It’s certainly a phrase that’s been uttered before in Bomberland — most likely by head coach Mike O’Shea — and then repeated by so many others as it gained momentum in the locker room.
And it’s absolutely become a motto/commandment for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, especially through an ugly 0-4 start that has since morphed into a 6-2 run and now has the team at .500 for the first time this season and, incredibly, atop the Canadian Football League’s West Division.
‘Whatever it takes.’
Well, if ever there was a ‘whatever it takes’ win, it was most certainly Sunday’s 35-33 decision over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the annual Labour Day Classic that was an absolute thrill ride and provided enough storylines to carry through this week leading up to Saturday’s rematch in the Banjo Bowl (more on that, later).
Now, maybe it’s that approach that muted the celebration inside the locker room afterward, because while there was the usual upbeat mood, there was also a sense that this bunch was already thinking ahead to the film sessions and the corrections that need to be made for the Riders visit this coming weekend.
“It’s kinda funny, man… whenever you get a win there’s so much excitement but in here right now everybody knows we left some food on the table,” said veteran receiver Nic Demski, who finished the day with three catches for 64 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown. “We’ve got to keep working. Of course, we’ll enjoy this, but we also know we’ve got to get back to the drawing board and be be better for next week for when they come to us.
“We did have mistakes out there and, as a vet in this league and being used to this environment, I can’t take an offside penalty in the first quarter. That is one of the things I’ve got to do differently.
“What we’ve learned, though, is just how resilient we are as a team. That’s the biggest takeaway I have from 0-4 to where we are now. We’ve got some continuity on this roster but, at the same time, we’ve got a lot of young guys who are now coming into their own. Look at Pokey (Wilson), look at (Tony) Jones and there are other pieces fitting in well now, too.
“Everybody here has bought in and that’s a big thing. Everybody who is new is starting to figure out what it takes to win in this league and everybody is doing that extra little bit. We were already close-knit coming into the season but now this group is becoming more of a family. We knew it would take awhile for everything to mesh together and things are starting to feel more and more comfortable in this locker room.”
That was also one of the intriguing takeaways from the visit to the locker room after the win — the only time the topic of first place in the West Division was broached was when a media member asked a Blue Bomber player about it. Otherwise, nada.
“We’re not even thinking about top in the West,” said quarterback Chris Streveler, who entered the game in the second half after the cheap-shot hit to the chin of Zach Collaros. “There’s so much ball to be played. It’s about one game at a time and we did what we needed to be done there at the end to get a win.
“It wasn’t our prettiest win in the second half but, again, did what needed to be done. Defence made plays when they had to; offence kept the ball on the ground and got some first downs; Papi (Sergio Castillo) made some big kicks. One play better. We got the win today and we’re going to see them in six days again.”
Whatever it takes, indeed.
“It’s been like that for awhile, especially with the way we started off the season,” said Brady Oliveira. “That’s been our motto because we know what we’ve got in this locker room. Some of the performances might not look pretty, but a win is a win — especially in a hostile environment like this. Winning the Labour Day Classic is never easy and this was gritty. This was us fighting to the bitter end.
“It really is ‘Whatever it Takes’ and believing in the people we have in the locker room. That’s a great win for us, but we’ve still got work to do, be better and demand more from ourselves because the sky’s the limit with this group.”
And what follows is a deeper dive on the Blue Bombers sixth win of the season in this week’s edition of UPON FURTHER REVIEW…
DEJA VU, DEJA BOO… to the same storyline playing out again as last year’s Labour Day Classic with a shot to the head of quarterback Zach Collaros that drew a roughing the passer penalty but forced him from the game and has left his status as questionable for the Banjo Bowl at this point of the week.
With 1:25 left in the first half Collaros rolled out from pressure and — after launching a pass to Kenny Lawler in the end zone that drew a pass interference penalty — took a shoulder to the chin by Riders defensive tackle Miles Brown.
Zach Collaros was shaken up after this shot from Miles Brown.
Chris Streveler has come into the game for the moment. #LDWeekend pic.twitter.com/DIutdeO4dA
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 2, 2024
A year ago, if you recall, Collaros was head-butted by then-Riders defensive end Pete Robertson that then caused a one-game suspension to be levied by the CFL. Blue Bombers President and CEO Wade Miller was livid about this happening again to Collaros and said this to Jeff Hamilton of The Free Press post-game:
“At some point, maybe our commissioner will decide that we should protect quarterbacks after the play. This is ridiculous and needs to stop. We’ve seen this two years in a row now. Any player that hits a quarterback low or in the head after the play should receive a rough play disqualification,” Miller insisted “The Saskatchewan player now has two such hits this year alone on quarterbacks. Change will only come when the commissioner steps in and gives a directive to the officials.”
Brown was also involved in a play that saw Ottawa’s Dru Brown miss action after the Rider lineman rolled into the quarterback’s legs after being tripped up. That play — from this perspective, at least — wasn’t nearly as egregious as Sunday’s shoulder to Collaros’ chin.
Stay tuned on this one in the days ahead. The Blue Bombers, FYI, return to the practice field on Wednesday.
IF COLLAROS CAN’T GO… Streveler would be next up to lead the Blue Bombers in what would be his second start of the year, after previously being at the helm for a win over Ottawa.
“I have a good process I stick with,” said Streveler after the game. “I have a great relationship with Zach, Buck and all those guys in that room so we’re going to meet, we’re going to go through our process and whoever is starting is starting and we’re going to have a great gameplan going into it. Nothing changes. I mean, when you’re a back up you want to prepare like the starter every week because you never know when you’re going to play.
“Having Zach, whether he plays or not, is always a great resource to me because we’re able to talk through stuff with all his experience in the game. However things pan out, everyone will be ready to go.”
THREE NUMBERS THAT STOOD OUT… after another look at the game’s statistical package, which can be found here:
1 Collaros was cooking before he exited the game, having completed 12-of-18 passes for 218 yards with a TD and an interception while working behind the revamped O-line. The Blue Bombers surrendered just one sack, that coming on the first possession, and the club was still able to throw for 264 yards behind a line featuring Kendall Randolph and Eric Lofton at tackles, with Liam Dobson and Tui Eli at guard, Chris Kolankowski at centre and Micah Vanterpool getting work as the sixth lineman.
2 Winnipeg’s defence surrendered 31 first downs and 423 yards of net offence — including 368 through the air as Trevor Harris completed 30-of-49 passes with three touchdowns. That total is the third-highest against this season and the most since Calgary racked up 444 in a a 41-37 Blue Bombers win in July.
Consider this, though: in his last two starts against Winnipeg — both Blue Bombers victories — Harris has gone 59-of-90 for 781 yards for six TDs and no interceptions.
Ouch.
3 A salute to Blue Bombers kicker Sergio Castillo, who connected from 52 and 56 yards on Sunday and is now, incredibly, 9-of-11 from 50-plus yards. His second make also set a CFL record for most 50-yard-plus field goals in a season, breaking the mark of eight set by Calgary’s J.T. Hay in 1986, tied by Carlos Huerta of Las Vegas in 1994 and Ottawa’s Lewis Ward in 2023.
f it, all 50+ yarders from sergio castillo this season. #ForTheW pic.twitter.com/rO5mQjek1C
— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) September 2, 2024
NO WORD YET… on the status of veteran middle linebacker Adam Bighill, who was injured on Sunday and was spotted in the locker room afterward on crutches. Newcomer Tony Jones continues to flash his value, having filled in for Kyrie Wilson, but also being a presence in the middle. He had a team-high seven tackles and two knockdowns in the win on Sunday.
“We showed a lot of grit. This team has a bond,” said Jones. “We all hold each other accountable and once one man goes down the next man steps up. That’s what we did here — it wasn’t pretty, but we found a way.
“The one thing I would say about this group is the passion these guys have for the game. This group comes to work every day because we love the game so much and there was a belief this would turn around. And you could sense there was that belief that once this train got turned around it was going to be hard to stop. “