Tag Archives: Montreal Alouettes

Will It Be Good Kevin or Bad Kevin? Expect Bad Kevin.

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
Kevin Glenn 229x300 Will It Be Good Kevin or Bad Kevin? Expect Bad Kevin.

Kevin Glenn

This Sunday at Canad Inns Stadium, Kevin Glenn returns to Winnipeg — again — with the Eastern Conference championship on the line.

According to the Hamilton Spectator, this is a big game for Glenn and there is “revenge” at stake. Huh? Evidently, because Glenn was released by Winnipeg three years ago — that’s THREE years ago — and while Hamilton has played Winnipeg at least three times every season since then, this is suddenly the biggest of all big games to Glenn and his apologists.

Seems the one-trick ponies in the mainstream news media still need reasons to rip Mike Kelly so they pulled this old nut out of the bag: The “Mike Kelly was a bad coach because he released Kevin Glenn.” line of baloney.

And believe me, it IS a line of baloney.

First of all, Bombers president Lyle Bauer had as much to do with the release of Glenn as Kelly did because Bauer had already made it known that he had no desire to pay Glenn his bonus for showing up to camp in 2009.

mike kelly3 300x209 Will It Be Good Kevin or Bad Kevin? Expect Bad Kevin.

Mike Kelly in happier times.

Secondly, why wouldn’t a smart president, GM and head coach want to release Glenn? In Winnipeg, he was a .500 quarterback. Since leaving Winnipeg the most inconsistent QB in recent CFL history has guided his Hamilton Tiger-Cats to records of 9-9, 9-9- and 8-10. The fact he helped his team beat an aging Montreal Alouettes team with one of the worst defences in the CFL in the Eastern semifinal in order to get to Winnipeg this week is no reason to believe that Glenn will be any good this Sunday. Chances are very good he’ll do what he does best: Throw interceptions with the game on the line.

This Sunday afternoon, in front of a full house at Canada Inns Stadium, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will play host to Kevin Glenn and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Bombers are 3.5-point favorites for a a number of reasons: No. 1, the Bombers beat Hamilton three times in three meetings this season, No. 2, the Bombers defence will eat Kevin Glenn alive and No. 3, the Bombers will likely have Buck Pierce at quarterback, a guy who, when he’s healthy, is twice the quarterback Glenn was in Winnipeg or is in Hamilton.

If the mainstream media wants to continue to rip Kelly, rip him for not getting a shot at Pierce while he was the coach. Do not rip him for releasing Glenn. Glenn isn’t a .500 quarterback in Hamilton. There is no reason to believe he’ll beat Winnipeg this week no matter what level of “revenge” is at stake.

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Bombers Backed Into First? Well No, Not Really.

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
Jovon Johnson 2 200x300 Bombers Backed Into First? Well No, Not Really.

The Bombers Most Outstanding Player Jovon Johnson (Photos by Shawn Coates)

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers did everything humanly possible on Saturday afternoon to pull off, well, the impossible.

Trailing 24-0 to the Calgary Stampeders in Calgary, early in the second quarter, the Bombers battled all the way back before losing 30-24. However, they did have two opportunities in the final four minutes to do something with the football. In other words, they had a chance to win.

On Sunday morning, there were a handful of pundits across the country who wanted to suggest that the Bombers “backed into first place in the CFL’s Eastern Conference,” but nothing could be further from the truth. Finishing first isn’t making the playoffs. Finishing first is a combination of playing well enough all season long and then winning the right games. The Bombers did that.

Granted, the Bombers finished 10-8. Granted, they lost their final two games of the season. Granted, they won only three of their last 10 games. However, on Saturday, Oct. 22, the Bombers came back from a 25-10 deficit after three quarters and beat the Montreal Alouettes 26-25. That was the difference and that’s why nobody backed into anything.

Over the final two weeks, Montreal lost 32-27 at home to Calgary and 43-1 in B.C. That’s hardly catching the Bombers and allowing a slumping team to finish first. As bad as the Bombers might have been, the Alouettes lost their final THREE games, including the game against Winnipeg that ultimately determined the first-place finisher in the East.

Clint Kent 200x300 Bombers Backed Into First? Well No, Not Really.

Clint Kent and the great Bombers Defense.

It might have been an ugly way to finish the season for Winnipeg, but it was even uglier for Montreal. And just as we predicted all week on Streetz 104.7 in Winnipeg, “The Bombers would probably lose to Calgary, but Montreal will get pasted in B.C.” And that’s exactly what happened.

In the meantime, Bombers No. 2 quarterback Alex Brink got a lot more comfortable with the Canadian game on saturday and if he has to play against the winner of the Montreal-Hamilton game next week, he’ll be able to handle the situation without much difficulty.

Although quite frankly, the Bombers are going to play in the 2011 Grey Cup. Winnipeg’s defense is clearly the best in the East and because of it, the Bombers will whip either Montreal or Hamilton (Hamilton?) at Canad Inns Stadium on Nov. 20 and WILL be playing in Vancouver on Nov. 27.

Mark my words. The 99th Grey Cup game at B.C. Place Stadium will feature the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the B.C. Lions. And on Nov. 27, nobody will be even hinting that the Bombers “backed in” to first place.

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CFL Official Dismissed for Bad Call (See Below)

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

We learned earlier today — and TSN confirmed it tonight — that the Canadian Football League dismissed side judge Rick Berezowski on Monday.

Berezowski is the official who threw the flag on the phantom pass interference call against Montreal’s Greg Laybourn on the goal line late in the game on Friday night in Winnipeg – originally I thought it was Dave Foxcroft, but the league knows best.

Director of officiating Tom Higgins called the decision by Berezowski to throw the flag: “absolutely terrible.”

As you read on Saturday (see below), I thought it was the worst call in CFL history, but I quickly realized that that type of thinking was too hyperbolic even for me. Fact is, it was just another bad call by a group of officials who make bad calls on a regular basis.

There were, surprisingly, quite a large number of people who thought that Higgins and the league’s executives were  being far too hard on Berezowski (I sure feel bad for the guy), but in this case I agree with Higgins’ decision. It was an egregiously bad call at a horrible time and could have changed the outcome of the game. Fact is, the side judge didn’t see the play at all and threw the flag only when he saw the Bombers’ Greg Carr fall down (nice dive, by the way).

CFL Official Dismissed for Bad Call (See Below)

Greg Carr

This was a gutsy call by Higgins. It demonstrated that the CFL is going to hold its officials as accountable as the league’s coaches hold the players. And in the CFL, especially, we all know that if a player makes one small mistake, no problem, but if he makes a huge mistake that costs his team a football game, chances are good he’ll be handed an airline ticket the next day.

The call turned a great football game into a chaotic mess at the end. Upon further review the perpetrator was penalized.

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Chaos, Mayhem Best Describe Finish of Bombers-Als Fiasco

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

The Montreal Alouettes defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 32-26 at Canad Inns Stadium on Friday night. In the end, the officials had nothing to do with the final score.

*   *   *

alex brink1 212x300 Chaos, Mayhem Best Describe Finish of Bombers Als Fiasco

Alex Brink of the Bombers

Let me preface this by saying I have absolutely no use for Canadian Football League referee Al Bradbury’s crew. For full disclosure, this bunch has been the only crew I’ve rated a “Slug” in my weekly CFL Stars and Slugs column at www.fantrax.com.

These were the donkeys who let this year’s Winnipeg-Saskatchewan Labor Day Classic get out of hand at the end, resulting in penalties and disqualifications that simply made the CFL look foolish.

So imagine my thrill when they showed up in Winnipeg on Friday to call the Bombers-Als game. You knew it would get stupid and just as if a call had been made to the crew on the field (“Hey boys, it’s the Commish, time to screw it up, now.”), it did.

It all started with 14 seconds left on the clock when Bombers quarterback Alex Brink threw a desperation pass to no one in the end zone on third-and-10. That should have ended the game right there and while 30,000 Winnipeg fans would have gone home disappointed, the league would not have looked bush.

But it did. That’s because for some inexplicable reason a pass interference call was made against Montreal defensive back Greg Laybourn for getting karate chopped and held by Bombers receiver Greg Carr. If there was interference on the play — which every replay clearly showed there was not — it should have gone against Carr, but because Bradbury’s crew tends to become visually impaired near the end of the game, a flag was thrown and pass interference in the end zone was called against Laybourn.

Now remember, the ball was thrown 20 yards away from Carr. One might have come to the conclusion that he was the intended receiver, but the fact is, the ball was thrown away while Carr beat on Laybourn at the goal line. However, Carr, who would be a prize winner at the Academy of Broadcasting’s acting class, just fell down and out came the flag. At the time the flag was thrown I called it, “The worst call in CFL history,” but that’s probably overstating it. There have been so many bad calls in the CFL, that it was really just another night at the ballyard.

Meanwhile, back at the stadium, the Bombers now had first-and-goal from the one with eight seconds left. On the first play it appeared as if Brink had bulled his way over the goal line but no signal was given, the officials said “no touchdown” so when they checked replay there was no clear evidence to change the call. That left second and goal from the one with five seconds left. Now, remember, the first play took three seconds. The second play, a carbon copy of the first play apparently took five seconds.

Clearly, Brink didn’t get in on second down, but even on replay, when TSN gave us a whistle-to-whistle look, it took only four seconds to run the play. There should have been time for one more play from the one.

But no, Bradbury says “clock is correct,” Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice argues, nobody listens, game over.

Now, frankly, this game should never have reached the point of bush-league fiasco at the end. There was no interference on Laybourn. Period. But in an inadvertent effort to make the CFL look bad again, the Bradbury Crew found a way to screw things up. The only thing that didn’t make the league look completely stupid was the fact the phantom pass interference call didn’t change the outcome of the game.

You know, the football played in the CFL, even by backups (see: Winnipeg Blue Bombers), is pretty good. Too bad the league hasn’t been able to find officiating crews on a par with the players.

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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.

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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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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

 

 

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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.

 

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There Was a Time When the Crossover Was A Reward…

Posted on October 17, 2010 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

When the Canadian Football League moved Winnipeg back to the East and created the crossover playoff structure, the crossover was a reward.

It was created to honor a good team stuck in a great Conference. For instance, if the East had a 13-5 team and  12-6 teams and your favorite team was 10-8, your favorite team would make the playoffs because the West probably had a 12-6 champ and, ay, three teams that were about 4-14. A 10-8 team deserves to be in the playoffs.

This year, however, a team that is 6-12 could conceivably reach the post-season in the crossover because the B.C. Lions and Edmonton Eskimos are so bad, they’re both embarrassments to the CFL.

Yesterday, the Montreal Alouettes defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 22-19 because when it really counted, the Bombers offence couldn’t make a play. It’s been the same sad story all year for Winnipeg. When they play on the road, they stink. They’re 0-8 away from Canad Inns this season and with a 4-3 record at home, the Bombers are now 4-11.

And still, because Edmonton beat B.C. 31-28 in overtime on Saturday night, the 4-11 Bombers still have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs. Not only are Edmonton and B.C. both 5-10, there is no reason to believe either team will win another game this season.

Edmonton finishes the season at home to Saskatchewan, at home to Winnipeg and on the road at Saskatchewan. They could easily go 0-3 down the stretch. B.C. goes to Calgary, plays at home to Saskatchewan and goes to Hamilton. They could easily go 0-3 down the stretch. Winnipeg has Toronto at home this week, goes to Edmonton and plays host to Calgary. They could easily go 2-1 or even 3-0 down the stretch.

While the Canadian Press wanted to make it clear in their national game story yesterday that the Bombers were dead, nothing could be further from the truth. CP wrote, “The loss further dims the unlikely playoff hopes for the Blue Bombers,” when in fact, it doesn’t dim them much at all. After what happened on the weekend, the Bombers are officially two games back of Edmonton and B.C. (they must finish ahead of the Lions and Eskimos to claim the crossover) with three games to play and they have a relatively easy schedule to finish the year. The Lions and Eskimos have extremely difficult schedules. Winnipeg could make the playoffs with a 1-8 or even an 0-9 road record (if they win their two home games and B.C. and Edmonton lose out).

Look, the Bombers are a lousy football team, but they aren’t so lousy, they won’t make the playoffs.

And that, in itself, is as embarrassing to the CFL as the absolute dreadfulness of the three bottom teams in the league this year.


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Does LaPolice Owe Jyles An Apology? Or More?

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

You have to figure Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice owes Steven Jyles something. An apology maybe? His career, perhaps?

Thanksgiving Monday afternoon at Canad Inns Stadium, Jyles came off the bench with the Bombers trailing 32-11 in the fourth quarter and led the team back to a 32-32 tie by the end of regulation and then a 47-35 overtime victory.

It was an incredible finish, after starting quarterback Alex Brink did almost nothing – 4-for-18 for 61 yards. Whose stupid idea was that?

To his credit, LaPolice finally decided to go with Jyles and the guy who’d been benched bailed out his boss. The Bombers are now 4-10 and still alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race and in the crossover playoff race. Who woulda thunk it?

So now, in hindsight — not ours, but the head coach’s – something clearly suggests that Alex Brink wasn’t  a very good idea. In fact, with the Bombers still in the playoff hunt, it was about as dumb a move as a coach could make. Brink was awful and he was awful for a long time. It wasn’t like he started strinly and got awful, he was awful from the get-go. Four-for-18? For 61 yards and no touchdowns? C’mon man.

In the end, Jyles, the jilted lover, rallied the Bombers to a remarkable come-from-behind victory making his coach look like genius, and a bonehead, all at the same time.

Considering that it was a great Thanksgiving weekend for the CFL’s Eastern Conference, the Bombers are still very much in the hunt for a crossover playoff spot. Because all four Eastern teams won — Hamilton beat Edmonton 36-11, Toronto upset Saskatchewan 24-19 and Montreal blasted Calgary 46-19 in the other three games in Week 15 — the Bombers are now 4-10, Edmonton is 4-10 and B.C. is 5-9 with four weeks left in the season. Perhaps a playoff spot isn’t such a longshot for Winnipeg.

Bomber fans should thank the Lord that their head coach, Paul LaPolice, noticed that Steven Jyles was still standing on the sideline yesterday or their head coach might have found himself responsible for one of the most boneheaded decisions in Blue Bomber history.

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