Kickoff: Friday, July 19th, 8:30 p.m. CDT; Mosaic Stadium, Regina, Sk.
TV/Streaming: TSN 3; CFL+
Radio: 680 CJOB
Streaks: Wpg: 2W; Sask: 1L
Scene Setter
It was a common and growing narrative when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers stumbled out of the starting blocks with four straight defeats. And it went something like this:
This Blue Bombers team — a group which had appeared in four straight Grey Cup championships, winning twice — had almost overnight become too old.
And it was a talking point that spread rapidly through the first month of the Canadian Football League season.
Interesting now, then, to pull back for a wider look at this bunch — not just because it has cranked out two straight wins, but because of the newer makeup of the lineup; some naturally brought about by annual change and a great deal necessitated by injury.
Consider this: according to the CFL, the Blue Bombers and B.C. Lions still have the oldest average age of roster players and those on injured list at 28.5 years.
Yet, it’s here where the ‘too old’ narrative starts to lose traction. The youngest team by comparison, is the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at just 27.6 years old, meaning the nine clubs are separated by less than a year.
As well, the Blue Bombers roster is undergoing a change right in front of our eyes. Case in point: there are nine different starters from last year’s Grey Cup and each of them is younger than his predecessor — Liam Dobson for Geoff Gray and Eric Lofton for Jermarcus Hardrick on the offensive line, TyJuan Garbutt for Jackson Jeffcoat and Jamal Woods for Ricky Walker along the D-line, Terrell Bonds and Tyrell Ford for Demerio Houston and Jamal Parker (injured) at corner with Josh Johnson, Pokey Wilson and Kevens Clercius stepping in for Rasheed Bailey, Kenny Lawler and Dalton Schoen (both injured) at receiver.
Add in Redha Kramdi (27), Evan Holm and Brady Oliveira (both 26) and the Blue Bombers now have 10 starters younger than the CFL’s average age of 28.0.
“Things have changed around here,” said receiver Drew Wolitarsky in a chat with bluebombers.com this week. “And it’s been cool. It’s been awhile since we’ve had young guys come in and have big games like Pokey did last week, bro.
“I’ve felt more like a teacher this year than ever before. I’ve compiled all this knowledge over the years but with all the vets starting you don’t need to impart that wisdom. But with this new group, it’s been eye-opening to play with a younger group.
“Honestly, it’s been an energy boost and it’s made me play differently, see differently. It’s unique. It’s made me play better because if I’m going to say these things to the younger players I need to do it, too. I need to live it. It’s been motivating. I want to impart on these guys what I learned from Weston Dressler and Darvin Adams and Matt Nichols. I want them to have good careers and have fun in this game and you’re having fun when you’re winning.
“Guys like Zach, Willie, Strev, Biggie, all the vets — we all have a little bit more on our shoulders and that’s not a bad thing.”
Indeed, Winnipeg’s roster is still dominated by experience with 14 vets 30 or older, including a dozen starters in Zach Collaros, Stanley Bryant, Nic Demski, Pat Neufeld, Eric Lofton, Adam Bighill, Willie Jefferson, Chris Kolankowski, Deatrick Nichols, Jake Thomas, Kyrie Wilson and Brandon Alexander.
And this new mix has some intriguing possibilities going forward.
“The older guys are still here in the building setting the tone, we have to,” said Jefferson. “We’re still talking in the meetings, still helping get the young guys up to speed. That’s football. You have to rely on everyone and have the young guys lean on you. It’s something both groups have to take on — the young guys understanding they need to learn and how to handle the ups and downs and learning tendencies with the older guys then helping them.
“The older guys start coming in earlier, you see the younger guys following suit. The older guys are at meetings early, you see the young guys doing the same thing. Now you see the young guys communicating more, making more plays. It’s a beautiful thing, man,”
THE DEPTH CHART
The Blue Bombers have made four changes to the depth chart this week. On are WR/KR Kody Case, DE TyJuan Garbutt, LB Tony Jones and DB Noah Hallett — all of whom are making their 2024 regular-season debuts.
Off are WR Myron Mitchell, FB Michael Chris-Ike, RB/KR Chris Smith and LB/DE Lucky Ogbevoen, who was moved to the six-game injured list.
3 THINGS TO WATCH
1. Thou shalt not turnover thy pigskin
This is a commandment for every team in every league in football but it’s especially important this week for the Blue Bombers against the Roughriders.
No team in the CFL turns the ball over more than Saskatchewan, which has already forced a league-best 16 turnovers — including 11 interceptions — through their 4-1 start. Their +8 turnover ratio comes after they have also turned the ball over themselves just eight times, tied with Montreal for the CFL’s best.
There’s also this: under the influence of defensive guru Corey Mace, the Riders new head coach, those turnovers are coming with perfect timing as eight of their 16 forced turnovers, exactly half, have come in the fourth quarter.
“They’re doing a good job,” said Blue Bombers offensive coordinator Buck Pierce of the Roughriders defence. “They’re able to get after the passer and do some things. They’re playing well on defence and when the ball’s in the air they’re getting after it. We’ve got to make sure we’re clean in our operation and we’re making good decisions. We’re always going to be aggressive offensively but we’ve got to make sure we’re playing clean and we’re seeing where we’re throwing it — that’s everybody. That’s timing, we’ve got to separate (receivers from defenders) the top end of our route, we’ve got to make sure we’re playing fast with speed and we’ve got to protect up front. All those things are factors.
“They’ve got some guys who have got their hands on the football and we’re aware of that. Winning in this league and winning consistently, you have to take care of the football and we need to do a better job of that.”
To that end — Winnipeg is 71-8 since 2016 in games in which they have won the turnover ratio; 6-29 over that same span when they lose the ratio and 9-5 when even.
2. Balance = good
Finding a pass-run balance on offence is a simple concept in theory, but not always easy to put into practice. The Blue Bombers posted their first 300-yard passing/100 yard rushing game in the win over Calgary last week, with Collaros throwing for 344 yards and two scores and Brady Oliveira rushing for 109 yards and the team finishing with 116 yards along the ground.
It marked the first time Oliveira has posted consecutive 100-yard games in his career.
Also worth noting, seven times last year the Blue Bombers did the 300-yards passing/100-yards rushing trick. And the club’s record in those games? Try 7-0.
“We’re able to open up the playbook more and do different things on offence and not just be one-dimensional,” said Oliveira. “Last week helped with us getting the pass game open and then it starts to open up other things on offence. I know the guys we have in this locker room, the guys we have in that offensive line room. There’s a vet-heavy presence in there with a couple new faces in starting positions, but it’s the vets we have in that room to bring the younger guys along. I knew from the beginning we had the guys to get back to our identity and what we do best here, and that’s run the football.
“The other thing was just me — getting my body right, getting back into a groove, getting back into a groove with them and I knew it was going to take a couple weeks with me missing training camp but it was just a matter of time. I know the guys we have in here and I’ll go to war with them any single day of the week.”
3. A spark on specials?
The Blue Bombers have seen dramatic improvement since the start of the season in the work of their specialists and foot soldiers, from Sergio Castillo shaking off a so-so start to now hitting bombs in the field-goal department, to the kick-cover units being stingy and Jamieson Sheahan showcasing his cornucopia of punts.
The return game, well, it’s still very much a work in progress and the addition of Case means the club will be auditioning its third different return man in seven games after Myron Mitchell and Chris Smith both had cracks at the gig.
Winnipeg is the only team without a ‘big play’ return — that being established by the CFL as a 30-yard punt return, a 40-yard kickoff return or 30-yard missed field goal return and the club needs someone who can help flip the field.
“It starts with us having to open up lanes for the (returners) but we’d like to see guys catch and hit it, find those lanes and go out there fearlessly — maybe take a shot, but that could lead to a big return,” said Blue Bombers special teams coordinator Mike Miller of what is required from a returner.
The Blue Bombers have got some sparks of late from different aspects of their special teams, from Castillo’s run, to Michael Ayers blowing up Ottawa return ace DeVonte Dedmon to Tanner Cadwallader getting a key punt block last week in the win over Calgary.
“It’s all momentum,” said Miller. “Those are things that get people out of their seat on the sideline and get your teammates excited. Obviously the field position is always key but on special teams it’s our job to keep momentum on our side and to gain it is even more of a plus.”
The Last Word:
“It’s built a whole lot of momentum and just a lot of good energy and good vibes around here. We said that, even when we started slow this season — ‘Have faith. Stick with us. We know the guys we have in this locker room, we have great coaches that prepare us ever single week.
“We knew it was going to take a little time. We’re starting to get this thing together and things are rolling right now. We’ve just got to keep this thing rolling.” — Brady Oliveira.