Team has plenty of positives to build on

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This article was published 04/06/2018 (2707 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It would be unwise to put much stock into one pre-season game. So, while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers put on a strong display in a 33-13 win over the Edmonton Eskimos in their exhibition opener at home Friday, a lot will change before the regular season begins against what will be a much different looking Eskimos club June 14 at Investors Group Field.

With that in mind, here are five takeaways from Friday’s victory.

ESKS STARTERS SIT

The Eskimos had 19 projected starters sit out Friday, leaving them with a watered-down group on both sides of the ball. The Bombers, meanwhile, dressed every starter that was healthy, and had almost every star player begin the game.

So, it came as a bit of a surprise to see an offence that had added a number of  weapons in the off-season to an already consistent group, start as slowly as it did. Winnipeg opened the game with consecutive two-and-outs, before finally finding their groove midway through the first frame.

No. 1 quarterback Matt Nichols finished seven-for-13 for 107 yards, with one touchdown — a 15-yard throw to Adarius Bowman — and one interception. Andrew Harris was limited to 15 rushing yards on five carries (he also had one catch for 10 yards), while Weston Dressler and Darvin Adams combined for just two catches for 34 yards.

Though the stats don’t paint the prettiest of pictures, there were a number of positives the first-team offence took from the quarter-and-a-half of action it received.

Winnipeg scored the most points in the league off turnovers last season, but far too many times they settled for field goals instead of touchdowns. So, Nichols was pleased when the offence was able to turn a Steven Clarke interception into a trip to the end zone, with the completion to Bowman capping the touchdown drive.

Another positive came when the Bombers were able to score points from a series that began on their own four-yard line. Had Bowman been able to get a hand under the ball before it hit the turf deep in the Eskimos’ zone, Winnipeg would have been in position to add another major instead of settling for a 38-yard field goal from Justin Medlock, who was two-for-two on the night.

In total, the Bombers combined for 420 yards of offence, with 12 players recording at least one catch and five earning yards on the ground.

RANDLE ENJOYS THE EFFORT

Chris Randle sat in the locker room after the game soaking up all the enjoyment his teammates were feeling. When I asked him what he was happiest about, the cornerback said he took great pleasure in that no matter who was in on defence, the Eskimos struggled to gain any momentum.

Randle understood the Eskimos were without quarterback Mike Reilly, the reigning CFL most outstanding player, and many other weapons on offence. But that was the case last year when Winnipeg played Edmonton, only that game they surrendered more than 400 yards of offence.

Friday, the Bombers defence limited the Eskimos to just six points and 165 total yards. The only Edmonton TD came when Jordan Robinson returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown on their first possession of the game. By halftime, Edmonton had just two first downs. When the backups were inserted in the second half, the only points surrendered came from a 51-yard field goal.

Randle said he was most surprised by the dominance of the front-seven. A rotation of Tristan Okpalaugo, Craig Roh and Jackson Jeffcoat provided major pressure off the edges, while the group of defensive tackles, led by Drake Nevis and Cory Johnson, allowed few holes up the middle. Adam Bighill and Chandler Fenner stood out among the linebackers, with Jevaris Jones, Quentin Gause and Kyrie Wilson chipping in with a pair of tackles.

By night’s end, the defence registered three sacks, four pass knockdowns, forced one fumble and reeled in one interception.

STREVELER A QUICK STUDY

It can be a daunting task to learn the CFL game when you’ve spent your entire life in the U.S. playing four-down football. That’s especially true for quarterbacks, who not only have to concern themselves with an extra player on the field, but also have to adjust to having multiple receivers in motion before the snap.

Add in the fact that as a quarterback you’re required to show a certain comfort and confidence in the huddle, not to mention when executing various reads for each play call, and it comes as no surprise many players struggle in their first go behind centre.

Considering that, what Chris Streveler was able to do in his pro debut was about as good as anyone could have expected from the 23-year-old rookie. Streveler, who signed with the Bombers shortly after mini-camp in April, came off the bench in the second quarter and played a near-perfect game, finishing 10-for-10 for 140 yards — including an 80-yard touchdown to Myles White.

"It was really a team effort."
WATCH FULL VIDEO ▶️ https://t.co/uFCc2vc96W pic.twitter.com/Xac4gpKana

— WPG Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) June 2, 2018

 

His lone blemish came on an impressive 20-yard run — he finished with four rushes for 37 yards — that ended with Streveler coughing up a fumble that was recovered by the Eskimos. Streveler vowed to be better with his ball control when the Bombers wrap up the pre-season in Vancouver on Friday against the B.C. Lions.

Streveler, a former standout from the University of South Dakota, entered training camp as the dark horse in the fight for the No. 2 job behind Nichols. But, with supposed front-runner for the backup gig, Alex Ross, finishing just one-for-eight for eight yards, with a number of passes way off the mark, it’s safe to say that battle is now neck and neck.

AUGUSTINE ARRIVES

Like Streveler, it’s hard to imagine the night could have gone much better for running back Johnny Augustine. Augustine was added to the roster just before training camp, brought in to lighten the workload for Harris when it became clear Kienan LaFrance would have to miss a couple of weeks with a lower-body injury.

Augustine, who paced all running backs with 81 yards on eight carries while also adding one catch for seven yards, might have extended his stay a little longer. Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea was extremely pleased with Augustine after the game, noting his physicality both on offence and during his reps on special teams. He was also delighted in the effort shown on an 18-yard touchdown run that saw Augustine threading through a hole up the middle before using his speed the rest of the way.

Uncut: Johnny Augustine finds a seam for the second score of the night. #ForTheW pic.twitter.com/4vUJdzDxUK

— WPG Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) June 2, 2018

 

The 24-year-old has had an interesting 13 months since graduating from the University of Guelph last spring: he went undrafted in 2017, and spent short stints with Edmonton and Saskatchewan before arriving in Winnipeg. Augustine said he’s been nose-deep in the playbook since he’s been here, and has been waiting for his moment. Another game like that against the Lions this week and he’ll likely be adding a few more chapters to his own story.

NOT FLAG FOOTBALL

Perhaps the most impressive statistic was how few penalties the Bombers committed. With so many newcomers, and a total of 73 guys dressed,  it’s only natural that mistakes occur. But, the Bombers were flagged just six times for 63 yards, with five of those coming on special teams.

The offence went the entire game without being called for a penalty, while the defence had just one: a 15-yard roughing-the-passer call on Roh, which was only assessed after Roh’s sack was deemed a high hit following a challenge by the Eskimos.

“In a pre-season game, to be down to that number is pretty good,” O’Shea said. “There will be times in the season where it’s not that good, for sure. It was nice in this game to not hurt ourselves.”

Speaking of hurting themselves, O’Shea added that the Bombers didn’t suffer any serious injuries, which is always a big bonus in the pre-season.

While we wait for practice to start this morning, let’s watch some highlights from Friday night. 👇 pic.twitter.com/vuNp5wSb28

— WPG Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) June 3, 2018

 

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