The Corbett Report, August 13, 2021

Introduction

Week 1 is in the books and not without a few surprises.  The Corbett Report predictions went 2-2 but really, who in their right mind would have predicted an Argo victory over the Stamps and a Red Black victory over the Elks?  But, hey, that’s sports for you and who can be upset as a Bomber fan to see three western teams lose? Week 1 sure gave the Bombers a quick jump on the season.

The Argos come into Winnipeg with an identical 1-0 record to the Bombers.  All of a sudden, the team picked by most prognosticators to battle the Red Blacks for last spot in the East (and therefore the league) seem to be a legitimate team. 

Winnipeg meanwhile, were actually the underdogs last week against the Ti-Cats and that seemed like a logical choice when Hamilton opened up a 6 point lead with a TD on their opening drive.  Fun fact though, in case you missed it, those were their ONLY points of the game.  Not many games are won in the CFL with only 6 points being scored. 

So an interesting matchup this week with the upstart Argos, rowing into town to take on the stingy Bomber team.  It’s great to have CFL football back; it certainly floats my boat.

Welcome to week 2.  Welcome to the Corbett Report.

The Bombers

Last week the Bombers proved that their defense hasn’t missed a beat from 2019.  Holding the talented Hamilton offense to a measly 6 points sent a shot across the bow of other CFL teams.  The Bombers defense is back and as tough as ever. They had Masoli scrambling all game, forced two interceptions and recovered a fumble to win the turnover game 3-0.  This is becoming a hallmark of this Bomber team, winning the turnover game has become routine and has this team on what is now a 5-game winning streak.

On offense, the Bombers did what they had to do.  Without Andrew Harris or Darvin Adams, the offense still managed 214 yards passing and 149 yards rushing.  Brady Oliveira had a breakout game in place of Harris rushing for 126 yards and catching a pass for 21 yards.  Nic Demski was the Bombers leading receiver with 70 yards.  Oak Park High once again lead the Bombers offense.

A peculiar development though for the Bombers is the kicking game.  Three times the Bombers were within 50 yards and chose to punt rather than try field goals.  Tyler Crapigna’s only field goal attempt was a successful 15 yarder.  Despite what O’Shea might say, there’s obviously a lack of confidence in Crapigna.

This team though, is defined by the defense.  Look for that trend to continue tonight against the good ship Argos.

The Argonauts

Many suggested that the most impressive move by the Argos in the offseason was to revamp their logo. Most experts predicted them to battle the Red Blacks for last place in the East. I’m not sure where this comes from.  When you look at their off season moves, they’ve certainly added some big names.  Eric Rogers and DaVaris Daniels at receiver, Charleston Hughes and Henoc Muamba on the defensive line, Nick Arbuckle at QB to name just a few.  Perhaps the negative predictions come from the QB position where even with the addition of Arbuckle, there’s still concern that the Argos still lack a proven winning starter.  Tonight McLeod Bethel-Thompson gets the start.  Last week he led the Argos to an 11 point 4^th quarter comeback and ended up with 2 TD’s, a 70.3% completion rate and 354 yards of passing.  Again, not sure why so many doubt his abilities to be a starter in the CFL.  It’ll be interesting to see how he matches up with the Bomber defense.

Fun fact #2: The Argos head coach is Ryan Dinwiddie.  It’s his first head coaching gig.  I’m sure you’ll remember him from the 2007 Grey Cup 😊

Keys to the game

Here are the keys to the game:

For the Bombers to win

• Defense needs to keep on keepin’ on

• Tailor the offensive play calls to the players you have.  With Harris and Adams still out others will need to step up (Can you make it 2 in a row Oliveira?)

• Let your kicker kick

For the Argos to win

• Score early to quiet the raucous Winnipeg crowd

• Do what no team has done since October 2019 against the Bombers, win the turnover game

• Keep the Bombers to less than 100 yards rushing

The predictions

Picks

Calgary over BC

Montreal over the Elks

Hamilton over Saskatchewan

And in our feature game:

As much as the Argos seem to have improved on both sides of the ball,  it’s still going to be a tough game for them against the Bombers in Winnipeg.  Look for a tough defensive battle, but in the end, it’ll be:

Bombers 21 Argos 18

CHEERS!

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