Quarterback carousel going full tilt

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This article was published 07/06/2018 (2702 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s been a gruelling 19 days of training camp for the nearly 90 players vying for a roster spot on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

For many of the returning veterans and other key pieces added through free agency in recent months, a place in the lineup has already been solidified. For others, those who haven’t yet flashed enough at practice, or were unable to stand out in last Friday’s 33-13 pre-season opener win over the Edmonton Eskimos, time is officially running out.

Only tonight’s exhibition finale against the B.C. Lions stands between now and when the Bombers must trim down their lineup, with the 46-man roster — and an additional 10 spots assigned for the practice team — needing to be submitted to the CFL head offices by Saturday. Indeed, the stakes are high, and good performances could very well lead to a job, while an off night may result in a plane ticket home.

With that, here are five storylines to keep an eye on in tonight’s game:

A (FINAL) CHANCE TO SHINE

When the Bombers take the field at B.C. Place, the roster will look nothing like the team that will open the regular season at home June 14 against the Eskimos.

Just as the case was with Edmonton last week, the Bombers have elected to go with a mostly inexperienced roster against the Lions. Of the 55 players that will make the trip to Vancouver, only four — defensive backs Brandon Alexander and Brian Walker; defensive tackle Drake Nevis; and receiver Ryan Lankford — registered a start for the Bombers in 2017. And only four — Alexander and Nevis, along with receiver Drew Wolitarsky and halfback Anthony Gaitor — are currently projected to start this season.

Needless to say, plenty of newcomers will get their shot at making an impression, and the pressure is on to perform.

“This is pro sport, and everybody that attends a training camp or is in that setting understands that they need to make some plays and show that they can learn and put it out there on the field,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said.

Simply put, the scoreboard won’t matter as much in this game — and seeing how the Lions will dress most of their starters, it could go sideways quickly — as much as the performance of each individual player. What O’Shea will be looking to nail down is the always-important depth across the lineup, with only a few position battles really up for grabs at this point.

CENTRE OF ATTENTION

With the announcement Thursday that starting quarterback Matt Nichols will miss the next four to six weeks with a right knee injury, finding his immediate replacement is at the top of the to-do list. While tonight was once considered, prior to Nichols going down, a chance for Chris Streveler and Alex Ross to compete for No. 2 on the depth chart, it’s now become a tryout to earn some meaningful time right away.

The front-runner is Streveler, with the more-experienced Alex Ross competing in the race to become No. 1. Streveler, who is 23 years old and fresh off graduating from the University of South Dakota, has the slight edge due to an impressive showing against the Eskimos, where he finished the game 10-for-10 for 140 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown strike to Myles White. He also rushed four times for 37 yards, fumbling the ball once on what would have given him close to another 20 yards on the ground.

Ross, 25, isn’t far behind, though, and will certainly be eager to rebound from a dismal debut last week. Against Edmonton, he went one-for-eight for eight yards and hardly showed any signs that he could take the controls right now. But a lot can change over the weekend, and Ross will have extra motivation in the fact he’ll be starting the game, against a Lions team he spent all of last year with but was released in the off-season after a change at GM.

It’s also important to note that although the spotlight will clearly be on the quarterbacks, given that they will be without the Bombers’ sturdy offensive line and a number of weapons in the pass and run game, it would be unwise to rush to judgment. It will be up to offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice to get whoever will start next week up to speed, with the real judgment coming in the regular season.

D-LINE DECISIONS

Nevis was arguably the standout last week on a defensive line that played extremely well against the Eskimos. In an effort to play faster this year, Nevis dropped considerable weight over the off-season, losing more than 15 pounds to fall just under the 300 mark. It showed, too, with Nevis registering two tackles and one quarterback sack.

Since Nevis is a seasoned veteran and comes with a higher price tag, many have speculated whether or not the Bombers might look elsewhere to save money on the salary cap. While last week’s game certainly helped him secure his spot, another body the Bombers are impressed with is Bradin Bryant.

Bryant, 24, spent four years at Florida Atlantic University before testing his talents in the NFL. He had stints with Seattle and New York (Jets) in 2016 before signing with the Bombers in the off-season. In the CFL, Bryant has embraced the different rules that come with the league, including starting a yard off the ball, which he said works in his favour, as those extra two steps allow him to maximize his 6-3, 304-pound frame.

He also understands he needs to make an impression against the Lions to continue his time with Winnipeg.

“You can be here one day and gone the next… so you always have to show that you belong. It’s a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately deal,” Bryant said. “That’s what I’m looking forward to tomorrow, just going to go out there and balling out, having fun.”

THIRD YEAR’S A CHARM

If the injury to Nichols proves anything, it’s that plans can change in a hurry. While the Bombers are going to start four Americans on the D-line to start the year, the loss of a Canadian in another area could change that.

Trent Corney, whom the Bombers drafted in the second round in 2016, doesn’t plan to wait for one of his teammates to succumb to injury to show that he deserves more playing time. With the Bombers defensive end entering his third season with the club, he feels the last two seasons have prepared him for this point in his career. He remains a beast in the gym — he benched 225 pounds a personal-best 40 times in the winter — and has sharpened his technique to better fit the Canadian game after a collegiate career at the University of Virgina.

“I’m prepared to start any game they need me to start; do whatever they need me to do,” Corney, 24, said. “But I definitely feel I’m way more ready to start this year than last year, and comparing myself to my first year is night and day.”

The biggest thing about Corney, however, is his motor. He can run for days, and although tonight won’t necessarily make or break his stock, a strong performance would certainly give Bombers brass even more reason to rely on him to start, when or if the time comes.

A GOOD SAYLES PITCH

He’s been one of the more impressive rookie defensive backs in camp, sticking out at times over the veterans with highlight-reel plays in practice. But an injury forced Marcus Sayles to sit out the first pre-season game, and no matter how well you do in team workouts, there is a premium put on what you can do when it really matters.

“It’s important for the coaches to see that come game time you don’t fold under pressure,” Sayles said. “All the film watching, and all the mental stuff we’ve been doing on the sideline, all comes together and I’ve got to show I can ball when it counts.”

If Sayles, 23, is able to translate that success from practice to the game, he’ll certainly fit in with a ball-hawking defence that will be relied on heavily while Nichols is sidelined.

The 23-year-old is no stranger to adversity. He went undrafted to the NFL but spent time with both the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams last season.

Tonight, he’ll get the chance to play against many of the projected starters on the Lions’ offence, and plans to make a case to stick around and earn a spot in a busy secondary.

“That’s just the competitive nature in me — I love playing against all the best guys. We’re all going to battle, and even though it’s hard to project where we’re all going to be at the end, I’m excited and ready to face whatever comes.”

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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