Last night the Winnipeg Blue Bombers convincingly beat the Edmonton Eskimos 47 - 21 at CanadInns Stadium. The team looked good last night. They came out of the gate and manhandled the visiting Eskimos. 20 minutes into the game the Bombers had scored 23 points while their opposition had not made a first down.
Steven Jyles looked good as the Bomber quarterback but he has some good targets to throw to. Terrence Edwards is back to his old form and Terrence Jeffers-Harris is emerging to be a great talent for the Blue and Gold. This kid is big, strong, and very fast. He could make a lot of quarterbacks look good and is destined to do great things.
Up next for the Bombers is a tilt with the Calgary Stampeders. If the execution is there like it was last night the Big Blue will have another big win.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Bombers Drop Second Divisional Game
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers lost 28-7 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last night in Hamilton. The Bombers were slow to be effective on both sides of the ball. Once they did get rolling Buck Pierce threw an interception in the end zone just before half-time. They looked better in the second half but were not good enough to defeat the Ti-Cats.
The Bombers were a victim of a bad call, but that was not the only problem they had last night. The biggest failure was the 13 penalties for 148 yards. You are not going to win many football games when you hand your opponents nearly a field and a half of free yards. The first Hamilton drive of the second quarter consisted almost entirely of penalty yards. I could have quarterbacked that drive.
On an upside the special teams were much improved. They did not give up a touchdown on a kick return, especially a field goal, however they were never in a position to attempt a field goal. On the several punts they had improved coverage. That was definitely a positive in this loss.
Steven Jyles looked good in relief of an injured Buck Pierce. Hopefully the number 1 pivot will be able to return, but having a good number 2 is comforting.
The rookie receiver, Terrence Jeffers-Harris is a stud. He can run as fast as the wind, has good hands, and is strong. He will only get better as the season rolls on. The Bombers need to keep getting him the ball as only good things will happen.
At the end of the day the Bombers are 1-2 and need to win more football games. Maybe a Friday night romp against the Eskimos will bring back the winning.
The Bombers were a victim of a bad call, but that was not the only problem they had last night. The biggest failure was the 13 penalties for 148 yards. You are not going to win many football games when you hand your opponents nearly a field and a half of free yards. The first Hamilton drive of the second quarter consisted almost entirely of penalty yards. I could have quarterbacked that drive.
On an upside the special teams were much improved. They did not give up a touchdown on a kick return, especially a field goal, however they were never in a position to attempt a field goal. On the several punts they had improved coverage. That was definitely a positive in this loss.
Steven Jyles looked good in relief of an injured Buck Pierce. Hopefully the number 1 pivot will be able to return, but having a good number 2 is comforting.
The rookie receiver, Terrence Jeffers-Harris is a stud. He can run as fast as the wind, has good hands, and is strong. He will only get better as the season rolls on. The Bombers need to keep getting him the ball as only good things will happen.
At the end of the day the Bombers are 1-2 and need to win more football games. Maybe a Friday night romp against the Eskimos will bring back the winning.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Special Teams Are Not So Special
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were beat by 2 points by the Toronto Argonauts. It was an exciting game but the Bombers were not very special on special teams.
The first issue was on the last play of the first half. It only resulted in a single point but that one point made the difference at the end of the game. If the Argos had not scored that point and the rest of the game played out, the Bombers would have been in a position to attempt a 2 point convert and force overtime.
The second and now a recurring issue, is a touchdown scored on a missed field goal. If the field goal attempt was good then there would have been no opportunity to return the kick. Alas it was missed so you have to cover. There are 2 possible options why they are having trouble in this area: scheme or execution. This is pro football so the scheme is probably ok so it must be an execution problem.
There is a big red target on the Blue Bombers field goal team. 2 weeks in a row they have given up touchdowns on missed field goals. A 10 point swing. Without that play the Bombers would have most likely won the game last night. I'm sure coach LaPolice will be working. Very hard to fix this problem. It cost him a win and if not fixed will cost him more wins.
Although still early with 16 more games to go, the Bombers will finish the week tied for 1st place in the East so they have not fallen behind but the wins need to be coming fast and furious.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers did a lot of things well last night but their special teams were short bus special.
The first issue was on the last play of the first half. It only resulted in a single point but that one point made the difference at the end of the game. If the Argos had not scored that point and the rest of the game played out, the Bombers would have been in a position to attempt a 2 point convert and force overtime.
The second and now a recurring issue, is a touchdown scored on a missed field goal. If the field goal attempt was good then there would have been no opportunity to return the kick. Alas it was missed so you have to cover. There are 2 possible options why they are having trouble in this area: scheme or execution. This is pro football so the scheme is probably ok so it must be an execution problem.
There is a big red target on the Blue Bombers field goal team. 2 weeks in a row they have given up touchdowns on missed field goals. A 10 point swing. Without that play the Bombers would have most likely won the game last night. I'm sure coach LaPolice will be working. Very hard to fix this problem. It cost him a win and if not fixed will cost him more wins.
Although still early with 16 more games to go, the Bombers will finish the week tied for 1st place in the East so they have not fallen behind but the wins need to be coming fast and furious.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers did a lot of things well last night but their special teams were short bus special.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Big Win For The Big Blue
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers started the 2010 campaign with an impressive 49 - 29 win over the much hyped Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Although there is room for improvement there is definitely indications a new and effective regime has surfaced in the river city.
Quarterback Buck Pierce played very well. He had poise an dame good decisions. He delivered the ball on time and on target. Running back Fred Reid had holes to run through and looked explosive. Wideout Terrence Edwards caught 2 touchdown passes and gobbled up the yards.
The defense was also impressive. Hamilton could not mount a consistent attack as their offensive line crumbled under pressure. Kevin Glenn was forced to make several miracle plays to keep the drive alive.
The weak area was on special teams. Two Ti-Cat touchdowns were scored on kick returns and 3 field goals were missed. If the Bombers were able to clean up those areas the score could have been 58 - 15. So those areas need to be worked on. The good part is with both the offense and defense clicking, there may be some time to clean up special teams.
The most important part of this win is how impressive new head coach Paul LaPolice is. He has built a team that works to it's strengths and can get up after they have been knocked to the canvass and deliver a much bloodier nose. This is a team that you can see believes in the system and the coach. They believe and trust each other. The big challenge is to keep this impressive machine rolling for the next 17 games.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are 1 - 0 and have sole possession of first place in the East. There is a long way to go but if they keep showing up and playing like they did last night there are going to be a lot of happy people in Bomberland.
Quarterback Buck Pierce played very well. He had poise an dame good decisions. He delivered the ball on time and on target. Running back Fred Reid had holes to run through and looked explosive. Wideout Terrence Edwards caught 2 touchdown passes and gobbled up the yards.
The defense was also impressive. Hamilton could not mount a consistent attack as their offensive line crumbled under pressure. Kevin Glenn was forced to make several miracle plays to keep the drive alive.
The weak area was on special teams. Two Ti-Cat touchdowns were scored on kick returns and 3 field goals were missed. If the Bombers were able to clean up those areas the score could have been 58 - 15. So those areas need to be worked on. The good part is with both the offense and defense clicking, there may be some time to clean up special teams.
The most important part of this win is how impressive new head coach Paul LaPolice is. He has built a team that works to it's strengths and can get up after they have been knocked to the canvass and deliver a much bloodier nose. This is a team that you can see believes in the system and the coach. They believe and trust each other. The big challenge is to keep this impressive machine rolling for the next 17 games.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are 1 - 0 and have sole possession of first place in the East. There is a long way to go but if they keep showing up and playing like they did last night there are going to be a lot of happy people in Bomberland.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
It's Time!
The 2010 CFL season kicks off today. There have been a lot of changes throughout the league. As in every year there will be a surprise. I believe this year's will be the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. They may not go all the way but they will have a legitimate shot at it all.
The Mike Kelly era had a very similar feeling to the Jeff Reinbold. When they moved on the 'experts' did not expect too much from the Big Blue. Moving on from the Mike Kelly era the 'experts' once again don't expect much. That's fine. Championships are not won on the TV set, they are won on the field.
The Edmonton Eskimos are in a bit of disarray. Their defense gave up a lot of big plays. I'm not sure if having the head coach run the defense as well is the answer. I come from the belief that you find good people and empower them to do their job. Taking over and pulling double duty may pay off in the short term but usually unravels over time.
I can't see the Saskatchewan Roughriders doing as well this year as they did lat year. I think their biggest key to success was having Paul LaPolice as the offensive coordinator. He did so well he is now the head coach in Winnipeg. The 'Riders were so good because of their systems. They highlighted the strong points of their personnel. In doing that they won football games. I don't think they will be winning on Labour Day or in November this year.
The CFL season has the potential to be very exciting this year. Some things will go as predicted, some will not. I will be watching, a lot.
The Mike Kelly era had a very similar feeling to the Jeff Reinbold. When they moved on the 'experts' did not expect too much from the Big Blue. Moving on from the Mike Kelly era the 'experts' once again don't expect much. That's fine. Championships are not won on the TV set, they are won on the field.
The Edmonton Eskimos are in a bit of disarray. Their defense gave up a lot of big plays. I'm not sure if having the head coach run the defense as well is the answer. I come from the belief that you find good people and empower them to do their job. Taking over and pulling double duty may pay off in the short term but usually unravels over time.
I can't see the Saskatchewan Roughriders doing as well this year as they did lat year. I think their biggest key to success was having Paul LaPolice as the offensive coordinator. He did so well he is now the head coach in Winnipeg. The 'Riders were so good because of their systems. They highlighted the strong points of their personnel. In doing that they won football games. I don't think they will be winning on Labour Day or in November this year.
The CFL season has the potential to be very exciting this year. Some things will go as predicted, some will not. I will be watching, a lot.
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