Rider-turned-Bomber Weston Dressler ready to take it to his former team

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This article was published 03/09/2017 (2961 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

REGINA – Weston Dressler insists he holds no grudge against his former team, even if his numbers scream payback.

Set adrift by the Saskatchewan Roughriders prior to the 2016 season, only to sign with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers shortly thereafter, Dressler has put up stellar numbers in three games against the Bombers’ prairie rival.

His 20 receptions for 336 yards and two touchdowns against the Roughriders is the most damage the 32-year-old has done to any single team since joining the Blue and Gold.

Dressler reeled in seven catches for 135 yards in last year’s Banjo Bowl, the most yards he’s recorded in a game since the 2012 season. In the season opener this year at the new Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Dressler had six grabs for 124 yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yard score.

When asked prior to the annual Labour Day Classic showdown against the Roughriders Sunday, the soft spoken Dressler had little explanation to why he’s been able to play so well against his former club.

“It’s just the way the game plays out sometimes,” Dressler told reporters during the Bombers’ media availability Saturday. “As a receiver you never know when you’re going to get that opportunity; we’ve got a lot of playmakers within our offence.”

He added: “We pride ourselves on spreading the ball around and making the play when you have the opportunity. Whether it’s one or two times throughout a game, or seven or eight, you try to make the most of each opportunity you get.”

In his first year with Winnipeg Dressler finished with 1,003 yards on 80 receptions, despite missing four games. He was off to a hot start this season until a lower-body injury sidelined him for the past four games. He returned to practice the last two weeks, intensifying his workouts as time went on and Dressler said he feels 100 per cent ready to go.

The move to release Dressler had many Saskatchewan fans either scratching their heads or pulling their hair out in anger. The move was tough to swallow; the most unfavourable part being that the veteran receiver had put in eight good years in Riderville. With Saskatchewan, Dressler had five seasons with at least 1,000 yards receiving.

Despite his success against the Riders, Dressler said he hasn’t faced the wrath of fans. But you have to think that courtesy is wearing thin, especially he has another big game.

“No, not yet. Maybe Sunday,” said Dressler. “I don’t get too caught up in stuff like that.”

DRESSLER IN, THORPE OUT: With Dressler back to full health the Bombers needed to trim the roster for Sunday and the odd man out is 24-year-old receiver T.J. Thorpe.

Bombers coach Mike O’Shea admitted the decision was a tough one, given how reliable Thorpe has been this year. Thorpe is averaging nearly six receptions per game, with an average of 9.2 yards per catch. But he is coming off his worst performance of the season in a 34-31 win over the Montreal Alouettes, where he dropped one ball and fumbled another for a turnover.

“He has been consistent and he has made some good catches and (provided) some tough yards after the catch,” said O’Shea. “But Weston Dressler, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he has to be one of the smartest guys in the league. He’s a guy that you wouldn’t want to keep off the roster.”

Dressler’s return was certainly one reason for Thorpe’s absence Sunday, but the biggest has been the play of running back Timothy Flanders. After sitting out the first five games, Flanders’ play has made it next to impossible for offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice to keep him out of the lineup. While Flanders numbers are good in the ground game – he’s averaging 6.4 yards per carry – his ability to block, play special teams and catch balls out of the backfield has allowed the Bombers to use him often, while giving Andrew Harris some much-needed rest at times during the game.

“Timothy Flanders is a dynamic football player who can do a lot of different things,” said O’Shea. “It certainly helps our offence and our team, because he helps our special teams too.”

NICHOLS LEADS TO BIG CHANGE: A lot can happen in two years – just ask Matt Nichols.

Saturday marked the two year anniversary of the trade that brought Nichols to Winnipeg, the Bombers acquiring him for a measly conditional seventh round pick in 2017. Brought in midway through the 2015 campaign to limit the damage of a season-ending knee injury to then-starting quarterback Drew Willy, it’s safe to say even the Bombers couldn’t have predicted what the move has meant to the organization.

While Willy has since been traded, Nichols has developed into a premier quarterback in the CFL. Since taking over in Week 6 last season, Nichols is 17-6 as a starter. 

On Sunday, he’ll make his 23 consecutive regular season start, making it the longest streak for a Bombers QB since Kevin Glenn reached 30 games between the 2006 and 2008 seasons. Over the Bombers current five-game winning streak, Nichols is averaging 312 passing yards, and has nine touchdowns compared to one interception.

“He’s a very determined guy. I see what he puts into the game and it’s showing from what he’s doing on the field and what he’s doing for his team,” said Glenn, who was traded from Montreal to Winnipeg midway through last year before signing with Saskatchewan in the off-season. “I have nothing but the upmost respect for him.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca
twitter: @jeffkhamilton