Jefferson ignites war of words

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This article was published 04/09/2021 (1511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

REGINA — With just 24 hours before kickoff between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders in the annual Labour Day Classic Sunday afternoon, the war of words officially began in earnest.

Bombers defensive end, and former Roughrider, Willie Jefferson, got the ball rolling Saturday, just moments after stepping off the bus at Mosaic Stadium. Asked about the Roughriders 3-0 record — the only unbeaten team remaining in the CFL — and what it means, Jefferson didn’t mince words with his assessment.

“They ain’t play nobody special, nobody with no heat,” Jefferson said. “We know it’s a battle for first place — we could care less. We just want to go 1-0 this week, we want to give them our best game and show their offence isn’t as prolific as people are saying and we just want to play Winnipeg football on offence, defence and special teams.”

The Roughriders have put together wins against the B.C Lions, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Ottawa Redblacks before getting the bye in Week 4. The three teams have a combined record or 4-7, with the Lions leading the pack at 2-2. The Tiger-Cats (1-2) and Redblacks (1-3) have just one victory this season.

As for the Roughriders offence, they lead the CFL in scoring, averaging 26.7 points per game and are tied with Winnipeg for the most touchdowns scored, with eight. The Bombers, however, have the stingiest defence in the league, allowing opponents just 14.8 points per game.

A big part of the Roughriders success this season has been the play of quarterback Cody Fajardo. Fajardo leads all staters with a 78.9 completion percentage and a quarterback efficiency rating of 111.4.

So, how do stop him? Jefferson was once again matter of fact.

“Put him on his back and keep him on his back as often as we can,” he said. “Make it hard for him to find his receivers, make it hard to come out of the pocket when he’s trying to scramble and just make it hard for him.”

Fajardo has a dangerous arm but he can also run if he has to. He has 139 rushing yards on 21 carries through three games — an impressive average of 6.6 yards per run. Jefferson doesn’t believe the Bombers will need to dedicate a defender to stop that aspect of Fajardo’s game.

“We don’t need to spy him,” he said. “We got enough plays in place to take care of their offence the way we need to take care of their offence.”

If the Bombers are able to limit the Roughriders offence, they’ll also be taking another big element out of the game: the crowd. That won’t stop the local fans from giving the Bombers offence fits, but stealing momentum should help dull their spirits.

Nothing is sweeter, Jefferson said, that silencing a packed house with more than 30,000 fans.

“It’s glorious. If we come in here and do what we want to do, the way we want to do it, the noise is not going to be a problem and the fans are not going to be a factor,” Jefferson said. “I hope that we can have as many Bomber fans in the stands as possible. You know how it is for Labour Day, we usually have more Bomber fans here at Mosaic but it is what it is. We came out here for one reason and one reason only, to shut the Rider fans up and come up with a win.”

HARRIS TAKING IT DAY BY DAY: Bombers running back Andrew Harris was pleased with his 2021 debut last week and feels he can build off that momentum.

Harris returned from a calf injury he suffered in training camp to help lead the Bombers to an 18-16 Week 4 win over the visiting Calgary Stampeders. He ended the night with 81 rushing yards and a touchdown, and added two more catches for five yards. It was his first game since being awarded the Grey Cup MVP after a convincing 33-12 win over Hamilton, in which Harris had 134 yards and one touchdown on the ground and five catches for 35 yards and a touchdown through the air.

“When I watched the game back on film, I really have nothing to be ashamed of. Obviously, there are areas to work on but I think that’s always a positive,” Harris said. “I mean, you always want to come out and have the best game of your life every time you step out there, but it doesn’t happen that way. So, when you come off a game like in 2019, the Grey Cup, that’s the kind of standard you have, and at the end of the day, those kind of games don’t come along very often. So, you got to take what you can; a professional football season is a grind, especially at running back and there’s going to be games that are successful with the stats and there are going to be games that are successful when you’re just blocking or you’re a decoy or doing other things. Every game is gonna be different and you just got to take it as it comes.”

Harris admits he’s not at his full 100 per cent best, even if he feels he’s getting closer. He’s taking a day-by-day and game-by-game approach, being careful not to push harder than he can.

“I think it’s gonna take a bit still. I mean, it’s 600-plus days and not that many reps in camp,” Harris said. “It’s gonna take a little bit, but I still feel like, as I’m going through that, there’s still production there and there’s still gonna be positive things to be had. It might be sooner than later.”

Asked if he has a say in his workload from week to week, Harris said the process to get him ready for games begins with monitoring his workload at practice and then going from there.

“The biggest thing is just my workload throughout the week,” he said. “Once the game comes, I’m very honest with them and if I need to get spelled or if they’re working Brady (Oliveira) in or not — whatever it is — that just comes as the game goes and as the week goes.”

Either way, Harris is looking forward to what will be another exciting Labour Day showdown Sunday.

“For sure. Yeah, it’s massive. Just looking at the time off, the last time you were here, there’s a lot of different emotions,” he said. “But at the end of the day, it’s another football game we got to go out there and win. So, I can’t get too caught up in the excitement and the emotion and all the other fluff and stuff around it, right? But, for me, I got to go out there and execute my assignments to the best of my abilities and help my team get a win.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton