Searching for answers in Grey Cup nightmare

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This article was published 18/11/2024 (341 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VANCOUVER — There’s no doubt this one is going to sting for a while.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers envisioned they would be celebrating a third Grey Cup victory in what was their fifth straight appearance in the championship game on Sunday. Instead, they woke up in Vancouver Monday to head home, still in search of answers following a 41-24 beatdown at the hands of the Toronto Argonauts at BC Place.

“Feels like a nightmare, man,” Bombers running back Brady Oliveira said, the Winnipeg native still fully dressed in his equipment 45 minutes after the final whistle. “It’s so hard to get here and we continue to lose. We’re not going to continue to keep getting here. It’s hard to get here. We had a very special group, and I just really wanted to cap it off with a win for my boys in this locker room that haven’t had a chance to experience a Grey Cup win.”

After winning back-to-back Grey Cups in 2019 and 2021, the Bombers have now lost three straight — in games they were heavy favourites – putting their aspirations of becoming a dynasty in serious doubt. And while the loss to the Argos in 2022 and the Montreal Alouettes were devastating, you got the feeling inside the locker room that this one feels even worse and is going to linger a lot longer.

“I haven’t even really felt the pain yet. I’m just numb right now,” Bombers receiver Nic Demski, another Winnipegger, said after the game. “I’m sure it’ll hit me tomorrow, or maybe later tonight, maybe a week from now, I don’t know. But I know once it does hit me, it’s going to last a while. But at the end of the day, you just got to use that pain as motivation to come back stronger next year.”

Win or lose, there was always going to be a focus on the offseason and a 2025 campaign that includes Winnipeg hosting the 112th Grey Cup. How Sunday’s disappointing loss might affect coaching and roster decisions for next year, only time will tell.

But before we look too far into the future, let’s take a look back at Sunday’s game in the final edition of Bombers Breakdown.

1) The mood in the locker room after the loss in ‘22 was one of pure sadness for not earning the elusive three-peat. Last year, it was anger for allowing the Alouettes to drive the field in the final seconds to complete an improbable comeback. On Sunday, it was pure numbness. There wasn’t a lot of visible tears, just pure shock from losing a game they believed they would win.

2) Guys said all week that this team was the most resilient of the recent championship-calibre clubs. They had rebounded from a 0-4 start and 2-6 record through eight games, winning 10 of their final 11 to win the West Division and punch their ticket to the Grey Cup. They looked ready all week, dialed in and taking a business-like approach. To not only fail to get the job done, but to also lose in such embarrassing fashion, was the root of most player’s shock.

3) Perhaps it shouldn’t have been a shock at all. After all, the Bombers were 0-2 against the Argos this year, both in tight defensive affairs, falling 16-14 in Week 8 and again, 14-11, in Week 19. Both games Winnipeg was stifled by Toronto’s defence, as the unit generated a combined nine turnovers and 12 sacks, with the Bombers unable to score a TD in either affair. That was again the case on Sunday, with Winnipeg ending with five turnovers, including four interceptions and a lost fumble, resulting in 23 points the other way. The 164 yards gained after the four picks set a new Grey Cup record.

4) The Argos deserve a ton of credit. They had lost their starting QB in Chad Kelly to a broken ankle in the East final, dropping them to 10.5-point underdogs, and were predicted all week to lose. Toronto used that as fuel and quietly went about its business. It’s quite the ending for the Argos following a season clouded by Kelly’s harassment of a club strength and conditioning coach and the subsequent nine-game suspension. Personally, I believe Ryan Dinwiddie is the best coach in the CFL and the main reason Toronto won. The Bombers were completely out coached.

5) Nick Arbuckle was plucked off the trash heap by the Argos in May, in what was a move out of desperation by Dinwiddie after Kelly’s suspension was announced. Arbuckle probably doesn’t even get a call if not for he and Dinwiddie’s time in Calgary together. Now he’s the 2024 Grey Cup MVP after completing 26 of his 37 passes for 252 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. That’s a CFL story if there ever was one.

6) There’s no sugar coating it. Zach Collaros had arguably his worst game in a Bombers jersey, finishing 15-for-30 passing for 202 yards and the four picks. Collaros was hampered by a serious cut to a finger on his throwing hand that required stitches and freezing for the pain, making it hard to grip the ball. It’s been a rough ride the last three Grey Cups for No. 8, with Collaros a combined 48-of-76 passing (63 per cent), with zero touchdowns and 6 interceptions.

7) You have to wonder how much of Collaros’ performance(s) is on offensive co-ordinator Buck Pierce. It’s been clear the last three games that the Bombers are trying to push the ball down field more, with the lack of deep passes a point of frustration for Collaros at times this season. The Bombers came out swinging against the Argos, testing the ball deep early and often, much like they did against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the West final. But to have Collaros come back from the locker room with an injured hand and a glove he’s new to and get him to dial up a deep ball on his very first play was a head scratcher to anyone watching. The Bombers were down by eight points, but you would think they trailed by 30 with how desperate they looked to even the score with long floating passes that were easily picked off.

8) It seems unfathomable that Oliveira, who was named the league’s Most Outstanding Player earlier in the week, got just 11 rushes in the game, totalling 84 yards. And it’s not like they made up for it with getting him involved in the passing game, either, with just two catches on three targets for 18 yards. The Argos are good against the run, but so, too, were the Riders and Oliveira torched them for 119 yards on 20 carries in the West final. It was inexcusable that they didn’t lean on their best player all game, but it was downright baffling that nothing changed after Collaros injured his throwing hand.

9) Head coach Mike O’Shea wears a lot of the loss, not only for how he handled his team in the fourth quarter, but for once again knowing there was an issue on his team and refusing to address it. I’m talking about the return game. Lucky Whitehead is a talented player and would still be useful as a receiver. But he’s far from a dangerous returner and despite a lack of production week to week, O’Shea sat on his hands and GM Kyle Walters also didn’t seem bothered by it. I feel horrible for Whitehead that his fumble was a major game-changer — he had another fumble in the West final — but he shouldn’t have been there in the first place. It was the same story with kicker Marc Liegghio in ‘22.

10) There’s been a lot of buzz this week that Pierce could be on his way to B.C. as the Lions next head coach. Rick Campbell has one more year on his deal as GM and head coach, but the belief is the Lions want a change. The next in line for Lions GM would likely be assistant GM Ryan Rigmaiden, who is a huge fan of Pierce. Ed Hervey is expected to be named the next GM in Edmonton and Campbell would be a good fit there. That leaves a vacancy for GM in Hamilton, which would be appealing, I imagine, to both Bomber assistant GMs, Danny McManus and Ted Goveia.

11) There was a lot of talk about the Bombers becoming a dynasty with the victory on Sunday and that a loss would end their hopes of earning that moniker. I’d argue another Grey Cup win in ‘25 might still be enough, but until that happens, this era will be remembered for the losses as much as the wins, even if it has been a magical run for the Blue and Gold.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton