Plenty of blame to go around

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This article was published 21/10/2017 (2371 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO — For a moment it looked as if the Winnipeg Blue Bombers might pull off another victory in a game they had no business winning.

Unlike last week’s triumph over the B.C. Lions, a match Winnipeg won despite the offence being held without a touchdown, the Bombers fell short Saturday against the Toronto Argonauts. The result was a 29-28 loss at BMO Field, the game ending with a botched 40-yard field goal attempt by Justin Medlock. The kick, which sailed wide right, was just one of a number of mistakes made by the Bombers.

“There’s not a player in there that thinks they played an OK game,” said head coach Mike O’Shea. “They all want plays back.”

With that, here are five takeaways from Saturday’s game.

MIND OVER MEDLOCK

The missed field goal by Medlock wasn’t the lone reason the Bombers lost this one, just the most glaring.

Not long ago Medlock was considered to be automatic from 40 yards, hardly considered a chip shot. Fans have come to expect pserfection from a man who in 2016, his first year in Blue and Gold, set a CFL record for field goals in a season – 60 – and set a number of franchise marks, too.

Medlock’s last-second miss Saturday was his second failed attempt in the game. He finished two-for-four, missing his first from 39 yards on the Bombers final series of the first half. Medlock has now missed six of his last 13 attempts over the past four games, dropping his field-goal percentage to a league-worst 76.7.

Medlock blamed himself for the kick – and, ultimately, the loss – fighting back tears the entire time he spoke with media. It’s not the first occasion this season a bad performance has evoked an emotional response from him. After missing all three of his field goal attempts — and a convert — in a road win over the Edmonton Eskimos in Week 15, Medlock went so far as to question his job security.

Winnipeg inked Medlock to a salary upwards of $180,000 a year for a reason, and the coaches and players have faith he will rebound.

NICHOLS TAKES OFFENCE WITH OFFENCE

It was arguably Matt Nichols’ shortest post-game scrum with reporters, but though it lasted only 98 seconds, the Bombers quarterback had more to say than usual. Generally, Nichols is mild-mannered win or lose, but Saturday he was visibly upset about the play of his offence, a unit that put up just 301 net yards.

“There’s obviously a lot of things you do wrong when you lose a football game,” he said. “I don’t know what some of the major ones are right now but we better figure it out.”

Nichols did eventually list off a number of issues that rubbed him the wrong way, most notably the second-last play of the game. With the Bombers already in field-goal range, they had the chance to move the kick closer on second-and-five from Toronto’s 31-yard line. A miscommunication led to players lining up incorrectly and the play resulted in a two-yard loss for running back Andrew Harris.

“Pretty simple things that we’ve done every week for the last couple of years. We messed it up,” said Nichols. “On a play that if we could have got five or six more yards, it probably makes a difference for the kick going in.”

The Bombers were able to put up three touchdowns — two one-yard runs from backup QB Dan LeFevour and a 28-yard catch by Weston Dressler — but they weren’t able to stretch the field or eat up the clock enough to give the defence time to rest against a vicious Argonauts’ attack. Never was that more glaring than midway through the fourth quarter, with the Bombers clinging to a 28-23 lead.

After the defence forced Toronto to kick a short field goal, the offence went back on the field for a two-and-out. Winnipeg was dominated in time of possession, 37:55 to 22:05.

“I don’t care who you are, if you play that much, with that many plays, you’re going to get tired,” said Dressler. ”

FEW RESULTS, NO EXCUSES

Harris lamented earlier in the week perhaps the Bombers offence was becoming too predictable. If they were going to be successful, Harris reasoned, the offence needed to learn how to adapt on the fly and overcome whatever adversity might stand in their way.

That’s why he wasn’t looking at the loss of Darvin Adams, who missed his first game since injuring his shoulder against the Lions, as a crutch.

“That’s not an excuse,” said Harris. “We got to be better.”

But after three straight weeks of mediocre play from the offence, one might wonder just how much more they have to give.

With Harris putting up a season-low 36 total yards, including just two catches for four yards, the offence mostly centred on the play of Dressler. He led all receivers with eight catches for 129 yards in his return to the lineup after spending the last three games on the injury list.

Dressler was the bright spot on an otherwise uninspiring night by a cast seemingly short of legitimate playmakers. Harris and Dressler are among the best performers in the CFL, but with few weapons around them, are relied on far too often.

Harris faces a double-team on almost every play and with No. 2 running back Timothy Flanders still on the shelf, he has struggled to do it by himself in the backfield. Chris Givens looked promising in his CFL debut, reeling in four catches for 41 yards but it’s hard to think he can be relied on to lead the offence. Clarence Denmark has recorded 25 or less receiving yards in three of his last four games and has just one touchdown in his previous five.

“I don’t know what it is but we are going to be having extra meetings,” said Nichols. “We’re going to be doing extra stuff this week that guys better get ready to learn and be in the right places.”

NO DEFENCE FOR FREEFALLING D

Perhaps the tough love for the offence is in part because of how prolific they have been this season. If the Bombers are to snap their 26-year Grey Cup drought, it’s going to be on the backs of the offence.

As for the defence, few have come to expect them to provide the heavy lifting on most nights. The D played a major role in the win over the Lions last week, but took a giant step back against Toronto.

Already among the worst units in the league for points and yards allowed per game, the defence hit a new low Saturday, allowing an eye-popping 556 yards of net offence. Toronto averaged 8.3 yards on first down, torching Winnipeg both in the air and on the ground.

The Argonauts had such little respect for the Bombers defence, they twice opted to gamble on third-and-goal, both times needing at least four yards to find the end zone. The Bombers would come up big with a sack on the second attempt, but that did little to ease the damage done to the egos inside the locker room.

“We took it personal,” said rookie cornerback Brian Walker. “They went for it on third down willingly, with no hesitation.”

Argos QB Ricky Ray threw for 423 yards and the Argonauts, led by a monster game by running back James Wilder, rumbled for 149 rushing yards. The Bombers weren’t able to register a second-half sack on Ray, who, at 37, is the furthest thing from a running threat there is in the CFL.

“It’s what we saw in practice, what we watched on film,” said Bombers defensive end Tristan Okpalaugo. “They didn’t change anything.”

BLUE FIGHTING FOR SECOND

The Bombers drop to 11-5 and give up any chance of finishing first in the West Division. The Calgary Stampeders (13-2-1) will have that spot, while Winnipeg will fight for the right to host the West semifinal.

The Bombers need one win over the next two games — Oct. 28 vs. the Lions and Nov. 4 at Calgary — or a loss by Edmonton to claim second.

The Argonauts improved to 8-9 and move back into first place in a weak East Division. With the bye this week, Toronto can secure top spot in the division with a win on the road over the Lions in their season finale. A loss or tie by the Ottawa Redblacks in their game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats would also do the trick.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton