Mark Masters
CFL.ca
For Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans the only thing worse than losing to the Saskatchewan Roughriders is losing to the Saskatchewan Roughriders twice. But that’s the reality Bombers fans face after the Labour Day home-and-home series.
When you consider Toronto won on Friday to move into a tie with the Bombers for third in the East Division, it’s hard to imagine a worse week for Winnipeg and rookie head coach Mike Kelly.
What are Winnipeg fans feeling like right now? Probably a little like Serena Williams after a foot-fault call.
The Bombers were already having a bad week when they took the field Sunday against the Roughriders. Why? Well, linebacker Barrin Simpson, second in the league in tackles before last week’s games, requested to be traded after a falling out with Kelly.
After getting thrashed 55-10 by the Riders the Bombers placed Simpson on the injured reserve.
The situation in Winnipeg is about as comfortable as a Kanye West / Taylor Swift awards show run-in.
When quarterback Michael Bishop joined the team early this season expectations were low, because the former Rider and Argo had not gone through training camp. Bishop exceeded these early expectations by managing the game well and not turning over the ball.
As the Bombers have continued to struggle Bishop seems to be trying to do too much. Now, with a trip to league-leading Montreal looming, things could be reaching a breaking point.
How to solve the problem? Not to oversimplify but … Just run, run, run.
In their last three losses the Bombers have rushed the ball an average of 15.6 times per game. In their last win, at BC, they rushed the ball 42 times. Fred Reid and Yvenson Bernard are among Winnipeg’s top weapons on offence. If you’re going to go down you might as well go down with your top guys.
Reid actually leads the league in rushing and this is on a 3-7 team. He’s averaging 6.6 yards a carry. You got to let your best players decide games.
Montreal has shown they are vulnerable to the run in recent weeks. In their last two games the Alouettes have allowed 343 yards on the ground.
If Winnipeg is going to make the playoffs this season it will be because of their running game.
Now on to this week’s playoff projections …
PLAYOFF PROJECTION
The Toronto Argos rise in this week’s projections at the expense of the Bombers, while the Roughriders rise at the expense of the Edmonton Eskimos. However, the six projected playoff teams remain the same.
EAST
1. Montreal (8-2)
Projection: First in the East
Quick hit: It wasn’t pretty but the Alouettes grounded out a win against BC on Sunday. Montreal is now three games clear of second-place Hamilton.
Home games remaining: 4
Key game: Sept. 25 @ Hamilton
2. Hamilton (5-5)
Projection: Second in the East
Quick hit: They could have moved six points clear in the race for home-field advantage in the East Division, but instead dropped a heart breaker against the Argos on Friday night. All of the sudden they are only two games in front of Toronto and Winnipeg with red-hot Calgary visiting Ivor Wynne this week.
Home games remaining: 4
Key game: Oct. 12 vs. Winnipeg
3. Toronto Argonauts (3-7)
Projection: Third in the East, miss the playoffs
Quick hit: The Argos needed to win on Friday and they delivered. Now, if they can somehow translate their first home win in more than 13 months into some momentum they may actually salvage a season that seemed lost. If they win at BC Place this week they will, hard as it may be to believe, move into a playoff spot.
Home games remaining: 4
Key game: Saturday at BC
4. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (3-7)
Projection: Fourth in the East, miss the playoffs
Quick hit: An ugly home loss to their Labour Day rivals means the heat is turned way up on Kelly. They have more home games left than any other team in the league so they still have a shot, but they better make their move soon. A trip to Montreal doesn’t bode well this week.
Home games remaining: 5
Key game: Oct. 12 @ Hamilton
WEST
1. Calgary Stampeders (6-4)
Projection: First in West
Quick hit: They held serve on Labour Day and then stole one in Edmonton on Friday night. The club is starting to hit their stride after a slow start. They are now firmly in the drivers’ seat in the West.
Home games remaining: 4
Key game: Oct. 23 vs. Edmonton
2. Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-4)
Projection: Second in the west
Quick hit: A convincing win in Winnipeg means they catapult Edmonton in this playoff projection. A home-and-home series with the Eskimos will go a long way to deciding who is seeded where come November.
Home games remaining: 4
Key games: Sept. 20 vs. Edmonton, Sept. 26 @ Edmonton
3. Edmonton Eskimos (5-5)
Projection: Third in the West
Quick hit: It wasn’t long ago the Eskimos were atop the West Division. Now they are just a .500 club reeling from a big coaching staff shakeup. They have fewer home games remaining than any other team in the league so they are facing an uphill battle in the ultra-competitive West Division.
Home games remaining: 3
Key games: Sept. 20 @ Saskatchewan, Sept. 26 vs. Saskatchewan
4. BC Lions (4-6)
Projection: Fourth in the West, crossover to East as third seed
Quick hit: The Lions nearly pulled off a big road win at Montreal on Sunday, but fell short. They return home needing a win against the Argos to solidify their cross-over credentials.
Home games remaining: 4
Key game: Saturday vs. Toronto
TWEETS OF THE WEEK
Winnipeg fans are so desperate they have been reduced to begging …
@neener4 Please @BarrinSimpson Don’t give up on the #Bombers they need you and so do your fans. #CFL
Those of you who follow @CFLca on Twitter have been enjoying the commentary of the league’s Manager of Digital Media Jaime Stein. He had a chance recently to go to Saskatchewan and investigate the origins of the watermelon helmet.
@jaimestein WATERMELONS!?!?! My documentary is now live. Find out the story of the watermelon helmet – http://bit.ly/4Gnnc7 #CFL
If you ever wondered how large pieces of fruit end up on the heads of die-hard Roughriders fans then this is a must watch.
Calgary’s Nik Lewis is becoming a regular in the Tweets of the Week segment and with good reason. This week he wonders out loud about the CFL playoff race.
@nikel18 I still think 1 team from the west will crossover. Am I wrong? (Sept. 13)
We’ll get a good idea of whether Nik is wrong on Saturday night when BC hosts Toronto.
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