BOMBERS DECLAW CATS
Winnipeg’s 29-year wait for the Grey Cup ended Sunday when the Blue Bombers upset the Hamilton Tiger-cats 33-12 in a final that surprised many CFL aficionados.
The drought is over. Finally, it’s really, really over.
After 29 years of frustration, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are Grey Cup champions once again.
Maybe that’s worth saying once more, just for good measure: The Blue Bombers are the 2019 Grey Cup champions.
There have been so many ups and downs over the past three decades, so many moments when the Bombers came oh so close before suffering heartbreak.
On Sunday night, though, there was no such drama.
The Bombers took the field at Mcmahon Stadium and were superior to the Hamilton Tigercats from the opening whistle and cruised to a 33-12 victory.
Against a Ticats team that finished with the best record in the regular season, a Bombers team that many had written off in October was simply dominant.
Defensive ends Willie Jefferson and Jackson Jeffcoat seemed to completely ignore whatever Ticats offensive linemen were in front of them and left a trail of destruction that will go down in Grey Cup lore.
The Winnipeg defence forced three turnovers in the first quarter alone and didn’t let up. It forced seven turnovers by game’s end, all but shattering any chance the Ticats might have had.
“They were incredible,” Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros said. “Seven turnovers is unheard of in any game, let alone a championship game.”
Offensively, Collaros kept his incredible end-of-2019 resurgence alive. He completed 17 of 23 passes for 170 yards, while running back Andrew Harris was the best player on the field and earned the game’s MVP and most outstanding Canadian awards.
On special teams, returner Janarion Grant busted out a couple of big returns and the Bombers coverage team largely limited Frankie Williams. Bombers kicker Justin Medlock hit on six of seven field goal attempts, tying a Grey Cup record.
The Ticats might have been the best regular-season team in the CFL and they may have dominated the Edmonton Eskimos in the East Division Final, but they were completely and totally outclassed by a Bombers team that has seemed consumed with exceeding expectations since acquiring Collaros in October.
Acquiring a new starting quarterback with less than a month to go in the regular season isn’t supposed to work. It’s called the hardest position in sports for a reason; you’re not supposed to be able to just slot a new guy in there. That’s especially true of a guy like Collaros who suffered a concussion in Week 1 while he was playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He was traded to Toronto first. The Bombers were his third team.
Yet on Sunday, Collaros wasn’t just making the easy throws. In what may have been offensive co-ordinator Paul Lapolice’s masterpiece, the Bombers ran an offence that seemed nearly impossible to predict.
“We’re so thankful that we got him and he’s such a competitive guy and he’s so smart,” Bombers head coach Mike O’shea said of Collaros. “He fit in so well, so quickly.”
Somehow, in less than two months, Collaros seemed to have mastered a complicated, championship-level CFL offence. Add backup Chris Streveler’s contributions running the ball and the Bombers looked unstoppable.
“If they can control the time of possession and not get behind, they’re a very hard team to beat,” said Ticats linebacker Simoni Lawrence.
“They do have a very creative running game, they’ve got two quarterbacks, so change of pace and stuff like that. If the game’s close, they’re very tough and you can’t give away possessions to teams like that.”
The Ticats would never get closer than being down by 12 points.
Just like the Bombers had done against the Calgary Stampeders in the West Division semifinal, they took control and never relinquished it.
Just like they did against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the West Division Final last weekend, the Bombers got huge defensive stops when they needed them or created turnovers.
It added up to a night that couldn’t have gone much more smoothly for a Bombers team that fought through injuries and adversity all season.
“It’s crazy,” Harris said. “This city is very, very passionate about our team. They’ve been hungry and thirsty for this win. It’s indescribable. It’s a dream come true.”
The drought is over. Winnipeg has a champion to call its own.