It can be complicated. Man, can football ever be complicated. Coaches spend hours drawing up Xs and Os and then hours more teaching schemes and techniques to the kid who can barely snap up his chinstrap to his helmet to the grizzled, been-there/done-that veteran.

But there’s also this: for all the fancy-schmancy run plays, pass routes, blitzes, disguises and trick plays coaches design, the game almost always is decided by the big-eaters up front on the offensive and defensive lines.

And so, of all the solid takeaways from last Thursday’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers win over the Edmonton Eskimos – from the handiwork of Matt Nichols to the running of Andrew Harris to the play of the new-look secondary – what happened at the line of scrimmage might have been the most encouraging.

“When you can move a defender from Point A to Point B against his will as an offensive lineman, that’s one of the best feelings in the world.”

offensive line coach Bob Wylie

“We designed the plays and said, ‘You guys block it like this’ and they did. It wasn’t a miracle thing. It’s like in 1961 John F. Kennedy at Rice University said, ‘We choose to go to the moon because it’s hard, not easy.’ We just decided to go to the moon, so we went.

“I think that’s about what happened the other night… they decided we were going to get this done and they got it done.”

That might be a tad melodramatic, but we like Coach Wylie’s analogy so let’s expand it a bit here. The Bombers were working against one of the best defensive lines in the Canadian Football League in Edmonton and face a similar challenge Wednesday when the Hamilton Tiger-Cats visit.

The offensive numbers from Edmonton – 420 yards net, including 137 rushing – certainly spoke loudly and clearly of the Bombers O-line being able to push the pile.

“It starts and finishes with them, for sure,” said Harris. “They’re the guys that get it going, whether it’s pass blocking, run blocking. Even the attitude of the offence starts with them and I remind them of that as much as possible. They’re the heartbeat of this offence when they’re going and making plays. They’re the unsung heroes, for sure.

“Any time you get a chance to grind them down and make them pay at the end of the game… if you watch the tape #91 (Eskimo D-lineman Marcus Howard) wasn’t even pass rushing. We’d run a run play and he was just basically standing there. So, whether he’s tired or he’s quitting that’s ultimately what you want to get out of the run game.”

But that line-of-scrimmage dominance also spilled over to the defensive line, which limited the Eskimos to just 20 yards rushing and 348 yards total – a good chunk of it late with Winnipeg protecting what was then a two-touchdown lead.

“Edmonton’s offensive line is probably the largest in the CFL with a 6-11 guy at one guard spot and guys 6-7, 6-8,” said Bombers defensive line coach Todd Howard. “They are a physical bunch and they are the defending CFL champions.

“We challenged our guys to go out there and be physical and that’s what we did. I was very proud of our guys.”

These two facts – the Bomber offensive and defensive lines moving opponents from one point to another against their will – are, of course, also related. And it’s why some of the biggest reactions to some of Harris’ runs, literally and figuratively, came from the Bomber defenders watching from the sidelines.

“When the offensive line is dominant like that it gives the offence more time of possession, it means more rest for us, and it means we’re more fresh when we get out there,” said Bombers defensive tackle Euclid Cummings. “Any time we’re making a play like that, we’re going to have some fun.

“The war starts up front all the time. If we’re controlling the line of scrimmage, if we’re getting pressure, if the offensive line is knocking guys back and we’re getting six-seven yards a carry, of course we’re going to have a good game.

“But,” added Cummings, “that’s the last game. We could go out now and have the same kind of game as we did two weeks ago with no pressure. We’ve got to keep getting better.

“We’ve still got a lot of ground to cover. We’ve still got a lot more ways to improve.”

“I can’t wait to see where we’re going to get to because we’ve got so much potential. Last week was only the beginning.”

Euclid Cummings

BOMBER REPORT – AUGUST 1, 2016

COMINGS/GOINGS:

The Bombers made two roster moves on Monday, releasing defensive back Travis Hawkins and defensive end Adrian Hubbard.

TRAVIS BOND – LICENCE TO BLUDGEON:

New left guard Travis Bond certainly knows how to make a good first impression. He’s a big man – 6-7, 356 – and he was part of the offensive line that was so solid in the win over Edmonton.

“It was really fun to be back and get a little bangin’ in a game,” said Bond with a grin. “That’s what we live for on the O-line. The O-line played well and Edmonton’s a pretty good team.

“As offensive linemen we like to pass block, but we get our motivation from running the ball especially when we’re winning up front and moving the chains a lot.”

Bond’s CFL debut came against an Eskimo front that features Odell Willis and Marcus Howard at end, with Almondo Sewell and Jabari Hunt at tackle. But they were just faceless names and numbers to Bond.

“I heard about some of those guys and watched them on film,” he said. “And one of their guys, No. 76 (Hunt), I knew from Georgia Tech. We had a little ACC battle (Bond played at North Carolina) going on in the trenches. It was fun.

“I did OK. I wouldn’t say I did the best because I still had a lot of mistakes… it was my first game back. But as a unit we did really well. I like the way Andrew runs the ball and so it’s always a plus when you’ve got a back of his ability.”

BLUE NOTES:

The Bombers had their final full practice before Wednesday’s game cut short by lightning. “It’s fine,” said Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea. “We got some work in anyway. It’s just a longer walk-thru period. Honestly, it should be good for the guys… they should be fresh.”

LB Kyle Knox continues to get work and could be activated for Wednesday’s game.

QB Matt Nichols mentioned Sunday that O’Shea had put together clips of about 20 hits from the Edmonton game and showed it to the team on the weekend. Why, you ask? “It was just a way to validate how we won the game, how we started and the outcome of that first half and the effect of how they played and how it affected the first half.”

Bombers’ OL coach was wearing a golf shirt with the picture of a mushroom featuring the initials ‘C.O.O.L’ underneath. Huh? “Coaches Of Offensive Lineman,” said Wylie. “We’re always left in the dark and they always feed us (crap). That’s our logo.”

WR/KR Quincy McDuffie didn’t practice on Monday. His status for Wednesday is still unknown.

WR Kris Adams continues to work with the No. 1 offence. He was injured in camp, but clearly the club saw something in the former UTEP star to keep him around. “It’s a combination of his size and athleticism and his abilities as a receiver was very intriguing,” said O’Shea. “We thought, ‘Boy, we’d like to see a lot more of this guy.’ And now he’s got his opportunity.”