ouch!

Ever since that day, the Sunday after Labor Day has become the cornerstone of Banjo Bowl Weekend and this past Sunday, the Bombers and their fans looked like the banjo pickers themselves. Getting drilled is one thing. Getting drilled 45-23 on your own field by a 2-7 team is quite another. Especially a 2-7 team you have decided you’re going to ridicule.

One thing about an 18-game schedule: There are no flukes. You are either good or you’re not and right now, B.C. (which has now allowed the fewest points in the CFL this season) and Saskatchewan  might be a lot better than we thought while Winnipeg and Edmonton might not be. Oh, and, by the way, Toronto is just one vile stinking dung pile of a football team.

Check out the Week 11 scores. We watched 2-7 Saskatchewan blast 7-2 Winnipeg, Montreal and Calgary got their revenge and this week, the Toronto media and head coach Jim Barker couldn’t blame Cleo Lemon. No matter how hard they might have tried. Here were the Banjo Bowl Weekend scores:

Calgary 30 at Edmonton 20

Toronto 6 at B.C. 28

Hamilton 13 at Montreal 43

Saskatchewan 45 at Winnipeg 23

The four games played this week proved four things: Toronto needs a coaching change if not a complete overhaul; Swaggerville has run its course and it’s time for Winnipeg to just play football; Hamilton has a solid, but inconsistent football team; and Edmonton proved that what happened last week (that 35-7 win in Calgary) was probably a fluke.

So, in honor of another entertaining Banjo Bowl Weekend in the CFL, here are a few random thoughts on the people, involved in the Bombers 45-23 loss to Saskatchewan.

On Craig Butler, S, Saskatchewan Roughriders: The Riders Canadian safety was sensational. In fact, here’s the player I think is your CFL defensive player of the week. Butler had a monster sack on Buck Pierce that was the turning point in the game. Pierce was never the same again. Then Butler picked off two passes and recovered a fumble. It was a game-changing defensive performance – and on the road, no less.

21 300x193 Random Thoughts on Staggerville Sunday

Darian Durant

On Darian Durant, QB, Saskatchewan Roughriders: The second straight outstanding performance by Durant, a guy I didn’t think had it in him. The Saskatchewan quarterback completed 14-of-27 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns. Granted, it didn’t hurt that the Bombers turned over the football six times, but Durant did exactly what was required to do in order to blow out the Bombers for the second straight week. In two games, back-to-back, against the vaunted Bomber secondary, Durant had seven TD passes.

On Paul LaPolice, Head Coach, Winnipeg Blue Bombers: Let’s just say that even at 7-3, he has some work to do. His team was not ready to play in front of a more-than-sold-out house against their arch-rivals. That’s on the head coach.

On Buck Pierce, QB, Winnipeg Blue Bombers: Sunday’s 45-23 loss to the Roughriders might have been the worst game Buck Pierce ever played. He threw five interceptions. Previously, his worst performance was three INTs. In the end, he completed 20-of-32 passes for 265 yards and no touchdowns. However, he started the game eight-for-eight and you know what they say, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.” One wonders how Buck’s head is responding to treatment (if any) today.

On The Winnipeg Blue Bombers Offensive Line: These guys are going to get Buck Pierce killed. Pierce was sacked three times, but he was forced to take off and run three other times and that didn’t help His Royal Grogginess. Meanwhile, the line gave Fred Reid no opportunity to run the football and in the end he finished with nine carries for 40 yards. The Bombers have lost two straight to Saskatchewan and both times the Riders D-Line kicked the crapola out of the Bombers O-Line.

On Jamie Barresi, Offensive Coordinator, Winnipeg Blue Bombers: He has to find some offensive linemen who can block and he has to re-vamp an offence that hasn’t been very good all year. And he has to do it by this coming Sunday in order to compete with the second-place Alouettes, a team that whupped Hamilton 43-13 at Moslon Stadium this past week. Good luck with that.

For the Bombers, there is always next week. And at 7-3, they still have the best record in the CFL. But playing Montreal IN Montreal is a lot tougher than playing Saskatchewan at Canad Inns Stadium. The Bombers will have to fix that offence if they intend to go toe-to-toe with Anthony Calvillo and the Als this Sunday.

If they don’t, a 7-4 record and, suddenly, a tie for first in the East is what awaits them.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Blog, CFL

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Not Much Swagger on Labor Day

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

The problem with something like Swaggerville is that when things don’t go well, Swaggerville can become a bit of a joke. It can certainly become a launching pad for well-placed barbs from the opposition and its fans.

Poor Buck. Not a Good Day 300x221 Not Much Swagger on Labor Day

Poor Buck. Not a Good Day (Reuters)

Sunday afternoon the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were drilled 27-7 by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the annual Labor Day Classic at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. It’s not like the outcome was entirely unexpected even though the boys from Swaggerville went into the game with a 7-1 record and the lowly Green Riders were 1-7. This was the seventh consecutive year in which the Riders have won the Labor Day Classic, so no, it wasn’t a big surprise.

I see where one of our local papers tried to suggest that Saskatchewan’s offence controlled the game and the “vaunted Swaggerville defence,” didn’t get the job done, but the trouble with that statement is that it lets the absent Bombers offence off the hook.

Let’s ignore Swaggerville for a minute and look at the football game. The Blue Bombers offence was awful. Period. End of argument. The defensive secondary made three big mistakes, but over 65 plays, that’s going to happen. You simply can’t start blaming the defence when you watch this:

1) The Bombers did not score a touchdown. That used to be almost impossible in the CFL, back in the days of Matt Dunigan, Tom Clements, Tracy Ham, Damon Allen and Kent Austin. These days, playing an entire CFL game without scoring a TD is reaching the level of normal.

2) Two Bomber quarterbacks combined to go 23-for-35 for 234 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Alex Brink threw the interception while Buck Pierce lost a fumble. Turnovers will kill any team and they sure killed the Bombers.

3) Fred Reid carried 14 times for a meagre 35 yards (2.5 yards per carry). Not good. But was it entirely Reid’s fault? The Bombers offensive line did not have a banner day. There were not a lot of holes. Riders linebacker Jerrell Freeman had seven tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble. There’s your CFL defensive player of the week.

4) The Bombers did not have a 100-yard rusher nor a 100-yard receiver. In fact, the Bombers rushed for a mere 57 yards. Total.

5) The Bombers had five two-and-outs. Offensive coordinator Jamie Barresi should be ashamed of himself. What was he watching up in that press box? He’d have been better off just throwing it up for Greg Carr and hoping he might come down with it. After all, those six-yard passes to Kito Poblah got nothing accomplished.

Now let’s be reasonable. The Bombers were not going to go 17-1. That was simply not going to happen. But between “Swaggerville” and that cheeky billboard they bought in Regina, the Bombers had to eat a little humble pie on Sunday. On the upside, a 27-7 shellacking is a good teacher sometimes.

If they handle it properly, it could be the best thing that ever happened to them. Go home with a little humility and pick up the season from, say, that 28-16 win over Edmonton back on Aug. 5.

Of course, while they’re at it, they might want to do something about that offence. It’s stinky.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Blog, CFL

Tagged , , , , , , ,

A Remarkable Night in the ‘Peg

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

I won’t call Winnipeg “Swaggerville,” because that seems to be something owned by the members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. And make no mistake, this little monologue is about Winnipeg, not just about one team.

On Friday night, we witnessed what was almost a perfect storm.

Buck Pierce 11 200x300 A Remarkable Night in the Peg

Buck Pierce in front of 30,033 fans (photo by Shawn Coates)

Over on Maroons Road, the Blue Bombers drew 30,033 spectators to watch the home football side beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 30-27 and improve to 7-1 on the season.

Meanwhile, down at the East End of Portage Ave., the Winnipeg Goldeyes drew 8,065 fans to Shaw Park to watch the Local 9 whip their arch-rivals, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, 9-5, to wrap up the American Association’s North Division pennant.

However, while it was definitely an evening of celebration at both venues, it was also one of the most remarkable nights in Winnipeg sports history. On one night, there were 38,098 Winnipeg sports fans watching two professional teams at exactly the same time. And both games were also on TV.

Now that’s not the largest pair of crowds ever to watch two pro sports teams in Winnipeg on the same day. Back in the 1990s, the Bombers and Jets often combined to surpass the 40,000 mark on the same day. But this might have been the largest double crowd for two teams playing at exactly the same time and it was first time anyone could remember that two Winnipeg teams drew more fans than there were actual permanent seats available for them to sit in — at exactly the same time with both teams on TV.

The Bombers added 500 temporary seats — and sold them all  in a few hours — to get from 29,533 seats to 30,033. The Goldeyes, meanwhile, sold tickets on the grass berm and probably a few standing room spots to surpass the 7,481 permanent seats at their beautiful little downtown ball park.

Rick Forney 200x300 A Remarkable Night in the Peg

Goldeyes manager Rick Forney

There is nothing like a winner to grab peoples’ interest and when you have two winners, folks will obviously respond. With Friday night’s 9-5 win, the Goldeyes swept a four-game series from Fargo this week to improve to 58-38 — 20 games over .500 for the first time since 2003. It was also the first time the Fish had clinched a division title since 2003.

It was also a night to celebrate Rick Forney’s outstanding season as manager of the Goldeyes. In his sixth year as the Goldeyes’ skipper, he built a winner by bringing in (a) an commplished group of veteran leaders and (b) the four best rookies in the American Association and as a result, he won a championship and was named 2011 Manager of the Year.

As well, the Goldeyes reversed a trend this season. After dropping in attendance every year from 2004-2010, the Goldeyes turned things around. Last year, the team drew 271,399 fans and then missed the playoffs. This year, the Fish have drawn 286,885 spectators and the team has at least two playoff games remaining. Getting back to 300,000 is s possibility.

aceWalker 192x300 A Remarkable Night in the Peg

Ace Walker (Photo by Shawn Coates)

“It’s been awesome to be part of this,” said Ace Walker who joined Chris Salamida as the second Goldeyes pitcher to pick up his 10th win of the season this week. “Last year, at the end, was really an emotional time for me (he threw a one-hitter in the final game of the year and thought it would be his final game with the Goldeyes). I don’t think baseball will ever be out of my blood. I think I’ll always want to play. But last year, I thought maybe I was done. Then Rick (manager Forney) really impressed me with the people he was bringing in and when he asked me to play, I really wanted to be part of it. I’m glad I came back.”

Meanwhile, the 7-1 Bombers have four home games remaining and all 30,033 seats available for the Banjo Bowl on Sept. 11, have been sold. That means the Bombers are on pace to set a post-1999 franchise attendance record (1999 was when the available seating at Canad Inns Stadium was actually lowered for the Pan Am Games) in the final year of the Old Dump on Maroons. Next year, the Bombers will move into a brand new 33,000-seat stadium on the campus of the U of M and they’ll do it with a good team playing great football. In fact, after Montreal’s loss to Calgary on Sunday, the Bombers are now four points up on the Alouettes in the CFL East.

The D 200x300 A Remarkable Night in the Peg

The Awesome Bombers D (photo by Shawn Coates)

The Bombers are 7-1 now and with all things being fair and equal, they could very well finish somewhere between 13-5 and 16-2, depending on how well they play down the stretch. This is a team with a remarkable defence that actually got a little help from Buck Pierce and the offence on Friday night.

When the Winnipeg Jets play their home opener on Oct. 9, they could be following a pro baseball championship and a pro football team that is oh, say, 11-3 (as a conservative sports pundit, I still can’t call them winners against Montreal … yet). No wonder Winnipeggers are excited about sports these days.

In fact, any suggestion that there is not a Sports Renaissance in this city is coming from people who think the earth is flat.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Blog, CFL, Uncategorized, Winnipeg Goldeyes

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Two Nice Teams

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

On Monday night I had the honor, once again, to play host to the Hearts of Blue and Gold Dinner for Variety the Children’s Charity at Earl’s St. Vital in Winnipeg. The people from Variety are wonderful and our hosts from Earl’s are always terrific. It never fails to be a great evening.

I’ve been the Master of Ceremonies at this twice-a-season dinner now for eight years and I will admit, for many of those years, it was a chore. There were times when the Bombers weren’t very good, the team really didn’t want to spend an evening with the public and for Obby Khan, the Bomber who arranges the player appearances for this event, attracting participants was like pulling teeth.

That was not the case on Monday night. There were 17 current Bombers at the dinner and five alumni stars and with the team 6-1 and a heavy favorite to beat Hamilton in front of a sellout at Canad Inns Stadium on Friday night, the players who attended all seemed happy to be there. In fact, even the ones who probably wanted to be someplace else bought into the importance of this fund raising event and worked hard to make the evening enjoyable for everyone in attendance.

obby khan Two Nice Teams

Obby Khan: A great Friend of Variety

As I always do during these events, I try to spend as much time as I can with the players. It’s a great opportunity to get to know the team away from the Stadium, and this year’s crew is nice to be around. From Joe Lobendahn to Mike Renaud, from Clint Kent to Andre Douglas and from Alex Suber to Alex Brink, this is a team that has learned how to win and has learned how to handle itself in public. They were all true gentlemen and carried themselves with humility and self-deprecation.

Swaggerville is fun, but that’s not the real personality of this team. As team president Jim Bell, who also attended the dinner (without fanfare, by the way), found out on Monday, he has a very nice group filled with respectful people who are professional in every way.

Meanwhile, I’ve spent the entire baseball season in the midst of the Winnipeg Goldeyes and that’s another team that should make Winnipeg proud. This is a team that does not believe winning is easy and it also believes that representing a community is a big part of a professional athlete’s list of responsibilities.

andrew ace walker1 200x300 Two Nice Teams

Andrew Walker

From Ace Walker to Chris Salamida and from Brian Myrow to Lou Ott and Wes Long, the Goldeyes are a professional baseball team that works hard, acts professionally and wins a lot more often than it loses.

Winnipeg is extremely fortunate this summer to boast two winning teams that also represent the community with class. The Goldeyes head into a four-game series with Fargo on Tuesday night with a four-game lead over the St. Paul Saints. Their magic number for clinching the American Association’s North Division is four. There is no cockiness involved in this club. It’s about hard work and winning games — and always showing up for the post-game autograph session with the fans.

Meanwhile, the Bombers have played tremendous football en route to a 6-1 record and sole possession of first place in the Canadian Football League’s Eastern Conference. Friday night, the Bombers are 4.5-point favorites to beat Hamilton and remain in first.

Winnipeg is lucky to be able to cheer these two exceptional teams. One can’t wait to see if the city’s new NHL team is equally exceptional — both on and off the ice.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Blog, CFL, Winnipeg Goldeyes

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

LaPolice Can Relax (A LIttle). Seems like Swaggerville Works

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

All of last week, Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice was a little worried about Swaggerville. There was just something about the karma.

It’s fine if fans want to start something like “Swaggerville.” That’s fun. But when it starts with the players — and it actually started back in 2009 — bad things can happen. LaPolice was worried that his hard-working, humble football team might start believing in their own headlines.

lions jpg 1302980cl 3 LaPolice Can Relax (A LIttle). Seems like Swaggerville Works

Another Frightened QB

Maybe these young, talented kids on defense saw themselves as unbeatable. He had no reason to worry about his offensive veterans, guys such as Buck Pierce, Terrence Edwards, Fred Reid or that steadily improving offensive line. These guys were old pros. But that hard-hitting, ball-hawking, fast, aggressive, young defense might wake up one morning thinking they were invincible. That’s about the time bad things happen.

So this week, LaPolice made sure his team got the message. Stay humble, work hard at practice and do not, under any circumstances, take the B.C. Lions lightly on Saturday night.

Turns out, he had nothing to worry about.

The Bombers proved how good they really were on Saturday. Playing without starting defensive tackles Doug Brown and Dorian Smith, the Bombers used Jason Vega, Don Oramasionwu, Bryant Turner and Deji Oduwole in those two spots up front and demolished the B.C. Lions offence en route to a 30-17 win at Empire Field.

With the victory the Bombers improved to 6-1, first in the East with the bye week coming this week. It’s the first time the Bombers have been 6-1 since 1984 and the first time they’ve been 3-0 on the road since 1982.

It was an impressive performance and once again, LaPolice’s defense drove the Bombers bandwagon. B.C. quarterback Travis Lulay had no time to throw and when he did release his passes, the Bombers defensive secondary shut down the receivers. Before the game ended, Lulay was replaced by Jarious Jackson who had even less success than the starter.

In the end, the Bombers ball-hawking defense forced one interception and four fumbles (special teams were sensational, too) and while the team’s offence wasn’t spectacular, it was good enough to ride the D’s coat-tails to its sixth win in seven games. That’s impressive.

This defense is amazing. In fact, the first seven games of the 2011 Bomber season have belonged, solely, to the defense. It leads the league in fewest points allowed (18.6 per game), fewest yards allowed (277.6 per game), most sacks (25), most interceptions (11) and most turnovers (26) created and it is primarily responsible for the team’s 6-1 record. There are those who would suggest a little “swagger” never hurt anybody.

As an old timer, I have to admit I have not seen a defense this good in Winnipeg since the days of Tyrone Jones, Rod Hill, James West. Paul Randolph, Michael Gray and Greg Battle. Jonathan Hefney, Jovon Johnson, Kenny Mainor, Joe Lobendahn, Marcellus Bowman, Clint Kent, Ian Logan, Alex Suber and Odell Willis are right up there with the Bombers greats.

At 6-1, they have every right to enjoy Swaggerville. At least ,until they have to prove they can demolish Henry Burris and Anthony Calvillo, like they’ve demolished Kevin Glenn, Cleo Lemon, Ricky Ray, Travis Lulay, Quinton Porter, Dalton Bell and Jarious Jackson.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Blog, CFL

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Swaggerville Makes LaPolice Nervous Heading to B.C.

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

Paul LaPolice looks a little skittish. That’s not surprising for the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers considering what has taken place in his past here in a town that is now calling itself “Swaggerville.”

LaPolice knows his team is 5-1, but he was told on Tuesday that these 5-1 Bombers are also point and a half Vegas underdogs on Saturday night when they meet the 1-5. B.C. Lions. Granted, the line on the game is B.C. minus-one which really doesn’t mean much at all, but it does suggest that not everyone is convinced that this first-place team is destined to remain in first place very long.

The Bombers are good, but not great, is what he’s being told and, for now at least, he rather likes that assessment.

“We must remain a humble football team,” when asked about the Swaggerville nonsense. “I’ve talked to the players about this and we all understand that we are a blue collar team that has to work hard in practice and then go out an play hard once a week. I told them we aren’t going to be arrogant. Our job is to play hard enough to win.”

LaPolice is a quiet, unassuming guy who doesn’t spend a lot of time celebrating victories. It’s nice for the fans and certainly the players to have five wins after six games considering they had four wins after 18 games last season. LaPolice knows he’s lucky to have this job. He has it, not because he was some superman coach in 2010, but because he quieted the waters after the turbulent Mike Kelly season of 2009. Until now, however, it could easily be argued that Kelly, the media’s villain, got better results than the guy who took his job.

And LaPolice also remembers that he was sacked once before by the Winnipeg Football Club. In 2003, he was the team’s defensive coordinator and after the Bombers lost 37-21 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western final (gee, it wasn’t so long ago that the Bombers were in the West), LaPolice took the fall for Dave Ritchie’s anemic, predictable offence. Granted, the Bombers were in the bottom half of the league in defensive statistics, but it was hardly his fault that the offence sputtered in the biggest game of the year at home.

So, considering he’s already been fired once in Winnipeg and considering he’s already been 4-14 as a head coach, this whole 5-1-first-place-Swaggerville thing does not help him sleep soundly at night.

Now, for those who aren’t yet aware, Winnipeg is evidently,  “Swaggerville.” It is a term coined by Bombers defensive back Jovon Johnson, a dude who has never been short of his own swagger.

Johnson and his buddies on defense have been selling T-shirts at $25 a pop to anyone who wants to be a member of Swaggerville and apparently there are plenty in this town who desire citizenship (the T-shirts sold out). The first six games of the 2011 Bomber season have belonged to the defense. It leads the league in fewest points allowed (18.8 per game), fewest yards allowed (289.5 per game), most sacks, most interceptions (10) and most turnovers created and it is primarily responsible for the team’s 5-1 record. There are those who would suggest a little “swagger” never hurt anybody.

But LaPolice isn’t so sure. He knows, for a fact, the entire Swaggerville thing is going to end up on the bulletin board of this week’s opponent, the B.C. Lions, and probably on bulletin boards all over the league. He also knows that the second a team gets caught up in its own press clippings, bad things happen.

He has been pushing the humility angle on his charges like an English teacher pushes grammar on her students. He just hopes they’re getting the message.

“People I talk to say we play hard and we go after the football,” LaPolice said, hoping his words are being in the locker room. “We’re a focused football team right now.

“This week, we face a very tough opponent. Before the season started, I said the B.C. Lions were good enough to win the Western Conference and despite their slow start, I still believe that.

“What I’ve been trying to impart on the guys, especially the defensive backs, is that if you get beat, and you probably will, just forget about it and move on. Don’t even think about the previous play. Just move on. It’s a long game and how you respond to the little individual failures that everyone makes during a long football game is very important.”

LaPolice is not unaware of what’s going on around him. In five games this season, his team equaled last year’s total number of victories. Fans jumped on the bandwagon and the bandwagon has since become very crowded. His concern is simple. He’d prefer that his players were following the bandwagon, not leading it. That’s why the whole Swaggerville thing makes him nervous.

After all, most of the players on this team, were around last year when the Bombers went 4-14. And they went 4-14 because they lost nine games by four points or less. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and losing are divided by a very fine line. It’s great to have fun when you’re winning, but don’t allow your head to get bigger than your helmet.

“Other than the football related things we talk about every day, the most important thing I want my players to remember is to be humble,” he said. “We’re a good team, but this league is full of good teams. In fact, I don’t care what a team’s record is, I know that every team in this league is a good team that can beat another team at any time. That’s what we have to be mindful of. We’re a blue collar team that has to play hard, blue-collar football in order to be successful.”

As opposed, of course, to a swaggering collection of swelled heads who suddenly think that they’re as good as the bandwagon bloviators say they are.

And yes, that is what makes Paul LaPolice skittish.

 

 

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Blog, CFL

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

With Any Offense At All, Bombers are 3-0. As it is….

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

It was quite an interesting night at Canad Inns Stadium on Thursday night. Interesting in the same sense that a four-hour concert of Sub-Saharan African Music Traditions is interesting.

It was interesting, certainly, but just not particularly entertaining.

The Bombers were beaten 21-20 by the Calgary Stampeders on a sleepy night when the Bomber defense deserved a much better fate.

The Bombers held Smilin’ Hank Burris to just 183 yards passing (a pittance) and only 14 points, and yet the offense not only couldn’t score in a womens’ prison with a handful of pardons, it also gave up a pick six to Keon Raymond.

For the third straight week, the Bombers defense played as if it was the best unit in the CFL. And on Thursday night, they did it without rock-solid Alex Suber who was injured on the first play of the game.

The Bombers offense was downright dreadful on Thursday. This is a team that needs to head back to the drawing board. To make things worse, starting quarterback Buck Pierce was injured in the first half and while Joey Elliott played as well as anyone could ever have expected – coming off the bench against a very good Calgary defense – he was no match for a Stamps team that not only plays tough, it doesn’t give up very many yards.

In fairness to Elliott, he did give the Bombers a chance to win on the final series of downs, but Justin Palardy missed a tough 44-yard field goal against the wind and the Bombers were toast. A 21-20 loss is not a blowout and Winnipeg’s defense showed it could play with Smilin’ Hank and all of that Calgary speed, but Winnipeg’s Paul LaPolice-style offense is absolutely terrible. Dull, predictable – well, often not predictable because it does things on second down that no predictable coach would ever do (Why is it, when the Bombers have second and eight, they almost always throw a four-yard pass? Duh?) — the Bombers offense is weak, slow and stone-handed.

Right now, the Bombers are still in the midst of the easy part of their schedule. They go to 1-1 Toronto next Saturday afternoon, play 0-2 B.C. at home on Thursday the 28th, get Edmonton on Aug. 5 at home, then go to B.C. on the 13th and come back to face Hamilton on the 26th (after the bye week). They are definitely capable of winning all five of those games.

But unless the offense figures things out, they won’t have much left in the defensive tank once they have to go to Saskatchewan on Labour Day. You can’t win consistently  in professional football with only your defense and special teams playing up to snuff.

If this offense doesn’t play better soon, it could be a long season.

 

 

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Blog, CFL

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Glenn Awful, Young Bomber Defense Makes a Statement.

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment

It took two years, but former Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike Kelly was absolutely right about at least one thing: He got rid of Kevin Glenn for a  reason.

Friday night in the 2011 Canadian Football League season opener for both Winnipeg and Hamilton, Glenn stunk to high heaven as the Bombers came back from a 16-9 halftime deficit to stun the Tiger-Cats 24-16.

Hamilton scored no points in the second half. Nothing. Nada. In the CFL, the Tiger-Cats didn’t get close enough to the Bombers goal line to kick a single. That sucks out loud.

Before he was pulled, Glenn finished the game 18-for-31 for 187 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. That wasn’t gritty old Hamilton you were smelling, that was the Hamilton quarterback.

It would be nice to say that Alex Suber — who was, indeed, terrific — and his mates on the Bombers defence were the game’s heroes, but the real game-changer was Glenn. He threw three INTs, all of them unforced errors, simply bad passes right into the hands of Blue Bomber defenders. Twice he did it without any pressure at all. The interception he threw to Suber, the one that was returned for a touchdown, looked like he’d been paid by the mob to throw it to the defensive back.  It was one of the worst passes in CFL history.

Of course, he threw another interception off a roll-out when there wasn’t a Bomber within 10 yards of him. He was brutal.

Regardless, the Bombers made a heck of a statement last night. While the offence did next to nothing, the young defence was outstanding (and yes, Glenn was the best friend they could ever have ever asked for). Suber, O’Dell Willis, Jovon Johnson, Joe Lobendahn, Jonathan Hefney, Don Oramasionwu, Ian Logan, they were all terrific as the Bombers went out onto the road and did a tremendous job against a team many thought had a chance to take a run at the defending Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes.

Buck Pierce was a wonky 12-for 26 for 151 yards, one touchdown and one interception, but his defense was good enough – against a purely rotten quarterback and a new offensive coordinator (Khari Jones) who made some odd play calls — that the Bombers QB didn’t need to win a game by himself.

If this Bomber defense continues to play as well as it did on Friday night, there is no telling how good this team could be.

Friday night the Bombers went into Hamilton and made a loud statement. Fortunately for them, Kevin Glenn held up the microphone.

kevin glenn 300x232 Glenn Awful, Young Bomber Defense Makes a Statement.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Blog, CFL

Tagged , , , , , ,

Dr. Football and The Coach Deal Out Their 2011 CFL Predictions

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

WINNIPEG — Vegas oddsmakers have made the Calgary Stampeders, at 11-4, the favorites to win the 2011 Grey Cup. No doubt Calgary has a good team, but are they better than Montreal? Are they even better than Hamilton?

Montreal is next on the Futures line at Vegas at 3-1. Saskatchewan is third at 11-2 followed by B.C. at 6-1, Edmonton and Hamilton at 7-1, Toronto at 8-1 and Winnipeg at 10-1.

The 2011 Canadian Football League season is upon us and it’s time to look into our crystal balls to see who will still be standing when the Grey Cup game kicks off in Vancouver on Nov. 27. My pal Dr. Football will pick first (he’s so confident, he even offers up the records of each team) and then I’ll take my shot.

DR. FOOTBALL

THE EAST

Montreal Alouettes 11-7: With a strong offensive line and a talented group of receivers, Anthony Calvillo should once again lead his team to first place in the East.

Toronto Argonauts 10-8: Expect the Argos to slightly improve from last year’s 9-9 under Jim Barker. There was less turmoil in the off season and stability in the coaching staff; something the team hasn’t seen since Pinball Clemons stepped down as head coach. Expect sophomore QB Cleo Lemon to continue to develop and the defense which gave up 25.1 points a game last season to be better.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats 9-9: Don’t expect to see anything from the Ti-Cats offence with Khari Jones calling the shots. Another mediocre season awaits in 2011. This team has the talent to win, but with the questionable coaching staff I can’t seeing anything but a .500 season and another quick exit from the playoffs. Close your eyes Angelo Mosca.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers 7-11:  A healthy Buck Pierce can make a difference in that, but when was the last time he was healthy for more than a few games? He has only been able to complete 17 out of his 27 starts in the CFL. The big void left by the departure of Phillip Hunt will hurt the most. When does hockey season start?

THE WEST

British Columbia Lions 11-7: The Lions are the team to watch in the West. BC began the 2010 season with a 1-7 record before figuring it out and posting a 7-3 mark over their last 10 games. QB Travis Lulay (2,602 yards, 9 TD’s) became the starting quarterback after the horrible start, and showed why he is the new face of the franchise.

Calgary Stampeders 11-7: Smiling Hank is getting long in the tooth. Opening the season with two rookies on the offensive line is not going to make it easier on him either.

Saskatchewan Roughriders 8-10: The Riders have gone from having the best Canadian receiving corps in the league to a very average one. Replacing Andy Fantuz and Rob Bagg won’t be easy. We will also find out why Greg Marshall has been constantly passed over for a head coaching job too.

Edmonton Eskimos 5-13: Kavis Reed? See Paul LaPolice 2010. It’s not gonna be a fun year in Edmonton.

THE GREY CUP: Montreal vs B.C.

THE COACH

THE EAST

1. Montreal Alouettes: Take a close look at the Montreal Alouettes and the first thing you notice are the players who are gone – Ben Cahoon, Avon Cobourne, Mathieu Proulx and Damon Duval. Then, you realize quarterback Anthony Calvillo and head coach Marc Trestman are still there and that means the Alouettes are still a threat to win every game. The two-time defending Grey Cup champions are favored to win the East and with players such as runningbacks Kerry Carter, Dahrran Diedrick and Emmanuel Marc and wideouts Dallas Baker, Brandon London and Brian Bratton, Calvillo has plenty of talent at his side. His offensive line is pretty good, too. If Calvillo dishes for 4,221 passing yards he’ll pass Damon Allen’s unpassable passing record. It’s possible.

2. Hamilton Tiger-Cats: If there is a team capable of unseating the Alouettes at the top of the CFL, it’s Kevin Glenn and the Ticats. Glenn has an array of talented players to throw to: Arland Bruce III, Maurice Mann, Aaron Kelly and Dave Stala. He also has a couple of great backs – Terry Grant and Avon Cobourne (who really wants to kick Montreal’s butt – and an improving offensive line. If Hamilton’s defense can hold the opposition to 25 points or less, the Ticats will win a lot of games.

3. Toronto Argonauts: Cleo Lemon will be just fine as quarterback until Steven Jyles’ shoulder heals. Then again, Lemon just might keep the job after Jyles comes back. The former NFLer is much improved over last year and he looks like he’s ready to be a star in the CFL. Meanwhile, the Argos might have unearthed the CFL’s next superstar runningback in Chad Kackert. The 5-foot-8, 200-pound speedster from New Hampshire made quite an impression in Toronto’s final pre-season game and if he gets the ball on a regular basis, look out. With receivers such as D.J. Boldin, Brandon Rideau and Djems Kouame, the Argos could be a very interesting team.

4. Winnipeg Blue Bombers: This deal is simple. If quarterback Buck Pierce stays healthy and plays 14-15 games, the Bombers can be 9-9 and in the playoffs. If he gets hurt again (and history says he’ll get hurt), the Bombers could easily suffer through another 4-14 season. Although, in fairness, give backup QB Joey Elliott some credit. He played at Purdue, he looks comfortable under centre (at least, during his limited snaps, he’s looked comfortable) and he has a great arm. He also has Greg Carr (when he’s healthy), Terrence Jeffers-Harris and Terrence Edwards to throw to. The league’s leading rusher in 2010, Fred Reid is back and if the offensive line can get the job done, Reid could have another great year. If the defense does anything at all, the Bombers will be good enough to compete this season, but it’s going to be tough.

THE WEST

1. Calgary Stampeders: Smilin’ Hank Burris gives the Stamps the best signal caller in the Western Conference. Three years removed from his finest season as a pro and only an off-season following his Most Outstanding Player Award, Burris is still the best QB in the West, but his team still doesn’t have what they believe is a legitimate backup. Raw Canadian Brad Sinopoli is No. 2 with Drew Tate injured, and they’re deciding whether or not to sign veteran Michael Bishop (who doesn’t have a valid passport right now), but right now, the Stamps are no different than the Blue Bombers – if No. 1 goes down, they’ll have stress. However, if Burris remains upright, this is a great offensive team. With Joffrey Reynolds carrying the mail and four great receivers, it’s a team that averaged 34 points a game, the most in the CFL, last year. There really isn’t a weak spot on the Stamps – on offense or defense.

2. B.C. Lions: Travis Lulay will get an entire season at quarterback and we’ll learn quite quickly if he’s as good as Wally Buono believes he is. It doesn’t hurt that Jarious Jackson is the backup. He’s still a very good quarterback. With Geroy Simon to throw to and with veteran talent such as Brent Johnson, Korey Banks, Davis Sanchez and two-time all-star Ben Archibald, the Lions will be a real threat in the West. Fact is, this team could have the best collection of young talent in the CFL.

3. Saskatchewan Roughriders: One always has to remember, “Pre-season is just practice.” If it wasn’t just practice, the Saskatchewan Roughriders would be horrible. They were absolutely awful in a 34-6 loss to the Lions in the final “practice” game. However, with Greg Marshall getting his first shot as a head coach in the CFL, it’s hard to imagine this will be a bad team. With receivers Andy Fantuz (off to the NFL) and Rob Bagg (injured) gone, the question will be, can Darian Durant be as effective? My answer is no, but the Riders can always surprise.

4. Edmonton Eskimos: It’s hard to imagine that a team with Ricky Ray at quarterback could be so horrendous, but ladies and gentlemen, meet the Edmonton Eskimos. Former Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive co-ordinator Kavis Reed is the team’s new head coach and he’s really got his work cut out for him. However, this once-lousy defence should improve. Back in 2007, Reed and his new defensive co-ordinator this year, former Argos head coach Rich Stubler, worked together in Toronto and turned an average defense into a great defense (from 27.1 points per game to 15.8 points per game). If they can do that again this year, the Eskimos will no longer be horrible.

THE GREY CUP: Montreal vs. Calgary

 

 

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Blog, CFL

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

No Time For Panic

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

Last year, in the only pre-season game between the two teams, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers drilled the Montreal Alouettes 34-10. Trouble was, the Alouettes went on to win the Grey Cup while the Bombers finished 4-14.

So to say I was surprised this weekend to listen to Bombers fans panic over Thursday night’s 27-15 pasting at the hands of those same the Montreal Alouettes, would be an understatement.

Indeed, the Bombers were ripped in Montreal and indeed, Buck Pierce did not make the trip. This game, after all, was a chance for Joey Elliott, Alex Brink and Justin Goltz to get a few snaps. We all know Pierce is the starting quarterback this season, period. However, if he does get injured, and history suggests that he will, Elliott (first) and Brink (second) will have to be ready to play.

It’s unlikely that either one of the team’s young quarterbacks will get a chance until such time as Pierce goes down (if, in fact, he does) so last Thursday in Montreal, they got a chance to run a few plays. That’s all that game was about.

Trouble was – and it is trouble – some of the people at the game who report the game to the fans through various media outlets suggested that those same fans should panic if Pierce ever goes down. It was suggested that without Pierce the two backups “proved” that they weren’t ready to get the job done.

Well, that’s kind of silly. There was absolutely no indication that Elliott, Brink or Goltz can’t play. None whatsoever.

First of all, they played behind young offensive linemen with young receivers and young backs. Not only did Buck Pierce stay at home, but so too did Terence Jeffers-Harris, Greg Carr, Terrence Edwards and Fred Reid, The young quarterbacks played alongside receivers and backs named Cory Watson, Jade Etienne, Perry Floyd, Clarence Denmark, Carl Volny and Chris Garrett. These are guys we might not ever hear from again.

This was a game between the Blue Bombers kids and Alouettes kids. All we learned was that the Alouettes kids are better than the Blue Bombers kids. That game proved absolutely nothing else.

There is nothing more meaningless in sports than the outcome of a pre-season game. It’s practice, nothing more, nothing less. And if anyone says that Winnipeg’s backup quarterbacks can’t play because they were less than satisfactory in a game in which they played with virtually nobody of consequence, than that person is dead wrong.

Thursday night’s pre-season game meant nothing unless you were Paul LaPolice. The Bombers head coach had a reason for doing the things that he did and the rest of us probably wouldn’t understand what those reasons were, anyway.

In the meantime, to suggest Joey Elliott and/or Alex Brink couldn’t replace an injured Buck Pierce is misguided. What happened Thursday night has nothing to do with what might happen in July or August or whenever.

 

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Blog, CFL

Tagged , , , , , , ,