The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are struggling to stretch the field this season, logging just 10 passing plays of 30 yards or more—tied with the winless Ottawa Redblacks for the lowest total in the CFL. No other team in the league has fewer than 16.
When questioned about this lack of explosive downfield passing, offensive coordinator Tommy Condell pointed reporters toward data from Pro Football Focus (PFF).
“Make sure as we go through this and look at it from the 15-yard plays or more from a PFF standpoint,” Condell said. “Look into that, see where we’re at. I think in the first couple weeks we were in the top of the league in that regard, in the top-third of the league.”
A deeper dive into the PFF metrics tells a different story. Winnipeg actually ranks sixth in the CFL with 69 completions of 15 yards or more, sitting ahead of only Calgary, Ottawa, and Hamilton. Meanwhile, Toronto and Montreal pace the league with 91 and 90 such plays, respectively, sitting well above the league average of 74.2.
Statistically speaking, Winnipeg’s passing attack is below average in medium-to-long gains—a reality that the veteran assistant coach seemed unaware of.
Condell, whose offensive scheme has traditionally relied heavily on intermediate routes, noted that he cannot force quarterbacks to throw deep. He emphasized that play-calling ultimately dictates itself based on the looks provided by the defence.
“I just can’t sit there and say, ‘Hey, we’re gonna throw it up there,’” Condell explained. “From a coaching standpoint, I’ve gotta make sure that I give [our quarterbacks] an opportunity to know what the look is, but if [the defence is] playing over the top when [a deep shot is] called, and sometimes they actually are called, but you don’t see that because they’re reading [the defensive coverage and not throwing it deep].”
The argument that opposing secondaries are going to extreme lengths to completely erase Winnipeg’s deep threat feels a bit far-fetched, especially given that defenses naturally tend to focus their primary efforts on shutting down star running back Brady Oliveira. For context, the Montreal Alouettes have already generated 26 completions of 30-plus yards despite facing heavy defensive attention of their own.
A closer look at Winnipeg’s league-worst 10 deep completions reveals that four relied almost entirely on yards after the catch. Two of those were thrown behind the line of scrimmage, while another pair traveled fewer than seven yards downfield. In total, only three passes traveled more than 30 yards through the air, with the longest maxing out at a modest 37 yards.
“From a defensive structure-wise, how are teams playing us? That’s a whole other phase of it, and if you wanna add progressions to another phase of it, that’s a whole other phase of it. Now, if you’re just asking about chucking it deep and closing my eyes and throwing it 50 yards, do we have some of those? Yes, but I’m more along the lines of let’s play progression football,” Condell said.
“Let’s let Zach Collaros and everyone else be able to work through their progressions and that kind of thing, so those are the things that I think are important, but, to me, being able to have more deep shots, and attack the defence is very important because the other thing that lies into it is you get an opportunity to hopefully get a pass interference call, so there is some positive off that kind of stuff, but it’s all-encompassing.”
As the explosive Montreal Alouettes head to town, fans attending Friday’s matchup at Princess Auto Stadium will likely witness a few deep completions. The real question is whether any of them will be made by the home team.
Matchup Details:
- Teams: Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-5) vs. Montreal Alouettes (9-1)
- Date & Time: Friday, August 28, with kickoff at 8:30 p.m. EDT.
- Context: The Alouettes enter the contest after crushing the Ottawa Redblacks, while the Blue Bombers are looking to rebound from a tough second-half collapse against the Edmonton Elks.
- Weather: Expected high of 25°C with a mix of sun and clouds in Winnipeg.
- How to Watch/Listen: Broadcast live on TSN and RDS in Canada, and available internationally on CFL+. Radio coverage is available on TSN 690 and 99.5 Montreal (French) or CJOB 680 (Winnipeg).
About the Author
John Hodge is a seasoned Canadian football reporter, insider, and podcaster for 3DownNation. Based in Winnipeg, Hodge also works as a freelance television and radio broadcaster.