The Corbett Report, October 28, 2017

Introduction

A month ago the Bombers were penciled in as the only legitimate contender to Calgary in the West. With both the Riders and Eskimos mired in losing streaks and the Bombers rolling over their opponents with sensational offensive performances, it seemed that the Bombers were just one Calgary lose and a Bomber win in the season ending showdown with the Stamps for a first place finish! Then, this happened:

Hamilton 30 – Winnipeg 13 : Offense Hamilton 484 yds – Winnipeg 343 yds (1 TD)

Winnipeg 26 – BC 20 : Offense BC 356 yds – Winnipeg 232 yds (0 TDs)

Toronto 29 – Winnipeg 28 : Offense Toronto 572 yds – Winnipeg 303 (missed 40 yd field goal)

So two losses to Eastern teams in the past 3 games and a no TD win over BC depicts a trend in the wrong direction for a team that’s supposedly a Grey Cup contender. What’s worse is the Bombers can’t point to one aspect of the game in which improvement is required. The offense is struggling to score; the defense seems to always be a step behind (572 yards!!!!! YIKES) and then there’s special teams (particularly their once “money in the bank” kicker). No wonder there’s angst in Bomberville.

Still though, there’s snow on the ground and a home playoff game is just a win away. I’ll take that over any of the past 10 seasons.

Welcome to week nine. Welcome to the Corbett Report.

The Bombers

Besides the woes of Medlock, probably the most disappointing aspect of the Bombers play over these past 3 games is their inability to utilize Andrew Harris in the manner in which they had grown accustomed to early in the season. Here are the last 3 games

Vs. Hamilton 5 carries 26 yards, 4 catches 65 yards, 89 total yards

Vs. BC 16 carries 52 yards, 6 catches 33 yards, 85 total yards

Vs. TO 9 carries, 32 yards, 2 catches 4 yards, 36 total yards

Needless to say the 1,000/1,000 season is pretty much off the table. The Bombers offense needs to involve Harris way more if they want to secure a home playoff game.

Of course they’d never admit it, but the Bombers seem just a tad fragile of late. Earlier in the season they were winning the close games (games like last week’s Argo’s game). Now, they’re playing without the confidence and swagger that propelled them to a 10 – 3 record at the end of September.

The Lions

A year filled with promise has gone south on the Lions. Contenders in the early part of season, Wally seems to have lost the team. Coming into this game the Lions are on a five game losing streak. They’re out of the playoffs and are expected to activate 6 players from their practice roster in an effort to start assessing talent for next year. After this year’s disappointment I wouldn’t be surprised if this game isn’t the last one were we see Wally Buono in Winnipeg (at least in BC Lion colours).

On paper, the Bombers have everything to play for and Lions nothing. That though, is always a scary proposition.

Bombers keys to success

• Justin gets back on his game (hmmmm….didn’t need to change that from the last 3 weeks)
• Harris/Harris/Harris
• Score early and get your mojo back

Lions keys to success

• Score first. This one could get ugly if the Bombers get on a roll
• Harass Harris/Harass Harris
• Establish a run game (Bombers gave up 149 yards rushing last week)

The predictions

Season record:

Predictions in all CFL games 48-24

Predictions in Bomber games only 12 – 4

Around the league this week:

 

• Hamilton over Ottawa in Ottawa
• Sask over Montreal (Riders hit 60?)
• Edmonton over Calgary (Stamps have nothing to play for, Edmonton are in search of a home playoff date)

As for our feature game, the Bombers need to really shake the last 3 weeks off and get back to Blue Bomber football. With Calgary next week, this week’s game is a must win to gain some momentum going into the playoffs.

Winnipeg 30         Lions 24