2nd Half - Adam Bighill 4 sidelines
A suggestion, if we may: perhaps everyone in Bomberland should inhale with a deep breath, exhale slowly and then calmly resist the urge to slam that balled-up fist down on the panic button.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were thumped 30-6 by the B.C. Lions on home turf Thursday night and in the wake of that loss a familiar narrative about this veteran squad ‘aging out’ – a talking point which had gone silent with wins over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Saskatchewan Roughriders — has suddenly emerged again.
It’s not without just cause, given the home team’s work against the Lions. They lost the battle at the line of scrimmage, failed to score a touchdown for the first time since late 2021 and made Lions QB Vernon Adams, Jr. look like he is destined for the hall of fame.
The Blue Bombers have had sub-par performances over the last three years even after winning two Grey Cups and appearing in a third championship game, but rarely has the effort been this across-the-board below their lofty standard. As we stated in our game recap https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/06/22/game-recap-bc-30-wpg-6/ there’s no sense sugar-coating this, so to bring this home further consider this: the 24-point loss was the worst at home since a 36-9 spanking administered by the Calgary Stampeders in these parts back on August 29, 2015.
“Collectively as a team we didn’t play well enough. That’s all three phases,” said linebacker Adam Bighill. “We didn’t do enough. It’s simple. You’ve got to play your best or you’re going to lose in this league and B.C.’s a good football team. We knew that. We got beat. They were the better team.
“You like to learn and fix mistakes when you win, but even more evident and important to fix mistakes when you lose. Again, it wasn’t good enough. Now it’s about looking at the things that were hurting us.
“This is a chance for us to regroup and stay on our process. Sometimes you just have to take your medicine and get better.”
That’s the take a step back and look at the big picture approach you’d expect from Bighill and the rest of this veteran squad. They’ll assess this performance understanding fully it wasn’t good enough, take their medicine and get better.
There’s also this: it’s still June. It’s a Week 3 loss and there’s a whole lot of highway to travel between this setback and when the games have season-ending consequences.
“The one thing the veterans know about this team and the season is that it’s a long year,” said defensive end Willie Jefferson. “The two top teams in the West battled each other and everyone saw what happened.
“Now we come back to work and try to get back on top. This is something for to now put that adversity sticker on… it’s only Week 3, like I said, but now we’ve got to see the best team outside of us. B.C. showed us we can be beat. Now we’ve got to put that chip back on our shoulder and get back at it.”
More on the Blue Bombers 30-6 loss to the Lions in this week’s UPON FURTHER REVIEW…
ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END… as the old saying goes, and a number which had flown under the radar is now kaput for the Blue Bombers. Dating back to a loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 2018 Banjo Bowl, Winnipeg had cranked out 19 consecutive home wins against division opponents. That club record ended on Thursday.
Worth noting: that 19 game streak included the last two Western Finals and featured seven wins over Saskatchewan, six over Calgary, four over the Lions and two vs. the Elks.
THREE NUMBERS THAT JUMP OUT… from the statistical report of Thursday’s loss:
Winnipeg surrendered seven sacks against B.C.’s deep and talented defensive front – the highest total given up the club since a 38-8 loss to Hamilton on August 9, 2015. On that number, both Zach Collaros and head coach Mike O’Shea said immediately afterward there is more to a sack besides the pressure up front, although those on the O-line were quick to take the blame.
“This goes back to the same question or the same answer,” said O’Shea. “It’s never as simple as you may seem to think it is. So, whatever the numbers add up to, a stat like a sack is generated by the entire offence.”
Interestingly, four of those seven sacks came on second down, ending drives.
-Another uncharacteristic total: Winnipeg was nailed for nine penalties totalling 104 yards. That’s the first time the Blue Bombers have had over 100 yards in infractions since a win over Calgary in the 2019 Western Semi-Final (8-102 that day). On more on that: 53 of those 104 yards in penalties came on B.C.’s first possession as Abu Daramy-Swaray and Desmond Lawrence were nailed for pass interference calls that totalled 36 and 17 yards.
-The Blue Bombers potent offence, which entered the game averaging 39.0 points per game, was held out of the end zone for the first time since November 20, 2021, and a 13-12 loss in the regular-season finale in which Collaros played just the first quarter before being rested for the playoffs. Critical to that ineffectiveness was Winnipeg’s struggles on second down – the offence averaged just 2.6 yards on second down.
AND, FINALLY… these milestones seem much less noteworthy after a loss like Thursday, but a salute to Collaros, who started his 100th game – he’s 64-37 in his career now, including 35-6 (including playoffs) as a starter with the Blue Bombers. He also became the 22nd player in league history to crack the 25,000-passing mark in CFL history. He’s now at 25,185.
As well, Bighill registered six tackles against his old club to push his career total to 832. With two more takedowns he’ll pass Solomon Elimimian – a former teammate – and move into sixth place on the CFL’s all-time list.
