ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
TORONTO — Until Thursday afternoon, there was some uncertainty as to whether banged-up quarterback Buck Pierce (bruised left thigh) would get the start for the Blue Bombers in their game against the Argos on Saturday. Now that Pierce is all but confirmed as the starter, he will certainly have to find a way to get his struggling offence in order. The Bombers come into the affair with a record of 2-1, with one of those wins coming week 2 against the Argos.
The Bombers’ record may be surprising, considering where their offence ranks in almost every major statistical category. The Bombers are last in the CFL in yards per game (275), total yards (825), passing yards (552) and have allowed the third most sacks (8). While it is always difficult to pinpoint one player for a team’s offensive struggles, much responsibility generally lies with the quarterbacks. In Winnipeg’s case, Pierce is struggling to put points on the board. He has the lowest efficiency rating among all starting quarterbacks in the league (60.5), has thrown for a league-low two touchdowns and has the second lowest completion percentage (55.3%, ahead of Lions’ QB Travis Lulay‘s 52.8%). If there is a silver lining for Pierce, it is that he can draw on his successful season last year to re-establish and re-assert himself as the player the Bombers expect him to be.
Players To Watch:
QB Buck Pierce
RB Fred Reid
WR Terrence Edwards
WR T.J. Harris
DE Odell Willis
LB Joe Lobendahn
DT Doug Brown
S Ian Logan
DB Alex Suber
DB Javon Johnson
Key Injuries:
QB Joey Elliott
LB Henoc Muamba
WR Kito Poblah
Storylines:
– How healthy is Buck Pierce?
– Can the Bomber defence continue to get after Argos QB Cleo Lemon after sacking him 7 times last game?
Before injuries derailed his 2010 season, Pierce provided the Bombers with a legitimate aerial attack to go along with the league-best ground game led by Fred Reid. Pierce’s best performance of the season came against the Argos in week 2. The New Mexico State product completed 25 of 35 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns and rushed seven times for 103 yards and another score in a 36-34 loss. There’s really no telling what the Bombers’ 2010 record would have been had Pierce managed to stay healthy, but football isn’t about speculation. Pierce will have to stay on the field if he is going to revert back to his peak 2010 form, and that might be asking a lot. He has left 17 of his past 43 games because of injury. Luckily for Winnipeg, Pierce appeared mobile throughout practice this week and he will try and jumpstart a Bombers resurgence through the air this weekend.
One bright spot for the Bombers’ struggling offence has been Reid, who appears to have picked up right where he left off last season when he led the CFL with 1,396 rushing yards. This year, Reid is second among CFL running backs in rushing yards (237) and rushing yards per game (79). He has the lowest average yards per carry (4.6), but that’s simply because the Blue Bombers have been relying so heavily on Reid while they work out the kinks in their passing game. Reid has rushed 52 times, 13 more than the next player RB Brandon Whitaker of the Montreal Alouettes. Reid is a model of consistency and will continue to be used as much as possible going forward.
Aside from Reid, the main reason the Blue Bombers are 2-1, and not 0-3, has been their outstanding defence. The unit leads the CFL in fewest first downs allowed (48), yards allowed per game (276) and has the most amount of sacks in the league (13, next highest is Hamilton with 8). DE/LB Odell Willis has played a major role in shutting down the opposition. Willis has a an unusual combination of speed, strength and agility that makes him very difficult to stop. His league-leading five sacks are a testament to his abilities.
The Argos will also have to contend with an extremely athletic Bombers secondary, nicknamed “Swaggerville” for their tendency to trash-talk and get in opponents’ faces during the game. DB Jonathan Hefney is third in the league in tackles (19), and 2010 East Division All-Star Jovon Johnson is the Bombers’ emotional leader on the field.
As both the Bombers and Argos continue to struggle on offence, points will likely be at a premium on Saturday, with those on the defensive side of the ball playing a huge role in determining the outcome.