They know what they need to fix and are convinced they have the people in place to handle the project.
But the Winnipeg Blue Bombers also know this better than anyone: talking about it and doing something about it are absolutely, positively two different things.
And so, while the Bombers said all the right things when the club returned to the practice field on Wednesday, it’s critical they back it all up in Saturday’s Banjo Bowl against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
No one understands that more than quarterback Matt Nichols and the Bombers offence, which sputtered in the fourth quarter of last Sunday’s Labour Day Classic loss to the Riders. To that end, his media scrum following practice included the question, ‘How off is this offence?’
“Not very. I mean, every time we turn on the film it’s just a couple plays away,” said Nichols. “We rushed for 200 yards last week and did some good things. It just comes down to a couple of plays and we’ve been talking about that for a couple weeks. And so, for all of us, myself included, it’s making sure we clean up those couple of plays a game.”
The recent three-game losing streak is the first in a single season since the end of the 2015 campaign (the club lost five straight, including the start of the 2016 season). But expectations have certainly changed since then – both inside and outside the locker room – and the skid has critics emerging from all corners.
That, too, was asked of Nichols – namely, how do they put aside that ‘chatter’?
“I don’t know how to put it into words… I just don’t care what people have to say,” said Nichols with a shrug. “We have a talented group here, a group that’s been together for a while, a group that’s won a lot of football games. Even great teams go through a little bit of as stretch… Edmonton was an awesome team last year and lost six in a row. It’s just sometimes that’s the way she goes. It’s a long season.
“There’s no panic around here. I know for myself I’m working harder and harder every day and making sure that our performance this week is better than last week. That’s all you can do. That’s my mindset right now. I’m working extremely hard for my teammates to make sure I go out and play better and get this thing turned around. We’ve got a lot of football left to play.
“We could still be a 12-6 team. We won seven games in a row before. It starts with this one. We’ll try and get on a run here and for this team to take the next step it’s to be able to go on a run at the end of the season and be at full tilt once we hit the playoffs. Right now, that’s where we’re at – to try and get this one win to propel us towards that goal.”
What’s been particularly frustrating over the past few weeks is the Bombers have been in position to win games when it mattered most, in the second half. Winnipeg has a 5-3 record when leading after the third quarter this year – the three losses the highest among all Canadian Football League teams. It is also a team that has a lead in 11 of the 12 games it’s played this year, the lone exception the loss to Ottawa on August 17th.
“I know we’re facing the best defences in the Canadian Football League, for one, but we’ve got to make our plays,” said offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice, addressing the offensive work in the last three weeks. “We can’t turn the ball over. We’ve had a string of drops the last couple of games and you can’t do that against good football teams.”
Nichols threw two interceptions in Sunday’s loss, giving him nine for the season – one more than in all of last season. And if the Bombers are to get out of this current funk and make a run into November, their two-time Most Outstanding Player nominee is going to need to clean up that aspect of his game.
“A couple turnovers here and there that have hurt us,” he said. “It’s something I’ve taken pride in not doing. Some things just happen, but there are some I feel like I can definitely make better decisions. That’s how we’ve won a lot of football games so for me, it’s to continue the way I have been playing, but make a couple more big plays and take care of the football better.
“When you watch the film a lot of it is just hurting ourselves. We had plenty of opportunities to go on touchdown drives last week and just kept making little mistakes and that what loses you football games. We’ve just got to lock in a little better.
“I guess you could you say that about a couple of games, but we’ve been pretty consistent moving the ball this year, which is still a good thing. We just need to finish off these drives a little better.”
Finally, it was put to Nichols if the win totals posted in past two seasons – 12-6, 11-7 – might help the team as it wades through this current crisis.
“It does,” he said. “We know what the talent level is here. And like I said, when we turn on the film it really is a few plays here and there that keep making the difference. It’s just making sure we don’t continue to do those same things and learn from our mistakes. There’s a lot of football left to play. Winning cures a lot of things. If we get a win this week the story’s completely different. It is what it is, we’re in a situation where we need a win right now and our opportunity is this weekend.”
More news and notes on the Bombers first day back at work in this week’s installment of Need to Know…
NOPE, NADA, NON:
Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea was asked Wednesday if he had considered starting rookie Chris Streveler at quarterback. His answer began before the question had even been finished.
“No. No. No. Like I said, Matt’s our starter. Last night (on his radio show on CJOB) I was asked the same question. The point is, we evaluate everybody after every game, win or lose and the numbers still show Matt is processing extremely well, running the offence extremely well. The ball’s going where it should go, he’s getting the ball out of his hands and making plays for us.”
SOLD OUT!:
The Bombers announced Wednesday that the 15th annual Banjo Bowl presented by Casinos of Winnipeg is sold out at 33,134. That marks the 14th consecutive Banjo Bowl to be played before a sold-out crowd (the first game, in 2004, was played in front of 27,160 at old Canad Inns Stadium.
A couple of notes for fans on what is traditionally the biggest game on the Bombers calendar:
-The gates will open earlier on Saturday, at 1:30 p.m., with the tailgate area opening at noon. The Bomber Store will open at 9:30 a.m.
-As well, after the game 15,000 fans will receive an exclusive limited edition 15th anniversary Banjo Bowl poster to take home.
OUCH UPDATE:
The Bombers returned to the practice field minus a number of regulars. Not practising on Wednesday were RB Andrew Harris, WR Weston Dressler, RT Jermarcus Hardrick, OL Sukh Chungh, RT Manase Foketi, DB Kevin Fogg, DE Jackson Jeffcoat and LB Shayne Gauthier.
Foketi was replaced by Pat Neufeld when he was injured during last week’s loss, with Michael Couture moving in to play guard. With Harris not practising on Wednesday, Timothy Flanders took most of the RB reps with the No. 1 offence while Chris Humes worked in Fogg’s spot on defence.
O’Shea indicated Harris, Fogg, Gauthier and Chungh are likely to play while Dressler is very close. Jeffcoat will not suit up while Foketi is still being evaluated before a decision is made on his availability.
“It’s a short week, it’s that time of year and we’re playing (the same opponent) in back-to-back weeks,” said O’Shea. “We already know our opponent, we know what we’re dealing with. How much do you change when you play six days apart against the same opponent? So, who’s practising where is maybe not as relevant this week as what we had in other weeks.”
ALL ‘O’ HANDS ON DECK:
LaPolice spoke Wednesday about the play of Nichols, but stressed the offensive inconsistencies are a unit-wise issue, not just one where all the fingers of blame get pointed at the quarterback.
“He’ll make a mistake, just like everybody else,” said LaPolice. “Certainly there are plays he’d like to have back, but… I know the quarterback gets all of it, but our offence has got to be better for us to win the football game.”
RIP, VINCE PHASON:
The Bombers lost another of their alumni this week – just days after the passing of Cornel Piper – as Vince Phason has died at the age of 65.
Phason, a defensive back who played with the Bombers from 1976-82 and was a CFL All-Star in 1982 and the club’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 1978, had been in a Denver hospital when he died. Phason was in a car accident in 1988 that left him paralyzed from the chest down, but stayed active in the game for years as a volunteer assistant coach with a high school in Denver.
