Preview: Bombers vs. B.C. & Buck

On Thursday night the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will play host to the BC Lions and their new Head Coach, Buck Pierce.

Pierce, from 2005-2009, played quarterback for the Lions before becoming Winnipeg’s quarterback. In 2013, the Blue Bomber carousel would begin as Pierce was their only quarterback with CFL experience after the Bombers released Joey Elliot and Alex Brink. In Week 5 of 2013, Pierce fell on the depth chart to the third spot behind Justin Goltz who became the starter, and Alex Hall who took the number two spot; I will forgive you if you forgot those guys ever played.

After his playing career, Pierce was announced as the Bomber’s running backs coach, in a position he served in for two seasons. Afterwards, he was named the club’s quarterback’s coach, and won a Grey Cup with the Bombers in 2019. In 2020, Pierce was named the Bomber’s offensive coordinator and served in that role until 2024.

Most recently, Pierce is known for being the offensive coordinator that could get the Bombers to the Grey Cup, but could not seal the deal…3 years in a row. Yes, it is a team sport, but when your star quarterback (Collaros) under-performs in 3 straight Grey Cups, the offensive coordinator has to take a fair share of the blame. And when Collaros gets injured in the 2024 Grey Cup, and Willson is told to come in, some serious questions prevail. I have heard from some fans that they are happy that Pierce moved on to BC, as they believe the Bombers need a change if they are going to course correct their fortunes.

At the risk of piling on a guy (Pierce) who did much good for the Bombers, I must make one more reoccurring point. Pierce failed to establish a legitimate back up and heir to Collaros.

Bombers Release Patterson – And They Are Still In Need

With all that in the backdrop, the Bombers will look to get their first win of the season, as they had a bye in Week 1. All of that while Streveler starts for the Bombers as Collaros serves as a one game suspension.

BC’s Lineup

Winnipeg’s Lineup

Keys To The Game
1) Rourke & Butler
For me, this game is going to come down to a few things. First of all, can the Bombers stop Rourke and Butler? Back together, this duo proved to be difficult for many teams. Just when you think you have one of them stopped, the other guys rips off a chunk play. I think for the Bombers to win they will need to limit, not just one of them…but both of them.

2) Streveler
He is now forced into the starting spot, as Collaros is serving a one game suspension. We know that Streveler can make the quick passes and the short outs…but is that enough to win? And if not, will he be able to throw the long ball without throwing interceptions? That all remains to be seen, but will be a big determining factor if the Bombers come away with a W.

3) Special Teams
Outside of Castillo, I have not loved the Bomber’s special teams for a couple of years. They seem slow on down field coverage when they kick/punt, and they seem to not be able to get decent returns. This presents itself as a problem, because the cumulative impact is a flipping of the field. For the Bombers to win they do not need to break one, but to the degree they are unable to get decent returns, they must limit the Lions.

I am expecting a very spirited affair, with only 500 tickets remaining at the time of writing this article – oh yah…and that is without Snoop Dogg.

What are your keys to victory and do you agree with mine? Let me know in the comments section wherever you are reading this.

Catch all my articles here.

The post Preview: Bombers vs. B.C. & Buck first appeared on CFL News Hub.

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