VANCOUVER — It’s a simple and clear-cut Winnipeg Blue Bombers motto, and the message behind it is about as subtle as a 2×4 busted across an opponent’s forehead.
And it’s something which was first brought up earlier this week by Kenny Lawler as the Blue Bombers began their mental and physical prep work for today’s massive West Division showdown with the B.C. Lions.
‘Punch first, keep swinging.’
Again, it’s one of those team slogans which hardly needs further explanation and meshes perfectly with the ‘FIFO’ and ‘From the Handshake’ credos that have become bedrocks of the team’s highly regarded/uber respected culture.
It’s also something the Blue Bombers are going to especially hold up now as a commandment as the second half of the Canadian Football League season opens at B.C. Place with the club in chase mode of a playoff spot.
“Punch first, keep swinging… it’s really about starting fast as an offence and then continuing to apply the pressure,” said Lawler in conversation with bluebombers.com earlier this week. “On offence we want to start the game on point, dialled in, and try to score on every possession. It’s the same with defence and special teams and so it’s really a team thing.
“I remember my rookie year here, me and Yoshi (Jermarcus Hardrick) used to call it ‘Bully Ball.’ The first half is a street fight, the second half is when you really start playing football. It’s all about keeping fighting.
“If we’re winning, keep fighting. If we’re losing, keep fighting. That’s the mentality.”
There’s evidence to back up the effectiveness of ‘punch first, keep swinging’, too: the Blue Bombers are 56-9 when leading after the first quarter since 2016 for an .862 win percentage and 23-27 when trailing.
Yet is more than about what the scoreboard says early. It’s about setting a tone, and imposing a collective will from start to finish.
“Our mindset is we want to throw the first punch and when you connect you don’t want to stop or let the other team counter,” explained Willie Jefferson. “You want to keep swinging. We’re going to keep coming. We’re not going to take our foot off the gas. That’s why we have that ‘From the Handshake’ sign above the door as we go out on the field at home.
“It’s like my boy, (Adarius) Pickett, says in Ottawa: ‘We want to get the party started. We don’t want to let the party get started and then join along.’”
This Blue Bombers-Lions matchup is a juicy matchup with all kinds of gripping narratives, not the least of which is the impact on the standings and the season series. B.C. won the first meeting 26-24 in Winnipeg, with the Blue Bombers blanking the Lions 25-0 in the second, also at Princess Auto Stadium.
And so not only will the Blue Bombers be facing a snarling Lions squad in a three-game losing skid, they’ll undoubtedly be energized by the return of QB Nathan Rourke from the NFL.
“Coming off the win we had before the bye, that’s one thing Coach O’Shea told us when we got back — this is not going to be the same B.C. team we saw when we beat them here,” said Jefferson. “They’re going to be at home and have something to prove after their losses. They’re going to want to set the tone.”
True enough. What’s compelling from a Blue Bombers big-picture perspective is this: even with the 0-4 start, even with all the injuries and struggles through a 3-6 first half, the West Division is very much there for the taking. A win would not only improve the Blue Bombers to 4-6 and give then the season-series with the Lions, it would push them to within three points of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, currently first at 5-4-1.
First and foremost is taking care of business tonight.
“We keep it as simple as possible,” said defensive back Deatrick Nichols. “It’s a war out there. Everybody wants to win, everybody trains, everybody works the whole week to get a victory.
“Our motto is to punch first and keep swinging win, lose or draw. We want to be the aggressor at all times.”
3 NOTABLE NUMBERS:
1 The Blue Bombers have 699 wins as a franchise. Their next win would make them the third team to reach 700 victories after Calgary and Edmonton.
2 The next win will also be the 100th for Mike O’Shea as the Blue Bombers coach. That would put him within two victories of tying Bud Grant for the all-time lead in Winnipeg history and make him the 11th CFL coach to reach the century mark.
3 Brady Oliveira needs 28 yards rushing to move past Robert Mimbs into 10th place on the Blue Bombers all-time rushing list.