It would be much too easy to frame the Winnipeg Blue Bombers season-opening defensive effort as just a continuation of what unfolded in 2017.

It should also be said it’s a gross over simplification to suggest that what happened in last Thursday/Friday’s loss to the Edmonton Eskimos was the result of being victimized by the Canadian Football League’s Most Outstanding Player in Mike Reilly.

Somewhere in between, it would seem, is where the truth lies in assessing this bunch after one game.

There’s also this: it would be absolutely foolish to characterize the defence – one with new faces on the field and on the coaching staff – after just the 68 snaps last week.

“It was our first time out there (as a defence), all of us,” said cornerback Chris Randle. “We want to be able to be as great as possible as soon as possible. We all have that in mind. We all have that as a goal.

“That game, it was a stepping stone for us and we’ve just got to keep building, honestly. We have the players in place, we feel confident in our group. It’s just a matter of executing at a higher level.”

The Bombers held a 30-22 lead against a pre-season Grey Cup favourite with less than six minutes remaining last week when Reilly and the Eskimos began to really find their groove.

Consider this:

• In those closing minutes, Reilly led the Eskimos on a 14-play, 90-yard game-tying drive that took over four minutes off the clock. And then, after the Bombers offence went two-and-out, Reilly completed a 15-yard pass inside the final minute to set up the game-winning field goal.
• All told, Reilly’s final six minutes saw him complete 9-of-12 passes for 82 yards, rush for a touchdown, cap it with a pass on a two-point conversion and then finish the night with the critical throw to set up the winning kick as the Esks out-scored the Bombers 10-0 when it mattered most.

Asked to rate the defensive performance after practice Tuesday, defensive coordinator Richie Hall offered this:

“Average. I thought we competed. I thought we played hard, but we just made some mental mistakes or little mistakes that cost us. A couple explosion plays and then just some other things that might not have been significant for other people, but they were significant in allowing them to keep drives alive.

“We played well enough to win, but we didn’t win.”

The reason so much of this feels familiar is because it was Reilly’s fingerprints which were all over Edmonton’s win in last November’s West Semi-Final victory as he threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns.

And, yes, there were the dreaded ‘explosion’ plays, including a Reilly-to-Derel Walker 101-yard TD strike in the first quarter and three other completions that resulted in gains of 27, 46 and 23 yards.

The critical game-tying drive was especially damaging, as Reilly dissected the Bombers with his arm and his legs.

“Just little things… They converted two second and longs,” said Hall of that drive. “One, we had him… being disciplined in our pass-rush lanes. The other, we just messed up the coverage and they threw the ball over the top. You take away those two things and they’re off the field, especially the first one because they were backed up. We had great pressure on him but, again, he found a way to slip out and we weren’t disciplined enough in our pass lanes.

“He made the most of his opportunities. He stood in there and took some hits. I thought for the most part we had pretty good pressure on him throughout the course of the night. He broke some passes and continued to make plays. He’s a strong competitor, he’s a strong football player and when we had the opportunities, we’ve got to finish the play. We were in position to make the play, but we didn’t finish the play.

“I guess the positive thing at the end of the day is we still had a chance to win the football game.”

That might sound hauntingly familiar, too. But here’s where Randle & Co. would suggest everyone slowly back away from the panic button.

“That environment, the situations and the way it played out… it tested us, it really did,” said Randle. “Going against Mike Reilly and a well-oiled offence… he can run it. Especially in that fourth quarter we learned a lot. We’ve just got to learn from that and build on it.

“He turned it on. I’ve definitely got to tip my hat to him, but at the end of the day we want to dictate how the game goes. Definitely, with a lead with five minutes left, that’s a game we want to win.

“But there was a lot to like in what we did, too. It’s going to come.”

BOMBER REPORT | June 18

FYI:

Bombers LB/DB Maurice Leggett had another solid day working with the second defensive unit, registering another Pick Six. Head coach Mike O’Shea wouldn’t confirm yet whether Leggett would be active to the active roster… RB Andrew Harris returned to practice on Tuesday, while Jovan Santos-Knox took some reps but was a spectator near the end of the session, along with LB Adam Bighill, DE Craig Roh and OL Sukh Chungh. O’Shea is hoping all of them are back practicing on Wednesday and in the lineup Friday in Montreal… Asked what would be an ideal situation for RB Kienan LaFrance, O’Shea said he hoped he would be able to contribute on special teams and that there might be a package for him on offence to take some reps off Harris’ workload.

HIGH PRAISE:

Here’s O’Shea when asked to comment on Alouettes RB Tyrell Sutton:

“He’s tough. I find him to be a really tough runner. I like watching him because he grinds it out. He takes some shots, but he gives them, too. He’s got some escapability because of, I think, his toughness more than anything. I just think it’s maybe a little more old-school football.”

FAMILIAR FACES:

Virtually every CFL roster is dotted with players who played with another team. That’s the byproduct of this quaint league. But it could be said former Bombers DE Jamaal Westerman prepared as diligently every week as any defender in the CFL. So does that give the Als an edge as the Bombers roll into Montreal this week? Good question.

“I always think of those things,” said O’Shea. “I probably give defenders credit for having a good understanding of offences and I think Jamaal Westerman – I’ve said it time and time again – is a pro who prepared extremely well and he always wanted to learn about his opponent. So I would assume he knows the Bombers better than most. What that means come game day… I don’t know. I mean, he can’t see inside our huddle.”

FRANK ASSESSMENT:

Bombers offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice spoke to the media on Tuesday for the first time since last week’s opener. And he offered a straightforward take on the work of rookie quarterback Chris Streveler.

“He made some good decisions, saw the field well,” began LaPolice. “One of his interceptions (by J.C. Sherritt) might be one of the better interceptions this season. I thought he managed to move the ball when we needed to. Again, this is a guy who hasn’t played a lot of football. We had a couple of things that were open and in the right spots and he just didn’t have his eyes right because it was maybe the second or third time he’s had the reps at full speed.

“A lot of room to grow, but I thought he commanded the huddle. When we talked about things in the locker room and said, ‘We think this is going to be there’ he recognized it and threw it for a touchdown. He did a good job.

“There are a lot of things he could do better, but you’ve just got to hold yourself and go, ‘Listen, one – this is his first real speed game. Two – I don’t even know the guy from a play-calling standpoint. I called about 20 plays for him, so I’ve got to get to know what he knows best and what he’s comfortable with. Room to grow, but we’ll just keep coaching.”

FRIEND TO FRIEND:

Chris Streveler’s first-ever completion went to a former University of Minnesota teammate in Drew Wolitarsky last week; and Wolitarsky’s first-ever touchdown came from his old buddy.

“It was (a special moment). It totally was,” said Wolitarsky. “He threw me his first completion of his career and then I got my first touchdown from him, which is cool. A lot of reoccurrences have been happening like that for us.”

Asked if Wolitarsky and Streveler were developing a chemistry at the pro level, LaPolice quipped: “We joke on that all the time and say, ‘Stop throwing to your roommate.’ I think they’re friends, more than anything, off the field. But on the field they’re just playing the game and enjoying the fact when they do throw to each other.”