Bombers bound for Edmonton with post-season preparations in mind

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This article was published 02/11/2018 (2503 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

EDMONTON — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers wrap up the regular season on the road against the Edmonton Eskimos at Commonwealth Stadium Saturday afternoon.

It’s the final stop before playoffs begin, a final tune-up for what could be an exciting few weeks coming up for the Blue and Gold as they look to make a splash in the post-season and ultimately snap a Grey Cup drought dating back to 1990.

The Bombers (10-7) are the hottest team in the CFL, riding a five-game winning streak, but they won’t be in full form against the Eskimos (8-9), as Winnipeg will rest a number of starters to prevent any last-minute injuries.

As for Edmonton, they’ve been eliminated from the playoffs but will go with many of their usual starters.

“Their very best. Absolutely,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said, when asked what he expects from Edmonton. “Their head coach and their quarterback are extremely fiery competitors. So I would expect nothing but the best from them. And if any of our guys are expecting anything less, they’re being foolish. Obviously Edmonton wants to win the game in front of their fans and finish on a higher note than they have right now.”

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

PLENTY TO PLAY FOR

Those outside the Bombers’ locker room have dubbed it a meaningless game. After all, Winnipeg has wrapped up third place in the West Division, with no chance to improve or drop, leaving them in waiting mode to find out their next opponent.

Winnipeg will travel to play either the Saskatchewan Roughriders or Calgary Stampeders in the West division semifinal on Nov. 11. Calgary can clinch first place and a first-round bye with a win or tie against B.C. Saturday night; a loss would seal a date with the Bombers next week.

The Bombers insist there are plenty of benefits to playing this week, even if it won’t affect their place in the standings. Most notably, the game will provide the opportunity for players who have struggled to get into the lineup to earn valuable game reps.

“That’s a big opportunity for those guys. It matters because we’ve been on a roll, we’ve had some momentum and we want to keep that up,” Bombers running back Andrew Harris said. “It matters because every time you get out on the football field, winning is important and putting your best foot forward.”

For Edmonton, it’s all about pride. Although they won’t be in the playoffs, a victory would improve them to 9-9 and prevent a losing record in a disappointing season.

“I’m obviously disappointed and frustrated that we didn’t take care of business to be in the post-season. But you can’t change that,” Edmonton quarterback Mike Reilly said. “We earned our non-trip to the playoffs. We have to wear it. We have to own it. And we do. But the guys know this is not a throwaway game for us. We want to play the best we can and walk away with a win.”

WHO’S IN, WHO’S OUT

Bombers No. 1 quarterback Matt Nichols will dress but has been relegated to holding a clipboard on the sidelines, where his main role will be helping guide his supporting cast throughout the game.

Rookie Chris Streveler took a majority of reps with the first-team offence this week and is expected to start. Bryan Bennett could also see a few snaps, which would be more of a reward for his stellar effort on special teams this year.

Receivers Weston Dressler and Darvin Adams have also been ruled out, making room for players such as Corey Washington and Charles Nelson to get an increased role. Canadian receivers Rashaun Simonise and Daniel Petermann should also benefit from their absences.

“For some of these young starters that are getting a shot, it’s a chance for them to honour their teammates and show their teammates how hard they’ve worked and how much information they’ve taken in,” said O’Shea. “Because there’s a lot of learning that’s passed on from a teammate to another teammate. There’s a certain amount of pride some of the veteran or more experienced players are going to have when a younger player goes in and does it all right. All these things carry a lot of weight.”

Right guard Sukh Chungh is also out. Michael Couture will take his spot and Geoff Gray, a Winnipegger who signed a three-year deal last month after testing out the NFL, will be the extra lineman.

On defence, safety Taylor Loffler, who was a last-minute scratch last week after being banged up in practice, and halfback Brandon Alexander get the day off.

Not everyone can sit, though. Middle linebacker Adam Bighill, the Bombers’ nominee for most outstanding player and most outstanding defensive player awards, will play, as will all the defensive linemen.

TITLE ON THE LINE

Harris trails Ottawa Redblacks running back William Powell by just eight yards for the league’s rushing title. Harris has 1,355 yards on a career-high 237 carries this season.

Harris is as competitive as they come but has said multiple times this season that winning the rushing title, albeit a great honour, isn’t high on his list of priorities.

“I’m not really thinking about that,” he said earlier this week. “For us, I’m thinking about being healthy and playing my best game when it matters.”

Still, the rushing title isn’t strictly a reflection of Harris’s play alone but that of the entire O-line, the group that creates lanes for him. And though Harris downplayed whatever role he might have against the Eskimos, the Bombers are expected to start with him, only to take him out after he’s surpassed Powell’s mark of 1,362 yards.

If he is successful, which is very likely, Harris will earn his second consecutive rushing title after winning last season with 1,035 yards. Over the last six seasons, Harris has finished no worse than top-3 in rushing five times, with the lone year, in 2014, where he finished sixth, being a season where he was limited to just 12 games.

A solid outing in the run game Saturday would also keep the Bombers in first place as a team, with Winnipeg averaging a league-best 133 rushing yards per game through 20 weeks.

“I don’t know who’s second to us but I know we’ve had a pretty healthy average as far as, as a team rushing and it’s been one of the highest in quite a few years,” said Harris. “For us, that’s definitely something we take a lot of pride in and it’s complimentary. It’s definitely a team effort.”

 

WHAT HAPPENED TO EDMONTON?

It’s hard to believe that a team possessing the league’s best player, in the game’s most important position, isn’t one of the six teams that will head into the playoffs.

Indeed, not even having Reilly, last year’s most outstanding player and among the favourites again this year, was enough for the Eskimos. What’s worse is Edmonton is playing host to the Grey Cup game Nov. 25 and has already sold more than 50,000 tickets.

“We didn’t play our best when the moments mattered, it seemed like. We were in a lot of games. There were two games where we were out of it by the end but right now 15 of 17 we had leads in those games, late in games and couldn’t close them out or couldn’t come back, where that’s been one of our strengths the last couple of years,” said Eskimos head coach Jason Maas. “Towards the end of the year our turnovers, we led the league or No. 2 at the end of the year at giving up turnovers, and that’s never good when you want to finish strong. I think those were kind of Achilles heels for us all year. But I was proud of our group — they stuck together, they played hard for one another and things just didn’t roll our way this year.”

It was an epic fall for the Eskimos, a team that was projected to be a serious contender at the beginning of the season. They looked good early on, too, finishing the first half of the schedule 6-3 before posting a 2-6 record over their last eight games.

In the 18-game season era of the CFL, 57 teams have opened the season at 6-3. Of those, only two went on to miss the playoffs.

NELSON ON THE RUN

The biggest difference for the Bombers over the last month is getting contributions from all three phases of the game.

Of the three areas, the defence has led the way over the last month, while the offence has come alive of late, too, including a standout performance in a 29-21 win over Calgary last week.

Special teams have also done their part, but there is certainly room for improvement in the return game. The Bombers are sixth in punt return yards, averaging nine per return. Only the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Montreal Alouettes and Edmonton have racked up fewer. Winnipeg is even worse on kickoff returns, averaging the second fewest at 19.5 yards per return.

Enter Charles Nelson, a speedy former product of the University of Oregon, who might just be a secret weapon in the return game. Nelson was with the Bombers early in training camp but only returned to the team recently. He’ll be responsible for return duties against the Eskimos and with a solid outing could be leaned on in the playoffs.

“It’s a learning process, you’ve gotta get in and learn everything. We’ve got experienced guys up here who know what they’re doing, who are also trying to help you at the same time,” Nelson said. “It’s just when you get that opportunity, you’ve gotta take control of it and do what you can.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton