You have heard it said many times by football coaches “there are 2 or 3 or 4 plays in every game that make the difference between winning and losing.”
It’s not always true. But often it is.
And it definitely applied in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers season opening 38-33 loss to Montreal.
As the teams get set for a rematch Thursday at Percival Molson Stadium, the Blue bombers have wisely put the official opening game at magnificent Investors Group Field behind them. No point living in the past. Still, head coach Tim Burke and his staff could hardly be faulted if they were still haunted by the following:
1. An offside penalty against slotback Terrence edwards in the first quarter that wiped out a 30-yard gain by Chad Simpson to the Montreal two-yard line. Instead of a likely touchdown, the Bombers settled for 3 points.
2. A holding penalty against Steve Morley that cost the Bombers what would have been their only first down of the fourth quarter at a time when they were nursing a two-point lead and needed to keep the ball away from Anthony Calvillo.
3. A 42-yard Calvillo chuck-and-duck for a toucdown to S.J. Green that started Montreal’s comeback from a 9-point third quarter deficit. Bomber safey Cauchy Muamba appeared to misjudge Calvillo’s desparate heave to Green. That score came after Burke decided to punt from his end zone rather than concede a safety touch.
4. And finally, a pass interference call against Jovon Johnson on another desparation Calvillo toss with the Als 2nd and 25 from their 19-yard line. That play netted 49 yards and led to Sean Whyte’s game winning field goal.
That handful of plays, plus the Bombers not generating one fourth quarter first down, and a turnover ratio of 5 to 1 in favour of Montreal left the Bombers feeling like one could have slipped away
Much truth in that, but the Alouettes have been the most successful team in the CFL the past 2 decades for that very reason. They rarely beat themselves.
Burke learned that lesson well when he served as an assistant coach for three years under Marc Trestman. And nobody knows better than Burke that eliminating turnovers and keeping the ball away from Calvillo is the secret to evening the season opening back-to-back series with the Als when the clubs meet in Montreal Thursday night.
