Winnipeg Blue Bombers best in the league… for now

By Graham Kelly - INSIDE THE CFL on August 4, 2022.

Before the biggest crowd of the year last Saturday, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers downed the Stamps 35-28 at the Crowchild Corral winning both ends of their home and home series. As the late Don Meredith liked to sing on Monday Night Football, “The party’s over.”

With a six point lead in the standings, the race for first place in the West for all intents and purposes has been decided.

Four times in the first half the Stampeders penetrated the opposition red-zone but had to settle for field goals. During the final fifteen minutes, the Bombers scored on three of their four drives to cement the win. That’s what great teams do. And make no mistake, the 2022 Blue Bombers are one of the best teams in CFL history.

But…after the game, Calgary quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell opined, “They are a better football team than we are at this moment. I don’t think they will be at the end of the season. You don’t win the Grey Cup right now.”

Point well-taken.

If the Bombers win in Montreal tonight their record will be 9-0 at the halfway point of their season. Fans are beginning to talk about a perfect season. That has only been done once when Calgary went 12-0 in the 1948 regular campaign before winning the two game total point play-off against the Roughriders and capturing their first Grey Cup a week later over Ottawa 12-7. They went ten games without a loss in 1949 for 22 straight wins, the still-standing record.

One of the greatest teams of all-time, the 1955 Edmonton entry won their first 10 games straight and seven of their last nine, winning the first Grey Cup ever played in Western Canada (In Vancouver).

In 1979 Edmonton won nine and tied two before losing. They went on to win their third Grey Cup. They had another impressive (10-1) run the following year culminating in a 48-10 Cup win over Hamilton.

In 1982, Edmonton lost the Labour Day classic in Calgary 32-20, dropping their record to 3-5. They then proceeded to win ten in a row including their fifth straight Grey Cup.

Even if Winnipeg wins tonight, the good Blue Bomber Burghers would be wise to hold off booking Portage and Main for a victory parade in November.

In 1960, Bud Grant’s Blue Bombers started the season with ten consecutive wins. The two time defending champs finished first with a mark of 14-2. After splitting the first two games of the Western Final, they lost to Edmonton 4-2 when quarterback Ken Ploen broke his hand. Three years earlier, Edmonton went 14-2 but were upset by the Bombers. While the late Frankie Morris blamed the play-off loss on two referees from Winnipeg, Johnny Bright told me years ago, “We had 495 yards total offence to Winnipeg’s 140 and we couldn’t score. We tried nine field goals and never got a single point.” The members of Edmonton’s first dynasty which saw them win three Cups in a row said that 1957 team was the best of them all. The Bud Grant Bombers insisted the 1960 club was the greatest Winnipeg team.

In 2001, Winnipeg split their first four games, then reeled off 12 in a row. They lost the Grey Cup to third place Calgary. The Stampeders were motivated by the fact the Bombers’ mocked them every chance they got. Bomber boss Dave Ritchie said, “I really believe we were the better team.” Cowboy safety Greg Frers agreed “they were a very good team, but you don’t play with your mouth.”

Wally Buono was triumphant that year but in 2005 as coach of the B.C. Lions his team roared out of the starting gate and won their first eleven. But they lost the Western Final to Edmonton in Vancouver 28-23. Wally was used to that.

In 1993 Calgary, hosting the Grey Cup, looked a sure bet to be in it, winning their first ten contests. Alas, in the Final, QB Doug Flutie’s hands froze, Edmonton won and moved into the home team’s dressing room from where they dispatched the Bombers in the Big Game.

This year’s Bomber edition should be favoured to win their third straight Grey Cup, a feat last accomplished by Edmonton, 1980-82. But don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.

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