Courtesy Winnipeg Free Press:

MIGHT as well ask five-day old Colin Hunter Stegall what’s ailing his dad Milt’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers — he’d be able to figure it out about as well as head coach Doug Berry.

At 4 a.m. on Thursday, the day before the Bombers’ 38-24 loss to the Montreal Alouettes that dropped last year’s Grey Cup finalists to 0-2, Colin was brought into the world at St. Boniface Hospital. Mom Darlene, father and injured Bomber slotback Milt and son/brother Chase were reported by the Bombers on Sunday to all be doing fine.

But Berry was still somewhat bewildered and befuddled about his Blue Bombers, who return to practice this afternoon in preparation for the first of home-and-away games against the B.C. Lions, another pre-season Grey Cup favourite who find themselves 0-2. They tangle in Game 1 Friday night at Canad Inns Stadium.

“I wish it would be real easy to say, ‘Wow, there’s one guy on defence that’s letting us down a number of times and we can plug a hole, or whether it be offence, defence or special teams,” Berry said. “But it’s not. I’m looking at our second-down production on offence. And sometimes, it’s good defence. Don Matthews always used to say, ‘Those other guys, they get paid too.’”

Well, OK… but the CFL has a Salary Management System, so the Als probably get paid about the same as the Bombers. With the disparity in play — the Bombers were lifeless as they fell behind 28-0 and trailed 31-7 at half-time in Montreal — the Als looked like more than 40 guys on million-dollar contracts while Berry’s Bad Boys looked like the Winnipeg Rifles with no pop in their guns.

Berry, optimistically, said maybe the second-half scoring outburst was an indication his club is starting to gel. He also said he would talk to his charges about the possibility there was a little bit too much partying going on in a city known for its late-night “enticements,” as Berry called them, although he wasn’t making any accusations. Still, “If the shoe fits, wear it.”

The two most dangerous offensive weapons this team has had in recent years — running back Charles Roberts and Stegall — have been non-factors. Stegall, obviously, because he hasn’t played but is likely to return from his off-season arthroscopic knee surgery Friday. Roberts, though, has only 19 carries for 87 yards and eight receptions for 36 yards — far less than other premium backs in the CFL.

Recent history shows that when Roberts carries the ball more than 20 times, the Bombers almost always win.

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