Bombers confident despite facing long odds
It’s been 13 years since a CFL team came from third place to win the Grey Cup. Edmonton was the last to do it, in 2005.
And 15 of the last 20 Grey Cup combatants have been first-place finishers.
Present those numbers to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who will try to buck the trend beginning this week, and you may as well be talking algebra.
“I don’t think any of us are mathematicians,” offensive lineman Pat Neufeld said. “So we’re not looking at any of those kinds of stats.”
What the Bombers are looking at is a trip to Regina for the West semifinal Sunday.
Could the CFL have a better matchup for a playoff game?
As old as this prairie rivalry is, a post-season clash isn’t that familiar at all: it’s happened just once in the last 42 years, in 2003.
The last time they met in Regina was in 1975. Winners of five of their last six — Saturday’s meaningless 33-24 blemish in Edmonton their only blip since the Banjo Bowl — Winnipeg faces a Riders team that is also 5-1 in its last six. It should make for dramatic Sunday afternoon theatre with the victor earning a trip to Calgary in the division final.
“We’re ready to be the road warriors,” middle linebacker Adam Bighill said. “I don’t know what the stats are on third-place teams going through all the way, but with how this last month and a half has been for us, everybody recognizes some of the special things we can do.”
The Bombers will have to take “special” to a new level to get to Edmonton, site of the 106th Grey Cup.
NUMBERS GAME
The Bombers held opponents to an average 14 points over that fivegame win streak, including a 31-0 home slaughter over the Riders and a 30-3 romp in Edmonton.
Only once did they allow a team more than 320 net yards (Ottawa), while their turnover ratio was an impressive plus-12.
“One, play your best football coming into November,” Bighill said. “And two, be healthy. We’ve been doing just that. If you compare us to someone like Calgary, that can be devastating at this time of year. We don’t really have that extensive injury roster. That’s huge coming into playoffs.”
The Bombers rested key starters in Edmonton and got out of the game unscathed.
Winnipeg’s road record was just 4-5 this season, but it’s an impressive 17-10 the last three years.
“A lot of times that’s where you can see a little bit of fall-off, is offence having to deal with hectic crowds,” Bighill said. “We do a pretty good job of that.”
Edmonton’s crowd was a Sunday morning congregation compared to what the Bombers will face in Saskatchewan.
RUSHING CROWN
Never mind all the lip service paid to wanting a win Saturday. The Bombers got what they wanted most: a second straight rushing title for Andrew Harris.
“It was eight yards. But it seemed important,” head coach Mike O’Shea acknowledged. “The whole team was pretty fired up.”
Harris, who finished the year with 1,390 yards, secured the title on just two carries, and took the rest of the day off.
“At this point in my career, it’s a great achievement,” the 31-yearold said. “It’s just great to have a coaching staff and an organization that helps you out with that kind of stuff.”
PLAYOFF FORMAT
The West Division standings provide yet another argument for a revamped playoff format.
Edmonton, 9-9 and with a tougher schedule, is out, while Hamilton, 8-10 in the weaker East, will host B.C. in a crossover playoff game.