Hall seeking consistent effort from Bombers D

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This article was published 05/07/2018 (2622 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Facing reporters for the first time since his defence surrendered 480 yards in a 31-17 road loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last week, Richie Hall preached the need for consistency from his group.

“I’m concerned regarding some of the mistakes we make because they’re fundamental mistakes. So, if there’s a concern, the concern is there,” said Hall, now in his fourth season as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ defensive co-ordinator. “I’m not concerned regarding the group of guys. It’s a matter of being consistent and putting it together week after week. From an emotional and an executional state, it was different from Week 2 then it was to Week 3. The thing we’ve got to do is to be consistent. That’s the only way that we get better.”

Winnipeg opened the season with a 33-30 loss at home to the Edmonton Eskimos. The defence allowed 487 yards, including 409 through the air to Edmonton quarterback Mike Reilly.

In a 56-10 win over Montreal in Week 2, the entire team was much better. Winnipeg’s defence limited the Alouettes to just one touchdown and 195 yards while registering three quarterback sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery.

The Bombers (1-2) face a B.C. Lions (1-1) club Saturday that has an offence loaded with talent, beginning with quarterback Jonathon Jennings. The team has yet to put up notable numbers under Jennings — the Lions average the fewest plays from scrimmage (48.5) and have the lowest time of possession (26:30) — but there is the feeling it’s only a matter of time before they go off.

“They don’t go after you every play, but they’ve got a solid set of receivers, they’ve got a quarterback that likes to throw the ball up the field and the unsung hero is (Jeremiah) Johnson, the running back,” Hall said. “He’s one of the better all-around backs in the league.”

So if Winnipeg was able to contain B.C., presumably by fixing those fundamental mistakes, how would they go about doing that?

“It starts with us as the coaches, to make it clear so they have a good understanding of what the expectations are on each particular play,” Hall said. “The onus goes back on them. Have they prepared themselves that when they go into the game, that they know what they’re doing? And when you’re on the field, are they executing what their responsibilities are?

“It’s a three-component thing — it’s us and them. If we can all get on the same page, the better we are going to be. We’re not going to be perfect, but what you’ve got to do, you’ve got to do it more often than not because you’ve got to give yourself a chance to be successful.”

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A SOLID BACKUP PLAN: with quarterback Matt Nichols back from a knee injury and expected to start Saturday, Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea was asked if what he saw in rookie Chris Streveler was enough to know he has a contingency plan in the 23-year-old.

“Yeah, absolutely. We went into every single game with (Streveler) believing we were going to win the game and having the confidence in him to do that,” O’Shea said. “Now, his role has changed and he is, I’ll say this the same as I say about a lot of guys, they’re not happy with their new role (as a backup), but they’re going to work their tails off and thrive in it.

“You don’t want any pro athlete to be happy about not being a starter, right? You want them to be fiery about it, but you want them to accept it and to understand it and own it. When he gets his opportunities, he will be well-prepared and you’ll see that same fiery competitor out there, driving our offence and leading our offence.”

O’Shea wouldn’t say what Streveler’s role might look like or whether he planned to use him in other parts of the game, including short-yardage situations.

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NOTABLE: receiver Adarius Bowman missed Thursday’s practice, but O’Shea said it was a maintenance day for the veteran and he expects him to play against B.C. Ryan Lankford took his spot with the first-team offence… Defensive end Trent Corney, who has missed the last two games, was also back at practice and O’Shea said he could play… Maurice Leggett has returned kickoffs for Winnipeg since returning to the lineup in Week 2. But it was two other players‚ defensive back Tyneil Cooper and running back Kienan LaFrance — who were taking reps with the return team Thursday.

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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