Key Answers to Key Questions

And so, there was the Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive coordinator following practice on Tuesday facing a swarm of media who wanted to grill him about some of the talking points in the wake of last Friday's 30-28 loss to the Toronto Argonauts when the attack was rolling in the first half before stalling out in the second.

Condell, and here's where his experience matters, called the opportunity to answer those questions as 'a privilege.' And without any sugar-coating here are his takes on the hot-button issues that came out of the team's seventh loss in 14 games...

FEAST OR FAMINE

The Blue Bombers churned out 270 yards of offence and 15 first downs while holding the ball for 21 minutes and 39 seconds in the first half last Friday but managed just five first downs and 115 yards in the second half.

Asked if he had ever been part of something like that before, the question had been even been completed when Condell answered, 'Edmonton', referencing the club's Jekyll-and-Hyde performance against the Elks on August 21st.

The biggest factor in that contrast Friday?

"We had three sacks and when you have three sacks, you're not going to have rhythm in the game," Condell explained. "We all know when you have sacks, they're drive killers.

"You can't get any kind of a rhythm in the offensive calls. You can't get to things and when that happens, those are three drive killers from the possessions that we had."

Condell also lamented a just-missed potential big play from Dru Brown to Dorian Singer that could have been massive.

"There was a post and we didn't hit it to Mr. Singer," he said. "And when you add those up -- and we had a few drops -- those are drive killers."

BRADY O -- FOUR TOUCHES IN THE SECOND HALF

Brady Oliveira rumbled for 139 yards on 18 carries last Friday but had only four carries in the final 30 minutes, despite averaging 9.25 yards in the third and fourth quarters.

"Once again, it's the same thing: when you have 'X' number of possessions and you get sacked -- two were on first and 10 -- now you're in second and 20. You can easily do the math off that," said Condell. "You have to have plays in order to get more plays, you've got to stay on the court. And if we're not doing that and we're getting sacks, we've got problems."

2ND AND FOUR

Lots of questions in the days since the loss to Toronto about a decision late to pass on a second-and-four situation with just over two minutes remaining.

Winnipeg led 28-27 at the time and Oliveira had rushed for six yards on first down. But on second down, Brown was sacked.

Head coach Mike O'Shea said on his CJOB Coach's Show Monday night the club had called run and checked out of it based on the look the Argos had given them defensively.

And as Condell pointed out on Tuesday, the offence had seven-man protection up front and yet still gave up a sack.

"... I'm not going to the whole process of it from a schematic type of thing and what was called but at the ending of it we didn't execute it and we had another sack with seven-man protection. So, that's not good enough," said Condell.

"To me, I always have to look at myself from those calls. Are we giving those guys a position to be successful? It certainly doesn't go unnoticed and it's certainly not self-scrutinized over and over again."

A RISING TOTAL

The Blue Bombers surrendered four sacks against Toronto -- including three in the second half -- as that total reached 36, or most in the CFL.

"I've looked at all of them multiple times," Condell said. "Are there communication errors? Are there technique-physical errors? Are there schematic errors? Unfortunately, every group has had a part of it. You look at last week. You look at the film and you see it, the bumps and nudges on both sides and then we get something (pressure) up the middle.

"You look at those things and say, 'I'm going to label that and say it's a technique issue.' But you also look at other things to try and improve on that. Is it communication? Are we getting the communication? Why are we not getting the communication? Is it a physical thing? Can we do a better job of coaching that from the technique aspect?

"It's not just one thing or one group but obviously it's something we're definitely attacking that challenge."

A TOUGH NIGHT: Condell wasn't the only Blue Bombers coordinator who met with the media on Tuesday. Also answering questions was special teams coordinator Mike Miller, whose units have been so solid all season but were hit for some big plays in the loss to Toronto -- including a Janarion Grant missed field goal return TD, two missed field goals by Sergio Castillo and a trick return that saw Grant fire a lateral across the field to David Ungerer that led to a 32-yard gain into Winnipeg territory to set up the game-winning field goal.

Miller has often referred to special teams as the 'keepers of momentum' and was asked if Friday's performance stings.

"Absolutely," he said, "because we have been so good this year; we're not used to that. Everybody has an off day. At the end of the day, everyone's human."

CLOCK TICKING: The CFL's trade deadline is Wednesday at 4 p.m. This week's opponent, the Montreal Alouettes, made a deal on Tuesday by acquiring veteran defensive lineman Julian Howsare from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Yet, aside from the occasional big one -- like the Blue Bombers acquiring Zach Collaros from Toronto at the buzzer on trade deadline day in 2019 -- the day can be a bit of a non-event.

Asked why, O'Shea grinned.

"I do not know. I don't have the answer to that. Maybe because we don't cover it and put a trade centre together and there's guys like you hammering the phone lines and trying to figure out what's going on," he said with a grin. "If we made a bigger production of it, would there be more trades?

"... The trade deadline might be more irrelevant next year with the change to the playoff format (when eight of nine teams will make the playoffs). This is the first year I've seen in a while, or maybe I just don't remember, where a couple teams have been eliminated prior to the trade deadline.

"That's no shot on them; it's just I haven't noticed it before. Maybe there will be more activity. Usually everybody's fighting for a spot."