Week nine preview
Published on August 17, 2004 under Canadian Football League (CFL)
Winnipeg Blue Bombers News Release
WINNIPEG, MB â The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will look to continue their winning ways, as they take on the Toronto Argonauts Tuesday evening at SkyDome in Toronto. The Bombers are coming off one of their best performances of the season thus far, as they beat the Edmonton Eskimos 25-14 last week. The victory improved the Bombers record to 3-5, which is good for a share of third place in the West Division. The Argos will be in a testy mood, as they were beat 22-10 last week by the Alouettes. The Argos have a record of 5-3, which puts them in second place in the East Division standings.
The Bombers will be playing their third game in 10 days and they will look to improve to 2-0 under head coach Jim Daley. Coach Daley has seemed to bring a fresh approach to the team that was in desperate need of help.
"Coach Daley has helped get this team fired up," said linebacker Lamar McGriggs. "He is a great leader and has brought a positive approach to this team."
The game will feature a battle between two of the elite running backs in the CFL. Bomber running back Charles Roberts, who is currently second in league rushing, will do battle with Toronto's John Avery, who is starting to play to his calibre after rehabilitating a knee after surgery.
"He is a great back with great moves and if you do not stop him right away he could make you look silly," said linebacker Ryland Wickman.
Wickman still remembers the last time they faced Avery and he remembers the results like it happened yesterday.
"It was in the 2002 Western Final in Edmonton and he tore us up on that frozen field," said Wickman.
The Bombers will be facing an Argo offence that will be without starting quarterback Damon Allen, who suffered a leg injury last week and will be out of action for 6-8 weeks. Michael Bishop will be starting for the Argos and the Bomber defence will have to be ready for him.
"Bishop likes to throw the long pass and as a defence we have to mix things up and confuse him a little," said Wickman.
The Bombers offence will have to come to play as well. The Argonauts defence is rated as one of the best in the CFL. The offence did show signs of improvement last week but they will have to be on their A-Game this week.
Keys to win: The Bombers must have success running the ball. The Argos secondary has only allowed four passing touchdowns this year. Charles Roberts has had some great games as of late, including a 111-yard performance last week. The Bombers are 2-0 this season when "Blink" rushes for over 100 yards in a game.
The Bombers defence must get in the face of Argo quarterback Michael Bishop. Last week the Bombers defence had constant pressure on Eskimo quarterback Jason Maas and he had a hard time completing passes.
The Bombers special teams must continue their excellent play. Keith Stokes has really improved the return game and he is a game breaker who could return a kick at any time.
Line up shuffle: The Bombers will only be making one change from last week's roster. Defensive back Jayson Bray suffered a groin injury and he will be replaced in the secondary by Justin Coleman. Milt Stegall will not play for the second consecutive week as he continues to rest a bad back.
Bomber leaders: Milt Stegall continues to lead the Bombers receivers with 423 yards. Charles Roberts continues to climb the CFL's rushing category. Roberts leads the team with 588 yards, which puts him in second place only 56 yards behind Josh Ranek of the Renegades.
On defence, rookie defensive back Marcus Smith leads the team with 29 defensive tackles. Defensive end Tom Canada continues to impress and he leads the team with five quarterback sacks.
Special notes: The Bombers made a few additions to their club this week. Urban Bowman re-joins the club as special teams coach. Defensive back Stephen Fisher joins the club's practice roster. The defence also got some good news this week as all-star cornerback Eric Carter was back practicing with the team and he should be ready to go very soon. Bomber quarterback Khari Jones needs 99 passing yards to reach 20,000 for his Blue Bomber career.
Canadian Football League Stories from August 17, 2004
- Bombers come up short in battle against Argos - Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- Westwood kicks his way into history - Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- Pig Skin Luncheon set for Wednesday - Edmonton Elks
- Friends of the Riders gearing up for another year - Saskatchewan Roughriders
- Fast facts: Winnipeg at Toronto - Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- Week nine preview - Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- Labour Day tickets going fast - Saskatchewan Roughriders
- US television coverage of CFL expands again - CFL
- 2004 Stampeder Alumni Wall of Fame Inductees - Calgary Stampeders
- Chiu, Johnson, Kellett named players of the week - Montreal Alouettes
- Tiger-Cats Launch T.V. Show - Hamilton Tiger-Cats
- Stamps in the community - Calgary Stampeders
- CFL names players of the week - CFL
- Renegades throwing Launch Party Friday night - Ottawa Renegades
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
