Wed Jun 25 12:51:43 2008

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2008 CFL Eastern Preview - Winnipeg Blue Bombers

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Winnipeg, MB (Sports Network) - FACTS & FIGURES: Division - East. 2007 record - 10-7-1. Playoff result: Second in East Division, beat Montreal 24-22 in division semifinal; beat Toronto 19-9 in division final, lost 23-19 to Saskatchewan in Grey Cup. Stadium - Canad Inns Stadium. Capacity - 29,503. Colors - Navy blue and metallic gold.

There's a real sense of optimism this season in Winnipeg, and with good reason. The Blue Bombers are definite Grey Cup contenders.

Offensively, the Bombers are stacked. Quarterback Kevin Glenn was the CFL's leading passer last year, the only player to surpass the 5,000-yard mark. Glenn's importance to the offense was clearly evident in the playoffs when he sustained a broken left arm in Winnipeg's 19-9 win over Toronto in the East Division final.

With Glenn on the sidelines, Bombers second-year player Ryan Dinwiddie had to make his first CFL start in the Grey Cup. Dinwiddie threw a game-record three interceptions to James Johnson as Saskatchewan defeated Winnipeg 23-19.

Dinwiddie will again be Winnipeg's backup this season. He was a three-year starter at Boise State and in 2003 threw for 4,031 yards and 28 touchdowns with only five interceptions. Fortunately for the Bombers, Dinwiddie had a solid training camp and showed signs of being able to step in and lead the offense.

Winnipeg's receiving corps is one of the CFL's best with three 1,000-yard performers in Terrence Edwards, Derick Armstrong and Milt Stegall. Stegall will start the season on the sideline as he recovers from offseason knee surgery. But he's expected to make a complete recovery and when he returns, he will give the Bombers three receivers who have the ability to take over a game.

The running game is capably manned by Charles Roberts. Roberts was the CFL's second-leading rusher last year and his presence prevents defenses from concentrating solely on trying to stop the aerial game. Roberts is also a good receiver and is a threat to turn a short swing pass into a big play.

What makes the offense tick, though, is a solid offensive line anchored by gigantic tackle Dan Goodspeed. The former NFL player was the East Division's top lineman last year and Winnipeg re-signed him before he would've become a free agent in the offseason. The Bombers also re-signed veteran guard Matt Sheridan, another valuable cog up front.

The Bombers' defense is also a solid unit. Tackle Doug Brown usually demands double-teams, meaning the remainder of the defensive front gets man-on-man coverage. Even despite that, Brown managed seven sacks last year. However, his presence often creates a mismatch for rush end Tom Canada, who finished tied for third overall with 12 sacks. Middle linebacker Barron Simpson was stellar last season, finishing second in the CFL with 112 tackles. He also added four sacks.

Winnipeg's defense last year was ranked second in fewest yards allowed, second against the pass and fourth in fewest points allowed.

The big question remains on special teams. Kicker Troy Westwood was released during training camp after 17 years with the club. That leaves rookie Alexis Serna to handle the kicking duties and veteran Duncan O'Mahony to do the punting. The beauty with Westwood was he could do all three kicking jobs (punting, kicking, kicking off) and then allow the Bombers to use the extra roster spot elsewhere. However, Westwood had battled inconsistency the last few years and created no shortage of angst for the club's coaching staff.

Sports Network Predicted Finish: First.