I will let you argue amongst yourselves whether this is a must win game or not. Really the only people that care about that are the ones arguing for or against that statement. What is certain is that the Bombers need wins; and this game would be a good place to start.
In the CFL, every quarterback wants to win every game - that is no secret. Yet, quarterbacks want to win even more (if that were possible) when they are playing their old team. And that will certainly be the case for RedBlacks' quarterback Dru Brown!
The Bombers passed on Dru Brown in 2024, and as such he signed with the RedBlacks. That was at a time when Zach Collaros was playing better and the Bombers were still winning games. However, I do have to wonder if the Bombers regret not keeping him around based on how the 2024 Grey Cup game went. Now, fair enough, Brown wanted to be a starter and that was not seemingly going to happen anytime soon in Winnipeg. But it did, and continues, to leave the Bombers with a problem. Most notably, who is going to be Collaros' successor? News flash...the Bombers still have no clue! And they released Patterson in mid-May.
To be brutally honest Streveler is not the answer. There was hope, but that hope dissipated after the Bombers narrowly beat Toronto and Streveler threw 3 interceptions. So this week we have the Bombers' Zach Collaros facing off with the RedBlacks' Dru Brown. If the 2025 stats are any indicator...the Bombers are in tough on Thursday.
Dru Borwn
Zach Collaros
If the difference in those numbers is not bad enough, the Bombers are getting super thin in their secondary. Terrell Bonds suffered a season ending injury, and the Bombers are being held together in the secondary with duct tape.
However, Vaval is singing a different tune. He believes that he will be just fine at the corner back position as he has played it before. "I always try to be prepared,” said Vaval. “I’ve said it before but playing professional sports, you’ve always got to be able to play two positions. In college I was our boundary corner and our returner. So, I’ve done it before.
“I’ve actually been doing that since high school, since 16-17, playing defence and then staying out there and returning the ball. It’s second nature at this point.
“Being new, those first couple of games I had to get used to the rules. Now that I’m super-comfortable I can be out there playing like myself and being out there on defence will help me get an even more of a feel for playing the corner.” - source
The Bombers and their fans better hope that Vaval is right! Because the Bombers have given up 14 passing touchdowns so far and an astounding 8 of those have come from plays 30 yards or greater!! If I am Dru Brown, I am going down field early and often!
Mitchell in again!
It is worth noting that the Bombers once again are going with Dillon Mitchell. While his numbers were fairly pedestrian last game, maybe now we can stop wondering what was going on in the many games that he did not make the roster. Or maybe we have to wonder even more...how did the Bombers pay him a big signing bonus, not play him, put him on the practice roster...and now bring him back for the second game in a row? It looks like the Bombers are trying everything and anything to figure out the 2025 season.
2 players the Bombers must cover
We know that the Bombers are susceptible to the long ball. They also have been terrible at stopping opponent's second down conversions. If the Bombers have a hope of winning this game they are going to need to make sure Eugene Lewis and Justin Hardy are covered and covered cleanly! Big passes or big pass interference penalties against the Bombers are going to be a recipe for disaster.
Bombers' difference makers
I would like to say that Castillo is the difference maker for the Bombers. But as we saw last week, he can line up and kick a record tying 63 yard field goal with a minute to go...and the Bombers can still find a way to lose.
So for me, the difference maker is going to have to be the fans. With a Bomber team that is struggling, and how fans consume sports in a different way (not in stadium seats) the Bombers once again have sold out this game! That makes it the 10th straight sellout for the Bombers! Those fans need to disrupt the Ottawa offence, and make it hard for them to hear the play calls.
Concluding thoughts
Often I would give a 'Keys to The Game' here. But that seems very difficult these days with the Bombers. It kind of reminds me of COVID when we would ask, "Who had that on their BINGO sheet?" The same can be said for the Bombers; winning games they probably should have lost with extraordinary circumstances, and losing games that they probably should have won.
Until the Bombers find their identify, and know who they are as a football team who knows what they are going to do and what it will take to win.
If not before, clearly last week, the Bombers proved that they lack an identify. They were running the ball very well...until they stopped. That is unthinkable. You have Brady Oliveira on your team, your offensive coordinator that did not run the ball in the 2024 Grey Cup is gone, your new offensive coordinator saw the 2024 Grey Cup debacle as he was the running backs coach then...and the Bombers still refused to run the ball down the throats of their opponents?
So here are my concluding thoughts. The Bombers need to start winning unless they want 2025 to go down as an embarrassment of a year where Winnipeg hosted the Grey Cup, they let Lawler walk (they could have afforded him), they did not spend to the cap, and they are falling behind other Western Division teams.
The Bombers could get Ontaria Wilson back from the NFL if the NY Jets choose to release him, or he may try and get more looks in the NFL. Either way, waiting for Wilson is no guarantee and the Bombers better be making some phone calls. The Bomber are in trouble on offence and defense and they actually need to solve both problems. This Bomber team is not good enough to fix one of the phases and have that group carry the team.
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