Pre-season’s greetings: revamped Bombers squad takes on the Alouettes

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This article was published 07/06/2016 (3404 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s been 10 gruelling days of preparation — intense workouts, sometimes twice a day, and even more hours spent off the turf scrolling through complex playbooks — and for many it all comes down to this moment.

The Bombers welcome the Montreal Alouettes to Investors Group Field Wednesday for the first of two pre-season tilts — the other to be played against the Redblacks in Ottawa Monday — before the CFL season officially gets underway for the Blue and Gold in a rematch against Montreal in Winnipeg June 24.

For head coach Mike O’Shea and his staff, the game will be a continuation of the ongoing evaluation process, but an emphasis on winning remains paramount, especially for a team, which, under O’Shea’s watch the past two seasons, has a record of 12-24.

A shorter leash will be on the many new, unfamiliar faces in camp; rookies will get their chance to shine, to prove they’re deserving of a roster spot. For veterans, pre-season is a chance to shake off the rust, returning to form in time for what has been called “a crucial year for everyone” by Bombers brass.

With that, here are five storylines to keep in mind for the game:

Home sweet home

He’s been one of the juiciest storylines since his signing in February and a hot topic even in the months before that, as speculation of a return home for running back Andrew Harris, then with the B.C. Lions, first started to swirl in the final weeks of last season.

For Harris, who has played all six of his seasons in the CFL on the west coast, Wednesday is yet another chapter in his return to Winnipeg — a city where he grew up and learned to play the game of football – marking the first time he’ll hit the field wearing royal blue and gold.

“I can’t wait to get that first carry, that first catch, and even just to come out of that tunnel for the first time; it’s going to be an exciting day,” Harris said following the team’s walk-through practice Tuesday afternoon.

The acquisition of Harris gives the Bombers a legitimate threat out of the backfield for the first time in years. Harris, 29, finished second in rushing in the CFL last season with 1,039 yards and first in yards from scrimmage with 1,523, adding 484 yards receiving.

“I don’t really get nervous,” said Harris about the added pressure of playing in his hometown. “It might be a little bit different now…I guess the night will be a good test to that.”

Cue the LaPo show

Of all that went wrong for the Bombers last season the most glaring shortcomings came on the offensive side of the ball.

Winnipeg, which won just five of 18 regular-season games in 2015, owned the league’s worst offence, finishing last in total points (309, 17.2 avg.), net offence (5,238 yards, 291.0 avg.), first downs (326), first-down passes (174) and completion percentage (62.8).

It was a level of ineptitude that ultimately led to the firing of offensive co-ordinator Marcel Bellefeuille and made room for the return of Paul LaPolice. It will be up to LaPolice, now in his third stint with the Bombers, to lead the offence back to respectability.

With a playbook said to be fast-paced, with the quarterback distributing the ball quickly, more emphasis will be on the receivers to make plays.

He should have the firepower to do just that. In addition to Harris, the Bombers brought in bona fide receivers in Weston Dressler and Ryan Smith, both of whom eclipsed 900 yards receiving last year with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Factor in Darvin Adams, who led all Bombers receivers in touchdowns last season and Winnipeg should possess the kind of targets able to move the ball down the field.

Return of Willypeg

Drew Willy was having a career-year in 2015 before a knee injury in Week 7 ended the quarterback’s season. The injury put an abrupt halt to any hope of playing in the Grey Cup at home and exposed the Bombers lack of depth at quarterback.

So far in training camp, where the environment is more controlled andquarterbacks are spared any physical contact, Willy has neither struggled nor been stellar, displaying a calm poise in the pocket that, if not for his in injury troubles last season, might not even be worthy of mention.

His quest to prove he’s the undisputed leader of this team will resume Wednesday, as O’Shea has pronounced Willy the starter. Odds are he won’t play very long, likely a single quarter, but all eyes will be on the team’s No.1 pivot as he’s battle-tested for the first time in more than 10 months.

Running man

With a number of fierce position battles — at defensive end and halfback on defence, left guard and slotback on offence, to name a few – one of the most intriguing roles still up for grabs is punt and kick returner.

Two players figure to play a prominent role in returning balls against the Alouettes, including receivers Justin Veltung, who showed some flash last season after filling in for an injured Troy Stoudermire, and Quincy McDuffie, who the Bombers may remember from a game against Hamilton on July 31, 2014 when McDuffie returned a punt back 66 yards for a touchdown to give the Tiger-Cats the lead in the fourth quarter, though the Bombers squeaked out a 27-26 win.

“I want to show I’m the guy back there, that I deserve that spot,” said a determined Veltung. “I feel like I deserve it but I need to show that again this year.”

Both Veltung and McDuffie are fast and shifty, and both are capable of breaking loose for big gains. But it will likely be who is able to impress most this week that will determine who’s there come the regular season.

Strong foot forward

It was hard not to feel for former Bombers kicker Lirim Hajrullahu last season, who in a span of just two years went from hero to goat.

In 2014, his rookie season, Hajrullahu hit 40 of 46 in field-goal attempts, setting a franchise record with an 87 per cent accuracy rating and being named West Division nominee for Most Outstanding Special Teams Player. Last season, he ranked among the worst kickers in the league; a free-fall that ended with him losing his job late in the year and then not being re-signed.

What was hardest to swallow for fans was the Bombers lost seven games by seven points or less, four of which were within three points.

It’s why the club went out and spent big dollars on a kicker, signing one of the surest foots in the CFL in Justin Medlock.

With Hamilton last season, Medlock made 42 of 47 field goals last season — 28 of 29 from within 40 yards and nine for 10 in the fourth quarter — clicking at an impressive rate of 89.4 per cent. Fans get their first chance to watch him Wednesday, assuming they can break the habit of looking away every time the Bombers line up for a kick.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

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