WINNIPEG – Down 11-1, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers knew exactly what they had to do to come back against the Calgary Stampeders.
A fun, fought game to watch and the commentary was just what the CFL needs informative and stimulating. A winner. 
Early on I was wondering if too many of our guys were getting too old, as many pundits have declared. By the end of the game I concluded: NOT YET!
Oh me of little faith!
It came down to the Bombers wearing down the Stamps.
It would’ve been interesting if that late interference call against Calgary wasn’t called, the Bombers would’ve kicked and the Stamps were still in the lead.
Still a lot of work to do, too inconsistent all over.
Good news is we still know when we’re on we can’t be stopped. On to next week.
Yes, physicality and teamwork drove the Bombers to win. But please do not forget COACHING. I continue to believe that over the past three years, it is in Coaching that the strengths are. The Bombers often finish strong, and I see their play calls change as the games progress. In the later part of the game, I noticed 3-4 passes to the open right flat, with the receiver open about 2 yards past the line of scrimmage, and an easy 10 YAC of open field. Simple plays but so effective to move the ball. Hats off to Buck Pierce, Ritchie Hall, and the class act called Mike O’Shea. It kind of makes me forget Mike for all his years with the Argos.
It was great to see a very good game.
Stamps came out hard nosed and took an early lead but we’re very unable to sustain the intensity
ALL the mistakes the Cowtown QB. Made were forced errors from a Bomber D that finally woke up and were relentless and they woke up.
It was actually tied at the time, and Dickenson never challenged the call as it was DPI. If Michel never slipped in the first quarter which Nichols was called for Illegal Contact, Calgary doesn’t get their TD either. Bombers physically pounded the Stamps into the ground, it took a quarter for the Bombers to show up but once they did the outcome was never in doubt.
I seen it the same way. Calgary played very well the first 15 min, stayed in it for 30, but the Bombers turned it up the second half. Top grades to Calgary’s defense, they had a solid performance until the 10 minute drive in the 4th. Also very impressive drive by the Bombers, the O-line were beasts for that drive.
And don’t forget that having the best QB and best place kicker in the league helps immensely.
Both defences played well until the Stamps wore down. Zach played like the patient vet he is and delivered the big play at the end of the first half to change the game completely. He didn’t make the mistakes Maier did facing an equally good defence. Maier never got it going and finished with an underwhelming 122 yards passing.
There is always a lot of talk about how good Calgary’s running game is. Granted they started out running well and Carey is out but the display of running by the Bombers on that clutch 10 minute drive in the 4th quarter that put the game out of reach was the best display of running I have seen by any team in the league so far this year. Brady looks more and more like the Andrew Harris of old all the time.
And I think the Bombers have the best place kicker in the league as I have said many times. Yet another clutch miss by Parades resulted in a six point swing at a critical time and that easily could have been a 10 point swing.
I would differ on the view that the running on the 10 minute drive was best running all year. The Calgary defence had been on the field most of the second half because of an ineffective Calgary offence. The Calgary defence was gassed which made it easy running. There was a reason Winnipeg couldn’t run in the first half. The Calgary offense actually gave the defense some rest.
Somebody else would know more about this than me, but Oliveira might be resembling the Andrew Harris of YOUNG.