The Corbett Report, August 1, 2024

Introduction

Tonight marks the halfway point of the 2024 season and what a turnaround (and not for the better) the Bombers have experienced.  Last year after nine games the Bombers were a stellar 7-2.  This year? Well, lose tonight and they’ll match that record but in reverse.  A loss tonight and the Bombers fall to 2-7. Lots of places to point fingers but let’s cut off a few:

Myth #1: It’s all Zach’s fault

Well, um, no.  While Collaros’ numbers are well below his 2023 pace it’s way too early to label him as “washed up”.  To me the real story behind Zach’s declining production is the players in front of him that aren’t giving him the time he needs to throw.  The result is too many hurried decisions resulting in too many interceptions.

What’s more, I don’t think Zach contributed to Nic Demski’s two fumbles in the last two games, or Castello’s missed kick from the 41 last week.  There’s lots of blame to go around.

Myth #2: The Bombers spent too much money on Oliveira

Hindsight being 100%, many Bomber fans are looking back and saying we shouldn’t have spent so much on Schoen and Oliveira.  We should have cut Zach and kept Dru Brown.  Uhm . . . no.  With a weakened offensive line, we need a strong running game.  Some nuggets to digest:  Oliveira leads the league in rushing, and he’s on pace for a 1,300+ season (compared to 1,534 last year).  In short, he remains a key cog in the Bombers offense.  Can you imagine the outcry last February if the Bombers had let him sign with . . . oh, I don’t know, say BC?

Myth #3: The Bombers defense is a shadow of its former self

Another tasty nugget of info, through 9 games last year, the Bombers’ D was averaging 21.1 yards against.  This year through 8 games the Bombers are allowing 23.25.  An increase, yes, but in the CFL you should win the majority of your games if you’re only giving up 23 points per game.

I could go on but here’s why I think there’s still hope for the 2024 season:

• Bombers have lost two games in overtime.  Sure, both were lost due to Bomber mistakes, but both could have easily gone the other way.
• Zach is turning the corner.  Last week he completed 78% of his passes for 317 yards passing.  He threw 1 TD and 1 pick but hey, there was clearly PI on the one pick he threw.  I’ll take those numbers from a QB any day.
• With Lucky Whitehead (finally) joining the roster we might get a punt return.  At least we get a veteran receiver
• I could go on, but in short:

Blue gives me a reason
Just a little bit’s enough
Just to show, that they’re not broken, just bent
And they will learn to win again

Welcome to week nine.  Welcome to the Corbett Report.

Bombers

As covered in the intro, there’s lots to point to when trying to decipher where the Bombers have gone wrong this year.  Certainly, injuries can’t be overlooked, most notably in the receiver department with Wolitarsky, Schoen and Lawler now sidelined.  The big shortcoming though in my opinion this year has been the offensive line.  Too much pressure on Zach!  The O-Line is issue #1.  Then there’s issue #2, the turnovers. Fumbles, turnovers on downs and interceptions have not been the Bomber way over the last 4 years. 

The good news though is that the core of this team remains intact and with last week’s Eastern Division sweep of the West they are still in the hunt. There’s still half a season of football to be played.  The Bombers just need to start playing!

Lions

BC seemed to be on a nice little roll before their last game.  5-1 going into that game and Vernon Adams just racking up the yardage and the points.  Then came the Calgary game.  VA was good on only 58% of his passes and threw for less than 200 yards in a 25-24 loss to Calgary.  Perhaps we shouldn’t quite anoint the Lions as 2024 Grey Cup champs yet.

Adams though at this point in the season truly is the best QB in the league.  Under his leadership the Lions lead the league in points scored, TDs scored, yards passing, etc. etc.  Tonight will be a challenge for the Bombers defense (to say the least).

Standings

Team	GP	W	L	Pts	Pts for	Pts Against
West
BC	7	5	2	10	206	170
Saskatchewan	7	5	2	10	183	158
Calgary	7	3	4	6	165	197
Winnipeg	8	2	6	4	163	186
Edmonton	7	0	7	0	174	216
East
Montreal	7	6	1	12	195	152
Ottawa	7	5	2	10	174	167
Toronto	7	4	3	8	194	182
Hamilton	7	2	5	4	195	221

Keys to the game

For the Bombers to win

• Score early to gain some confidence
• Don’t turn the ball over!!!
• Establish a 1-2 punch with Streveler and Oliveira in the run game

For the Lions to win

• Hit the big pass play early and silence the crowd
• Win the game in the trenches (The Bomber O-Line and D-Line are still suspect)
• Shut down the Bombers run game (be it Chris Streveler or Brady Oliveira)

The predictions

The Corbett report is 10-22 this year so you can pretty much take these to the bank!

• Hamilton over Montreal in the battle of the old gunslinger vs. the new (Fajardo vs. Mitchell)
• Edmonton over Saskatchewan in Tre Ford’s season debut
• Calgary over Toronto in a hometown victory

And of course, in our feature game, I don’t always pick the Bombers (take last week for instance) but this week I have a funny feeling that the Bombers will finally turn the corner and send the home town fans home happy

Bombers 26 Lions 23