Bighill shakes off injury, ready for West final

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This article was published 14/11/2018 (2488 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hearts in Winnipeg may have skipped a beat when Adam Bighill missed the final three minutes of Sunday’s West Division semifinal win in Regina with a mysterious injury, but the all-star Blue Bombers linebacker was back at practice and looking very much like himself Wednesday morning.

Bighill, the club’s Most Outstanding Player nominee and a finalist for the CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award, did not offer a specific explanation for Sunday’s absence but appeared to be wearing an extra-thick wrap on his left hand at practice.

How was he feeling?

“Good, I’m good,” he said following the workout at Investors Group Field. “Ready to go.”

Then he added: “I mean, there isn’t a guy in the league who doesn’t get a nick here and there throughout the season, especially every game, you’re gonna walk out with something. But yeah, I’m good to go and excited to get on the field Sunday.”

The same could not be said about sophomore linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox, another key performer in the heart of the Winnipeg defence, who did not practise after being forced to miss Sunday’s game with a lower-body injury. Kyrie Wilson, who had three defensive tackles and a sack, and Ian Wild, with three defensive tackles and three more on special teams, performed ably in his absence.

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea was asked for a status update on Santos-Knox.

“Getting better every day, we’ll see,” O’Shea said, adding the 24-year-old product of Waterbury, Conn., might be cleared to play in Sunday’s West final in Calgary against the Stampeders. “He’s not going to practise tomorrow but maybe the next day.”

Bighill was content with the work his defensive unit did on the frozen tundra of Mosaic Stadium.

“I think we did a pretty solid job,” said Bighill, who had four defensive tackles in Winnipeg’s 23-18 win over the Roughriders. “I thought (Saskatchewan quarterback Brandon) Bridge came in and, you know, used his legs well and gave them some drives, but I knew if we were able to limit them through the air, we’d have a good chance to win. I feel like we executed the game plan really well and offensively, we were able to have a great night.”

The Blue Bombers limited Bridge to 12-of-22 passing for 100 yards and one interception. Facing Bridge, a replacement for injured starter Zach Collaros, pales in comparison to Calgary’s MOP finalist Bo Levi Mitchell.

“Yeah, Calgary’s a different challenge,” Bighill said. “You’re going against one of the better defences in the league. You’ve got Bo Levi you’re going against. They’ve got a handful of their receivers back (from injury). They’re a well-coached team, so it’s definitely a different game and a different opponent. We’ve gotta keep going out there and doing what we’ve been doing and that’s how we’re going to win the game.

“You’ve gotta put in the work — Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 is where you make strides to win the game — it doesn’t just come down to Sunday.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @sawa14