The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were handed a beat down on Thursday June 22 at IG Field! That made for a very interesting Game Ball & Jock article. However, in reality an early season beat down is not all bad. No, I am not trying to make a win out of a 30-6 loss, instead I am offering some perspective.

A loss is a loss and you know the Bombers’ mantra is “We are trying to go 1-0 this week.” Well they failed to do that, but what does that really mean. It means that the Bombers lost to a good BC Lions football team. It means the Bombers lost in all three phases of the game. It means that the Bombers had a terrible game and lost at home – something that does not usually happen. But it also means that the Bombers are 2-1 on the season.

For Bomber fans that are still upset with last week’s game imagine being the Elks. The Elks are in serious trouble showing that they do not know which direction is up. They know the sky is falling in Edmonton. For now I will chalk up the Bombers’ loss as an anomaly. They got out played, they took undisciplined penalties and they got the result that often happens when you put those two things together.

“Collectively as a team we didn’t play well enough. That’s all three phases,” said linebacker Adam Bighill. “We didn’t do enough. It’s simple. You’ve got to play your best or you’re going to lose in this league and B.C.’s a good football team. We knew that. We got beat. They were the better team.

– Adam Bighill Upon Further Review by Ed Tait

While I am sure the Bombers would love to be 3-0, a beat down this early in the season is not terrible. It provides the Bombers with their own reality check. The players are profession athletes but they are also human. With human nature, consistent winning, being in the Grey Cup three years in a row, and winning two of those Grey Cups can make players complacent – or at least take winning for granted.

Not to say that Mike O’Shea would ever allow complacency, but he cannot entirely stop it either – that is the power of human nature. I am sure that the Bombers had a less than fun film session on Friday. But more than breaking down the film the Bombers now get to evaluate their presuppositions – a presupposition that they always win – a message they seem to have received.

Winning is hard in any league. In the NBA finals one of the coaches went around the room and asked veteran players, “How long have you been in the league? How many NBA finals have you been to?” He was highlighting the fact that winning is hard.

In a beat down, such as the Bombers were handed they were certainly reminded that they do not get to choose what it takes to win…they only get to choose if they will do what it takes to win. Not a bad reminder early in the season.

If the Bombers continue to play as poor as they did last game then we have cause for concern. Until then, Bomber fans relax…and Bomber players get to work!

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