The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated the Calgary Stampeders on Friday night 41-37 in front of 29,467 fans at Princess Auto Stadium. Below are my thoughts on the game.
Zach meets Wilson
Franchise quarterback Zach Collaros made his return from injury on Friday night and had easily his best game of the season as he and Ontaria Wilson put on a show.
Wilson finished the game with 13 catches for 201 yards and one touchdown on the night, tying James Murphy and Derick Armstrong for second in team history in single-game receptions. The score came on an incredible catch during the second quarter, while he and Collaros almost connected for another long touchdown near the start of the third quarter with the ball falling inches beyond the rookie receivers’ outstretched fingertips.
ONTARIA WILSON (@THEFSUMAN) GOES DEEP!!!
Zach Collaros (@ZCollaros7) finds the rookie for his first TD pass of the season.#CFL #Bombers #ForTheW
pic.twitter.com/Lv7kgIIbAF— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) July 13, 2024
Wilson said postgame that he expected to have at least 100 yards knowing that he’d have several opportunities to make big plays, though he never imagined reaching 200 yards, something he’d never before done in his life.
“From game one to now, I feel like everything’s just a little bit slower and coming to me better,” said Wilson. “Definitely fewer mental mistakes, I’m able to see the coverage and just know where guys are.”
I was critical of Collaros in this space two weeks ago for not being more willing to throw to his young receivers. That changed — to some extent, anyway — this week as he targeted Wilson a jaw-dropping 16 times after throwing to him only eight times over the first four games of the season. Nic Demski got nine targets and Drew Wolitarsky got seven as Collaros finished the night 27-of-36 for 344 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
For what it’s worth, Collaros denied making a concerted effort to spread the ball around more generously. Josh Johnson and Kevens Clercius, the team’s two other rookie starters, finished the game with only one target apiece.
“I’m sure there were certain guys who were the number one person in the concept but that’s just the way the cookie crumbled. You never go into a game plan saying to yourself, ‘I have to make sure this guy gets a touch.’ Usually, if you’ve got a guy-guy, you want him to get involved but I think we have five good ones out there right now,” said Collaros.
The veteran’s first interception came on Winnipeg’s first possession of the game on a slant route intended for Drew Wolitarsky. It looked like the Stampeders were in man coverage across the board behind a blitzing front, so Wolitarsky’s route was probably the right read. The issue was Roberson lined up with inside leverage before driving hard on the ball and, upon replay, it looked like the pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage, giving the defender a slightly longer window to make a play on it.
Collaros also missed a key second-down throw to Nic Demski late in the first quarter on what looked like a long dig route against man coverage. Calgary’s defence parted like the Red Sea, giving Collaros a mile-wide throwing lane, though he still threw the ball well behind the intended receiver. He also targeted Demski on his second interception of the night, which was thrown on a corner route into double coverage.
All in all, it was still the best performance of the season so far from Collaros. He looked like a two-time league Most Outstanding Player on Winnipeg’s final offensive drive, especially on a 42-yard bomb to Wilson to get into scoring position. Now he just has to sustain it.
It will be interesting to see if Wilson can sustain his success as well. He might be the next Kenny Lawler, though he might also be the next Carleton Agudosi. Time will tell.
Takeaways and breakaways
Winnipeg’s defence, which managed only four takeaways over the first four games of the season, has erupted for six in their last two contests.
Tyrell Ford intercepted Jake Maier early in the first quarter and returned it 42 yards, setting up a 31-yard field goal from Sergio Castillo. Deatrick Nichols forced Peyton Logan to fumble later that same quarter and it was recovered by Global rookie Lucky Ogbevoen in his CFL debut, setting up another field goal from Castillo.
With Winnipeg’s offence unable to score touchdowns off the first two turnovers, Nichols took matters into his own hands late in the second quarter when he intercepted Maier and returned it 55 yards to the house. It was only the 30-year-old’s second interception since the start of the 2022 season, a byproduct of how little teams throw his way.
Winnipeg’s defence gave up far too many explosion plays on Friday, however, including a 53-yard catch-and-run to Jalen Philpot early in the first quarter and a 53-yard run by Dedrick Mills right before halftime.
“I think if we look at a couple of those, you’re gonna see an angle here or there that was a bad angle. (If you) have an idea that if you’re going to cut that off (as a defensive player), you better make a play or you can’t afford to do that. (There were) some missed tackles,” said head coach Mike O’Shea.
“I thought in that very first drive where (Calgary) went down on two really big plays — two explosives — and marched down, I didn’t think we had to our legs with us yet. I don’t think we were running, we were watching, waiting for someone else to make a play.”
Calgary finished the game with 458 yards of offence, including 316 from Jake Maier, who also threw two touchdowns and two interceptions. Winnipeg’s defence will need to prevent those types of big plays moving forward, though the takeaways were undeniably important. Without the field position they provided — or points, in the case of the pick-six — it seems unlikely Winnipeg’s offence would have put up enough points to win.
“(The defence was) not good enough,” said veteran defensive lineman Jake Thomas. “I think it was great to see we’re finally starting to get some takeaways — that’s a big part of what we’ve done here for a lot of years — but we’ve just gotta clean up a lot of things. … I think a lot of it just came down to missed tackles, so we’ll go back to the drawing board. We’ve just gotta start making those plays.”
Building pressure
Judging by the response from fans on social media, many seem upset with how many open receivers Calgary consistently had downfield.
If you ask me, the biggest problem with Winnipeg’s defence is a lack of pass rush. Jake Maier, arguably the slowest starting quarterback in the CFL, had more than enough time to throw for most of the game and was able to run away from oncoming defenders on the rare occasion one broke loose.
Big boys only make big plays!
Jake Thomas (@fatboiThomas) comes up with a huge sack to force a punt and secure a Winnipeg victory!#CFL #Bombers #ForTheW
pic.twitter.com/glhkzaLdHH— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) July 13, 2024
Credit to Jake Thomas for bringing Maier down on Calgary’s final drive of the game but the team can’t wait 58 minutes to get after the passer and expect to win consistently.
“I hadn’t done much the whole game, so it was good to get one,” said Thomas of his late-game sack. “It was a good play call and we ran a little inside game between me and (Jamal) Woods and the quarterback was just there and luckily I was able to finish. I had missed a few earlier in the day but it’s a 12-man defence, if our DBs aren’t covering there, he can make a quick throw, so luckily it was my turn to make the play and I was able to capitalize on it.”
“I don’t really talk to the group a ton but before we went out there (for Calgary’s final drive) I said, ‘Guys, whatever’s happened this first 57, 58 minutes is behind us. We’ve just got to play perfect football these next three,’ so I think that was the mindset I was in there. Luckily enough, I was able to make play.”
The Blue Bombers seem high on TyJuan Garbutt, who is expected to return from injury next week, but they need to find a way to get more out of their front four. It also seems notable that Anthony Bennett, who was cut after suffering an injury during training camp, was in the locker room after the game.
Season series
Friday’s game was the second and final meeting between Calgary and Winnipeg this season, the first of which the Stampeders won 22-19 at McMahon Stadium two weeks ago.
This is why Winnipeg went for a two-point convert just before the three-minute warning as Zach Collaros hit Nic Demski to make the score 41-37. Had the Blue Bombers won by fewer than four points, the season series would still be up for grabs. Instead, they’ve won it.
Challenging challenge
Mike O’Shea threw his challenge flag midway through the second quarter after an eight-yard catch and run by Nic Demski was ruled incomplete. Upon replay, it appeared as though Demski got his hands under the ball to secure the catch, which was confirmed by the command centre.
The issue is that the officials blew the play dead before yards were gained, which meant they couldn’t be awarded after the play was overturned. This resulted in Winnipeg winning the challenge but losing yardage, facing second-and-twelve instead of second-and-ten.
“I probably should have picked it up, I’m so just pissed off at that point. Emotion got the best of me. I know the result is going to be we’re not going to get any yards after that, so I should not worry about proving a point. I should just pick the challenge flag up and go to second-and-ten,” said O’Shea. “It’s stupid on my part. I know what’s gonna happen, they can’t give us any yards. I’m so angry at that point, which is not good.”
Winnipeg converted for a first down on the following play as Collaros hit Demski for a 14-yard gain but it was still the wrong decision from the veteran head coach. O’Shea indicated the official nearest the play initially ruled it a catch, though they were overruled by an official standing — in his estimation — 30 to 40 yards away.
I think the league’s officiating is generally quite good — often on par with other professional sports leagues, some of which have far larger budgets than the CFL. However, this is the second straight game the officials have initially made an egregious mistake in Winnipeg. The headshot on Chris Streveler wasn’t called until the command centre stepped in last week and a clear catch was prematurely blown dead this week. Not good.
O’Shea’s second challenge worked out much better as Branden Dozier was called for incidental pass interference on Drew Wolitarsky on a play that was originally unpenalized. The play, which came in the late stages of the fourth quarter, turned what would have been a punt from the Winnipeg end zone into a first down, sparking a 102-yard drive that ended in a touchdown pass to Nic Demski.
Serg-ing ahead
Sergio Castillo’s hot streak came to an end when he missed a 53-yard field goal near the start of the third quarter, though it was still a solid game from the veteran as he went four-for-five on the night.
Castillo best kick of the day came at the end of the first quarter when he punched one through from 57 yards out with what appeared to be a light wind at his back.
The 33-year-old is now 17-for-20 on his field goal attempts this season, including 16-for-17 since the microchip fiasco of Week 1. If the season ended today, he could easily be Winnipeg’s nominee for Most Outstanding Player.
Discipline
Winnipeg was uncharacteristically undisciplined last week, taking eight penalties for 95 yards. Four of the calls negated first downs on offence, while a fifth one turned a third-and-one into third-and-six, forcing a punt.
On Friday, the Blue Bombers were much more disciplined as they took three penalties for 47 yards. Most of that yardage came late in the second quarter when cornerback Terrell Bonds grabbed Clark Barnes’ arm on a 33-yard deep shot down the left sideline, drawing a flag for defensive pass interference.
O’Shea characterized the contact as “a bit of hand fighting” after the game, though he didn’t consider throwing his challenge flag as he didn’t think there was any chance the call would be overturned.
Canadian content
The Blue Bombers started 10 Canadian players on Friday night — three more than the minimum requirement of seven — including one at running back, three at receiver, two along the defensive line, and one at cornerback.
Several of them strongly impacted the game as Brady Oliveira ran for 109 yards, Nic Demski scored the game-winning touchdown, Drew Wolitarsky recorded 61 receiving yards, Redha Kramdi led the team in tackles, Jake Thomas had a game-sealing sack, and Tyrell Ford intercepted his second pass of the year.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: anyone who suggests there’s not enough Canadian talent to fill CFL rosters is wrong. If you draft and develop talent effectively, you can win starting extra Canadians and doing so at positions typically reserved for American players.
Taken for Grant-ed
Janarion Grant’s red-hot start to the season has many fans in Bomberland expressing their regret that the team wasn’t able to retain him in free agency. The former CFL all-star has two return touchdowns in only five games with the Toronto Argonauts and now sits tied for sixth all-time in career return touchdowns behind Gizmo Williams, Bashir Levingston, Brandon Banks, Keith Stokes, and Earl Winfield.
For the record, Grant’s contract with the Argos will pay him $84,000 in hard money this season with playtime bonuses maxing out at $92,500, per source. It’s hardly a rich deal.
Chris Smith has been respectable since taking over the return duties in Week 3 — his 34-yard kickoff return to start the second quarter was slick — but he’s not a top-five returner in the CFL, much less on Grant’s level.
On the topic of special teams, Tanner Cadwallader’s blocked punt midway through the third quarter was as good as a takeaway as Nick Hallett recovered and the Stampeders were assessed a five-yard penalty for no yards, allowing Winnipeg to scrimmage at the Calgary 31-yard line. Four plays later, Chris Streveler punched in a three-yard touchdown run.
White out
Winnipeg wore their road uniforms on Friday night to celebrate their annual “wear white” game. Here’s a thought: why not create an all-white alternate uniform to commemorate the occasion? White helmets, white jersey, white pants, and white socks with a few blue and gold accents thrown in.
The Cincinnati Bengals introduced all-white uniforms last year, which drew rave reviews. Earlier this NFL off-season, the Minnesota Vikings unveiled “winter warrior” uniforms in much the same vein.
Fans in Winnipeg are already accustomed to wearing white to Jets playoff games in honour of the “white out.” It seems reasonable to think an all-white look for the Blue Bombers would be popular with fans as well.
Feelin’ hot, hot, hot
It was 30 degrees at kickoff in Winnipeg, feeling like 40 with the humidex. It was unpleasantly warm sitting in the open-air press box — I can only imagine how it felt for the players on the field.
I’ve never understood people who love summer. Between the intense heat, lightning, thunder, flash floods, insects, sunburns, sweat, construction, and body odour, it’s certainly not the best season. I’d argue it’s the worst.
At the very least, it was nice to avoid the thunderstorms that were in the forecast for much of the week. I’ll take credit for that, as I brought an umbrella with me to the game. Had I left it at home, I’m sure it would have poured.
Nice try, kid
My eight-year-old niece and nephew were given the opportunity to be on the field for warmups on Friday night alongside a little over 50 other kids to take in the atmosphere at Princess Auto Stadium.
My nephew proudly announced to my brother and sister-in-law on Friday morning that he intended to sneak over to Winnipeg’s bench after warmups with the goal of entering the game where he’d “score a bunch of touchdowns.” If he made it to the bench, which remains unclear, Mike O’Shea elected not to put him in, which is probably for the best considering he weighs under 60 pounds.
Next up
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-4) will visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders (4-0) on Friday, July 19 in what will be the first of three meetings between the two teams this season. The Riders will play once before that as they’re scheduled to visit the B.C. Lions on Saturday, July 13 with Shea Patterson in place of the injured Trevor Harris.
Winnipeg won the season series against their prairie rivals last year 2-1, winning the summertime matchup at Mosaic Stadium by a score of 45-27. Zach Collaros hit Dalton Schoen and Drew Wolitarsky for touchdowns in the win, though the game is most remembered for Janarion Grant’s 92-yard punt return touchdown that some consider the best return in CFL history.
