the 4th star

Glass Full of Rum and Coke
Full marks to Fred Reid. Clearly he is at the head of the Canadian Football League running backs class this season. A-plus. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers back rushed for 260 years on 26 carries in a 37-10 win at BC Place, setting a new franchise record for rushing yards in a game in the process. He was outstanding. The Lions defenders had no answer for him at any point.

Glass Half Empty
The Bombers passing game is bad. Period. If the ball doesn’t get to Edwards, it is a wasted play (or so it seems). Damon Allen Michael Bishop was 11 of 20 passes for 131 yards. He won his second start in four, but those numbers aren’t so great. Oh look, Brock Ralph still plays for the Bombers!

Glass Half Full
The Bombers offensive line. Solid work. Big holes for Reid and that little bugger (Yvenson Bernard) to run through. They could have walked for 10 yards per carry. Why did it seem like B.C. was using a defensive scheme that featured 12 men in the secondary?

Glass Still Half Full
Defensive back Javon Johnson was the best player for the Blue and Gold on the defensive side of the ball. All over the place. His return game still leaves a lot to be desired, but at least he can catch the ball. The little things, right?

Glass Cracked
Whoa. You know things are bad when Blue Bomber fans — giddy with each run Reid breaks off — turn to each other and say “Man, is the B.C. defence shitty or what?” OR WHAT? Nope, they are just that terrible. Pushed around by the Bombers at the point of attack on every play. And when they finally did figure out that the Bombers were going to keep running the ball, the extra guy (or two) in the box missed the open tackle. Every single time.

Glass in the Cupboard
To those who think the Bombers are going to be OK now, keep this nugget in your back pocket: The two big moments Winnipeg has had offensively — the second half in Calgary and the game last night — have come against two clubs who are brutal at stopping the run. How did Reid do against Montreal? A great game, a great performance last night, but let’s just keep it all in perspective.

The victory gives the Bombers a 3-5 record as they head into their bye week and takes them out of a swoon that threatened to end their playoff hopes early. While we’re nowhere near ready to call the Blue Bombers a contender, heck, the win does give them a reprieve and an opportunity to take a breath before a critical home-and-home series kicks off with the Roughriders on Labour Day in Saskatchewan.

Glass Broken
Mike Kelly trying to slip Reid in at the end of the game was another perfect example of how the head coach has no idea what he’s doing. Even I know you have to sit out three plays after coming off the field following an injury, and I could care less about the CFL. The little things I mentioned earlier? Yeah, they show a lot the other way, too.

Glass Smashed Over Your Head
Along those lines, what is Kelly doing having Reid on the field with the game well in hand? Talk about your bonehead moves. Right when I saw the running back line up on offence, the game well in hand with about five minutes left to play, I said to my group, “I hope he breaks his ankle.”Not to wish any ill-will on Reid., no, not at all, but rather to point out what a moron Kelly is for keeping his MVP on offence in a sealed game for the sole reason of breaking the club record. Ludicrous. Reid is the only thing that has worked right all season and you’re going to risk him getting hurt for a team record? Sure, it plays well in the room, but you just don’t fool around with stuff like this. I’m no doctor, but I think it’s more likely to suffer a season-ending injury on the field than it is on the bench, mugging it up for the TSN cameras.

Walking on Those Bits of Glass
Of course, Reid stayed down on the turf after the play in question, nursing an ankle. He left the field on his own, but it was a stroke of luck that he didn’t hurt himself more. Actually, it was a warning sign. Big red sign. STOP what you are doing. AND THEN KELLY PUT HIM BACK OUT THERE!!! It should be noted Reid came out earlier in the game with a similar injury. One of the most idiotic coaching decisions I have ever seen in football and if Kelly doesn’t get roasted for it, then something is terribly wrong here. Think Patriot Bill would leave in Tom Brady when New England has the game well in hand in the fourth quarter? How do you think Tom Coughlin would handle a big Giants lead in the fourth? Brandon Jacobs would be on the bench in a hoodie at that point.

Glass Needs Some Windex
Who gives a shit about team records? Sure, they’re nice and everything. You know what else are nice? Wins. More than three of ‘em. And when you risk the entire season (and let’s be frank, this team is only going as far as Reid) for a meaningless club record, then there’s a serious problem with the priorities. But maybe that’s what Kelly is all about. He seems to think it gives him some credibility. When is the last time he brought up the 29 offensive team records the Bombers set when he was the O.C. back in the Cal Murphy era? The answer: Last Monday’s coach’s show. Which record do Bomber fans care about: The team rushing mark, or wins and losses? Funny, I can’t remember the last time a club made the playoffs through individual benchmarks.

The above picture will be my Sunday.
Minus the surfboard and aging celebrity status, of course.
Skating without shoes is just ridiculous, too.
And I also will probably find the time to throw a tee on before heading out.
I don’t know.
Maybe that’s just me.