Bombers start strong with 45-21 win over Argos, as Mike O’Shea takes down his old team

The first game of the 2014 CFL season Thursday night proved yet again that anything can happen in this league. The Toronto Argonauts went 11-7 in 2013, the best regular-season record in the East, while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers went 3-15 and finished at the bottom of the division, but their season-opening clash in Winnipeg was completely different than last season's typical performance, with the Bombers thumping the Argos 45-21. There were more questions about Winnipeg than Toronto heading into this, but new Bombers' starting quarterback Drew Willy dazzled and new head coach Mike O'Shea (who was the Argos' special teams coordinator last season) did just fine in their first real test. Meanwhile, the questions are now on the Toronto side.

The big anticipated issue for Winnipeg heading into this year was quarterback play, as while Willy showed promise in 2012 and 2013 as a backup in Saskatchewan, he didn't have many CFL starts under his belt. He only had 147 career passing attempts heading into this season. That inexperience sure didn't show Thursday, though, as he completed 19 of 27 passes (70.4 per cent) for 308 yards and four touchdowns with just one interception. Meanwhile, the Bombers' ground game was excellent, with rookie Nic Grigsby collecting 122 rushing yards on 21 carries (5.8 yards per carry), and their defence was also solid. The special teams came through with big plays too, including punter Mike Renaud averaging 47.3 yards on three punts and also helping the team pick up a first down with a pass on a fake punt. All in all, it was a pretty great way for O'Shea to start his coaching career, especially against his old team.

For Toronto, there are plenty of problems to address after this. As TSN 1050 Argos' play-by-play man Mike Hogan noted afterwards, perhaps the chief one is discipline:

It was surprising to see that lack of discipline from the Argos, and it's something they'll definitely have to address going forward. There were issues beyond that too, though. One was the turnovers; the team twice committed critical fumbles, including one by running back Jeremiah Johnson on the next play after a great interception by Brandon Underwood. That fumble in particular all but killed off their comeback hopes and sealed their fate. There were further problems, though, including the ground game; Toronto only collected 42 yards on eight carries between Johnson, Curtis Steele and quarterback Mitchell Gale. Some of that was because they fell behind so deeply so early (it was 17-0 after the first quarter), and the Argos don't seem to have found a way to replace Chad Kackert's production just yet. The passing offence was more promising, with quarterback Ricky Ray completing 27 of 38 passes (71 per cent) for 283 yards and two touchdowns, but it was still a long way from the form it found last year.

This is just one game, of course, so it doesn't necessarily mean the Bombers will be great all year and the Argonauts will be terrible. However, it's certainly a positive sign for the long-suffering fans in Winnipeg, especially considering the performances they got from Willy and Grigsby; if they can keep those up, it could be a great offensive year for the Bombers. Meanwhile, Argonauts' fans shouldn't panic just yet, especially considering that the passing offence (their bread-and-butter) didn't look too bad. The defence is going to have to get a lot better, though, and the penalties will have to come down while the rushing game improves. This is a result that doesn't necessarily indicate how the year will go, but it's going to feel a lot better for O'Shea and the Bombers than for his old compatriots in Toronto.