If I said I was not surprised with this depth chart I would be lying!
The Bombers did very well offensively against Hamilton 2 weeks ago. They put up 421 passing yards. Yes, they did have 1 interception. And, no I do not think they ran the ball enough (you can read all about that here). Yet, this depth chart surprises me.
Bo Levi Mitchell was having his way with the Bombers' defence. It was as if he knew the coverage based on who the Bombers' defence lined up. And then he threw right at man coverage every time. I thought for sure that the Bombers would make some changes in their defence during the bye week.
Here's a reminder.
The numbers here tell a story, but they do not tell the whole story. To know the whole story you would have had to watch the game. Winnipeg's defence had no answers for Hamilton's offense. Quite frankly, it was ugly to watch. Hamilton made play after play, while Winnipeg did not, or could not make the adjustments. If you watched the game it were as if Bo Levi Mitchell had the Bomber's defensive playbook and knew based on the Bomber's alignment what play he should run.
The one thing that changes this narrative for me, is Hamilton's week 3 performance against BC.
Once again, Bo Levi Mitchell absolutely torched their opposition! 5, count them 5 touchdowns for Bo. You almost have you use two hands to count all the touchdowns he threw. Bow did not need to put up 5 touchdowns for me to change my narrative. 4 would have done it.
Still Concerned...But Not As Much
I have moved away from only wondering if Winnipeg's defence is in trouble, to also wondering if Bo is in the playbooks a ton this year. Lets face it, he made Winnipeg and BC look silly. That is not to say that I have zero concerns with Winnipeg's offence. I still do. And those concerns will either grow or be tempered a bit depending on how the Bombers' defence plays on Thursday.
But here is the surprising part for me...the Bombers did not make changes on their defence for this week. If there was any week to make changes it would have been last week...the bye week. Players have enough time to get familiar with the play book. They could have conversations with the coaching staff. They could unofficially practice on their own. But no. No changes.
What Does That Tell Me?
I have three options here, and two things can be true at the same time.
Option 1: Winnipeg is stubborn
The Bombers are just too stubborn to make needed adjustments. We have seen that in past years where the Bombers' Head Coach, Mike O'Shea is stubborn to a fault. Just think of past Grey Cups and quarterback decisions.
Option 2: Winnipeg does not have anyone better
This option to me is actually less scary that option 1. If this is the case, that the Bombers have their best players on the depth chart...and if it does not get the job done, they can do something about that. They can sign better players. But if option 1 is the case, that is hard to make necessary changes.
Option 3: This is a good defence that got torched by a better quarterback
Out of all the options available, I hope that this one is the case. If so, there is very little problem. CFL teams are going to encounter better quarterbacks.
No I Am Not Surprised - Dru Brown
I am neither surprised that the Bombers signed Dru Brown, nor am I surprised that he is not on the depth chart this week.
When Ottawa moved away from Brown as their starter, I saw the writing on the wall - I think I even wrote about that. To me it seemed like he would come back to Winnipeg. For the record, I am not disappointed that the Bombers let him go. In 2024, many fans were screaming about how could the Bombers let Brown go. Maybe I should have been more upset as the Streveler & Wilson combination was a failed experiment. But at that time, I expected the Bombers to get better quarterbacks...they had some on their roster before they cut them.
But things have changed. The Bombers do not have a number two quarterback with CFL experience. Trust me, I get it. the only way to get CFL experience is to play in CFL games. Yet at the same time there is a win now mindset with the Bombers. We have seen it year after that CFL teams require two quarterbacks to win. And while the Bombers hope that either Perkins or Elgersma is that guy...it seems like they are not convinced. So I do not mind the move of bringing in Brown.
Final Thoughts
Here is what I said after Week 2 and I still maintain my position:
"There are a few trends that simply cannot continue.
First, the Bombers' defence has to be way better. It is the CFL and teams will continue to throw deep balls. However, an offence simply cannot be able to continually identify pre-snap where the one-on-one coverage is. It is very hard to get pressure on the quarterback that way and you will get burnt down field.
Second, the Bombers need to run the ball more! Quite frankly, after last year I do not have any time for excuses or explanations when the Bombers do not run the ball at least 15 times.
Third, if the Bombers offence continues to put up a ton of yards, but also turn the ball over that is problematic. I would rather have an efficient Bombers' offence that puts up less yards...but protects the football.
Should two of these three areas of concern continue, then I believe the Bombers are in a world of hurt."
I fully expect the Bombers to come out with a much better effort and result this week. I cannot imagine that anyone in that organization has forgotten about game 2. I believe they all want to get back on the field and show the rest of the teams in the CFL that they are way better than their Week 2 outing.
Whether is is about the Bombers' defence, or bringing in Brown...what do you think? Let me know in the comments section wherever you are reading this. Catch all my articles here.