Winnipeg Blue Bombers

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers continued their offseason makeover Wednesday when it was announced that the club had signed former B.C. Lions defensive tackle Tyrone Williams.

After several front office moves since the clubs disappointing '08 campaign, player moves have begun with last week's acquisition of quarterback Stefan Lefors and the re-signing of linebacker Barrin Simpson. 

In addition to signing Williams, it was also announced that Winnipeg had re-signed defensive lineman Gavin Walls who was due to become a free agent in February.

Blue Bombers head coach Mike Kelly has not hesitated to make changes, since he took over the team in late November. Wednesday, he weighed in on the transactions that the team has made thus far.

''I'd rather play with Gavin Walls than against him,'' Kelly said. "I'm very impressed with his skill set and energy. He plays the way a Bomber is supposed to play.'' 

Kelly is equally as thrilled to have Williams on board for next season.

"Tyrone's body doesn't have the wear and tear you might expect from a veteran of his stature,'' Kelly said. ''He brings a level of maturity and professionalism to the clubhouse that I admire, and he is a warrior in the trenches." 

Williams is a former two-time CFL All-Star, receiving the accolade in 2006 and 2007.

Last season, Williams, the 36-year-old native of Philadelphia, Penn., recorded 49 tackles and one sack. 

Walls took home the CFL Rookie of the Year honors in 2005 and led the Bombers in sacks last season with 10.

Walls is ranked third in the Bombers' franchise history with 40 sacks in only four seasons.

Who knows what move the Blue Bombers will make next?

However, one message that has been blatantly clear since Kelly took over is that no one on this team is safe.

After a disappointing season in which the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were touted to be a challenger for the 96th Grey Cup in Montreal—but came up short—the situation at the Bombers' pivotal position has grown even more interesting.

The Bombers recently hired Mike Kelly as their new head coach after former big boss Doug Berry was fired due to his strange interactions with players and not living up to the expectations placed on such a talented Bombers squad.

Kelly has only been on the job a few months, and he's already mixing things up in the windy city.

The Bombers acquired Edmonton Eskimos backup quarterback Stefan LeFors in exchange for a second round pick in the upcoming CFL Draft and a conditional draft pick in the 2010 CFL Draft.

LeFors spent two seasons in Edmonton under Kelly following a star collegiate career at Louisville.  After starting quarterback Ricky Ray went down with an injury in 2007, Lefors played the final five games of the season, completing 110-of-181 passes for 1193 yards and six touchdowns.

Not bad numbers considering that LeFors was dressed as the backup for every game this season, including East Semifinal and East Final.

Now, the question becomes: What will happen to Winnipeg's current No. 1 pivotal guy Kevin Glenn?

Glenn, who inherited the Bombers' QB job back in 2004, has had his ups and downs with the Bombers.  From his East Division's Most Outstanding Player award in 2007 to breaking his arm in last year's East Final and inconsistent play in 2008, Glenn's future in Winnipeg is looking bleak.

Glenn has given Kelly a list of possible teams to which he would like to be shipped, which means Glenn may be heading out of Winnipeg, especially since the job for the Bombers' No. 1 pivotal position is up for grabs going into training camp this spring.

Glenn's numbers tell the tale of a QB that is losing grip on the starting position as he threw for only 3,675 yards with 20 touchdowns and 20 interceptions last season—fifth best among CFL QBs.  

These numbers were far from the expectations of both Glenn and the Bombers.

Also in the mix for the QB position is backup Ryan Dinwiddie—decent in replacing Glenn in both the 95th Grey Cup in 2007 and at times this past season. 

Dinwiddie went 93-of-159 last season for 1,299 yards, five touchdowns, and six interceptions.  As the backup, many believed that Dinwiddie would replace Glenn last season but Glenn had favour from former head coach Doug Berry.

Now the slate is being wiped clean and the Bombers' pivotal position is up for grabs.

Who will it be? Glenn, Dinwiddie, or LeFors?

It was reported Wednesday on TSN that the Blue Bombers intend on trading former East Division MVP Kevin Glenn.  New boss Mike Kelly has reportedly told Glenn that they are shopping him around to other teams and have asked where he would like to end up.

This news comes at the heels of a trade earlier in the day that saw the Bombers acquire Quarterback Stefan Lefors from the Eskimos in exchange for a second-round pick in this year's draft and a conditional pick in 2010. 

Lefors comes to Winnipeg after spending last season sharing backup duties with Jason Maas, however Lefors in 2007 started the final five games of the season for the Eskimos and played well,  throwing for 1,193 yards and six touchdowns.  He was a former fourth round pick of the Carolina Panthers and played his college ball at Louisville. 

As for Glenn, he has been the Bombers starter since taking the job from Khari Jones in 2004 and steadily improved every year, and took a huge step in 07 throwing for over 5,000 yards and a 93.2 QB rating and guided the Bombers to the Grey Cup game.

However, things took an awful turn for him the the East Final as Glenn broke his arm in the second half and the Bombers were forced to go with first timer Ryan Dinwiddie in a Grey Cup loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. 

Glenn never appeared to be the same this season; his numbers from 07 dropped significantly, throwing for 3,675 yards with 20 interceptions. 

It is uncertain where Glenn will end up, but if they are gonna deal Glenn, they will likely trade him for another quarterback.

Printers, who is on the outs in Hamilton, could be a strong candidate; Michael Bishop who is out in Saskatchewan is another logical choice.

Where this leaves Ryan Dinwiddie and the rest of the Bombers is unclear but if Glenn is traded it is likely that the Bombers may just cut ties with Dinwiddie and perhaps also Brian Randle. The Bombers have far too many quarterbacks on the team right now. 

I look for the Bombers to perhaps package a deal with Hamilton or Saskatchewan in order to get rid of Glenn and get another premier quarterback on the market. 

When it comes to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' upcoming season, it may read like this:

"The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Even with the re-arrival of head coach Mike Kelly to Winnipeg, things aren't going to all be the same when it comes to players on the field.

Winnipeg Blue Bomber and future Canadian Football League Hall of Famer Milt Stegall may have played his last game last fall when the Edmonton Eskimos bounced the Bombers in the East semifinals.

Yet, Stegall has not put the final nail in his playing coffin quite yet.  But his expected retirement press conference may be soon on the horizon.

Local Winnipeg radio station CJOB68's Bob Irving recently got in touch with Stegall, who is residing in Altanta, Georgia on whether Milt would be back for another season.  Stegall went through the regular rig-a-ma-roll and dodged any indications he would be back or whether he would announce his retirement soon.

Starting with the Bombers in 1995 after not sticking with the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL, Stegall has cemented himself as one of the great, if not the greatest, players in CFL history.

Stegall holds CFL records for most TDs in a career (147), most TD receptions in a career (144), most receiving yards in a career (15,071), most TDs in one season (23 - 2002), most TD receptions in one season (23 - 2002), and most yards per catch in a season (26.5 - 1997).

This last season, Stegall captured the most receiving yards in a career passing Calgary Stampeders great Allen Pitts.

However great his 14 seasons in Winnipeg have seemed, Stegall has never won the ultimate prize—the Grey Cup.  In two Grey Cup final appearances, the Bombers have come up short, in 2001 and most recently in 2007.

Alongside such other synonymous Bombers such as RB Charles Roberts and QBs Khari Jones and Kevin Glenn, Stegall has cemented his place as an all-time Bomber great.

Yet Stegall seemed to come through in the clutch and perform to his best ability despite not having all-star quality quarterbacks for many years of his career.  Only Jones and Glenn were well-known CFL QBs during Stegall's time in Winnipeg.

Will Milt be back in blue and gold?

Guess we'll have to sit tight and wait.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana

With great fanfare, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers recently announced the return of former offensive coordinator Mike Kelly as the club’s new head coach.

While I’m fairly certain Mr. Santayana was not referring to this hiring when making the above quote, I am sure the Winnipeg Football Club would have been well served to heed its warning.

As a huge fan of the club, I am fearful that by not acknowledging past hiring errors, the Bombers are doomed to suffer mediocrity once again in the face of their most recent hiring.

The reason for this fear might simply be the natural skepticism and pessimism that arises from supporting a team in the midst of an 18-year championship drought in an eight-team league, or it might be that I can’t shake the feeling that we’ve seen this all before.

My mind takes me to a previous season much like the one recently experienced. For your examination, I’d like to offer a comparison of the 2008 and 1996 CFL seasons. You’ll see that there are some ominous parallels that seem to have been ignored (some rightfully so) by Lyle "Tower of Power" Bauer when searching for his new coach.

In both years, the Grey Cup was won by a team led by a former Chicago Bear Quarterback (Burris 2008, Flutie 1996). Bomberland was in mourning following a playoff defeat to the hated Eskimos and the firing of the crusty coach who had led them to that loss (Berry 2008, Cal Murphy 1996).

To add to the gloomy outlook following both seasons, a legendary Bomber icon was considering retirement (Stegall 2008, Walby 1996). In response to these situations, the club offered two unconventional hires as their new head coaches.

Both were assistant coaches (though neither an offensive or defensive coordinator at the time) from rival Western Division opponents (2008 Kelly arrives from the Eskimos, 1996 Jeff Reinebold arrived from the Lions).

These new coaches both had experience as a head coach at a small American college, both had assistant coaching experience in other pro leagues, and both had assistant coached in the CFL.

Both were chosen because it was felt that they demonstrated enthusiasm and energy, though not necessarily experience, and were seen as implements to restoring the tradition of the Bombers.

Known as player’s coaches, the appointment of these new kingpins (both were rookies) was heartily endorsed by players around the league as a great move for deserving candidates.

Now these parallel circumstances can easily be chalked up to coincidence, but to be able to compare any aspect of a new hiring to that of the Reinebold era should give any Bomber fan the willies.

It's like eating a piece of Grandma’s fruitcake at Christmas. You didn’t like it last year, but somehow you think that maybe this time around it will taste good and not give you the runs. Here's hoping the Kelly era spares us the runs the Reinebold era gave us.

What bothers me the most is not necessarily the fact that there are similarities between the two hirings. It's that the most glaring of those similarities is found in the thin nature of their head coaching resumes.

One of the mistakes the Bombers made in hiring Reinebold is that he had never proven himself as a head coach at any level; he was an unknown quantity. Based on his resume, the same can certainly be said of Kelly as well.

In fact, Reinebold’s one year of head coaching at Rocky Mountain College was at least a winning one. Kelly has two losing seasons to show for his time as headman at Valdosta State University.

What other qualifications for head coaching does Kelly bring? He was a pro personnel assistant in the NFL- but I’m not sure how that qualifies one to be HEAD coach of an entire organization.

He made the Pro Bowl as a coach, something Reinebold most certainly did not. Upon closer inspection, though, we see that the whole staff of the Championship game runner-up team automatically makes the Pro Bowl.

It’s not as if he was recognized for his individual excellence. Jim Sorgi has a Super Bowl ring; that does not necessarily make him a Super Bowl quarterback. Mike Kelly went to the Pro Bowl, but it does not necessarily make him a Pro Bowl coach.

From my research, it seems that Kelly was a glorified video guy/scout in his time in the NFL. This is nothing to scoff at, but are the recesses of the video room where you want to be getting your next head coach?

It seems then that Mike Kelly’s strongest credentials for being headman are found in his time as Bomber Offensive Coordinator, an era in Bomber history burned in my memory by hard losses in big games.

Like the 12 points Kelly’s vaunted offence scored in the 1994 Eastern Final, playing on our home turf here in Winnipeg. Or the back-to-back Grey Cup losses in 1992 and 1993.

Or how about the aforementioned 1996 playoff debacle in Edmonton? The OC has to take some responsibility for the whopping seven points on offense scored that day.

Obviously, all these losses can’t simply be hung on Mr. Kelly (he wasn’t even the offensive coordinator for all those games) but if these were his most prolific years, then I must be missing something.

Is this legacy the foundation the Bombers are looking to build on? What kind of glory days are the Bombers trying to bring back? The Raiders had their "commitment to excellence" in the 70s and 80s. Are the Bombers now "committed to almost being good"?

In contrast to the new Bomber coach, recent CFL coaching successes have had far, far more accomplished resumes before obtaining their first CFL jobs. Both John Hufnagel and Mark Trestman not only had position coaching experience but also coordinator experience at the NFL level before landing in Canada.

In contrast, Mike Kelly has not been a coordinator of any sort, at a level higher than the XFL, for over 10 years. In fact, if we were to look at his football coaching work over the last four years, we would see just one year as a receivers’ coach with Edmonton.

Now helping make Kamau Peterson an all-star receiver is pretty much a miracle in itself, so maybe I am selling Mr. Kelly short. If being a good receivers coach, though, is a key criterion in becoming a good head coaching candidate, than I hope the Bombers gave a serious look at their own receivers coach, Bobby Dyce.

His receiving crew, with a weaker quarterback throwing the ball, had a far better season than Kelly’s did in Edmonton. Maybe Dyce will get the vacant head-coaching job in Edmonton.

Wait a minute. That won’t happen because there can only be one team dumb enough to hire some other team’s receivers coach to be their head coach (if you're not paying attention, that's the Bombers).

I hope I am wrong, that the sense of dread I get when I see this hiring is like the one I used to get when I thought a monster was under my bed (its also same feeling I currently get when Tom Canada is "containing" from the edge).

I would psyche myself in to believing that something hideous was down there and only when the lights came on and I looked under the bed did I realize it was only a pair of dirty underwear, and not a monster, that was down there.

Here’s hoping that my fears in  to the Bombers are also completely unfounded and that Mike Kelly is just that: a harmless, dirty pair of underwear capable of leading the Bombers to the Grey Cup.

As for George Santayana and his quote; here’s hoping he’s right, because I’ve been purposely forgetting 1988 and 1990 in the hopes that they can be repeated.

Less than a week after the 8-10 Bombers disappointing season came to an end, the first casualty was sent packing as head coach Doug Berry was relieved of his duties with the Blue Bombers.

Berry, while guiding the Bombers to three straight playoff appearances, understood it was part of the business. "I'm not angry. I know what this profession is. I'm a little more shocked than I am angry," Berry said in a news conference on Wednesday.

"Hopefully, I'll have an opportunity to come back and prove my worth in some other situation in some other city."  In three seasons as the head coach in Winnipeg Berry guided the Bombers to a record of 27-26-1 and a grey cup appearance last season, their first since 2001.

While the Bombers steadily improved his first two seasons as head coach the team struggled greatly at times this year, in a season that began with so much promise.  A year that had promises of a long waited grey cup the Bombers were also decimated by injuries to begin the season with the loss of Milt Stegall to injury and the loss of linebacker and inspirational captain Barrin Simpson to a torn pectoral muscle.

The team also got off to it's worst start since 2005 dropping they're first four games of the season en route to a brutal 2-8 start in their first 10 games.  This Bombers team while it improved greatly throughout the year (finishing 6-2) never seemed to gel consistently and never looked as tough and intimidating as they did last season. 

Did Berry deserve the fate he was given?  For me it's a toss up, he brought a different attitude to the table and committed himself to winning, but in the end his passion and feistiness may have been his downfall. 

There is no doubt Berry knew all the x's and o's to the game but his constant frustrations with the team and his in your face attitude may have been too much for the players to handle as it appeared that Berry's frustrations trickled down to the players who appeared less and less confident as Berry became more irate with they're play. 

Without a doubt Berry deserves another shot at being a head coach and he proved in his time how quickly he can turn a team's fortunes around.  This move has all the makings of a management team looking for a new direction.

''This move has been made in what the club believes is in the best interest of the on-field product,'' said Lyle Bauer, president and CEO of the Blue Bombers. ''We thank Doug for his contribution over the past three years and wish him the best in the future.''

For those curious as to who is likely to succeed Berry as coach look no further than the guy who helped end the Bombers season, Edmonton Eskimos receivers coach Mike Kelly.  All signs point to Kelly as the likely choice to take on this role. 

Kelly spent five season with the Bombers under the tutelage of then head coach Cal Murphy, Kelly turned the Bombers into a potent offence from 92-96 and has admitted he still has a soft spot for Winnipeg.  With Kelly focused on the East Final tomorrow Bomber fans will have to wait to see if Kelly does return to Winnipeg but at this point there is no other logical choice as coach of this team. 

Kelly is a proven winner as a co- coordinator and a head coach and he has proven it at every level (college, NFL, and CFL).  As for Berry don't be surprised to see him resurface soon in the CFL perhaps in Edmonton with his old friend Danny Maciocia who used to coach with Berry in Montreal.

A few weeks ago Troy Polamalu said that the NFL is a pansy league.  While Troy may have a valid argument, he may have gotten the NFL confused with the CFL.  They say that attitude reflects leadership and the Canadian Football League is living proof of this statement and it starts at the top with CFL commissioner Marc Cohon. 

Since taking over as CFL commissioner he has been anything short of assertive, competent, and has next to never laid down the law about anything. 

I know its the CFL and budgets are tight but really this is starting to get ridiculous.  I was all for having video review in the league but by putting money into that did we have to have an entire crew of officials that are completely incompetent and can't tell a simple offside from a blatant procedure call. 

Don't get me wrong I am all for letting the players play and decide he game, but you can't let everything go like seemed to be the case in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers-Edmonton Eskimos game, you start to wonder who is paying these guys?  The Esks were holding onto the Bombers D lineman so much that you would have thought they were slipping off a building and gripping for dear life. 

There were several missed pass interference calls, a clear incomplete pass that was ruled a fumble and luckily was overturned and a late helmet shot on Stegall that was not flagged after the fact. 

Yes you have to let them play, but when the league during the season backs off and doesn't take action on cheap shots teams use that to they're advantage and rightfully so.  If knew I could hit someone in the head at full speed and not get tossed from the game or even get suspended Id to it too to help my team. 

I understand being an official is a tough job but you have to be fair and you have to know the rules.  There were several times where the officials missed the Esks o-line moving and not flagged and the one time Haywood gets drawn offside they call Haywood.

When you can get away with putting a guy in a headlock several times (like what happened to Gavin Walls) and you flag the defensive guy for just trying to push him off you know you are in a pansy league.  

I am not saying any of those calls would have changed the outcome of the game, but the time has come for Marc Cohon to take action for mistakes that are made and to be firmer with they're disciplinary.  People who play in this league are laughing because you can do whatever the hell you want, this is like the days of Paul Tagliabue as NFL commissioner, where you can say and do anything. 

This has become a league where guys can take free shots at quarterbacks (ie Barrenchea on Kevin Glenn) and get a slap on the wrist with a 1000 fine and no suspension.  This is a league where refs are allowed to make racial slurs at players and not have any disciplinary action and all the CFL and Cohon and company can say is that they're afraid the players association will appeal and overturn it. 

Who gave the players association creative control on who gets the fines the suspensions and everything else? When a coach challenges a play and it's overturned is it because the players association appealed the call?  If someone breaks the law will the players association get to appeal it and get them out of jail.

While Cohon and the CFL insists they are cracking down and there will be zero tolerance for hits on the quarterback and blatant cheap shots, it is far too late to do anything.  The reputation of the Canadian Football League is rapidly diminishing and taking action now and saying they will get it next time is unacceptable and an absolute joke. 

If the CFL controlled hockey, Todd Bertuzzi would have gotten off the hook with a simple spanking and a forced promise to never do that again.  This league that has been so exciting and has been a cultural institution for Canada for over a century has been scarred by these people at the top of the CFL who are ruining what was once a great game

Both teams entered the contest knowing how they would finish, but with nothing on the line both teams played a very tight and entertaining ball game.  The Bombers who still have not allways looked like the grey cup runner ups of a year ago showed alot of promise and really stepped up Sunday in Montreal. 

Romby Bryant and Terence Edwards each caught a touchdown pass to help the Bombers cause and the inconsistent kicker Alexis Serna was 3-4 on the afternoon but came up big when they needed him kicking the winning field goal with 1:32 left in the game. 

Kevin Glenn was 13 of 18 for 121 yards and a touchdown in the first half before leaving with an injury to his non throwing hand.  Dinwiddie came in and picked up where he left off going 10 of 18 for 122 yards and a touchdown before third stringer Brian Randall finished the job with several key scrambles to put them in range to win the game. 

The Bombers left Glenn out for precaution as they did many of their big players, Fred Reid got the day off and Joe Smith sat out much of the second half. 

While the game itself meant little it was a huge confidence booster for the Bombers that were really beaten badly by the Stamps last week.  First of all the secondary that has been picked apart all year really stepped up late in the game with great coverage and confusing such a wily veteran like Calvillo alot of times. 

They also showed that they had some depth at the quarterback position which could bode well for the playoffs, and how bout Alexis Serna who has been widely criticized and rightfully so by fans and media alike, while he missed an easy kick to start the game he was not rattled and came back strong with three field goals including the game winner. 

Lastly the road to the grey cup will go through Montreal and for the Bombers to come up with a win like this is a huge psychological boost for them knowing they will have to go to Montreal if they want to get back to the grey cup.

The Bombers will wrap up they're regular season next Saturday at home against the helpless Hamilton Tiger-Cats.  What kind of lineup Doug Berry will dress is anybody's guess as they look to go into the postseason full of confidence.  With the win the Bombers improve they're record to 7-10 going into they're final tuneup before hosting the Eskimos on November 8 at Canad Inns stadium.

Going into Saturday's game the Blue Bombers knew they were in the playoffs, had nothing to gain or lose.  And Winnipeg unfortunately for Bomber fans played like a team unmotivated with nothing to play for. They were dominated for 60 minutes in the air as Burris picked apart the Bomber secondary to go 28-36 for 337 yards and five touchdowns.

While the Bombers once again ran the ball effectively with Fred Reid rushing 10 times for 58 yards and on the other side did well stopping leading rusher Joffrey Reynolds holding him to only 42 yards on 14 carries. 

The game while at times appeared to be close never looked in doubt as Burris was incredibly effective and the Stampeder receivers ran rough shot on the Bombers secondary with several key first downs and several big gains. 

Kevin Glenn started the game but was rather ineffective in the first half going 6 of 13 for a mere 33 yards before being pulled in favour of backup Ryan Dinwiddie in the second half. 
With the very first of many catches on the afternoon by Calgary Nik Lewis set a new Calgary record with 86 straight games with at least one reception, breaking the old mark set by the legendary Allen Pitts. 

Brett Ralph also set a new personal best as he caught 2 touchdown passes for the first time in his career.  Jermaine Copeland, Ken-Yon Rambo, and Teyo Johnson had the other touchdown catches for the Stampeders. 

Romby Bryant gave the Bombers a spark in the second half with a circus catch off a pass from Dinwiddie, but the Stamps quickly answered back with Burris hitting Johnson for a touchdown on they're next possession taking away any momentum the Bombers may have gained.

After the game Burris had nothing but praise for his receivers especially Nik Lewis, "He plays a lot of energy and a lot of tenacity when he's out there," Burris said. "He goes out there and gives it his all to get the job done. For a guy like him, he should be mentioned with the greatest receivers whoever wore the Stampeder colours." 

Afterwards Stegall admitted his team looked flat, "We didn't play well," admitted all-time CFL yardage leader Milt Stegall, who caught just one pass for six yards. "We dug ourselves into a hole early and Calgary played great. They executed and we did not." 

The biggest plus for the Bombers this game was probably the play of they're inconsistent kicker Alexis Serna who was a perfect 3 for 3 on field goals with 2 from 48 and one from 47 yards out.  The young talented kicker who has struggled mightily this year may have redeemed himself temporarily however, had the game ever been close those kicks could have been more meaningful.

As for now the Bombers know they will host the east semi-final at Canad Inns stadium and know that now is the time to make a statement as at this stage of the season there is nothing else to play for. 

The Bombers head to Montreal next week to take on the first place Allouettes in a game that could be a preview for the East final in November.  The Stamps take sole posesion of first place in the west with the win and improve to 11-5, meanwhile the Bombers drop to 6-10 but are assured of second place in the East division.

Two teams that were pitted to be the Beasts of the East at the start of this year looked more like stray kittens Friday as the Bombers got  an ugly win at home against the Argos.  From watching this game you could understand why these two clubs before this game had combined for a mere nine wins this season. 

A game for all the marbles and a playoff spot very much on the line quickly became a game of hot potato with both teams combining for five turnovers  and both kickers missing easy field goal attempts.

You would have never known that Kerry Joseph and Kevin Glenn were the West and East division MVPs last year, as both quarterbacks once again struggled mightily Friday with Joseph going 26-37 for 319 yards and Glenn not any better going 14/31 for 153 yards, two TDs and two interceptions. 

This game was filled with mistake after mistake as neither team seemed too desperate.  The difference in this ball game was without a doubt the run game, Joe Smith for the first time in a Bombers uniform showed the form he had two seasons ago in winning the CFL rushing title and helping BC to a grey cup. 

Mean Joe had 12 carried for 101 yards combined with Fred Reid's 15 touches for 107 yards the Bombers dominated the line of scrimmage all night. The newfound rushing attack has been the saving grace of this offence that has struggled all season and it saved the game for them again.

While the Bombers looked anything but a second place team on the verge of  home playoff game a win is a win, and with all the struggles they had coming out of the gates they will take it any way they can get it. 

The win moves them four points clear of the Argos for second place in the East which means one more win or one more Argos loss will be enough to put the Bombers into the playoffs for the third straight season. 

The Bombers next face the Calgary Stampeders next Saturday  and will have be at their best to beat the Stamps who have gone 4-1 since the labor day classic averaging 38.2 points during that time. The Bombers with the win improve to 6-9 on the season.