Upon Further Review | BC 40 WPG 32

It’s a win or lose, black and white, thumbs up or thumbs down business. That’s just the nature of professional sports.

Yet sometimes a game and an individual performance must be looked through a nuanced lens. Case in point: the work of Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Dru Brown in Saturday night’s 40-32 loss to the B.C. Lions at B.C. Place in Vancouver.

The black-and-white of his first professional start – and his first since the 2019 Texas Bowl during his days at Oklahoma State – reads this way: he completed28-of-39 passes for 325 yards with three touchdown passes, two interceptions, both returned for scores, and a 100.9 efficiency rating.

He was 7-of-11 for 58 yards and the Pick-6 by Marcus Sayles against in the first half, and then went 21-of-28 for 267 yards with three TDs – and the second Pick-6, by TJ Lee.

“I just think I needed to settle in. There’s no excuse for it,” said Brown of the first half vs. second half discrepancy in his numbers. “That’s how I play my whole life. I don’t know, the first half it just seemed like I couldn’t really get into a rhythm. There’s no excuse for that, just get into a damn rhythm… whatever it takes.

“First drive we moved the ball really well. But there’s just no excuse for some of the things that were going on – me, specifically. I’ve got to be better. It’s really frustrating,” he added. “I’m pretty upset with myself. I’m trying to laugh it off, but I’ll remember this one for a while.”

Still, let’s also remember that the entire offensive line had been shifted around, with Michael Couture moving back to centre, Chris Kolankowski shifting to guard, Geoff Gray moving to left tackle and with the right side manned by Liam Dobson and Eric Lofton. Rotating in were Tomoya Machino and Tyler Witt, two players with a combined one game of CFL experience. That crew battled – the 375 yards net offence and 34 minutes and 46 seconds of possession are good indicators – but the three men missing in Stanley Bryant, Jermarcus Hardrick and Pat Neufeld are all CFL All-Stars.

Let’s also remember that Brown entered the game with just 21 attempts to his name dating back to last season. So, given that, there’s plenty of promise in those stats, even with the mistakes being so glaring.

“As far as seeing coverage, understanding what they’re trying to do, it’s very encouraging that I’m seeing what I need to be seeing,” Brown said. “Now it’s like, ‘OK, now let’s nitpick my decision making.’ What was I doing every single play? What was I looking at every single play?

“I need to be really hard on myself, which I always have been on what I need to get better at.  I’m grateful for the opportunity that I got. It’s extremely valuable, but it stings pretty bad. But win lose or draw I’m going to learn, I’m going to get better, and I’ll come back.”

More on Brown and the Blue Bombers loss to the Lions in this week’s UPON FURTHER REVIEW…

SOME HISTORICAL CONTEXT IS IN ORDER… on Brown’s night, too, as everyone rushes to judgment on what we all saw from the young pivot.

Check out these first professional start numbers from previous Blue Bombers QBs in the last 15 years:

• Sean McGuire, November 13, 2021 – 11-of-26 for 149 yards with 1 TD and four interceptions.
• Chris Streveler, June 14, 2018 – 15-of-28 for 178 yards with three TDs and two interceptions.
• Dom Davis, November 6, 2015 – 16-of-25 for 169 yards with zero TDs and zero interceptions.
• Robert Marve, August 14, 2015 – 18-of-28 for 203 yards with one TD and one interception.
• Brian Brohm, October 18, 2014 – 14-of-23 for 194 yards with zero TDs and zero interceptions.
• Justin Goltz, July 26, 2013 – 19-of-35 for 194 yards with two TDs and one interception.
• Joey Elliott, October 30, 2010 – 15-of-29 for 130 yards with zero TDs and zero interceptions.
• Alex Brink, October 11, 2010 – 4-of-18 for 61 yards with zero TDs and zero interceptions.
• Ryan Dinwiddie, 2007 Grey Cup – 15-of-33 for 225 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.

NOT SURE ANYONE CAN MAKE ANY CONCRETE CONCLUSIONS… from Saturday’s result given the personnel missing from both teams. Clearly the two clubs entered the game with two priorities – the Lions wanting to win to inch closer to a home playoff game against the Calgary Stampeders and the Bombers wanting to win and get out of town without any significant injuries.

That said, here are three quick takeaways: The Blue Bombers special teams had an all-over-the map night. The highlight was Janarion Grant’s 94-yard punt return touchdown – he has the only two in the CFL this year – which gives him seven in his career and makes him the club’s all-time leader in kick-return scores.

As TSN’s Glen Suitor said during the broadcast, Grant can be seen nodding to his teammates as he raced along the sidelines past the Blue Bombers bench.

The lowlights were twofold: Marc Liegghio was 1-for-4 in field goal attempts, hitting from 38 and then missing from 52, 53 and 45. The special teams tackling was poor, too, as Terry Williams amassed 341 combined return yards – 155 on the three missed field goals, 152 on three kickoffs and 34 on three punts. That’s the fifth-highest single game total in CFL history, with Calgary’s Larry Taylor holding the all-time record of 428, set in 2012.

Really liked Jamal Parker’s game at halfback as he filled in for Deatrick Nichols. Parker, who had made five starts at corner as a rookie this year, finished with a team-high seven tackles, another on special teams and a quarterback sack.

Big question now for the Blue Bombers is which five defensive backs they settle on as the playoffs approach with Brandon Alexander, Nichols and Winston Rose locks and Parker, Evan Holm and newcomer Desmond Lawrence also in the picture along with Demerio Houston, if he can come back from the injured list.

Lions RB James Butler finished the night with 104 yards rushing on just 14 carries, with 74 of that coming in the first have on just five touches. Those are scary totals against what was the Blue Bombers main front six – minus Jackson Jeffcoat – in the first half.

EXCUSE US WHILE WE BUST OUT THE THESAURUS… looking for fresh new adjectives for Dalton Schoen.

Let’s trot out astounding, breathtaking, electrifying, remarkable, superb… The rookie receiver – and virtual lock for the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie award – wasn’t targeted in the first half but finished the game with four catches for 82 yards and his league-leading 15^th touchdown.

LOTS OF FOLKS WERE WONDERING ABOUT THE LATE… illegal kickoff penalty assessed to the Blue Bombers, with Williams fielding the kick while having one foot out of bounds.

It’s a rule that applies in the NFL, too, and CJOB’s Derek Taylor might have explained it best here:

For sure.
The ball is ruled out of bounds when it touches (or is touched by) a player who is out of bounds. Williams did it intentionally as he’s allowed to do.

In most situations it would be Illegal Participation, but the kickoff is an exception to that rule.

— Derek Taylor🏈 (@DTonOB) October 16, 2022

AND FINALLY… for all the attention the Blue Bombers tough schedule to start the season garnered – they were the last team to enjoy a bye and had one stretch where they played five road games in six weeks – now comes the other side of that.

Winnipeg will now head into its third and final bye week, although with the playoffs fast approaching the team will be in and around the facility a lot over the next few days, and then has another bye in the first round of the playoffs.

“Oh man… we’ve been going hard for the whole season,” said Rasheed Bailey when asked how much he and his teammates were looking forward to a bit of a break. “Everybody’s been out to come get us so we’ve been bringing our ‘A’ game every single week.

“The body’s hurting, everything’s aching, but at the same time we’ve got a job to do. It’s going to be good to get the bye week, get off our feet, see our family a little bit, spend some time with each other a little bit more and get closer. We’re going to come back and we’re going to win the whole thing.”