Cauz: A non-QB look at the Bombers win over the Lions

Matthew Cauz

CFL.ca

@mcauz56

It’s rare for an undefeated team that happens to be the back-to-back Grey Cup champions to have a statement win. Teams with that sort of pedigree don’t usually need to make any kind of league wide pronouncement, they just let their winning do the talking.

However, after the Winnipeg Blue Bombers thoroughly dominated the BC Lions, I think a case can be made that the Bombers have put the rest of the nation on notice. I was guilty of questioning if this team was as great as the one we saw in last year’s Grey Cup, or if they had slipped a notch after close wins over Ottawa to start the year and that missed Boris Bede extra point win over a struggling Argonauts squad. Many of us were wondering if beneath that undefeated record were cracks starting to show. Fair to say the answer to that is an unequivocal no.

I know that I am guilty of often focusing so much on the quarterback. It would be easy to analyze this game through the lens of the passer and rave about some of the ridiculous Zach Collaros throws or annoy Bombers fans by salivating over Nathan Rourke’s arm strength on that 66-yard bomb to Josh Pearson.

But when re-watching the game, I was left amazed with how many Bombers stepped up and won countless individual assignments. So, this is going to be a quarterback-free column with all the focus going on the other stars on Winnipeg’s roster and some unsung heroes.

As Janarion Grant was blazing his way 97 yards towards the end zone to open the game, my eyes instinctively started looking for flashes of yellow from the officials. Instead, all I saw was the Bombers kickoff return all working in harmony. Like a nervous actor winning an Academy Award I’m sure I will miss a name or two, but Malik Clements, Greg McCrae, Shayne Gauthier, Konner Burtenshaw and Redha Kramdi all deserve credit for the opening score.

Their blocking was so good that Grant didn’t even have to break out some crazy moves to elude tacklers. He read the blocking, turned on the turbo boost through that massive hole and Winnipeg was on their way to a resounding victory.

The most legitimate concern about the Blue Bombers coming into this contest was their lack of a running game. You start to wonder, maybe they should have gone the extra mile to bring back Andrew Harris. That narrative got awfully quiet on Winnipeg’s second possession.

You could not help but notice right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick pushing around several defenders on a Brady Oliveira eight-yard run. Winnipeg’s second touchdown was partially about the offensive line and about Greg Ellingson’s 28-yard fingertip catch. Now the next touchdown by the defending champs was very much courtesy of Stanley Bryant, Geoff Gray, Chris Kolankowski, Patrick Neufeld and the aforementioned Hardrick.

Winnipeg closed the first quarter on a man-mauling, 69 yards on the ground touchdown drive that I would bet my best bottle of wine was the most satisfying touchdown the Bombers have scored all year. I know 11-yard runs in the first quarter of a football game may not excite the average fan but watching Kolankowski pushing everyone around was wildly entertaining for a football nerd.

The end of the first quarter saw Winnipeg collect 11 first downs and 86 yards on the ground as they held on to the ball for over 10 minutes and led 21-0. This game was won in the opening quarter and it was all the result of the blocking up front from the kickoff team and the offensive line.

I know we have not had a defensive player win the MOP since Solomon Elimimian did it in 2014 but Willie Jefferson has thrown his hat in the ring after what he did to the current MOP front runner. His second quarter sack of Nathan Rourke was one of those sneaky important moments of the game.

Donald Rutledge Jr. pulled in the first interception of his CFL career in the Bombers win, then went out and forced a fumble on his next possession (The Canadian Press)

The Lions were finally showing some semblance of offence on a 68-yard drive to start the second quarter and it looked like they were about to cut into that 21-0 deficit facing a very makeable second-and-three. Jefferson fought off a double team and absorbed a forceful chip block from David Mackie yet still managed to take down Russ Jackson Part Deux.

In the name of fair and balanced reporting, it must be noted this sack was not just about Jefferson’s effort but also a Winnipeg secondary that gave their fearsome pass rusher five seconds to get to the quarterback.

On the Lions next possession, Jefferson was away from his traditional stand-up role on the edge to lurking in the middle of the defensive line. He blew past former all-star Sukh Chung to spike an attempted Rourke pass. The Lions would not score until there were three minutes left in the half and Jefferson was a big reason for that, but his day was far from over.

The Lions got the ball to start the second half and that drive ended in the blink of an eye after another Jefferson deflected pass, this one bouncing right back to the Lions quarterback; not sure that is how Rourke wants to remember his first CFL “reception.”

The next time the Lions got the ball the result was the same, a quick two-and-out with Jefferson forcing Rourke to scramble for his life after Willie beat his man with a perfect inside move. That play was where the cliché “shot out of a cannon” comes from. BC had only three possessions in the third quarter. Two of them were neutralized by the work of the four-time CFL All-Star.

There are so many other players who deserve an honourable mention for Winnipeg’s decisive victory. Dalton Schoen‘s route running gave Collaros open windows to throw to all day, with many of his 10 receptions coming on second down, not to mention that he found the end zone twice. How about Jackson Jeffcoat dropping back into coverage perfectly reading Rourke’s eyes and pouncing on the throw like a veteran defensive back? Jackson has that sort of athleticism that when he makes a play like that you swear it’s some oversized safety. Congratulations to Donald Rutledge Jr. for collecting his first career CFL interception and following it up by forcing a Jevon Cottoy fumble on the very next possession.

Heading into Week 5 there was legitimate debate about who the best team in the CFL was. That debate is now over. We have a long season ahead of us. Things change and injuries happen but as of now Winnipeg has separated itself from the rest of the league and it was a complete team effort that put them in this lofty position.

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