Bombers believe in next man up

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This article was published 17/10/2017 (2375 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The goals have always been lofty for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, even in years when most people outside the locker room didn’t give them a shot. This season, the Bombers, at 11-4 and with three games remaining in the regular season, not only see themselves as Grey Cup contenders, but almost everyone that follows the Canadian Football League would agree they have more than a fighting chance.

The pursuit of the CFL’s most cherished chalice took a major hit following news linebacker Maurice Leggett is gone for the rest of the season with a torn Achilles and wide receiver Darvin Adams, though not officially ruled out for the season, has a serious upper-body injury. Both star players were injured during Saturday’s win against the B.C. Lions.

When you add in the loss of defensive end Jamaal Westerman, out for the season with a suspected torn muscle in his left arm, it’s hard not to bet against the Bombers in their quest to break a 26-year championship drought.

But while many will be justified in their doubt of what the Bombers can achieve in the coming weeks, what remains inside the confines of Investors Group Field is belief that greatness awaits. That even though Leggett, Adams and Westerman are impossible to replace, the players next in line will pick up the slack and help pave what the Bombers believe can be a playoff run.

“It’s definitely going to be a little harder because those guys play such big roles on offence and defence and in the leadership group as well,” said running back Andrew Harris following Wednesday’s practice. “We’re very capable with the guys stepping in and I got full confidence in everyone we have in this locker room.”

If the Bombers are able to succeed without three key figures in their lineup, it will take much more than confidence in one another. Even that level of sureness is at risk of crumbling if the Bombers put forth another disappointing effort when they play the Argonauts in Toronto Saturday afternoon. While the Bombers are just one win shy of claiming second place in a competitive West Division and a vaunted home playoff game, the effort and execution on both sides of the ball over the last two games has left much to be desired.

In Winnipeg’s 26-20 win over the Lions, the offence failed to score a touchdown. In a league where scoring is up and rules are designed to benefit the offence, settling for field goals is hardly a recipe for success. Relying on an interception to get inside your opponent’s 20-yard line for the only time in the game, which happened against the Lions, will not win you a playoff game against a formidable opponent.

“It’s just an off performance by our offence last week and guys are chomping at the bit to get out there and fix our mistakes,” said quarterback Matt Nichols.

Against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Oct. 6, the offence scored one touchdown before losing Nichols for the second half with an injured throwing hand. With backup Dominique Davis at the controls, the Bombers scored three points in the decond half en route to a 30-13 loss. Nichols returned against the Lions wearing a protective glove, only to throw for a season-low 172 yards. Winnipeg had just 37 first downs in the last two games, down from the 25 they were averaging through the first 13.

“I try to be consistent over the course of, we’ve had 15 games or so, and we’ve operated at a high level,” said offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice. “We try to be as consistent as possible. We know we move the ball well, we just want to execute it better. The last two weeks we’ve struggled but we don’t change what we do. We just have to play better and execute better.”

The return of receiver Weston Dressler to the lineup should help with that. Dressler has been one the most consistent players when healthy but has missed seven games this season and will likely need some time to adjust before he’s back to his normal self.

In the meantime, the Bombers will look towards some new and old faces to help fill the void left by Adams, who prior to getting injured was tied for the team lead in touchdowns, with seven, and was on pace to eclipse 1,400 receiving yards. Those options include L’Damian Washington, who was promoted to the active roster last week with Timothy Flanders still out with a hamstring issue, or newcomer Chris Givens. Washington reeled in four catches for 36 yards against B.C. but did little to prevent the Bombers from seeing what they have in Givens, who is not only a decent-sized target at six feet and 203 pounds but also has serious NFL experience. Givens, 27, played in 60 games between the St. Louis Rams and Baltimore Ravens, recording 107 receptions for 1,779 yards and five touchdowns.

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“He’s a decent player… we try not to get into what they’ve done before because that doesn’t really matter but he’s shown well in practice and system-wise he hasn’t made a lot of mistakes,” said LaPolice.

Winnipeg’s defence has sputtered for much of the season, for a second straight year relying on a penchant for forcing turnovers to balance out the yards and points they allow against each week. Leggett had a knack for making big plays at big moments, and at strong-side linebacker plays one of the most difficult positions on the defence to master. Throw in that he was on pace for a career year, enough to be in conversation for the league’s most outstanding defensive player, and the loss will certainly hurt.

But as is the case with Adams, or any player unable to go, whether it be for one week or the rest of the season, the Bombers feel too good about what they have to dwell on what they’ve lost.

“He was an integral part of our defence, at the dime position, which is a play-making position and somewhere he’s made plays the whole time I’ve been here,” said defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall. “But it’s the next man up. People that didn’t have a name always make a name for themselves.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

After a slew of injuries playing hockey that included breaks to the wrist, arm, and collar bone; a tear of the medial collateral ligament in both knees; as well as a collapsed lung, Jeff figured it was a good idea to take his interest in sports off the ice and in to the classroom.

   Read full biography