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Jeff McIntosh \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS<\/p>\n
Bombers receiver Nic Demski (right) says the team has to \u2018lock in and play our brand of football.\u2019<\/p>\n
Their most recent shortcoming against their West Division foe was the most heartbreaking of them all as they allowed Calgary to prevail 28-27 on Saturday at McMahon Stadium.<\/p>\n
Before the Stamps sent their fans home happy, it looked like the visitors were going to have their arms raised in victory thanks to the heroics of kicker Sergio Castillo. With just over a minute remaining, Castillo booted a CFL record-tying 63-yard field goal to give the Bombers a 26-25 edge.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I gotta credit my mother-in-law because she\u2019s here now taking care of my (son). I ate about 25 flour tortillas last week so that\u2019s probably what all the extra weight came from cause I usually weigh 203 and I was weighing 207 in pregame,\u201d joked Castillo. \u201cSo, credit to her for making all those tortillas. I wake up at five, six in the morning and there\u2019s fresh homemade tortillas and I come back home from practice, and I pound another five or six.\u201d<\/p>\n
The elation Castillo felt \u2013 although he didn\u2019t know he tied Paul McCallum\u2019s 2001 record until he saw all the messages on his phone in the locker room \u2014 didn\u2019t last for long. He hoofed the ensuing kickoff into the end zone which allowed Calgary to give Winnipeg a point in exchange for starting their game-winning drive at their 40-yard line.<\/p>\n
Four plays later, the Stamps trotted out Ren\u00e9 Paredes to drill a 40-yarder for the win.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just didn\u2019t come through at the end with the kickoff how I would\u2019ve liked. It kind of dampers a bit on the field goal. I think maybe later on, as time goes by, I\u2019ll be able to embrace it,\u201d said Castillo.<\/p>\n
\u201c(On the kickoff) I went with the mindset I\u2019m just going to tap it, and if you look at my follow through, I barely even hurdle through, but I connected it so pure, just like I did with the field goal as well, but the intention was to tap it and get it to the 10, but it took off and that\u2019s on me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bombers (4-4) don\u2019t have much time to dwell on what happened as they\u2019re on a quick turnaround. They host their old pal Dru Brown and the Ottawa Redblacks (3-6) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not a lot of time for this Bombers\u2019 offence to find the answers to their problems. They rank dead last in passing yards, last in QB efficiency rating (89.1), eighth in second-down conversion rate (46.1 per cent), sixth in explosive plays, and first in turnovers committed.<\/p>\n
Inconsistent quarterback play and a lack of receiving threats with Dalton Schoen injured have played a role, but that doesn\u2019t give first-year offensive co-ordinator Jason Hogan a pass. Hogan had his troops rolling through the first three weeks, but it\u2019s been a different story now that they\u2019ve lost four of their last five.<\/p>\n
The Bombers were held to 62 yards of net offence in the final two quarters on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got full confidence in him still,\u201d said running back Brady Oliveira.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been great glimpses of him as a playcaller, and maybe some that aren\u2019t so great. But there\u2019s going to be ups and downs and we all need to be there to support him and have his back and understand that we\u2019ll be OK. He\u2019ll get through this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The defence is facing adversity as well. Two weeks ago, strong-side corner Jamal Parker went down with a leg injury, and he won\u2019t be ready to play against Ottawa. Then there\u2019s weak-side corner Terrell Bonds who was carted off on the weekend with a knee injury. Head coach Mike O\u2019Shea said Tuesday they expect Bonds to be out for a while.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, you feel for Terrell Bonds\u2026 It\u2019s just sad for him,\u201d said safety Redha Kramdi. \u201cI know he\u2019ll attack recovery hard and try and get back as fast as possible and be as healthy as he can, but there\u2019s nothing we can do about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before the injuries, the secondary was already having issues as they\u2019re coughing up the third most passing yards per game, have been exploited 18 times on passing plays that have equalled 30 yards or more, and rank eighth in interceptions with just six.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a numbers game. Sometimes they look good, and sometimes they look bad,\u201d said halfback Deatrick Nichols.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody\u2019s gonna get beat or give up a play, it\u2019s just all about the timing and everything like that. The numbers can say what they say, but we just have to work on when those plays happen for us. We just got to learn how to make them plays.\u201d<\/p>\n
Making plays this week won\u2019t be easy considering Brown is coming in hot after tossing five touchdowns in Saturday\u2019s 46-42 shootout win over Toronto.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s one thing about this sport, you have to prove who you are each and every week,\u201d said Nichols. \u201cAnd that\u2019s one thing we\u2019re trying to do this week is prove who we are, bounce back, and get a win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bombers cut veteran <\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
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Winnipegger<\/p>\n
The Bombers released long snapper Mike Benson on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The 38-year-old from Winnipeg suffered an injury in the season opener which put him on the injured list for five contests. He\u2019s been a healthy scratch the last two games as rookie Ian Leroux out of Laval has run away with the job.<\/p>\n
Benson, who joined his hometown Bombers in 2021, has played 158 career games with stops in Edmonton, B.C., and Ottawa since arriving in the CFL in 2012.<\/p>\n
taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n
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Taylor Allen Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree\/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Reporter
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