![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-25-at-3.18.42-PM.png\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto courtesy: Winnipeg Blue Bombers<\/p>\n
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have only completed 10 passes of 30-plus yards this season, which is tied for fewest in the CFL alongside the winless Ottawa Redblacks. No other team has fewer than 16.<\/p>\n
When asked about the team\u2019s lack of deep passing on Tuesday, offensive coordinator Tommy Condell encouraged reporters to check out\u00a0Pro Football Focus (PFF).<\/p>\n
\u201cMake sure as we go through this and look at it from the 15-yard plays or more from a PFF standpoint,\u201d he told reporters<\/a>. \u201cLook into that, see where we\u2019re at. I think in the first couple weeks we were in the top of the league in that regard, in the top-third of the league.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2191 what lands at 3 p.m. daily<\/p>\n 3DownNation Newsletter<\/p>\n \t\tLatest news, exclusive analysis, and more daily at 3 p.m.<\/p>\n \t\tLatest news, exclusive analysis, and more daily at 3 p.m.<\/p>\n \t\t\tFree. Unsubscribe anytime. By signing up you agree to receive daily emails from 3DownNation, 3DownNation did exactly as Condell instructed.<\/p>\n According to\u00a0PFF, Winnipeg ranks sixth in the CFL with 69 completions of 15-plus yards, ahead of only Calgary, Ottawa, and Hamilton. Toronto and Montreal lead with 91 and 90, respectively. The league average is 74.2.<\/p>\n Winnipeg\u2019s passing attack is statistically below average, and it appears Condell is unaware of that fact.<\/p>\n The veteran assistant, whose scheme has relied heavily on the intermediate passing attack in recent years, indicated he can\u2019t force quarterbacks to throw the ball deep, reminding the media that plays always come down to what the defence gives them.<\/p>\n \u201cI just can\u2019t sit there and say, \u2018Hey, we\u2019re gonna throw it up there,’\u201d said Condell. \u201cFrom a coaching standpoint, I\u2019ve gotta make sure that I give (our quarterbacks) an opportunity to know what the look is, but if (the defence is) playing over the top when (a deep shot is) called, and sometimes they actually are called, but you don\u2019t see that because they\u2019re reading (the defensive coverage and not throwing it deep).\u201d<\/p>\n Are opposing defences really working that hard to take away Winnipeg\u2019s deep ball? That seems a little far-fetched, given how teams often prioritize shutting down Brady Oliveira.<\/p>\n The Alouettes have completed 26 passes of 30-plus yards. Surely, defences are scheming to take away those deep balls, but Montreal has just kept completing them.<\/p>\n Four of Winnipeg\u2019s league-worst 10 completions of 30-plus yards relied almost entirely on yards after the catch. Two were caught behind the line of scrimmage, and another two were caught fewer than seven yards downfield.<\/p>\n Only three travelled more than 30 yards through the air, and none did so further than 37 yards.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom a defensive structure-wise, how are teams playing us? That\u2019s a whole other phase of it, and if you wanna add progressions to another phase of it, that\u2019s a whole other phase of it. Now, if you\u2019re just asking about chucking it deep and closing my eyes and throwing it 50 yards, do we have some of those? Yes, but I\u2019m more along the lines of let\u2019s play progression football,\u201d said Condell.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s let Zach Collaros and everyone else be able to work through their progressions and that kind of thing, so those are the things that I think are important, but, to me, being able to have more deep shots, and attack the defence is very important because the other thing that lies into it is you get an opportunity to hopefully get a pass interference call, so there is some positive off that kind of stuff, but it\u2019s all-encompassing.\u201d<\/p>\n With the high-flying Alouettes coming to town on Friday, fans at Princess Auto Stadium will likely see a few deep balls get completed.<\/p>\n The question is if any of them will be caught by the home team.<\/p>\n The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-5) will host the Montreal Alouettes (9-1) at Princess Auto Stadium on Friday, August 28 with kickoff scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EDT. Last week, the Alouettes torched the Ottawa Redblacks, while the Blue Bombers suffered a second-half collapse to lose to the Edmonton Elks.<\/p>\n The weather forecast in Winnipeg calls for a high of 25 degrees and a mix of sun and cloud. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 690 (English) or 99.5 Montreal (French) in Montreal or CJOB 680 in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t John Hodge is a longtime Canadian football reporter, insider, and podcaster for 3DownNation. Based in Winnipeg, Hodge is also a freelance television and radio broadcaster.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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