In Alberta again, Bombers don’t want a repeat of last week

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This article was published 24/07/2015 (3701 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

EDMONTON — They’ve had the better part of a week to mentally flush the nightmare that was their first visit to Alberta. And now, finally, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers can do something about it physically upon their return.

The Bombers arrived in Edmonton late Friday afternoon for Saturday’s matchup with the Eskimos at Commonwealth Stadium – and their first opportunity to do something about the week-long chatter that was their laundry list of errors in last weekend’s 26-25 loss to the Calgary Stampeders.

“This year I’m just really trying to think about the next opponent and not think about the last opponent,” said Bomber quarterback Drew Willy, “and I think that will serve me well.”

The Bombers 2-2 meet an Eskimo side that improved to 2-1 with back-to-back wins over the Ottawa Redblacks in a stadium in which they haven’t won since July 20th, 2006.

Winnipeg has made four changes to its 46-man roster, adding defensive linemen Thaddeus Gibson and Derrell Johnson, offensive lineman Patrick Neufeld and linebacker Tony Burnett. Neufeld won’t dress, though, with Matthias Goossen serving as the sixth man along the O-line. Devin Tyler, meanwhile, will start at right tackle for Jace Daniels.

Those changes on the defensive line, with Greg Peach now joining Bryant Turner, Jr. on the six-game injured list, will be critical in the matchup against diminutive Eskimos running back Shakir Bell –listed at 5-8, 185 – but who was so spectacular in his CFL debut last week.

“He’s a shifty little guy, that’s for sure,” said defensive tackle Zach Anderson “You sit back and watch the game and go ‘Well, there’s another gameplan for ya.’ I’m excited to play against him. It changes a couple of things in their backfield because it gives them a little more options and few more things to look out for, but I’m looking forward to it.

“Any team will run it until we stop it. Once we stop it, we’ll see what they do.”

But following a week in which the Bombers had a big-time dustup at practice and have been spirited on every other day, more than anything head coach Mike O’Shea what kind of bounce-back his troops show against the Esks.

“(Mental toughness) is something we talk about week in, week out and it’s something the players build on and the staff builds on by what we talk about and show the players in film sessions,” said O’Shea. “The hope is that mental toughness, that football IQ – all the things we talk about – increase during the season.

“We saw it in the way they came out to practice in the first day this week. They weren’t dragging their butts around. They were ready to work and happy to be out there.”

Ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPEdTait

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