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August 6, 2017

Upon Further Review | WPG 33, OTT 30

Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicker Justin Medlock (9) raises his hands as he celebrates his game winning field goal against the Ottawa Redblacks with teammate Matt Coates (2) during second half of a CFL football game in Ottawa on Friday, Aug. 4, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

It was a simple enough comment, but a telling one nonetheless.

There was Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver Ryan Lankford speaking to the media outside the visitors’ dressing room in Ottawa following Friday’s 33-30 victory over the REDBLACKS, calmly summing up the night while the sounds of a raucous celebration echoed through the halls.

“Any time you can come onto someone else’s turf and get a win,” began Lankford, “it’s always good.”

He grinned then, as if he knew of some secret to this road success the Bombers have enjoyed over the last year or so – but under no circumstances was willing to share.

Just for the record, Friday’s victory improved the Bombers to 4-2 over all, and 2-1 away from Investors Group Field. Dating back to last year, the Bombers are now 9-3 on the road in the regular season – two of the losses in Calgary in 2016, the other in Vancouver a few weeks ago.

To put that into perspective, from 2012-15 the Bombers were 10-26 on the road.

“We’re right where we want to be right now as far as the record,” said Matt Nichols. “We preached it all week, we preached it in pre-game: Do we want to be a team that’s trying to keep our head above water, keep our heads above .500? Or do we want to be a team that starts to separate?

“The guys made the decision that we want to be a team that starts to separate and build on that win column.”

Trouble is, with the West Division continuing to be so vastly superior to the East right now, it’s difficult to make any headway in the standings, even with the last two dramatic Bomber victories. Winnipeg is 4-2 – which would put them in first place in the East with a game in hand on  3-4 Toronto – but is fourth in the West behind Edmonton (6-0), Calgary (5-1-1), and B.C. (5-2).

The Bombers are in Hamilton next Saturday to face the 0-6 Tiger-Cats before returning home on August 17th to meet the Eskimos.

Winnipeg trailed three times against Ottawa on Friday, but again rallied when it mattered by getting four field goals and a critical single from Justin Medlock in the fourth quarter, the last a 38-yarder on the final play of the game.

“Our feeling was the same last week as it is this week: We have full belief in our guys that when called upon, they’re going to make plays to win games in the end,” said Nichols. “For us it’s going to be old hat. We do a good job of leaning on each other. Everyone can feel those moments when a play needs to happen, and it seems like everyone is making that play for the team when it comes their way.”

More on the win over Ottawa in our weekly collection of notes and quotes we call Upon Further Review…


THE GAME FRIDAY BEGAN INAUSPICIOUSLY ENOUGH… what with Ottawa taking its opening possession of the game and marching 88 yards on 13 plays and capping the drive with a Trevor-Harris-to-Josh-Stangby TD strike of 12 yards. William Powell then carried in on the two-point conversion and it was 8-zip homeside before the Bombers had even touched the ball.

Not that it took long to answer…

On the Bombers first snap, Nichols connected with Lankford for a 79-yard score that launched Winnipeg back in the contest at 8-7.

“That was huge. It’s something we had dialled up,” Nichols explained. “We talked about it all week and knew that was going to be the first play of the game and preached to the O-line to make sure we needed to hold up because it was a double-move (by Lankford) downfield. And good luck keeping up with that guy.

“He just adds another dynamic to our offence and it played out exactly how we drew it up.”

It was the second 75-yards-plus TD in the first six games of the season for Nichols & Co., to go along with Weston Dressler’s 87-yard score in the season-opening win over Saskatchewan. The Bombers had two long aerial strikes all of last year: a 79-yarder to Clarence Denmark and an 82-yard bomb to Quincy McDuffie.

“It’s getting the ball and running… that’s it,” said Lankford. “I heard the play, we broke the huddle and I knew what we were going to run. All right, I’m going to get it.”

REMEMBER THE NARRATIVE AROUND FREE AGENCY 2016… that the Bombers had overpaid for Medlock? Funny, how that chatter has completely vanished in his 24 games as a Bomber.

Friday’s game marked the third time he’s ended a game with a walk-off field goal, including last year’s Labour Day win in Regina and the season-opening OT victory, again in Regina. He has connected on 78 of 90 field goal attempts as a Bomber – 86.7 per cent – and for a team and in a league in which there is such a small margin of error, that is mammoth.

Let’s remind everyone that in 2015, Lirim Hajrullahu and Sergio Castillo were a combined 71.1 per cent on their field goal attempts and also missed seven converts.

Asked if Friday’s work – Medlock was six-of-seven – was just another day at the office, Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said:

“He’s always a difference maker. Whether that’s another day at the office… it seems like that. Most guys who are at the top of the heap of their craft make it look easy. You can say it’s another day at the office, but he works extremely hard to make it look like that.”

As good as Medlock was in the field goal department, a critical play came with less than three minutes remaining and after he had kicked a 35-yarder to pull the Bombers to within four points at 30-26. His ensuing kickoff was crushed 90 yards deep and conceded for a single that pulled Winnipeg to within a field goal.

“We knew we were going to try and kick a single,” said Medlock. “I just took the directional out of it and tried to kick it NFL style (deep). That was good to get that point on there and make it a three-point game.”

“The biggest play that will probably be overlooked is the single on the kickoff,” added Nichols. “We kick a field goal to bring it within four and then Justin perfectly places the ball in the middle of the end zone for a single.

“That’s why we chose the wind in the second half, for exactly that moment. That’s why I said it was a full-team win – defence, special teams, offence. That’s the best complete game we’ve played all year.”

AS UGLY AS THE GAME STARTED FOR THE BOMBER DEFENCE… with Ottawa cranking out 11 first downs and 133 yards of offence in the first quarter, the unit sure settled down after that.

The REDBLACKS finished with just 249 yards the rest of the way and the Bombers forced two critical turnovers – stopping Ryan Lindley after he fumbled the snap on a third-and-one and then having Taylor Loffler strip William Powell of the ball on a run, with the loose ball scooped up and returned for a diving score by Chris Randle.

Post-game, Randle had to interrupt a phone call with his wife to do an interview with members of the media.

“I had to make sure she saw it,” said Randle with a grin. “Man, it was just Johnny-on-the-spot, right? I was just in the right place at the right time. It’s just playing to the ball, playing to the whistle, don’t stop until the whistle ends and that’s the result. Taylor made a great job stripping it out and I was just in the right place at the right time.”

Randle could have just fallen on the ball to ensure the Bombers got possession, but O’Shea and the defensive coaches have constantly preached trying to score on a turnover.

It’s why Jake Thomas pitched to Kyle Knox for a defensive TD in Vancouver earlier this year, and why Randle sprinted and reached for the pylon while diving toward the end zone.

“That’s not how we’re built,” said Randle. “The ultimate goal is to score on ‘D’. We want to be a defence that scores points and if I wasn’t touched down, I wasn’t going to stay down. My main focus was to get into the end zone.”

As for the dive at the end of his run, it was suggested it looked like he had done that before.

“I mean, you know… back in my younger days I was a QB,” said Randle with a grin. “So you can blame it on that. At the end of the day, I couldn’t let Trevor (Ottawa QB Trevor Harris, who was chasing him) catch me. I couldn’t do it.

“Even coming back to the sidelines they were like, ‘Hey, if he would have caught you, you would have heard it for the whole season’.”

THAT DEFENCE RESPONSE AFTER THE FIRST QUARTER… will build into a positive in the coming week of practice, especially after defensive coordinator Richie Hall had called out his charges for a poor practice following a poor finish in the win over Montreal.

“All week and previous weeks, our defence has been called out,” said Randle. “We had to respond in some fashion and to make plays when it mattered the most, that’s what it’s about.

“Win or loss, I’m happy to be on this team. We have a bond and a chemistry that is undeniable. We’re going to do whatever it takes to win games and to win in that fashion just shows our resiliency and our determination as a unit, in all phases, to put it all out there on the line when it matters the most.”

MANY BOMBERS FANS GOT THEIR WISH FRIDAY… when the club opted to active running back Timothy Flanders from the two-man reserve list for the first time this season. Flanders was added when Weston Dressler was moved to the six-game injured list.

Flanders and Andrew Harris gave the Bombers and intriguing look occasionally out of the backfield. They combined to run 10 times for 83 yards (Harris: seven for 43; Flanders three for 40) while Harris also pulled in three passes for 20 yards.

“It’s amazing how God works sometimes,” said Flanders. “Last year it took an injury (to Harris) and this year it took an injury as well. It felt great to be out there.”

Flanders’ first run went for 13 yards. And he admitted afterward there was a lot of pent-up emotion that went into that gallop.

“I’m telling you, it’s a good feeling when your offensive line comes up to you before the game and says they are excited I’m going to get to play,” said Flanders. “I said any chance I get I’m going to break a long run.”

As patient as Flanders has been in waiting for his turn, there is no substitute for getting his jersey dirty alongside his teammates.

“And especially for an away game,” added Flanders. “I would have been at home, texting Manase (Foketi, who has also been on the reserve list all year) and talking to him during the whole game.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to get out here and help the team get a win. I’m just glad they believed in me. They could have easily put another receiver onto the roster, anybody at defence. I’m blessed to get out here and be able to play for the guys on the team.”