Bombers give Riders best chance at first victory
REGINA — Stay tuned for the Hunger Games — back-toback CFL collisions between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the feckless Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The Roughriders, who are saddled with an 0-9-0 record for only the third time in franchise history, have a ravenous appetite for a victory. The Blue Bombers are starved for a quarterback.
On Sunday at Mosaic Stadium, Winnipeg’s starting signal-caller is expected to be Brian Brohm, who is the finest quarterback in his family.
Since joining the oh-so-Blue Bombers last year, Brohm has attempted 126 passes without throwing for a touchdown. He is nonetheless Winnipeg’s most viable option, being that Matt Nichols — who was acquired from the Edmonton Eskimos on Wednesday — has not yet had ample time in which to master the complexities of the pamphlet that is the Blue Bombers’ playbook.
Winnipeg (3-6-0) has a leaguelow 168 points — 50 fewer than Saskatchewan — and has lost three consecutive games by a combined score of 101-36. In two of those games, the Blue Bombers have erupted for eight points.
So, honestly, if the Roughriders cannot defeat Winnipeg in the looming Labour Day Classic and/or in the rematch six days henceforth at Investors Group Field, will there be any realistic prospect of Saskatchewan actually winning a game?
The home-and-home set represents the best chance of the Roughriders savouring a longawaited respite from the horror that has characterized their 2015 season.
Yet, the fans — bless their hearts — keep buying tickets. On Thursday, the Roughriders announced that there would be a sellout of 33,427 for Sunday’s game.