Tag Archives: Canadian Football League

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

 

 

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It’s a Sports Renaissance in the ‘Peg.

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment
mcnabb donovan487 381 300x210 Its a Sports Renaissance in the Peg.

Donovan McNabb at Mankato, Minn.

MINNEAPOLIS — Every day I’m in the Twin Cities, sports people come up and ask me why I’m in Minnesota watching football and baseball. I tell then that my readership at www.fantrax.com demands inside knowledge of Major League Baseball and the National Football League, therefore, I’ve spent a long weekend in Minneapolis and Mankato, taking a first hand look at the Vikings, Twins and Chicago White Sox.

However, I have to admit, I understand their questions. With the return of the Winnipeg Jets, folks down here immediately assume that the only thing anyone is talking about in Winnipeg is the National Hockey League. I tell them it’s certainly at the top of every conversation, but there are still plenty of NFL, MLB, NBA and UFC fans in the ‘Peg and because I write far too many on-line columns that can be read all over the world, holding myself to the NHL in August is a tad narrow.

Of course, it is more difficult to leave Winnipeg, even for a weekend of MLB and NFL. It’s something that few people outside of Winnipeg think about: Winnipeg is in the midst of a Sports Renaissance (if you ask Mayor Sam Katz, the city is in a renaissance in a lot of other ways, as well, so check out http://www.newentertainment.ca/newmagazine/home.html and read my piece on what the mayor has brought to the ‘Peg).

As an example, when Winnipeg sports fans woke up on Saturday they had a professional football team in first place and a professional baseball team in first place.

The Bombers had just beaten the Edmonton Eskimos 28-16 thanks to a courageous effort by Buck Pierce and a defense that is as good as anything I’ve seen in Winnipeg since 1993. Even without Doug Brown, the Bombers shut down the heretofore best offence in the CFL and came back from an 11-1 first quarter deficit to outscore Edmonton 27-5 in the final three quarters. At 5-1, the Bombers are first in the East and tied with Edmonton for the best record overall.

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Ace Walker

But that wasn’t the only big win on Friday night. Here in St. Paul, Minn., the Winnipeg Goldeyes came back from a 5-3 deficit by scoring three runs in the top of the seventh. After that its bullpen — Ian Thomas, Aaron Hartsock and Jamie Vermilyea — shut the St. Paul Saints right down en route to a 6-5 victory. With the win, the Goldeyes improved to 45-32 and pulled a full game ahead of second-place St. Paul in the race for first in the American Association’s North Division.

For the first time since 2001, the Bombers and Goldeyes are in first place at the same time. For the first time in history they’re both in first place while the Winnipeg Jets wait to start a new season.

I was over at River City Sports last Wednesday and had a nice chat with the young guys working on the sales floor. They knew that Jets gear would be popular, but even they were blown away by the rate at which the hats, T-shirts and memorabilia were flying off the shelves. There is no question that the Jets are the hottest thing to hit Winnipeg since the advent of indoor plumbing.

However, the return of the Jets has also coincided with two other professional success stories, the start of the Prairie Junior Football Conference season, the incredible improvement in the level of play in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, top-notch university sports, the return of the Canadian Fighting Championship in September and more local amateur success than Winnipeg has had in decades.

There is a Sports Renaissance going on in this town and it just might last a while. All you have do is go to the games — or try to go to the games — to see what’s happening. After all, it’s hard to get a ticket to a Bomber game and the Goldeyes are drawing a younger crowd than they have in years. The city’s sports scene is exciting.

And to think, the Jets haven’t even played a game yet.

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More Moves, More Winners and Losers.

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
Vince Young e1309451809140 300x197 More Moves, More Winners and Losers.

Vince Young

The National Football League’s training camps will open this weekend, but in the meantime the big moves just keep on coming:

1) Quarterback Vince Young, released by the Tennessee Titans yesterday, has been signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as Michael Vick’s backup. WINNER: The Eagles have had a great free-agent week. Young might be odd, but he can play and in the right circumstance, he can be a big help.

2) Chad Ochocinco is on his way from the Cincinnati Bengals to the New England Patriots. The Bengals will receive a pair of draft picks in return. Ochocinco will be great in New England. WINNER: The Pats. They always win with reclamation projects. Ochocinco will be outstanding in New England and QB Tom Brady has already formally welcomed his new target.

3) With Donovan McNabb now in Minnesota, punter Chris Kluwe announced this morning on K-FAN in the Twin Cities that he will wear No. 4 this season while McNabb gets No. 5. Didn’t some other old quarterback wear No. 4 last year? Can’t remember. WINNER: The Vikings. If McNabb is happy, the Vikings will be happy. And who gives a rat’s ass about the punter anyway?

drc More Moves, More Winners and Losers.

dominique rodgers-cromartie

4) The deal was done quicker than we thought. The Philadelphia Eagles traded quarterback Kevin Kolb to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. A great trade for the Eagles. WINNER: The Eagles. Again. Rodgers-Cromartie is a dominant corner who will make the Eagles defensive immediately better. Kevin Kolb isn’t as good as the NFL’s fawning media experts made him out to be and he also lost his job to Vick. He wasn’t going to play in Philly. In fact, the Eagles are a lot better off with Vince Young.

5) The Carolina Panthers, who already signed linebacker Charles Johnson and runningback DeAngelo Williams made a deal yesterday to acquire tight end Greg Olsen from the Chicago Bears, signed linebacker Joe Beason tyo a five-year, $50 million extension and are now just hours away from signing rookie quarterback Cam Newton. WINNER: The Panthers. Because on Friday, they were last in the NFC South. Today, they could be third and with a quarterback, they could challenge.

Minnesota Vikings training camp opens on Tuesday. We will be there live next weekend.

*   *   *

LATE FRIDAY ADDITIONS

1) Minnesota free agent defensive end, Ray Edwards, has signed a free agent deal with the Atlanta Falcons. WINNER: Falcons, for obvious reasons.

2) After his release from Dallas wideout Roy Williams has found a home in Mike Martz’s offence in Chicago. WINNER: Chicago. Martz will find a way to use this guy to help make Jay Cutler a better quarterback.

3) Safety and kick returner, Danieal Manning has agreed to a four-year $20 million with the Houston Texans. WINNER: Houston. Manning gives the Texans a double-barrelled shot of speed.

4) Cornerback Eric Wright tweeted on Friday that he’s going to the Detroit Lions. WINNER: The Lions only because it’s another experienced body on a team that Ndamukong Suh says is going 16-0 this season.

5) Big name players who were cut on Friday: Jets — QB Mark Brunell; Steelers — T Flozell Adams; Jaguars — G Vince Manuwai; Falcons — DL Jamaal Anderson, WR Michael Jenkins, RB Jerious Norwood; 49ers — K Joe Nedney.

*   *   *

A QUICK WORD ABOUT THE BOMBERS…

Winnipeg now has a football team capable of winning the Grey Cup. As the ghosts have long said, “Offense draws crowds, defense wins championships.”

Thursday night, backup quarterback Alex Brink came off the bench in the fourth quarter, after an injury to starter Buck Pierce, and made a great run to set up a game winning touchdown pass to Terrence Edwards as the Blue Bombers beat the B.C. Lions 25-20 in front of more than 29,000 at Canad Inns Stadium last night. The Bombers trailed 13-6 at halftime and Pierce, who left the game with what’s being called a calf strain, got the home side going early in the second half with an 82-yard touchdown pass to Clarence Denmark on the first play of the third quarter.

On an emotional night honouring assistant coach Richard Harris who died of a heart attack on Tuesday, the Bombers defense was outstanding once again as Winnipeg improved to 4-1 on the season and matched their win total from all of last year. The Lions fell to 0-5.  The Bombers D is now No. 1 in every major statistical category in the CFL.

This D makes me think of Tyrone Jones, James West, Greg Battle, Paul Randolph, Rod Hill and Michael Gray. It’s good enough to win it all, no matter who plays quarterback.

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A Week In the Trenches

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

It’s been quite a week — and it’s only Tuesday.

The new Winnipeg Jets have signed a load of players, most destined for St. John’s of the American Hockey League. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers still aren’t certain if Buck Pierce will be ready to go in Toronto on Saturday. The first-place Winnipeg Goldeyes open a three-game series with the Sioux City Explorers tonight. And at some point this week, the newly-minted Jets will announce their radio and TV rights holders.

Time for a closer look at all the stuff:

1) The Jets got an important player under contract on Monday. Right winger Blake Wheeler agreed to a two-year $5.1 million deal. Like most of the players on this team, he’s a bit of a grinder, Wheeler had 18 goals in 81 games last season with the Bruins and then, after a trade at the deadline, with the Thrashers. He’s a good player and will only get better the longer he’s in Winnipeg.

Meanwhile, the Jets continue on their way to being the best American Hockey League team in the NHL. After signing centre Ben Maxwell (one goal in 32 NHL games over three seasons) on Monday, the club signed AHL defensemen Arturs Kulda (0) and Brett Festerling (1) and forwards Spencer Machacek (10), Riley Holzapfel (0), Kenndal McArdle (11) and Jason Jaffray (0) yesterday.

The numbers in brackets refer to the number of NHL games this group of six played last season — a grand total of 22. They are all, nice hard-working hockey players who will make St. John’s an outstanding team.

2) Since arriving in Winnipeg before the start of the 2010 season — after he was released by B.C. who admitted he had some physical issues — quarterback Buck Pierce has played parts of eight games with the Bombers. The team, meanwhile has played 21 games in that time.

This week, Pierce is expected to play against Toronto at Rogers Centre on Saturday, but as head coach Paul LaPolice has admitted, there is still no guarantee. Without Pierce, Alex Brink is the backup because Joey Elliott (who has looked pretty good in his few opportunities on the field) tore up a knee making a tackle (a freakin’ tackle). That’s one of the many skills quarterbacks need in Winnipeg. They must be able to make tackles after interceptions and fumbles.

The Bombers defense has carried this team to a 2-1 record and one could easily argue that with any offence at all, the Big Blue would be 3-0. Trouble is, quarterbacks are starting to get hurt and there are reasons to believe this offence won’t snap out of it.

The big problem, of course, is that there just aren’t enough quarterbacks to go around. As former GM Paul Robson once said, “There aren’t enough quarterbacks in the NFL. How can there possibly be enough decent quarterbacks in the CFL if there aren’t enough quarterbacks in NFL?” As usual, Robson was right.

Week 4 begins in the Canadian Football League this Friday night with 1-2 Hamilton at 0-3 B.C. It’s a doubleheader on Saturday with 2-1 Winnipeg at 1-2 Toronto at 3 and 3-0 Edmonton at 2-1 Calgary at 6 and then on Sunday, 0-3 Saskatchewan is at 3-0 Montreal. Winnipeg won’t be the only team with questions at quarterback. In fact, Montreal and Edmonton are the only two teams that don’t have questions.

3) Saturday night, after the Winnipeg Goldeyes beat Sioux Falls 19-5, one of Winnipeg’s hottest hitters said that fans shouldn’t expect the club’s offensive explosion to last forever.

It didn’t, of course. The Goldeyes lost 4-1 on Sunday. Still, it’s painfully obvious that this team’s early-season slump is long gone. Brian Myrow and Jon Weber both said, “don’t worry, this team will hit,” and they were right.

“Right now this is a little ridiculous,” Myrow said on Saturday night. “Don’t expect 18, 19, 20 hits to happen every night. But it is fun to play well.”

The Goldeyes have won 22 of their last 30 games and are 11-5 in the month of July. They are 7-2 since last Sunday’s win in Fargo. At 38-23, they are in first place in the American Association’s North Division, a game and a half ahead of St. Paul.

“We hit the ball very well when we force the opposing pitcher to throw strikes,” said Myrow. “We’re hitting better now because guys are having better at bats. They’re not swinging at the first ball that moves or the first fastball they see. They’re being patient at the plate and forcing the opposing pitcher to throw more pitches.

“They say hitting is contagious, but I think it’s more a matter of hitting well because people around you are hitting well. When there is a runner at third and one out there is less pressure to get a hit. You can hit a sacrifice fly and drive in a run and how many times, with no pressure, does that turn into a double?

“We’re just more comfortable hitting with one or two strikes. And it’s getting warmer. The ball is carrying real well. But don’t expect 15 and 18 hits to be a regular occurrence.”

Saturday night was a great night to pad statistics. The only Goldeyes’ starter not to get an RBI was No. 9 hitter Brian Joynt, who did score two runs. Meanhwile, it was a hit-fest for Winnipeg:

1) Leadoff man Prince Kendall went one-for-five with two RBI.

2) Kody Kaiser went two-for-four with three runs scored and two RBI.

3) Wes Long went two-for-five with three runs scored, five RBI and a grand slam home run. He now leads the Goldeyes with 53 runs batted in.

4) Myrow went three-for-five with a run scored and three RBI. He now leads the Goldeyes with a .326 batting average.

5) Jon Weber went two-for-five with three runs scored and two RBI, including his seventh homer of the year and his second in as many nights.

6) Luis Alen went three-for-five with four runs scored and an RBI. In the last month, he has raised his batting average from .244 to .309.

7) Justin Bass went three-for-four with two runs scored and three runs batted in. All three RBI came on a three-run homer in the second inning, his team-leading 12th of the season.

icon cool A Week In the Trenches Louis Ott went three-for-five with a run scored and an RBI.

This year’s edition of the Goldeyes is the best team Rick Forney has managed. It’s even better than the 2009 team that was one error away from reaching the final.

The pitching is solid, the defense is sound and if the hitting continues to improve, this team will have a very enjoyable August. In fact, when the Fish return from the six-game road that starts Friday, they’ll play 20 of their last 30 games at Shaw Park.

4) The Winnipeg Jets are said to be preparing to announce their radio and TV rights holders this week. If I were a betting man, I’d put my money on CJOB and TSN.

 

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Things That Make Me Smile

Posted on July 16, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

James Reimer came up to the Shaw TV booth on Friday night during our telecast of the Goldeyes and Sioux Falls.

The Toronto Maple Leafs netminder is one of those terrific young men you just cheer for. Even if you hate the damn Leafs, you can’t help but want the best for a happy, respectful, intelligent Christian young man like Reimer.

He’s one of the people, places and things that made me smile this week. In fact, without getting too gushy, it’s really been a great week here in Winnipeg and a week that reminded me that life in the summer in this town is pretty darn nice.

Here’s a list of the things that made me smile this week. Visit me on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001559147071) and tell me the things that made you smile:

1) The Winnipeg Goldeyes were outstanding this week. It all started with a complete-game, two-hour-and-24-minute, eight-hit grinder by Ace Walker and finished with a complete-game, two-hour-and 39 minute, six-hit grinder by Ace Walker.

The Goldeyes won 7-2 in Fargo this past Sunday as Walker was terrific, and then they went into St. Paul and emerged as the No. 1 team in the American Association’s North Division. They won a doubleheader, 5-4 and 3-2 on Monday, won 6-1 on Tuesday and 10-4 on Wednesday to take a three-game lead in the race for first.

After losing 17-7 in their return to Winnipeg on Thursday, the Goldeyes rode Walker’s right arm — and the bats of Jon Weber and Brian Myrow — to an 18-1 shlellacking of a good hitting team from Sioux Falls. The Fish almost scored as many runs on Friday as the Bombers scored points on Thursday.

Sunday afternoon, Chris Salamida (7-1, 2.71 ERA) will face former Goldeyes starter Ben Moore (8-2, 2.40 ERA) of Sioux Falls in what should be one of the best pitching match-ups of the year. I’m smiling just thinking about it.

2) The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defense. They’re fast, aggressive, angry, swarming and opportunistic. The best in the CFL. This group reminds me of the late 80s-early 90s Bomber defenses with James West, Tyrone Jones, Paul Randolph, Mike Gray, Rod Hill, and the great Greg Battle.

Too bad the offense has to come out on the field, I could watch that defense all night.

3) Anthony Calvillo makes me smile. It’s amazing, but the guy had cancer last fall. He might be a better quarterback now than he was before the cancer was removed.

Friday night, he completed 29-of-43 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns as he became the career leader in touchdown passes in the CFL with 395.

Meanwhile, he led the Alouettes to a 40-17 drubbing of the Toronto Argonauts as Montreal improved to 3-0. We’re three games into the 2011 season and a guy who has come back from cancer surgery is already on pace to be the CFL’s player of the year.

4) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2 in IMAX 3D at Silver City Polo Park made me happy.

5) The end of the NFL lockout.

The news just gets better every day for NFL fans. My insiders tell me that an agreement between the owners and players is done and will be ratified this week. Free agency will start the Week of the 25th and training camps should open in early August. The Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, is preparing for its Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 7 as if there is no glitch in the schedule. The NFL itself has confirmed that no games — pre-season or otherwise have been cancelled.

I can’t wait. In the meantime, the more I learn about the deal, the wider my smile.

 

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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.

 

 

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