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There’s a way to over-complicate an analysis of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ second win of the young 2017 Canadian Football League season in the search for a critical component or statistic.
We could point to their first-down production offensively – six yards per touch – or their ability to limit the Toronto Argonauts to just a 36 percent second-down conversion rate.
There was the opening kickoff return touchdown by Ryan Lankford that helped spark the Bombers in their 33-25 win over the Boatmen. And as per usual, Justin Medlock’s deadly-accurate left leg that connected on all four of his field goal attempts, including a 55-yard bomb.
But key to the victory, one which pushed the Bombers to 2-1, was the simplest and arguably most important component in any football game: The big men along the line of scrimmage, both offensively and defensively, were absolutely dominant.
Not only was the Bombers offensive line able to stop the Argos front seven from getting to Matt Nichols – they entered the game with a league-best 14 quarterback sacks but were held to nil Thursday night – Winnipeg was able to pound the ball along the ground with Andrew Harris grinding for critical real estate.
Defensively, the Bombers sacked Ricky Ray twice, forced him to make two errant passes that were picked off by Maurice Leggett and T.J. Heath, and limited the Argos to just 30 yards rushing on 12 carries – a puny 2.5-yard average.
Add that up, and Winnipeg’s work in the trenches was mammoth in helping overcome a nightmarish first half by the kick-cover units and a passing attack that was limited to 245 yards, its lowest of the season.
Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea pointed it out afterward, praising both lines, especially the hogs on offence.
“I thought our O-line did a helluva job against a front that’s been getting a lot of press,” said O’Shea. “Matt Nichols wasn’t sacked and he did a great job of getting rid of the ball, the receivers got to the right places at the right time.”
“It helps big time,” added Nichols on the team’s ability to run the ball. “Early in the game (Toronto’s defence) was dropping down into a lot of zones and dropping nine guys out (into coverage, rushing three) and it’s tough to find holes, tough to make big plays. If you can’t run the ball there’s no reason for them to come down out of it.
“When you’re able to run the football, it forces them to come down into man and try to bring pressure and that’s when big plays happen.”
More on the Bombers win over the Argos in our weekly collection of notes and quotes we call Upon Further Review…
THE BOMBERS COULDN’T HAVE ASKED… for a better start than Lankford’s 105 kickoff return on the game’s first play. It marked the first time a Bomber had returned the opening kickoff since Markus Howell did it, also against the Argos, on September 9th, 2000. It was also the first opening kickoff return for a TD in the CFL since Marcus Thigpen of Hamilton did it against the Bombers in 2010.
“It felt great to do it here for the home crowd,” said Lankford. “Any chance that I can get to get the ball into my hands and make a play, that’s what I want to do, whether that’s running a kick back or catching a super short pass that’s my 1/12th of each give my team a chance to win the game.”
Lankford was asked if he had ever returned an opening kickoff for a score in his entire football career.
“I’ve done it with my ‘create-a-player’ on Madden College Football for years,” said Lankford with a grin, “but this is the first real life one for me.
“I think the last kickoff return I had for a touchdown was in high school and that wasn’t the opening kickoff. It was exciting. It’s that moment you dream of. I remember at the Super Bowl a while back Devin Hester taking the opening kickoff back (Super Bowl XLI, 2007) and he was my favourite player. I thought, ‘You know what? That’s awesome.’
“What excitement for the team and the fans to start off on the right foot. I’m just trying to do what I can to help.”
WORTH NOTING, WHILE WE’RE ON THE TOPIC… there were three kickoff return touchdowns last year, and to date there has been one in the CFL this year. Three of those four have been by Bombers: two by Quincy McDuffie last season and Lankford’s effort Thursday night.
Now, Martese Jackson did return one for the Argos against the Bombers, but it was wiped out by an illegal block penalty call on Levi Noel. That also squashed a chance for Bombers fan Karen Kuldys to win $1 milion dollars through Safeway and Sobey’s Touchdown to Win contest. The Bombers and the CFL have stepped up to fix that, with the details here.
THERE WAS A LOT OF CHATTER OUT THERE… in Bomberland about the crowd count Thursday night. The total at Investors Group Field was 25,085, down from the 30,165 who attended the home opener last week against the Calgary Stampeders.
Let’s just put that number – both numbers – in perspective: those two crowds – a combined 55,250 fans just six days apart – are the fifth and sixth-highest counts in the league through the first four weeks of the season. Two of those higher crowd totals have been at Regina’s new Mosaic Stadium (33,350, 33,050), the third and fourth were Edmonton Eskimos’ crowds, home opener (31,828) and this week (36,260).
And the 25K in the building were pretty dang loud, especially when it mattered in the second half and with the Argos on offence.
The Bombers record at IGF since it opened is still just 12-26 overall, but they are 5-3 in their last eight at home.
“It’s important,” said O’Shea. “My headphones and my ears were ringing at one point in the fourth quarter (because of the crowd noise). They were going crazy and that buzz just comes right through the headset. They were on tonight, the fans were, and it’s important that they got to see such an exciting contest and us winning in the end.”
A CRITICAL POINT IN THE GAME… came early in the second half in a punch-counterpunch by the Argos then Bombers. The Argos lead 22-20 at halftime and then had the ball for the first possession of the second half. Toronto then cranked out 11 plays that took six minutes and 30 seconds off the clock, capping the drive with a 35-yard Lirim Hajrullahu field goal after a couple of Argos dropped potential TD passes.
That put Toronto up 25-20 and the Bombers up against it with close to half of the third quarter gone.
Winnipeg then answered with a 12-play, 75-yard drive of their own – Andrew Harris scoring his second of two TDs on a two-yard run – that put them up 27-25. That response turned out to be massive, as the Argos did not score another point.
“We talked about that on the sidelines, actually,” said Nichols. “After our drive, there was only about one minute left in the third quarter and each team had had only one possession. We said every possession was going to matter and we need to put up points every time.”
The Bombers had only five possessions in the second half – four if you exclude the kneel-downs at the end of the game – and managed the Harris TD and two Justin Medlock field goals.
NOW THAT HE’S GOT HIS FIRST CFL START… under his belt, Bombers defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat can’t want to get at it all over again.
Jeffcoat stepped in for the injured Tristan Okpalaugo in Thursday’s win and finished the night with four tackles and one pressure in his CFL debut.
The former Texas Longhorns star, who last played in a real game while suiting up for six contests with the Washington Redskins in 2015 as an outside linebacker, could get a long audition here depending on the health of Okpalaugo, who was placed on the six-game injured list earlier this week.
“I had so much fun,” said Jeffcoat. “It’s good to be back playing football. It’s been too long since I played. It’s exciting to get back and play with my teammates… I love my teammates and it’s great to be flying around out there with them.
“I’m hard on myself. I think I can do way better. There’s a lot of improvement for me and a lot of things I can do better.”
Jeffcoat’s CFL debut also came with his parents in the house. His dad is none other than Jim Jeffcoat, the long-time Dallas Cowboy who is now an assistant coach at the University of Colorado.
Oh, and dad could play a bit: he had 102.5 career quarterback sacks and is a two-time Super Bowl champ.
“It was awesome having them there,” said Jackson. “They didn’t know I was going to be starting, it just happened. They had planned on being at the last game and this game and it just so happens this was my first start.
“I’m going to get to talk to them after the game. It will be nice to hear some critiquing from my dad because he always has something for me. He’s a coach, so… I know there’s some things I didn’t do right and so I need to get back to watching the film and be better.
“A guy that had 102 and a half sacks?” added Jeffcoat. “I might get mad, but I will listen to him.”
