Courtesy Winnipeg Free Press:

As final dress rehearsals go, it served up just enough entertainment to have the masses salivating for more.

But while the curtain lifts on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers real football season in a week, based on what was on display in Thursday night’s 19-16 victory over the Montreal Alouettes the early return on the 2008 edition is that it remains a bit of a mixed bag right now. Yes, as talented as this crew is it nonetheless has a whole pile of fine-tuning to do — and in a hurry — before the lid lifts on the real campaign next Friday against the Toronto Argonauts.

It will also enter the campaign with some unanswered questions, many of which could linger into the first month of the season or so.

Here’s one observer’s take on what we saw in the annual Hall of Fame game, played before an announced sell-out crowd of 29,553:

WHAT WE DO KNOW

Don’t touch that defensive front seven…

No surprises here, but the Bomber D-line of Doug Brown and Jerome Haywood and ends Tom Canada and Gavin Walls was spectacular against the Als. Expect more of the same all season as this foursome rivals any in the Canadian Football League. The linebacking trio of Barrin Simpson, Ike Charlton and Cam Hall is also set in concrete and if Hall’s first quarter is an indicator — he had five tackles in the first 15 minutes — don’t expect a sophomore jinx from the team’s top rookie.

QB controversy? Yeah, right…

OK, so Kevin Glenn didn’t exactly fill the skies Thursday night. In fact, while he finished the first quarter just one-of-five for nine yards with two interceptions and a time-count penalty, he settled in after that and moved the ball. A little rusty, but he took some shots, too, and his left arm held up to the pounding.

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