Feeble attack betrays Bombers

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This article was published 22/08/2021 (1124 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO — After nearly 21 months without tasting defeat, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are in the process of digesting their first loss since capturing the 2019 Grey Cup.

The Bombers win streak, one that took hold just before that triumphant run many months ago, and continued through the first two games of 2021, has stopped at six. On Saturday, Winnipeg was outclassed by the Toronto Argonauts, falling 30-23 at BMO Field — a score that flattered the Bombers, who looked nothing like the team we’d seen through the first two weeks.

It was also the first time that the Bombers had lost with Zach Collaros as their quarterback. Collaros’ rise to starter coincided with the win streak, and his play, as well as the overall play of the offence, played an equally notable role in the loss to Toronto.

Just as one victory won’t make you a champion, a single defeat doesn’t mean the sky is falling. Still, there are areas of concern for the Blue and Gold worth discussing, some which have lingered since the start of the season.

We discuss those in this week’s instalment of 5 takeaways.

If the loss is to be pinned on a single phase, then it’s the offence that owns this one. Winnipeg finished with a disappointing 233 yards of net offence, 83 of which was accumulated on a touchdown drive on their final offensive series of the game.

It was a particularly slow start. Before Collaros connected with Darvin Adams on a 51-yard touchdown late in the second quarter, the Bombers had run just 10 offensive plays, garnering 19 yards of net offence, and had earned only one first down.

Most glaring, though, was the inability to sustain drives, even if they don’t result in points on the board. Eight times the Bombers were forced to punt, five of which were two-and-outs. Collaros threw a pick on Winnipeg’s second play of their second series.Another issue was receivers dropping routine catches.

Needless to say, Toronto dominated time of possession, to the tune of 39:46 to 20:14. And you’re not going to win many games with that much discrepancy.

While head coach Mike O’Shea downplayed the significance of what’s been a futile run game the last two weeks, it’s clear the struggle to get the ground game going has made the Bombers offence look one-dimensional. When you’re one-dimensional, you’re easy to predict.

Though the Bombers were able to defeat the Argonauts in Week 2 with just 53 rushing yards, Collaros had his best passing game in a Winnipeg jersey that day, throwing for 292 yards. Any glaring issue was covered up by a stingy Bombers defence. Neither was the case on Saturday, even if the defence tried admirably to pick up the slack.

Brady Oliveira could very well evolve into a dominant tailback in the CFL, but he’s still young and inexperienced at this level and will take some time before he’s a consistent No. 1 option. The bad news is the alternatives appear slim at the moment.

Andrew Harris returned to practice last week but is likely still a couple of weeks away from returning. Johnny Augustine is an option, but he, too, has battled injury this season and there’s clearly a reason Winnipeg has yet to give him his shot.

If Nic Demski comes back this week, and with Jesse Briggs showing he can start at weak-side linebacker, would the Bombers consider, even just temporarily, an American running back? The only option currently in the mix is practice player Devonte Williams.

O’Shea rightfully shouldered some of the blame during his post-game interview, pointing specifically to his decision to defer to the Argonauts after winning the coin toss. That led to Toronto choosing to receive the ball, which gave them possession at the start of each half.

O’Shea’s explanation was he was hoping to capitalize on field position early, based on an assumption his special teams would limit the returns and the defence would force early punts, giving the Bombers offence better starting points. He also wanted the wind in the fourth quarter.

Instead, Toronto was able to get over midfield on the game-opening drive, resulting in a 51-yard field goal by Boris Bede. And with the wind at their backs in the fourth, it still wasn’t enough for Tyler Crapigna to make good on a 47-yard field-goal attempt (more on that later).

O’Shea also blamed himself for an estimated five of the Bombers season-high nine penalties, totalling 80 yards. The lack of discipline was the result of some sloppy play, but you got the feeling with how vocal Toronto was being all game — I’ve never seen so much trash talk from one team in the years I’ve covered the CFL — it started to affect the Bombers’ overall focus.

Every week the Bombers go over each play on film, identifying, in some cases, penalties that weren’t even called. I have no doubt we’ll see a much better behaved club next week versus Calgary.

It again became painfully clear that the Bombers need to address their kicking situation. Twice Saturday Tyler Crapigna failed to convert field goals at reasonable distances — a 37-yard attempt that was kicked so poorly it resulted in an easy block and another, the previously mentioned 47-yarder, sailing wide left.

It’s hard not to feel for Crapigna, with all the pressure involved in being a professional kicker. But it’s also impossible to ignore the effect his inconsistent foot has had on games, despite being a five-year veteran. Through three games, Crapigna is three-for-five, with his longest successful field goal being 22 yards.

It didn’t hurt the Bombers the first two weeks, but Saturday it did. It’s now up to management to fix it.

The defence had its flaws, especially early on with Toronto picking them apart with short pass after short pass. I’m going to let them off the hook this week given how well they’ve played this year, and assume if there was any overconfidence brewing from allowing just 13 points in the first two games it’s now gone.

Instead, let’s talk about the controversial, and highly debated hit from Bombers safety Brandon Alexander on Argonauts receiver DaVaris Daniels. Alexander delivered a crushing blow over the middle that caught the head of Daniels, leaving him clearly concussed and forcing him from the game.

There are a couple things that are important here. First, you never want to see a player look the way Daniels did after the collision, with his eyes wide open and brain seemingly trying to play catchup. And I wish him nothing but a quick recovery for the talented receiver.

Also important is knowing who Alexander is as a player and person, and through my experience watching and covering the team, he’s top shelf in both. He’s also never been suspended, nor does he have a bad reputation.

That’s likely why Alexander was defensive of the hit after the game, going as far as to say even the on-field officials believed it to be a fair hit. There was no penalty flag until well after the collision, after it was clear Daniels was in serious trouble.

While people can debate the speed of the game, the intent to injure and the fact football is a violent sport, the game can’t continue to bring on these potentially life-altering results. I constantly hear it being called a “football” play, which seems true on the surface, but if we can’t find a way to change that mind set to make the game safer, then we’re going to be continuing to argue while players continue to get seriously hurt from contact to the head.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton