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The B.C. Lions still see the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as the same team that has made regular appearances in the Grey Cup. These Bombers don’t have the same kind of record.
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Published Jun 20, 2024 • Last updated 2 hours ago • 4 minute read
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B.C. Lions’ Sione Teuhema (47) celebrates his sack of Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros (8) during the Lions June 2023 game in Winnipeg. Photo by John Woods/CP /PNG
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There are those who are rubbing their hands in glee, in uncontained schadenfreude, looking at the CFL’s West standings and seeing the winless Winnipeg Blue Bombers mired in the basement. With the B.C. Lions visiting Friday night, their losing streak to start the season could reach three games, sending those same observers into delirious paroxysms of pleasure.
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The Lions (1-1) would be forgiven if they were among the celebrants, given that their seasons have ended in two straight icy autumn game West finals at (the former) IG Field.
But the Bombers’ June gloom is no sign of impeding doom, in their eyes.
“I don’t read too much into the first two weeks of the season. It’s too early. Everybody’s trying to figure themselves out,” said Lions coach Rick Campbell. “And so that’s how I view it. It’s too early for any of that talk. … They still look like the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.”
NEXT GAME
B.C. Lions vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Friday, 5:30 p.m., Princess Auto Stadium
TV: TSN. Radio: AM980
For their part, Winnipeg isn’t worried, either.
Sure, they’re last in points (15.5), offence (296.5), second-down conversion (34.1) and made a clean sweep as leaders in the turnover category (picks, fumbles, total and ratio) and have given up more big plays — runs over 20 yards, catches over 30 — than any other team. That’s just part of a team learning to grow together, said coach Mike O’Shea.
“Mistakes are going to happen,” he said. “But it’s really not a long list of big errors. There’s just a couple of things they would have liked to clean up last game.
“They’re working back to a standard they’d like after a camp where a couple of guys didn’t participate. The foundation is there. It’s just cleaning up a couple of things.”
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If Ottawa’s Damon Webb doesn’t bat down a Zack Collaros pass in end zone in the dying moments of last week’s loss to Ottawa, there is no talk of desperate Bombers at all. And even if the Lions come away victors Friday, there might be an uptick in concern, but even then, history shows a slow start won’t rule you out.
Campbell took his under-. 500 Ottawa Redblacks (8-9-1) to the Promised Land and won it all in 2016. The 2022 Toronto Argonauts were pummelled 44-3 in they third game (by B.C.) to start their season 1-2, and won the Grey Cup. The 9-9 Argos in 2017 won the titles too, not getting to .500 until the final game of the season, and pulled it off in 2012 as a .500 team, too.
Lions defensive end Mathieu Betts had three sacks of Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros during 30-6 win at Winnipeg on June 22, 2023. Photo by John Woods/CP /PNG
But the Grandpa Burger example of them all in recent times is those 2011 Lions, who came out of the game 0-5 (and 1-6) before going on an epic turnaround that culminated in winning the Grey Cup at home.
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The Bombers are banged up, with Dalton Schoen and Brady Oliveira both missing practice time this week — Schoen is listed as available, while Oliveira gets the ‘questionable’ tag — linebacker Ben Hladik isn’t buying what the media is selling. He learned that last year, when, after a 30-6 win in their first visit to Winnipeg, they were obliterated 45-14 in their next trip to IG Field.
“As a team, we talked about we view this every other game,” he said. “We want to stomp a West opponent. We want to set the tone early in the season against all the West opponents and get stuck those wins early against, like Calgary last week. And we hope we’ll do the same against Winnipeg (and) put them in a hole at the start of the season.
“We still got to beat a good, good Winnipeg team. You can’t go in there expecting to win. Those are the games you lose.”
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NOTES AND QUOTES
• Before last week’s game against Calgary, Hladik got an credit for an tackle that came on the final play of the game against the Argos, giving him 10 in that game. He matched that output against the Stampeders, and headed into this week’s slate of games as the CFL’s tackling leader.
Running mate Josh Woods, who called Hladik “the most underrated linebacker in the CFL” is also in the top there, with 16 tackles.
“Right back at him,” said Hladik. “He’s out there smacking guys. Watching him play makes me want to be more physical and hit guys harder. It motivates me to get on his level.”
• With Jevon Cottoy out, rookie Stanley Berryhill will rate into the starting lineup. Ayden Eberhart and Travis Fulgham will try to fill the role left by Cottoy, especially in blocking schemes.
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“Cottoy is a hard guy to replace with his the hybrid type player that he is. It’ll be Cottoy by committee,” said Campbell.
With Cottoy out, it will likely mean even more targets for receiver Justin McInnis, who has 194 receiving yards through two games, most in the league.
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