Willy wants to turn IGF into a graveyard for opponents

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/07/2016 (3368 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Drew Willy wants the mere thought of playing at Investors Group Field to strike fear in the hearts of Blue Bombers opponents.

“We need to take advantage of our great crowd, great fans,” Winnipeg’s starting quarterback said Wednesday after a light practice before tonight’s tilt with the Grey Cup champion Edmonton Eskimos.

“This place should be very, very tough to play in.”

“Should” is the key word. The disheartening reality since the team moved into its shiny new stadium in 2013 has been quite the opposite, as the combined 7-21 record will attest.

Willy was hard-pressed to come up with an explanation for the club’s flop-sweat in front of its raucous fans. He said, however, the Bombers have to win at home, and that starts with a victory tonight over Edmonton, followed by another July 21 against the Calgary Stampeders.

“I think each year is a little bit different, but I’d have to look at each game individually,” he said. “For right now, we definitely need to make sure these upcoming two games, starting (tonight), that we’re ready to go.”

Measuring stick

Playing the defending Grey Cup champs is rarely easy.

So if there’s one positive about a stiff matchup, it’s that it should provide a good gauge of where the 1-2 Bombers sit early in the 2016 season. But not everyone sees it that way, including the Bombers’ starting pivot.

“Obviously, we know we’re playing a good team,” Willy said. “They’re the defending Grey Cup champs, and you always want to play the best competition. We know we need to be ready.”

Defence on the rebound 

The confluence of a blowout loss and an accusation of low energy on defence by one Calgary Stampeders player resulted in the questioning of Winnipeg’s credentials just two weeks into the season.

Blue Bombers defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall even used the word “sucked” when describing his troops’ performance.

Yet, after last week’s defensive display against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats that produced six turnovers for the Bombers, opinions on their defence have shifted.

“We have to first and foremost protect the quarterback and protect the ball,” said Esks head coach Jason Maas. “Last week they created a lot of turnovers and definitely put pressure on the quarterback. That’s what I’m seeing for three straight games.”

The Fogg has lifted

Meanwhile, there’s Fogg in the Bombers’ return-game forecast, given speedy wide receiver Quincy McDuffie’s absence from practice this week with an undisclosed injury.

Defensive back Kevin Fogg, that is.

In his 2011 junior year at Virginia’s Liberty University, Fogg led the nation with a 33.5-yards-per-return average. And his his three TDs on returns that year tied for the most among NCAA Division I schools.

“I’m excited for that,” Fogg said with a big grin. “I feel that’s something I always loved. I’ve always waited for my next opportunity to do it.”

DB Maurice Leggett, who showed what he can do with the ball following a 50-yard pick-six last week in Hamilton, could also figure into the return game.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @scottbilleck

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.