Bombers lose another game, more key players (& 12 other thoughts)

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were defeated by the B.C. Lions on Saturday afternoon by a score of 36-27 in front of 25,034 fans at Investors Group Field. Below are my thoughts on the game.

1. Richie Hall’s defence allowed 543 yards of offence on Saturday afternoon, 192 of which came on just four offensive plays. This is just one week after the Bombers’ defensive allowed 572 yards of offence in Toronto, a performance Hall called “embarrassing.” The performance wasn’t a total bust — the Bombers forced three turnovers, while Ian Wild looked good in an increased role — but it was an undeniably poor performance from a unit that has been the subject of much criticism this season. Rookie defensive backs Brandon Alexander and Robert Porter struggled consistently, while Brian Walker appeared to give up on Nick Moore’s first quarter touchdown. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the Bombers need to make a change at defensive coordinator when Richie Hall’s contract expires at the end of this season.

2. Matt Nichols left Saturday’s game early due to an apparent calf injury. The veteran pivot spent no more than a minute on the trainers’ table before spending the rest of the game on the sideline, walking limp-free. Needless to say, it’s a pretty safe bet that Nichols would have stayed in the game had Saturday’s game been a must-win contest. Barring a setback, it’s a safe bet that Nichols will be healthy for the playoffs in two weeks.

3. Bomber fans were quick to criticize the performance of Dominique Davis after his first three drives in relief of Nichols ended in two-and-outs. Davis was eventually pulled early in the fourth quarter — his replacement, Dan LeFevour, was awful — but I didn’t like the decision to remove Davis from the game. The Bombers haven’t developed their own starting quarterback in decades. Davis, now in his third year with the club, needs playing time to continue his development. If you’re going to criticize the Bombers for the club’s failure to develop quarterbacks, it’s unfair to complain about keeping a young quarterback on the field after just three poor possessions.

4. Speaking of the Bombers’ quarterback depth, a name to keep an eye on this upcoming off-season is Darian Durant. If Paul LaPolice stays in Winnipeg into next season and the money is right, I’d go as far as to call Winnipeg the most likely destination for the veteran pivot.

5. Speaking of LaPolice, a month ago Bomber fans were panicking about the possibility of Winnipeg’s offensive coordinator leaving for a head coaching job this upcoming off-season. Since then, the Bombers have averaged a measly 280 yards of offence and scored just four offensive touchdowns in as many games. There’s a lot more to the Bombers’ offensive struggles than just scheme, but there’s no denying that those are ugly numbers.

6. Shawn Davis’ unpenalized hit on Andrew Harris is just further evidence that the CFL doesn’t care about policing helmet-to-helmet hits. A shameful display from the league’s officials — again.

7. Speaking of Harris, it’s fairly safe to assume that the Most Outstanding Canadian candidate won’t play in Calgary next week regardless of the severity of his apparent concussion. This means Harris would fall short of achieving the CFL’s first-ever 1,000-yard/1,000-yard season, finishing the year with 967 rushing yards and 829 receiving yards. Remarkably, this would be the third time in his career that Harris finishes a season within 35 yards of 1,000 without reaching that milestone (2013, 998; 2016, 974; 2017, 967).

8. Defensive tackle Junior Luke, drafted seventh overall by the Lions in this past May’s draft, is growing nicely into a starting role out west. It’s early, but there’s no denying Luke has had a better rookie season than Faith Ekakitie, the Iowa product who the Bombers drafted first overall. Is there anyone out there who thought the Bombers should draft Luke first overall? Oh, yeah. I did.

9. Justin Medlock converted on all seven of his field goal attempts on Saturday, ending a rough four-game stretch that saw the kicker hit on just seven of thirteen attempts. For now, it appears the veteran is back to being his former self.

10. There are plenty of people receiving blame for the Bombers’ recent struggles — Richie Hall, Brandon Alexander, Brian Walker, Dominique Davis, etc. — but it’s time for Danny McManus and Kyle Walters to share in the criticism. McManus and Walters have done an admirable job of building depth in some areas of the club’s roster, but the state of Winnipeg’s receiving corps is laughable. Weston Dressler is routinely seeing double-coverage in the absence of Darvin Adams and yet the rest of the club’s pass catchers have been incapable of taking advantage. L’Damian Washington and Ryan Lankford have been ineffective all season, while it’s becoming increasingly evident that Clarence Denmark can no longer produce at the CFL level. There are a number of areas the Bombers need to address in the off-season — aside from hiring a competent defensive coordinator, restocking the receiving corps with quality Americans should be the top priority.

11. It was great to see Derek Jones get some recognition for a solid outing on Saturday. The 2014 fourth-round draft pick registered a blocked punt — the sixth of his career — two tackles, a special teams tackle, and a sack. Jones isn’t well-known by fans around the league, but he’d be more than capable of starting for a number of CFL teams.

12. Saturday’s game was the perfect example of how sacks allowed isn’t always a statistic upon which one can fairly judge an offensive line. The Lions recorded three sacks against the Bombers, all of which came as a result of quarterbacks holding onto the ball for far too long. Winnipeg’s offensive line was very good in both the run and pass game on Saturday despite the absence of Travis Bond. If there’s one unit that is of little concern in Bomberland, it’s the offensive line.

13. The Bombers have lost three of their past four games and are playing their worst football of the season. Winnipeg will face a hungry Calgary Stampeder team on Friday night that is coming off the club’s first two-game losing streak in over five years. Should the Bombers lose, Edmonton would have an opportunity to clinch second place in the West Division with a victory in Regina on Saturday.