YEAR IN REVIEW SERIES
Ed Tait takes a look back at the 2016 Blue Bombers season with his Top 10 stories of the year…
#3 – The Seven-Game Win Streak
It started in Alberta in late July and ended in Alberta in late September.
And on a wild, crazy joyride that covered 57 days, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers not only cranked out seven straight victories – the longest win streak in these parts since 2001 – they completely changed the narrative of the 2016 season and the overall perception of the franchise and its direction.
That streak and its importance to the organization comes in at #3 in our list of Top 10 Bomber stories of 2016, for some rather obvious and compelling reasons.
It was significant given where and when it started – with the Bombers in a 1-4 hole to start the 2016 season, with the needle on the negativity meter bouncing in the red and with the team making a quarterback change for a game in Edmonton on July 28th, a town they had been winless in since 2006.
And by the time the streak screeched to a halt, on a last-second field goal in Calgary on September 24th, the Bombers were not only 8-4, but had converted some – not all – of the cynics in this town and were back in the West Division playoff discussion for the first time in five seasons.
Clarence Denmark celebrates his TD against the Toronto Argonauts during third quarter CFL action in Winnipeg on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (CFL PHOTO – Jason Halstead)” width=”1600″ height=”900″ /> Winnipeg Blue Bombers WR Clarence Denmark celebrates his TD against the Toronto Argonauts during third quarter CFL action in Winnipeg on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (CFL PHOTO – Jason Halstead)
Here’s a brief recap of what unfolded… call it a brief anatomy of ‘The Streak’:
Winnipeg 30 at Edmonton 23, July 28
Matt Nichols replaced Drew Willy at quarterback and on the very first possession led the club on an eight-play 85-yard drive that was capped by Andrew Harris’ first TD as a Bomber. Nichols finished 26 of 33 for 304 yards and a TD strike to Darvin Adams and, for one week, the Bombers had stopped the bleeding.
“That’s a big win, given the circumstances,” said veteran defensive tackle Keith Shologan. “We had six guys on defence that didn’t start in the same position they did last week and you know the changes on offence (including Travis Bond making his first start at guard). We’ve got a good football team. We just need the confidence that we can go out there and win games. This helps.”
Hamilton 11 at Winnipeg 37, August 3-4
Lightning delayed kickoff by two hours and 31 minutes, and with an opening kickoff at 10:08 p.m. the game stretched past midnight. It was worth the wait for Bomber fans, who saw their squad win in consecutive weeks for the first time in two years as the club built a 34-point lead at halftime and cruised to victory.
“That was a lot of fun, man,” said Bombers defensive back Bruce Johnson. “It’s so much fun when guys want to play and get out there and execute. The best part of all this is we’re winning.
“We’ve known since the offseason looking at everything on paper that we had a good team here. It was just a matter of getting this thing together and getting it on a roll. That’s what’s happening. We’re not there yet, but we’re coming together.”
Winnipeg 34 at Toronto 17, August 12
The Bombers trailed 10-3 after the first quarter before rallying to score 31 unanswered. Winnipeg would score 24 points off turnovers and picked off five passes in a game for the first time in 15 years.
“This is about making the city of Winnipeg proud of us again,” said Bombers defensive tackle Euclid Cummings. “This feels so amazing to come back here (he was a former Argo) and get a win with the guys. Three straight, man, it feels great.”
Winnipeg 32 at Montreal 18, August 26
The Bombers forced six turnovers, got six field goals from Justin Medlock and shut out the Als in the second half en route to the win.
“We’re bringing it all together, man,” said Bombers left tackle Stanley Bryant. “Special teams, offence, defence… we’re a team and we’re growing each and every week. If we keep doing this, the sky’s the limit.”
Winnipeg 28 at Saskatchewan 25, September 4
The Bombers put the ‘Classic’ back in their annual Labour Day showdown with the Roughriders as Medlock connects on a 43-yard field goal with no time remaining – moments after the club had surrendered an 85-yard punt-return TD with 1:09 left. The result ended an 11-year horror show in Regina that had seen the Bombers outscored by an average margin of over 18 points.
“What a wild game, huh?” said long-time Rider Weston Dressler, dressing in his first Labour Day game as a Bomber. “Just the way that game finished, I’m so proud of our team right now, the way we battled to the end. That’s just a great team win for us. We all took our turns making mistakes, but all took our turns picking each other up.”
Saskatchewan 10 at Winnipeg 17, September 10
It was more lunch-pail than classic, but the Bombers stretched their streak to six wins with a Banjo Bowl victory over a capacity home crowd of 33,134. Winnipeg gets another stellar effort from its defence, while Matt Nichols rushed for two short touchdowns.
“Our guys don’t pay attention to ‘six’, or ‘not for some time’ or whatever it is that is talked about outside our room,” said head coach Mike O’Shea of the streak. “I mean, it’s one of those things that outsiders will say it hokey, but I think our guys love playing for each other.”
Toronto 29 at Winnipeg 46, September 17
Facing the Argos a few days after Drew Willy had been traded East – he dressed but Dan LeFevour started – the Bombers rallied from a 29-19 deficit to out-score Toronto 27-0 to the final gun.
“I don’t know exactly what sparked the turnaround,” said Nichols. “Our defence forced a couple of turnovers and we were able to convert those into points. That’s obviously big. But I’m just happy this team found a different way to win. We had won some close games that were battles the whole game. We’ve had a couple blowout wins and, this one, we were actually down by 10 in the third quarter and to storm back like that with all three phases making plays was just huge for this team.
“We’re just finding every which way to win, and that speaks to the character on this team and to the talent on this team.”
The Bombers and Stampeders would battle in a weird showdown a week later in Calgary – Winnipeg fell behind 24-zip, stormed back to take a 34-33 lead with 20 seconds left and then lost on a 52-yard field goal with no time left – but had legitimized their streak, even in a loss, against the CFL’s best.
The Bomber reaction afterward also spoke of how expectations had changed in the locker room. And, to a certain extent, helped rekindle this town’s love affair with its football team.
“It felt like somebody walked into your house and just took what they wanted while we watched,” said Bombers right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick of the loss. “That ending? That ripped my heart out.”
This is the eighth in a series recapping the Top 10 Bomber stories of 2016.
Next: Continuity at the Top, posted on Dec. 30
