{"id":796207,"date":"2026-07-12T02:27:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T02:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/796207\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T02:27:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T02:27:16","slug":"upon-further-review-blue-bombers-30-argonauts-21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/796207\/","title":{"rendered":"Upon Further Review | Blue Bombers 30 Argonauts 21"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was late Friday night and just to the right of Nic Demski sat a speaker \u2014 its volume seemingly set at 11 \u2014 pumping out the tunes with the thumping bass helping set the mood inside the Winnipeg Blue Bombers celebratory locker room.<\/p>\n

It was loud. It was energetic. And as the veteran receiver took a moment to survey the space, a wide grin formed on his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, it\u2019s such a tough thing to do, to get wins in this league,\u201d he began. \u201cSo, when you come together and get a good win \u2014 and, sure, there\u2019s obviously things we\u2019ve got to do better \u2014 but at the end of the day we got a win in front of the home crowd and that feels good.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe CFL is all about getting hot at the right time. It\u2019s a long season and winning two games in a row does a lot for the confidence of your team. There are some new guys in here \u2014 it\u2019s all about chemistry and coming together and clicking together. So, when you get wins it\u2019s a lot more of a happier day when you get together and break down the film and just building on that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve just got to keep clicking together as a team, all three phases. There\u2019s still some things we\u2019ve got to do better out there but that\u2019s what the beginning of the season is for \u2014 to find that groove, to find that chemistry and this is a great step in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Yes, Friday\u2019s 30-21 win over the Toronto Argonauts had more layers than a peeled onion, as my dad used to say, from Dru Brown\u2019s outstanding work in his first start since the trade that brought him back to Winnipeg from Ottawa late last month, to receivers like Demski, Pokey Wilson, Tim White, Tommy Nield & Co doing their thing, to Brady Oliveira bulldozing behind the offensive line, to Willie Jefferson and the defence getting after it, to Trey Vaval\u2019s magical moment in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

All of that adds up to make this more than a garden variety \u2018W\u2019, as much as we\u2019ve come to expect them in Bomberland over the last few years. This was the prototypical three-phase win and this result, coupled with what happened in Hamilton a week ago in grinding out a road victory, can be so galvanizing for an outfit that has more new faces than many realize.<\/p>\n

Every team writes its own story, as the veterans on this squad often say, and the last two chapters have been compelling and potentially important for the road ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a good all-round team game \u2014 offence, defence, special teams \u2014 everybody played their part and stepped up when we needed them to,\u201d said veteran defensive end Willie Jefferson. \u201cWe can do better. We\u2019ve seen it. We had a great game, but we can always do better.\u201d<\/p>\n

ICYMI, here is our Game Recap from Friday night:<\/p>\n

Game Recap | Wpg 30 Tor 21<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

And what follows is this week\u2019s edition of UPON FURTHER REVIEW\u2026<\/p>\n

THREE NUMBERS WHICH JUMPED OUT AFTER\u2026 a second glance at the stats package, which can be found here:<\/a><\/p>\n

1 Receiver Pokey Wilson had as many catches Friday night \u2014 10 \u2014 as he had in the previous four games and finished with 133 yards total on 14 targets. It was his biggest total since his bust-out game on July 12, 2024, when he pulled in 13 passes for 201 yards and a TD in a win over Calgary.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Wilson was targeted early and often and, save for a fumble inside the Toronto five-yard line early, served up a near-perfect performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a great player,\u201d said Brown of Wilson. \u201cEveryone has their things within the plan and obviously it all depends on what the defence plays. We were able to get him going early on some intermediate\/deeper play-action stuff \u2014 just routes he runs really well. He\u2019s obviously a weapon when (the ball) gets in his hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a lot of fun to throw to.\u201d<\/p>\n

2 Let\u2019s not underestimate at all what Brown did in the win. He completed 81 percent of his passes (25-of-31) for 339 yards with a TD strike to Tim White and an interception. All this on a short practice week and after just arriving via trade on June 23rd.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he made it look easier than it really is,\u201d said head coach Mike O\u2019Shea. \u201cI think it would be unjust to say, \u2018Well, he just steps in and it\u2019s because he knows this and he knows that.\u2019 He works his ass off, so this isn\u2019t luck; this isn\u2019t, \u2018Oh, he\u2019s been in the system.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a guy who puts in a tremendous amount of time \u2014 that whole room does. It\u2019s interesting to see them work together. They just love it, the four of them. It\u2019s really cool. And then you throw Tommy (Condell, offensive coordinator) into the mix and they put in a ton of work. When things look easy, it\u2019s because they work their tails off for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDru\u2019s a pro,\u201d added Demski. \u201cHe\u2019s really good at seeing the looks out there. He\u2019s really good at IDing what the defence is doing and then trusting his receivers to make players. He\u2019s a good quarterback with a lot of poise and I think it helps that he and Tommy (Condell, offensive coordinator) have worked together before. So, for him to come in here and do that on a short week is pretty awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cAnybody in this locker room, if they put on the blue and gold they have to have some type of confidence,\u201d Jefferson said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I told the offensive guys that were surrounding Dru today \u2014 the offensive line, the wide receivers, Brady \u2014 I was telling them on the first couple of plays do whatever you can to get comfortable because we know when Dru gets comfortable and gets rolling, he\u2019s lights out.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe couldn\u2019t ask for a better game from Dru with him coming in two weeks ago, learning the playbook, writing things down and last week was the first time I saw him throw the ball to some of the guys. And he came out here and lit it up.\u201d<\/p>\n

One more on Brown\u2026 he handled the Ottawa questions post-game with aplomb. He didn\u2019t gloat about being dealt from a team now 0-5 and then promptly leading his team to a victory while throwing for 300 yards.<\/p>\n

Oh, and it also sets up an interesting week ahead with the Blue Bombers in Ottawa this coming weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s over and done with now,\u201d Brown said of the trade and his rebirth in Winnipeg. \u201cI\u2019ve got a lot of relationships over there with some of the players and love those guys. But we each have different issues, different situations. I wish them the best.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m focussed on what we\u2019ve got going on here and am excited to roll forward with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

3 One more quarterback number of note: Bryce Perkins was busy in short yardage on Friday night and converted all six of those situations. He\u2019s now 20-for-20 on short yardage through five games.<\/p>\n

THERE ARE MOMENTS IN FOOTBALL\u2026 that are just, well, cool. And a cool moment unfolded in the fourth quarter Friday night not long after Vaval fumbled a punt which was recovered by the Argos and ultimately led to a field goal.<\/p>\n

TSN cameras showed Vaval on the bench with his head in his hands when veteran guard Pat Neufeld approached, put his hand on his shoulders and gave him some words of encouragement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just said, \u2018You can\u2019t get down on yourself; you\u2019re going to make a huge play for us. We\u2019ve all got your back,’\u201d Neufeld said afterward. \u201cAnd sure enough he did.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see a guy struggling because he felt like he let us down and we don\u2019t feel like that at all. We feel like he\u2019s the best returner in the league. He\u2019s a special player and sometimes it\u2019s just a couple of encouraging words that can get a guy back in the right headspace. Or, maybe he was already good, but I just felt like I needed to go say something to him as a vet.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure as s\u2013t, the next play he was on the field he housed it for us. I came over again and said, \u2018I told ya!\u2019 Man, that\u2019s a great feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vaval, FYI, now has five career kick return scores and moving him into sole possession of third place in franchise history and behind only Janarion Grant (8) and Keith Stokes (six).<\/p>\n

\u201cTrey\u2019s electric. I always expect big things out of Trey; this whole locker room does,\u201d said Demski. \u201cAnd I know Trey expects big things out of himself, too. He\u2019s a competitor and he always wants to make a difference. He\u2019s had some returns where he\u2019s so close to breaking one and then when he does in that moment, it\u2019s amazing. And you saw what it did for the crowd for him to make a house call like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BLUE BOMBERS… consecutive sellout streak and, it turns out, there is a bit of confusion about it, too.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The attendance was 32,134, just shy of the 32,343 capacity for a 17th consecutive sellout. There had been some suggestion that the streak would remain intact \u2014 it was technically supposed to be an Argos home game as they were bumped from BMO Field for the FIFA World Cup \u2014 but the league said Saturday the three extra games Toronto is playing away from home are to be officially recorded as road games.<\/p>\n

So, the sellout streak has stopped at 16.<\/p>\n

AND FINALLY\u2026 \u00a0for those of you who have read this far, thank you. And for those who missed the game or want to relive all the highs and lows of Friday\u2019s win, check out the condensed game here:<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was late Friday night and just to the right of Nic Demski sat a speaker \u2014 its…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":796208,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194296],"tags":[49,48,22073],"class_list":["post-796207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-winnipeg","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-winnipeg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/796207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=796207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/796207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/796208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=796207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=796207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=796207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}