The question has come up weekly for Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea, dating back to the early days of summer.

And it goes something like this:

‘There’s no way you can continue with this ridiculous turnover ratio total… is there?’

The subject came up again on Wednesday after Bomber practice, in the wake of the sixth consecutive game in which Winnipeg finished a plus in the critical takeaway/giveaway ratio. Finishing at +3 in the Banjo Bowl win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the Bombers pushed their season total to +23, tops in the Canadian Football League.

So, Coach O’Shea, is it realistic to keep that going again?

“I’ll say ‘no’ again and then let them go out and do it again,” said the Bombers head coach with a grin. “That’s the way it’s been. As a group they will keep finding ways to make it happen.”

“That (Kevin) Fogg strip that led to an eventual touchdown… that’s good football. That takes points off the board, puts points on ours. That was good football.”

Coach O’Shea

Yes, there have been a whole lot of numbers that could be held up to perfectly represent the six-game streak the Bombers are currently on, from the sack total, to a balanced offence, to Matt Nichols being safe in not throwing interceptions.

But none of them come even close to this: in the last six games, the Bombers have forced 26 turnovers while committing just four, for a ratio of +22.

More related numbers:

• The Bombers are 7-1 when winning the turnover ratio this year
• They are +23 in the turnover ratio, first overall (Calgary second at +13, Saskatchewan last at -18).
• Winnipeg has just 17 giveaways (second fewest to Calgary at 13)
• The 40 takeaways by the Bombers include 20 interceptions, 14 fumbles and six on downs. (Toronto is next with 29 takeaways).
• From those 40 takeaways, the Bombers have generated 100 points.

Little wonder Chris Randle, who is likely to return to the lineup this week, said Tuesday he had never been a part of a defence like this.

“Me, either,” said Bombers defensive end Jamaal Westerman.

“I’ve been on some very good defences in college and when I was down south in the NFL, but nothing like this where we got this many turnovers and had guys scoring off turnovers.”

Jamaal Westerman

“It’s a testament to the DBs (defensive backs) we have that if there is a tipped ball or an overthrow that these guys are going to go get it. It’s also a testament to our depth.

“Up front we want to be in the quarterback’s face where we are knocking him down or in his face. It’s professional football and if you can get them just a little bit off, our DBs are so good they can really make them pay.

“Sacks are cool because they are something where you can credit the guys in the secondary for good coverage. But turnovers are something that gets the whole team fired up.

“I mean, think about it: The ball is the program. The ball is the franchise. The ball is everything… whoever has the ball the most usually wins the game.”

There’s a handful of factors that play into these gaudy numbers, not the least of which – obviously – is talent and depth. The Bombers secondary has been hammered by injuries, but new faces like Taylor Loffler, Kevin Fogg and Terrence Frederick have all stepped in to make plays.

The Bombers also practice all this stuff, from stripping the ball, to scooping it up, to tipping passes, daily. It happened again on Wednesday when both T.J. Heath and Trent Corney gobbled up turnovers and practiced taking them to the house.

“It’s something we work on every day,” said defensive end Justin Cole. “It’s an emphasis, it’s the first thing we always talk about, the first thing we focus on in practice – take the ball away, no matter who has it.

“You want to make plays and you want to get the offence the ball back. We have our own personal goals in the defensive room that help fuel that fire for us to get the ball out. We’re going to keep focusing on that.”

But there’s more to it than just that. Those numbers are also emblematic of a defence that feels comfortable in its scheme and willing to be aggressive in making plays on the ball.

“We’ve learned how to play with different types of people and how to communicate with guys on the run. When you know that, when you have that, you can play fast and create turnovers.”

Kevin Fogg

“Coach Tony (Missick, defensive backs coach) tells us to be more dominant and take chances sometimes while at the same time make sure we’re going to make the play. He wants us to think aggressively that way.”

It’s worthwhile here to put some of these numbers into perspective. The +23 ratio is impressive, given that the club record is +27, set in 1987. The CFL record, FYI, is +41, set in 1981 by the Grey Cup champion Edmonton Eskimos.

The 40 forced turnovers is a giant total, too, but in 1990 the Bombers set a CFL record with 89, including another league record that still stands – 48 interceptions.

“That’s what we want to be known as; a ball-hawking defence,” said Fogg. “Of course we want to give up as few points as possible, but this is an offensive league.

“You want to be that defence where a team is going up against you and is saying they’ve got to be careful. I’m proud to be a part of this. Early on this year we played well, but we weren’t dictating things.

“We’ve come along. With the offence taking care of the ball and the special teams doing their thing, we’re really coming together. And we haven’t played our best game yet.”

BOMBER REPORT – SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

OUCH UPDATE:

This is a storyline that will be monitored for the rest of the week: running back Andrew Harris and linebacker Ian Wild did not suit up at practice, although Harris did have his ankles taped up as if he was ready to go.

“We’ll still wait,” said Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea. “Those guys don’t really need a lot of practice to be able to play so we’ll wait until the last possible moment to figure that out.

“Earlier in the year (Harris) was a little nicked up and we went out the day before the game and he ran around a little bit and said he was good to go. And he was good to go. I’ll give him every opportunity.”

The Bombers have a number of different options with their roster, including using Pascal Lochard out of the backfield to keep the ratio the same way, or activating import Timothy Flanders for Harris. Canadian Julian Feoli-Gudino and import Clarence Denmark have been taking a lot of turns with the starting offence to give the club some different looks.

WELCOME BACK:

The Bombers added Canadian defensive back Justin Warden to their practice roster on Wednesday as O’Shea confirmed that Brendan Morgan, injured in the Banjo Bowl, is going to be out for a ‘little while’ with a lower body injury.

Some fans will remember Warden (6-2, 200, Bishop’s) as he was a sixth-round draft choice of the club in 2015 and came very close to cracking the roster.

“We liked Justin Warden when we had him in camp,” said O’Shea. “We sent him back to school because he had some eligibility (left) and our roster was such that we needed him to go back to school. Unfortunately, he suffered a little injury there and has had to work his way back.

“But boy, he was one of those kids that you hated to send back. I thought he was really close to being on the roster and could be a very good contributor on (special) teams.”

REMEMBERING JOE:

The Bombers lost a member of their alumni this week with the passing of former player and head coach Joe Zaleski at the age of 89. A star at the University of Dayton, Zaleski joined the Bombers in 1952 and played three seasons before joining the Montreal Alouettes.

He first started coaching with the Sarnia Golden Bears of the Ontario Rugby Union in 1956 and then returned to Winnipeg to serve as an assistant under Bud Grant. After Grant left for the Minnesota Vikings, Zaleski was promoted to head coach, but those dominant teams of the late 50s/early 60s were fading. The club went 4-12, 3-13 and 3-12-1 under Zaleski before he was fired.

He coached with the Eskimos after that for two more seasons.