Aug
Bombers feel they are still in the hunt
Courtesy Winnipeg Free Press:
The CFL season is exactly one-third old and if you know who the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are, well, email us and we’ll put you in touch with Lyle Bauer because the CEO would sure like to hear what you have to say.
At 2-4, there’s one thing for sure, and that’s Winnipeg’s spot in the standings, tied for dead last in the East. Only the West’s Dumpster-diving B.C. Lions and the lost-at-sea Toronto Argonauts in the East have been as inept as the Big Blue to date this season.
This being the CFL, however, one of those teams will make the playoffs, so it’s far too early to write this season off. But who the Bombers are and what to expect from them going forward? Good luck finding those answers.
These Bombers have had more ups and downs than a toilet seat at a mixed party. Insert Jekyll and Hyde joke here. The Internet forums are a case study in chemical imbalance. One minute the pollsters are flying high and the next they’re ready to pull a Thelma and Louise, with coach Mike Kelly along for the ride.
Speaking of the top dog, we stalked the Bombers offices on Monday in hopes of a five-minute audience with the Pope of Prairie Pigskin and got it.
On our mind was the state of the club’s three separate departments, offence, defence and special teams, at the one-third pole. Here’s our take, Kelly’s take, and the raw numbers.
gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca
The Big Picture
THE NUMBERS: 2-4 and last in the East
KELLY’S COMMENTS: “There are a lot of teams that are pretty close. Two and four, we’d be a game out of first in the West. Montreal came out of the gates last year 7-0 and then went 4-7 down the stretch. Our whole thing is keep getting better.
“With the way our schedule plays out (five of Bombers’ last seven are at home) I think we still have a legitimate shot at being in the conversation when November rolls around. Because we run the ball well, the weather changes in Winnipeg, I think we have a chance.”
OUR TAKE: Fair enough. But this club made the post-season, including one Grey Cup appearance, the previous three seasons under Doug Berry and he was punted in favour of change and the promise of progess. We need a little more for our money than a ticket to the playoffs.
