Bombers feeling good getting ready for Hamilton

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/06/2015 (3754 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ offensive number last week is still troubling a few folks who watch the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

That 497 yards of offence, however, is not the whole story according to Bombers middle linebacker Sam Hurl, who spoke to reporters after today’s practice at Investors Group Field.

“I thought our pursuit was good,” Hurl said today, defending his fellow defenders after their performance in Winnipeg’s 30-26 win in Regina. “We all had a lot of energy trying to get after the ball. That was really good. I think there was some stuff we need to clean up but at least we had energy and we were running to the ball, trying to make plays happen.”

The messes were at least three big plays by the Riders and given this is a short week to prepare for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who come to IGF for a Thursday night contest, that could be troubling.

“Not really,” Hurl said. “I kind of feel that through the (last) game, you see the film and you know the kind of stuff you need to clean up. Practice, you get a lot better in practice, but ultimately you’re seeing that your corrections can be made in games and that’s what we were able to do this week.

“We’ve got stuff to clean up, that’s pretty obvious, but we’re going to come out this week and I’m feeling a lot more comfortable now that we’ve got that game out of the way and we’re rolling.”

Hurl’s contention that the Bombers were actually pretty good at adjusting last Saturday leaves the team feeling good about this week’s prospects against 0-1 Hamilton.

“We were just happy to be able to do it, come together in the fourth quarter as a team and battle allt the way through,” Hurl said. “It was awesome. It was a character win and we feel good about it.

“Now we’ve moved on and we’re worried about this week.”

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Thursdays

Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.

Sign up for Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The Bombers’ defence will face a patient quarterback this week in Zach Collaros of the Tiger-Cats.

“Collaros is a real mobile quarterback,” Hurl said. “He gives himself a lot of time to move around out there. He’s going to be a big threat for us. They’re a big passing team. We’re going to be ready for them and I’m excited for it.

“He’ll sit back in the pocket and he understands the play still goes even though a guy’s coming down at him through the barrel, coming to kill him. He’ll shake him, get out of the pocket, keep his eyes downfield and keep working on trying to get a first down. That’s what I think his big strength is and what makes him as good as he is. He’s really good at extending plays.”

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca