The Corbett Report, September 30, 2022

Introduction

Well, what the hell happened to summer?  The frost is on the pumpkin as they say and so now football games have added meaning.  As the opening song says, true Bomber fans don’t shy away from a little cold, so the 18 degrees (WTF??) at kick on Friday night shouldn’t keep the hearty Bomber fan base away.  In fact, at the time of writing, less than 1,000 tickets remain for the game so another Bomber sellout is a possibility.  This proves once again that the heart of the CFL is in the prairies.

The best CFL rivalry will be on display again tonight with the Riders here for an LDC/Banjo Bowl rematch.  If the entire CFL could bottle up the energy that accompanies this rivalry, there would be no talk of struggling franchises and weak attendance in major cities.  Alas though, that’s not the case but that’s another topic for another time.  Tonight, the best rivalry in the CFL is again on display and while no one will have to endure a chilly evening to witness it, you know damn well that even if they did, the Bomber fans (and begrudgingly, yes, the Rider fans) would be out in force. Even when it’s cold.

Welcome to week 7.  Welcome to the Corbett Report.

Standings E WEST DIVISION

RK	TEAM	GP	W	L	T	PTS	F	A	HOME	AWAY	DIV
1	Winnipeg x	14	12	2	0	24	403	297	5-1-0	7-1-0	7-0-0
2	BC x	13	9	4	0	18	391	293	4-3-0	5-1-0	6-3-0
3	Calgary x	14	9	5	0	18	433	329	3-3-0	6-2-0	5-5-0
4	Saskatchewan	14	6	8	0	12	329	359	3-5-0	3-3-0	3-5-0
5	Edmonton	14	4	10	0	8	288	467	0-6-0	4-4-0	1-9-0

EAST DIVISION

RK	TEAM	GP	W	L	T	PTS	F	A	HOME	AWAY	DIV
1	Toronto x	13	8	5	0	16	333	292	4-3-0	4-2-0	6-2-0
2	Montreal	13	6	7	0	12	338	337	4-3-0	2-4-0	3-3-0
3	Hamilton	14	4	10	0	8	315	384	4-3-0	0-7-0	3-5-0
4	Ottawa	13	3	10	0	6	264	336	0-7-0	3-3-0	2-4-0

 

Lots of different combinations could result in a lot of different outcomes, but here’s the bottom line:   Winnipeg needs to beat BC once in their home and home series at the end of October to get first place. 
Bombers

The Bombers will be looking to get back on track after the disastrous showing in Hamilton two weeks ago.  The Bomber secondary was decimated in that game giving up 5 TDs and 327 passing yards in their worst showing of the year.  Whether it was the strength of the Ti-Cats O-line, poor play-calling, or a lack of execution, is hard to say (although I expect Ritchie Hall might know), but for sure it was a wake up call for a team that was rolling along to another first place finish. 

This week, the Bombers should have an easier time with their pass rush (against Hamilton they had zero sacks) and one would hope that the return to IG Field will spark to the D back to their usual stingy selves.  Jackson Jeffcoat not playing will definitely hurt the pass rush.

On offense, the Bombers continue to quietly improve.  Now sitting second in the league with 403 points scored, the Bombers offence lead by Zach Collaros are showing the league that this isn’t a team that needs to rely on its defense.  Collaros is having another MVP year with a 70.3 passing percentage and 3,578 yards passing.  Most impressive is his TD/Int record of 28/12.  Meanwhile Brady Oliveira is rounding into a solid running back and has now moved into second place in the CFL rushing race (757 yards total, 4.7 yard average).

Even in the kicking department, the Bombers appear solid.  After a rocky start, Marc Liegghio is proving to be a reliable kicker.  The turning point was definitely the 57 yarder he hit a few weeks ago.  His 83.7% average puts him in 4^th place among CFL kickers and his 88.9% convert conversion puts him in the middle of the pack in that category as well.

I’m looking for a Bomber performance that proves that the loss two weeks ago to Hamilton was an anomaly and the Bombers are still the 2022 Grey Cup favourites.

The Riders

Saskatchewan? Well, they’re a bit of train wreck.  How so? Here’s a few examples:

• Whining QB (Cody Fajardo – why are the fans booing us?)
• Off field discipline (Duke Williams???)
• On field discipline (Sask – league-leading 1,247 yards of penalties vs. Bombers 672)
• Porous O-Line (League last, 59 sacks allowed)
• 2 and outs (League worst at 73)

A few weeks back the Riders looked like a shoo-in to get the crossover position but with their last four games against Wpg/Hamilton/Calgary (x2) there’s an outside chance that they may let that position fall to Elks!

This game is an important win for the standings, but it’s more important to the Riders that they stop the bleeding.  They’re coming off of a 3-game losing streak, and that’s not a good place to be heading into October.

Keys to the game

For the Bombers to win

Mentally getting over their last loss shouldn’t be an issue if they can just:

• Sack Fajardo early.  His confidence continues to be shaky
• Defence shake off that awful performance in Hamilton
• Hang onto the ball

For the Riders to win (unchanged from the Banjo bowl)

• A lead after the first quarter time is essential
• Get points from Defense, Offense and Special teams
• Gainer knocks out Buzz and Boomer (heck it’s on brand)

The Bo-Levi watch

With the Stamps signing Jake Maier to a long-term contract this week in Calgary there’s no doubt that Bo-Levi’s days in Calgary are coming to an end.  Too bad really, he’s been there for over a decade and in a league that suffers from player turnover it has been refreshing to see one player stick with one team (even if he did beat the Bombers on numerous occasions).  But hey, even Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr got traded.  So, to answer the pressing questions:

Will BLM be traded before the October 5^th trade deadline?

NO – Calgary doesn’t want to face him in the playoffs if he goes to another playoff-bound team and his experience on the sideline is invaluable.

Who will he be traded to?

I’m picking the Riders.  I think the Cody Fajardo experiment is coming to an end.  If the Riders don’t make it to their own Grey Cup he’ll be gone.

You heard it here first.  (Actually, not really.  It may have been mentioned).

The record

Corbett report predictions so far this year:

                        CFL                                         30  – 31   (50.0%)

                        Bombers only                         10 – 4     (71.0%)

The predictions

Bombers open the weekend but also there’s the following:

Ottawa stuns BC

Edmonton (vs. Montreal) wins their first home game since Diefenbaker was Prime Minister

Toronto shows they’re for real in Calgary

And of course, yet another Bomber home victory.

Bombers 28 Riders 20

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