Bombers weigh rest versus rust

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This article was published 30/10/2018 (2559 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s a common conundrum, one that is nothing new to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

But as the Blue and Gold approach Saturday’s game in Edmonton against the Eskimos, it becomes a question of rest or rust?

The Eskimos were eliminated from the playoffs after Winnipeg defeated the Calgary Stampeders last Friday, with the victory also confirming third spot for Winnipeg in the West Division standings. The Bombers won’t know who their opponent will be in the West semifinal on Nov. 11 — either the Saskatchewan Roughriders or Stampeders — until after the Stampeders play the Lions in B.C. Saturday night in the final game of the CFL regular season.

Saturday’s game in Edmonton will mean nothing for the visitors, so the Bombers will need to make some decisions on what the roster will look like. Do you sit a number of starters or risk injury by letting key players get hit before the games count for real?

“I guess the main thing is if a guy’s got a nagging little injury that he would benefit from rest and be much improved the following week, then we’ve got to consider sitting a player down,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said following Tuesday’s practice. “We don’t have too many of those. Other than that, the playing time we’re still figuring out.”

O’Shea said every situation is different but he has a process that he goes through and will follow that throughout the week before making final decisions.

“What I generally tend to do in situations that resemble this — not that we’ve been in this situation, situations are all different — I want to know what the player thinks he needs and then I balance it with what I believe. I like to hear from the player in terms of what they think, what’s important to them,” O’Shea said. “Whether we’ve been in this situation or not, we’re going to make decisions that are best for our football team, with the idea we’re going to go in there and win the football game and manage our roster appropriately also.”

Ask around the locker room and there is a collective trust in the Bombers’ brass to make the right decisions. If you were to leave it up to the individual player, though, you’d be met with an eagerness to play.

But there are the players that need to be saved from making that decision, particularly when it comes to monitoring health. That list includes running back Andrew Harris and quarterback Matt Nichols, who both suffered knee injuries at the beginning of the season that they continue to play through.

“I’m not too sure what’s going on yet. I took some reps today, but the other guys took the bulk of the reps,” said Harris, who trails William Powell of the Ottawa Redblack by just seven yards for the league’s rushing title. “So, we’ll see how it plays out. Whatever the team wants to do, I’m OK with it. But the biggest thing is staying healthy and getting a win and continuing the momentum we have.”

He added: “A week off would definitely benefit anyone, especially someone who’s taken as many touches as I have all season. However it plays out, I’m cool with it.”

If the team does rest some starters, the benefits include giving some meaningful game reps to players who have had to fight and claw for playing time.

“I think that’s the biggest thing for any of the younger guys that get an opportunity in this game to kind of showcase their abilities a little bit, show the coaching staff and the management they’re capable of being a bigger part of the team, I guess, on game days,” receiver Weston Dressler said. “Everyone in this locker room is a big part of our team on a daily basis, so just to have those opportunities on game day (is) a little more special.”

There is also a concern that by sitting players, the Bombers would risk losing any momentum they’ve built up over the last month; Winnipeg has won its last five games and is peaking at exactly the right time.

So, one might wonder what the effect would be if they lost. Would the Bombers be seen as taking their foot off the gas if they were to go this route?

“I don’t think our guys would interpret that. They know why we’re going there and everybody in our room believes they’re a starter,” O’Shea said. “So, there’s no changing the roster by a player or two, or whatever it is, and it doesn’t change what we want the outcome to be. It’s not admitting anything or saying anything about what our intent is. Our intent is to go out there and win a football game.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton