Are the best days of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' impressive nucleus in the rear-view mirror?
That's a question being pondered by Blue Bombers fans, as veteran columnist Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun pointed out this week.
The Blue Bombers carry a 4-4 record into Friday's home game against the winless Ottawa Redblacks. A loss to Ottawa to wrap up the first half of the season would raise loud alarm bells, but even a win against a bad team won't be enough to eliminate doubts about this team's ceiling.
"I think we have some players that are older than they were last year by a few months and we've got some new guys. But old and too old are two very different things," Blue Bombers head coach Mike O'Shea told reporters earlier this week following the team's bye. "We've got a lot of experience and we have to draw upon that to play better football.
"The type of guys we have, I think it's pretty easy to tell they have that character, they have the intangibles that allow them to work harder and longer than most people on earth."
Before last year's 10-8 finish and loss in the first round of the playoffs, the Blue Bombers went to five consecutive Grey Cup games.
Much of that success was guided by players still on the roster — 37-year-old quarterback Zach Collaros, offensive linemen Stanley Bryant, 40, and Patrick Neufeld, 37, defensive end Willie Jefferson, 35, and top Canadian receiver Nic Demski, 32.
All these men are still very capable of making big impacts, but the results haven't been as consistent lately.
The Blue Bombers are just 1-4 this season at their home Princess Auto Stadium, which has been sold out for 17 games in a row.
In the previous six years, the Bombers were 44-8 at home.
Collaros returns this week after missing four games with a neck injury, which should help the Blue Bombers.
"We have the greatest fans there (are)," Collaros said. "One of the nice things about being out is you kind of get to be a part of that and feel that adrenaline from a different vantage point. That was really cool. There were moments I can think of during that stretch where, man, I can understand why people love coming to these games. It's amazing. Our fans are the best. That's not hyperbole, they really are."
While it will take something worse than a so-so start to eliminate that environment, the Blue Bombers need to start winning consistently again to make home feel like a bigger advantage.
After Ottawa, the Blue Bombers face the Edmonton Elks and Montreal Alouettes before their annual Labour Day home-and-home series with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
By the end of that daunting stretch, we'll know plenty more about these Bombers.
"I think we have the right guys, I think we have a very talented group," Collaros said. "On any given day when we go out and execute, I'm very confident we can win the game. I thought that when I got here and I still feel that way."
Record watch
The CFL distributed a list of milestones within reach as the schedule enters the second half.
All CFL fans are very familiar with Montreal Alouettes receiver Tyson Philpot being on pace to smash Allen Pitts' record for receiving yards in a season.
Among the other intriguing stats worth watching:
6,000 yards passing
Davis Alexander of the Alouettes and Chad Kelly of the Toronto Argonauts are both on pace to hit that number. There haven't been two 6,000-yard passers in the league in the same season since David Archer of San Antonio and Doug Flutie of Calgary in 1993.
Canadians with 1,000 yards receiving
Philpot is one of nine Canadians on that pace. The record for a season is five, set in 1993.
Most touchdowns in one season
Former Blue Bombers star receiver Milt Stegall holds the record of 23, set in 2002. Six-foot-four, 245-pound Roughriders short-yardage quarterback Tommy Stevens is on pace for 25.
Week 11 schedule
B.C. Lions (3-5) at Calgary Stampeders (4-5), Thursday, 9 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. MT
The Lions have won two in a row, while the Stamps went 1-1 on a two-games-in-six-days stretch in southern Ontario.
Ottawa Redblacks (0-8) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-4), Friday, 8:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. MT
The Redblacks took the Blue Bombers to overtime last month before losing a heartbreaker in Ottawa.
Toronto Argonauts (4-4) at Edmonton Elks (6-3), Saturday, 3 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. MT
The Argos are on a two-game win streak, while the Elks have dropped two in a row after a quick start.
Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-2) at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-6), Saturday, 7 p.m. ET
QB Harrison Frost gets his second nod in a row for the Ticats after making his starting debut last week.
