Before I go any farther with this, I want to posture the opinion that the CFL 'powers-that-be' have been responsible for all this pro Lions propaganda. The CFL wants The Lions to become the first team to win the Grey Cup on home soil since B.C. beat CFL-USA expansion team Baltimore 26-23 on Lui Passaglia's last-second field goal at B.C. Place in 1994.
With the CFL fully pulling the strings of their puppets, it’s clear that The Blue Bombers of Winnipeg are underdogs on paper. But that’s all it is…it’s papers, actually, any edge B.C. boosters think the Lions have is merely an apparition. When it comes down to the numbers, the stats tell a different story.
The Break down(s)
The B.C. Lions: By The Numbers
Friday, August 19th - B.C. 36 @ EDM 1 -- Edmonton was still seen as a dangerous team that was making a run. B.C.'s Defence clamped down hard and made Ricky Ray look flaccid whilst the offence put the peddle to the floor and never took it off. B.C.'s win in this one made everyone in the CFL take notice.
Saturday, September 17th - B.C. 32 @ CGY 19 -- I've included this game, though some may think I shouldn't. It was a hall of fame type game for B.C. Including rookie Tim Cronk scoring his first CFL touchdown. However, it was also the game that was the beginning of the end for the Henry Burris era in Calgary. Burris looked as if he couldn't have moved a U-haul down the field, let-a-lone a football team.
Saturday, November 5th - MTL 1 @ BC 43 -- This was an impressive win over the defending Grey Cup Champion Montreal Alouettes. With this game B.C. Claimed first place in the CFL west with the offence carving up the Als with short but rapid passes to a Wide-open receiving core and also airing out the ball a couple times. The Als D clearly left their game in Montreal.
Sunday, November 20th _ EDM 23 @ B.C. 40 – This game honestly looked like a speed-bag vs a punching bag. The Lions dismantled the Eskie and brick by brick Edmonton crumbled. The game was won largely on the back of Travis Lulay who threw two TD passes and had a 61-yard scoring run.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers: By The Numbers
Thursday, July 28th - BC 20 @ WPG 25 - At this point in the season, the B.C. Lions were without a win. The Bombers were on the field with heavy hearts due to the death of defensive line & assistant head coach Richard Harris just days earlier. Doug Brown, who was very emotional on the sidelines, was quoted as saying "We were so drained, we were so destitute coming into this game. So many guys, we had nothing more to give. We were spent ...”. Well, a “spent” Swaggerville went to work with a blue collar effort and sacked Lulay six times.
Friday, August 5th - EDM 16 @ WPG 28 -- The Winnipeg Blue Bombers handed the Edmonton Eskimos their first loss of the season. The man with two first names Ricky Ray was the league's top-rated passer going into the game with 10 TDs against one interception. The Bombers pass rushing made Ray look foolish as he was intercepted three times alone in this game. On the flip-side, Buck Pierce threw for two touchdowns and ran a career-high 48 yards into the end zone. The win propelled the Bombers to 5-and-1 and showed Edmonton had some major holes in their armour.
Saturday, August 13th – WPG 30 @ BC 17 – The first half of this game was a close defensive battle with neither team gaining a huge edge. However, The Bombers made some adjustments in the dressing room and came out hot scoring touchdowns; a 51 and a 54-yard drive, on their first two possession of the second half. The supreme effort improved The Blue & Gold to 6-1 for the first time since 1984 and moved two points ahead of the Montreal Alouettes in the battle for first in the East.
Sunday, September 18th - WPG 25 @ MTL 23 – This was a game where Buck Pierce proved he's tougher than a two-dollar steak. The game can be boiled down to big plays early on and suffocatingly tight defence throughout. The Bombers reduced slotback S.J. Green's ribs to rubble and continued to roll. The Als battled back but were unable to gain traction over the Swaggerville D.
Saturday, October 22nd - MTL 25 @ WPG 26 AC's arm, which is usually a cannon that puts opponents away, really put his own team away with his triad of interceptions, including a crucial touchdown in the fourth quarter when the Bombers were clawing back from a 25-10 deficit. The Bombers showed once again that they made of sterner stuff by turning the tables in the fourth, scoring 16 points.
Sunday, November 20th East Division Final - Ham 3 @ WPG 19 – The so-called experts were already calling for the Bombers to falter in this game, including my boss Brad Bazin. However, The Bombers came into this game as a Sportselect favourite, just barely edging Hamilton, according to odds makers. The game was anything but close as The Big Blue put the team on the back of 5'9 rookie running-back Chris Garrett in the face of the blistering cold. Garrett, who's had a standout year, rushed for some 190 odd yards and looked like a beast despite the minus 22 degrees. Garrett was surely the superstar, but he was quick to point out he didn't do it alone “My hat goes off to my offensive linemen. They did a tremendous job opening up holes. The receivers did their job catching the passes upfield. It was an all-out effort by all of us”.
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Now, I hope now that you've seen all the facts that have been laid-out that even the most passive or uninformed CFL fan can see that 'all that glitters ain't gold' and the B.C. Lions are receiving much smoke blowing up their backsides. I'm not trying to turn the tables on the Leos, The Bombers aren't a Juggernaut going into the Grey Cup, But I would hope people will draw the conclusion that these two teams are in for a much closer match-up than they've been lead to believe. Bob “Knuckles” Irving put it best and really summed up my breakdown when he said “The Blue Bomber defensive co-ordinator Tim Burke has confused and confounded Anthony Calvillo, Kevin Glenn and Travis Lulay with his schemes this season.” And “ Nobody should sell the Bombers short on resolve. They came back to win a number of their games early in the season when they ran out to a 7-1 start...they've shown a tremendous aptitude for not giving up.”" Moreover, in games where they fell behind and lost, they actually clawed back to a point where they had a reasonable chance to win." This game will undoubtedly be a test for BOTH teams.
Now, lets pump the breaks there turbo! Before you fire off about my bias, I am an accused and admitted Bomber fan, I wear the Blue & Gold with pride, it's no secret. But I feel I have done a fair and methodical breakdown of the season and painted a far more accurate picture than the “experts”.
When all is said and done it all boils down to this:
You may coo at this, you all may join the jabroni's in the media who've already planned the parade in Vancouver...go ahead! Just don't poop your pants when the Bombers D stands tall and and the One-Two punch of Pierce & Brink surge past B.C.
Now, I hope now that you've seen all the facts that have been laid-out that even the most passive or uninformed CFL fan can see that 'all that glitters ain't gold' and the B.C. Lions are receiving much smoke blowing up their backsides. I'm not trying to turn the tables on the Leos, The Bombers aren't a Juggernaut going into the Grey Cup, But I would hope people will draw the conclusion that these two teams are in for a much closer match-up than they've been lead to believe. Bob “Knuckles” Irving put it best and really summed up my breakdown when he said “The Blue Bomber defensive co-ordinator Tim Burke has confused and confounded Anthony Calvillo, Kevin Glenn and Travis Lulay with his schemes this season.” And “ Nobody should sell the Bombers short on resolve. They came back to win a number of their games early in the season when they ran out to a 7-1 start...they've shown a tremendous aptitude for not giving up.”" Moreover, in games where they fell behind and lost, they actually clawed back to a point where they had a reasonable chance to win." This game will undoubtedly be a test for BOTH teams.
Now, lets pump the breaks there turbo! Before you fire off about my bias, I am an accused and admitted Bomber fan, I wear the Blue & Gold with pride, it's no secret. But I feel I have done a fair and methodical breakdown of the season and painted a far more accurate picture than the “experts”.
When all is said and done it all boils down to this:
You may coo at this, you all may join the jabroni's in the media who've already planned the parade in Vancouver...go ahead! Just don't poop your pants when the Bombers D stands tall and and the One-Two punch of Pierce & Brink surge past B.C.
