There is a way to really complicate things here and, as a result, possibly enter that dangerous ‘paralysis-by-over-analysis’ stage.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were back on the field Sunday following last week’s 20-16 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos, seeking answers to issues like poor production on first downs, an ineffective running game, the yardage yielded defensively, and a rash of penalties that kept pushing the team in the wrong direction.
But while there are always things to clean up in the X’s and O’s, the bottom line with the Bombers is simple: if there are a handful of plays that decide a game, as the old theory goes, then this team just hasn’t made enough of them at critical moments in a 1-3 start.
“But I think we’re very close,” said running back Andrew Harris. “Again, I’ve said this since Day 1 – we have a lot of tools here and this is a great team. It’s just taking some time to get rolling. We’ve just got to buckle down here and hold ourselves accountable and really just come together.”
Here are some of the problem areas and talking points in the wake of Thursday’s loss, with reactions from those in the middle of it all:
- Is Drew Willy’s confidence shaken and are the Bombers considering a switch to Matt Nichols?
Mike O’Shea was asked after practice Sunday if Willy was ‘still his guy’ and the Bomber coached offered up a one-word answer in the affirmative.
“We were behind the sticks quite a bit and there are couple of throws he’d probably like to have back, but I think that’s every quarterback every game. Our production on first downs was not really good so we were always in long situations, which given the way their defence plays, they just sat back, tried to make you throw underneath and then rallied to make a tackle.”
Commenting on the calls for change at the position, O’Shea added:
“I don’t think it’s ever one player, I really don’t. There are always a number of factors and that’s why football is the greatest game. There are 12 guys out there that have to be on the same page, doing the same thing, thinking the same way, executing at a high level, and playing a very physically demanding sport where people are trying to knock their heads off every time, and they’ve got to try and get it done within three seconds.”
Willy finished the night going 25 of 38 for 299 yards with one TD and two interceptions, both in the second half.
“I know I can throw the ball and all those things,” said Willy. “I just have to stay focused on the task at hand is really the big thing. And whether it’s a bad play, good play, let it go and move on to the next one.”
- The lack of production on first downs and how that affected the game plan.
We broke this down in our last edition of Upon Further Review, and, unofficially, the Bombers netted just 77 yards of offence in 33 first down plays against the Eskimos, factoring in four penalties and a sack.
And that’s not only not good enough, it really affects the playbook on second down.
“It’s tough. It’s three-down football,” said Willy. “You’ve got to be efficient, you’ve got to take care of the ball and make sure there are no penalties and make sure we’re able to run the ball. That’s another big thing: we want to make sure we’re able to get Andrew (Harris) going and, obviously, when I get my chances I need to be able to make the play.”
Added Harris: “As an offence you need to dictate. You need to have control of the clock, you need to have control of the drives and running your side of the ball. And when that doesn’t happen, it’s tough to win football games.
“When you’re going two and out, two and out, two and out, or negative plays after negative plays, it’s tough to deal with.”
- A sputtering running game.
Andrew Harris is third in the CFL with 178 yards rushing, but his per-carry average of 4.1 yards pales in comparison to his career average of 5.2 yards. He had nine carries for just 22 yards against the Eskimos, was 13 for 63 in the win over Hamilton, and carried eight times for just 13 yards in the Canada Day loss to Calgary.
“Their front got after us pretty good and that’s a good front,” said O’Shea of the Eskimos front seven. “I don’t know if we executed as well as we should have. I expect it to be better and so do the players. They want to run the ball more, they want to give Andrew more touches and we need to balance out the game.”
Asked about where the offence starts to find a fix, O’Shea added: “More practice, more reps, more film, more critiquing or self-critiquing… all the stuff that pro football players do for endless hours every day.
“You see plays on tape that could go for more yards. You see different throws that could go for more yards, you see an extra block or a little bit better vision that could make a play go for more yards. You just keep asking the players to fix one thing at a time. They see it on film, too, and they recognize it.
“They’re just plays that stand out to each guy. Each individual player has a play that at the end of the game they say, ‘Oh, I wish I would have done this.’ We’ve got to get to the point where we’re not saying that anymore and we’re actually doing all the things we wished we had done at the end of the game. That’s pretty difficult, right? All players and coaches are looking for the perfect game and it doesn’t ever happen, but you keep on chasing it.”
- A defence that surrendered 501 yards net offence and 465 yards, but still limited an offence which had been averaging 38 points through its’ first two games to just 20.
“I thought we played really, really well,” said linebacker Khalil Bass. “That’s a top offence and we held them to 20 points. But we still had a lot of missed opportunities and we put our offence in some bad situations. Overall, though, I think we’re on the rise.
“We feel like we’re just one step away from breaking through. We showed glimpses of it in Hamilton. Now we’ve got to take that next step and put things together. We’re only four games down, it’s a long season. There’s still plenty of time to turn things around, but it’s got to be sooner rather than later.”
BOMBER REPORT – JULY 17
BAD NEWS FROM THE INFIRMARY:
Bombers coach Mike O’Shea said following practice on Sunday that receiver Ryan Smith has an undisclosed injury and will be out for a couple of weeks. Thomas Mayo, who stepped in and played well against Calgary when Weston Dressler was out, will once again see work with the No. 1 offence.
O’Shea also said that CB Johnny Adams, who has been out since early in camp, is not ready yet, nor is LB Sam Hurl. There’s a chance WR/KR Quincy McDuffie could be good to go.
COMINGS/GOINGS:
The Bombers released from the roster DL Derrell Johnson and receiver Kris Bastien on Sunday and also cut OL T-Dre Player. Added to the practice roster was DL Justin Cole.
FORGIVE AND FORGET:
Kevin Fogg had an excellent debut for the Bombers as a kick returner, finishing with four punt returns for 80 yards while averaging 14.7 yards per kick-off return. He did return a punt 94 yards for a TD, but was credited for only 72 yards when the score was wiped out by a Shayon Green penalty. Three plays later Willy hit Rory Kohlert for a TD.
“It was a great opportunity,” said Fogg of returning kicks. “It was something I always loved doing back in college and it was good to get back there.”
Asked if he had forgiven Green for the penalty Fogg – who is always smiling – grinned even more.
“I have. I’m a very forgiving person,” he said. “I told him as soon as it happened I’m just glad we scored. If we didn’t score, then I would probably still be mad at him.”
