Winnipeg Blue Bombers give ball, victory away to Toronto Argonauts (& 11 other thoughts)

By
John Hodge
-
Photo courtesy: Winnipeg Blue Bombers

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers lost to the Toronto Argonauts by a score of 16-14 in front of 14,994 fans at BMO Field on Saturday night. Below are my thoughts on the game.

Wasted opportunities

Brady Oliveira and Drew Wolitarsky both lost fumbles in Toronto territory during the first half, squandering what would likely have been scoring drives. Oliveira’s fumble came after Fraser Sopik punched the ball out on a 22-yard run up the middle, while Wolitarsky lost the ball after taking a vicious hit from Robert Priester on a 16-yard catch-and-run.

They were the two defining plays of the opening 30 minutes as the Blue Bombers outgained Toronto by 149 yards, yet the game was tied 6-6 at halftime. Things could have been even worse for Winnipeg as Ontaria Wilson also committed an early fumble, though he was able to recover it to preserve a drive that ended in a 15-yard field goal from Sergio Castillo.

The Blue Bombers continued shooting themselves in the foot during the second half as Nic Demski fumbled after making a 30-yard catch early in the fourth quarter. It marked the second straight week Demski lost a fumble in enemy territory late in a close game on the road, which is a troubling trend. The club committed its fifth and final turnover with one minute left in regulation on a turnover of downs, which we’ll discuss more in a moment.

Winnipeg’s defence was brilliant overall but also squandered multiple chances to record takeaways as Michael Griffin II dropped a would-be interception from Cameron Dukes early in the first quarter. Had he secured the ball, he would have had a great chance to return it for a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, Tyrell Ford had a decent shot at an interception when Nick Arbuckle threw a pass behind Dave Ungerer, though the Canadian cornerback was also unable to squeeze it.

Sergio Castillo took points off the board twice, missing a 43-yard field goal attempt right before halftime and a 41-yarder in overtime. After a long hot streak that included multiple field goals from beyond 55 yards, Castillo has gone cold.

When you put up 400 yards of offence, you should win. When you only allow 205 yards of offence, you should win. When you only take one penalty, you should win. When your opponent punts 10 times, you should win. When your opponent is down to its second and third-string quarterbacks, you should win.

The Blue Bombers lost. And, now 2-6 with a tough game coming up on a short week, their season is slipping away. Fast.

Kram-D

The performance of Winnipeg’s defence will be easy to overlook given the mistakes the rest of the team made but the unit was simply sensational in Toronto.

Redha Kramdi was a one-man wrecking crew from his spot at strong-side linebacker, recording eight tackles, one tackle for loss, and two sacks. One of his tackles came early in the second quarter when he met Ka’Deem Carey one-in-one in the hole and crushed the dangerous running back — who outweighs him by about 10 pounds — to limit the play to a one-yard gain.

Adam Bighill also came up huge late in the fourth quarter when he stuffed Cameron Dukes on third-and-one, forcing a turnover on downs. Winnipeg took possession at their 30-yard line with five minutes left and generated their only touchdown of the night, which came on a 55-yard strike from Zach Collaros to Ontaria Wilson.

Tyrell Ford had two pass knockdowns, while Willie Jefferson, Michael Griffin II, and Deatrick Nichols each recorded one.

Winnipeg’s defence has allowed 28 points over their last two games and lost both. That doesn’t seem fair.

The decision

Head coach Mike O’Shea is going to be criticized for the decision to gamble on third-and-one in the final minute of the game but, frankly, he shouldn’t.

This is the CFL — defences need to line up a full yard off the ball, which means you should always be able to convert on third-and-one. Winnipeg’s short-yardage unit was spectacular until the end of the game when it mattered most, coming up just short. Run blocking is the strength of the offensive line. They let the team down late.

Sure, Winnipeg could have kicked a 29-yard field goal to take a 16-13 lead but then the Argonauts would have had a minute to play for the tie or the win. Had the Blue Bombers converted for a first down, they could have kicked a game-winning field goal with virtually no time remaining.

For what it’s worth, O’Shea regretted his decision when speaking to CJOB 680 postgame, citing the strong play of Winnipeg’s defence.

“(We should have) kicked that field goal and not made that decision (to gamble), put it back on the defence,” said O’Shea. “Our defence was doing extremely well all game. I don’t know what the numbers show but I thought they did very well.”

The veteran coach’s point is well-taken but you can only ask one side of the ball to do so much. Winnipeg’s defence was brilliant in Toronto. Asking the offence to get a yard shouldn’t have been too much to expect.

Taken for Grant-ed

Janarion Grant faced his former team for the first time on Saturday night and was essentially a non-factor, recording two kickoff returns for 36 yards, one punt return for six yards, and one missed field goal return for 31 yards. Second-year punter Jamieson Sheahan did a nice job of keeping the ball out of Grant’s hands, including a brilliant punt to end the first quarter as it rolled out of bounds at Toronto’s four-yard line.

Grant recorded return touchdowns in three consecutive games ahead of this week’s matchup, tying a league record. He also moved up the career return touchdowns list to sit one shy of Keith Stokes and Earl Winfield, who are tied for fourth all-time with 12. He was unable to improve on that figure this week as Tony Jones, Michael Griffin II, Tanner Cadwallader, Shayne Gauthier, and Max Charbonneau each made one special teams tackle.

Kody Case was respectable in his second game returning for Winnipeg, recording nine punt returns for 98 yards and two kickoff returns for 48 yards. The rookie also saw action at receiver as Drew Wolitarsky and Josh Johnson missed time due to injury, recording one catch for five yards.

Getting owned

Patrick Neufeld is a three-time CFL all-star for good reason but struggled badly on Saturday in his matchup against Jake Ceresna.

The dominant defensive tackle repeatedly victimized Neufeld, beating him for a sack midway through the third quarter after narrowly missing Collaros earlier in the game. He finished the night with two sacks, while Ralph Holley, Benjie Franklin, and Woody Baron each recorded one in what was the offensive line’s worst performance of the year.

Neufeld was replaced by Tui Eli during the third quarter but was quickly beaten for a sack by Ceresna, who appeared to employ the same hand knockdown-outside speed move he used to beat Neufeld.

When asked on 680 CJOB after the game whether Neufeld exited the game due to injury or performance, O’Shea dodged the question.

“We’ll see,” he said. Whatever that means.

With the line struggling as badly as it did, I thought offensive coordinator Buck Pierce could have done a better job calling plays for their benefit. Brady Oliveira finished the night with 96 yards on 13 carries, a number that probably should have been closer to 20. It would also be nice to see Nic Demski or Chris Streveler used out of the backfield as run options or on screen passes designed to take advantage of aggressive opposing rushers.

Upon further review

Tarvarus McFadden, who was repatriated by the Argonauts earlier this week, recorded a pick-six early in the fourth quarter on a pass that was tipped by defensive back DaShaun Amos and receiver Kody Case.

Amos was in coverage on Nic Demski and appeared to arrive before the ball, wrapping his arm around Demski’s body and trapping his right arm. Head coach Mike O’Shea challenged the play for pass interference but was unsuccessful.

Looking at the replay, it’s tough to see how the call wasn’t overturned. Then again, after the past few weeks, it’s unclear if the CFL knows what pass interference is amid a rash of questionable officiating.

Banged up

Plenty of fans and pundits will point to Winnipeg’s injuries as an excuse for the team’s slow start which, to some extent, is fair. The Blue Bombers currently have 12 players on the six-game injured list, including bonafide stars Kenny Lawler and Dalton Schoen as well as trusty starters Kyrie Wilson and Celestin Haba.

The reality, however, is that the team’s injury situation is hardly unprecedented. Toronto also has 12 players on the six-game injured list, including dominant defensive linemen Folarin Orimolade and Jared Brinkman as well as Canadian starters Dejon Brissett and Darius Ciraco. The Alouettes and Stampeders, both of whom beat Winnipeg early on this season, also have 12 at the moment.

Has the injury bug bitten the Blue Bombers? Absolutely. But it would be inaccurate to suggest other teams — many of whom are still winning — haven’t been bitten just as badly.

The status of Zach Collaros should also be of concern to fans in Winnipeg as he momentarily left Saturday’s game when the injury spotter pulled him following a big hit from Derek Parish. Collaros returned to the game and said all the right things postgame but he looked battered and bruised on the field. With a short week coming up, that could be a big problem.

For what it’s worth, Collaros completed 25-of-32 pass attempts for 317 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, which wasn’t his fault. It was a strong performance. The question is how many more hits he can take behind a struggling offensive line.

Bouncing back

Veteran defensive back Deatrick Nichols was tested early and often last week in Saskatchewan, which is a rarity as most teams simply don’t throw at the two-time CFL all-star. He gave up a few catches to Kian Schaffer-Baker and was in the area of at least one big catch from Ajou Ajou, who put up 110 yards in a relief effort.

The Argonauts didn’t look his way until the third quarter when he was in perfect position to break up a pass from Nick Arbuckle that was intended for Makai Polk. He appeared visibly frustrated after the play, presumably because he felt he had a chance to intercept it.

Polk made a 13-yard catch in Nichols’ area code midway through the fourth quarter but that was it. It appears the perennial all-star is back to his dominant ways.

Showtime ‘Sheed

Rasheed Bailey was released by the Argonauts earlier this week, which came as a surprise as he was productive through six starts with the team to start the year. The news drew speculation that the veteran receiver could return to Winnipeg, which would be timely given the injuries to Drew Wolitarsky and Josh Johnson, the status of whom remains unclear.

I spoke with Bailey’s agent on Saturday and he indicated he has a meeting with Blue Bombers’ general manager Kyle Walters scheduled for Sunday. For what it’s worth, Bailey’s agent also represents Kenny Lawler, which means the two sides have a long history of getting contracts done. I’d suggest it’s likely Bailey will return to Bomberland, though no agreement has been reached.

If I were Mike O’Shea, Bailey would be in the starting lineup next week in place of Josh Johnson, who has managed only 11 catches for 96 yards over five starts at slotback. The rookie receiver appeared to line up incorrectly near the start of the third quarter as he initially stood at the line of scrimmage before Zach Collaros urged him to move back and use the waggle.

It’s unclear if there was a special circumstance that led to the miscommunication but, regardless, Winnipeg’s regular season is almost half over — there’s no excuse for anyone to be lining up incorrectly. Bailey knows where to line up in Buck Pierce’s offence and has a nose for the end zone. He should be playing.

Record setter

Congratulations to Chris Tymofichuk, who set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest time to attend a game at all nine CFL stadiums. The Winnipeg native, who now resides in Ottawa, made his trek in support of CFL Fans Fight Cancer. Please visit their Facebook page or Tymofichuk’s Twitter/X page for details on how you can donate to their worthy cause.

Next up

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-6) will host the B.C. Lions (5-2) on Thursday, Aug. 1 in what will be the second of three meetings between the West Division rivals this season. The Lions won the first matchup 26-24 on June 21 at Princess Auto Stadium as Vernon Adams Jr. and Alexander Hollins connected seven times for 215 yards and two touchdowns.

B.C.’s recent five-game winning streak ended with a close loss to the Calgary Stampeders last week and they are currently on a bye. The Blue Bombers, meanwhile, will be facing a short week as they’ll have only four days of rest before hosting the Leos for the second time this season.

John Hodge
John Hodge
John Hodge is a Canadian football reporter based in Winnipeg.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR