Few new faces on Big Blue

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This article was published 08/06/2023 (847 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s no need to buy a program Friday night at IG Field.

When the Winnipeg Blue Bombers hit the gridiron to open the regular season against the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats, they’ll be doing so with familiar faces across the board.

Outside of kicker Sergio Castillo (who played for the club in 2021) and rookie punter Jamieson Sheahan, the entire starting lineup on both sides of the ball consists of nothing but returning players. Out of the 24 starters, 19 of them started for the Blue and Gold last year as well. If corner back Winston Rose and linebacker Kyrie Wilson weren’t on the six-game injured list, that number likely would’ve been 21.

It’s the same thing with the coaching staff as Mike O’Shea has all nine of his assistants back.

“I think continuity is huge, especially for this league. You usually never see this,” said 32-year-old defensive tackle Jake Thomas, the longest-serving Bombers player.

“Say if we went 6-12 last year, I don’t think I’m playing. With us being good and having the locker room that we have, it’s so hard to leave this game when you enjoy coming to work and you’re successful. It’s not easy to be successful in this league, but now that we’ve been successful the last handful of years, it’s fun to work together. I have 50-60 guys that I have similar interests with and probably five or six lifelong best friends from just being able to play this sport with them.”

Continuity has been a theme with this team for a few years now, but not to this extent. It led to a forgettable training camp as the only jobs up for grabs were the punting gig and the third-string/short-yardage quarterback role.

“I don’t know if I’ve been to a camp where you really don’t have an open slot on offence or defence,” said linebacker Adam Bighill, an 11-year pro, earlier in the week.

For players such as dimeback Alden Darby, Jr., who have spent time with other CFL organizations, they tend to appreciate the situation in Winnipeg even more. Darby, a five-year vet, was acquired by the Bombers at last year’s trade deadline from Hamilton and signed a one-year contract extension in the offseason. Darby was with the Toronto Argonauts for his first three years before being dealt to the Bombers for the first time at the 2021 trade deadline.

“I had a different team, different co-ordinator, different coaches, different GMs my whole career to be honest, except for here. So, it’s very fortunate to have a staff, a team, a GM, a community that has been the same for years now. You know what the expectations are and there are no secrets or hidden messages,” said Darby. “And some of us have come from other teams and we’ve shared our stories and our experiences saying ‘Hey, trust me, this is where you want to be.’ So, I think it makes it a lot easier to retain guys.”

Defensive end Celestin Haba is the only American rookie to sneak onto the Week 1 roster for Winnipeg. He, along with first round draft pick Anthony Bennett, will be backing up Willie Jefferson and Jackson Jeffcoat.

Haba, 23, was signed on May 30 out of Texas A&M-Commerce and played in a preseason game three days later. Despite the limited time, he managed to make a strong impression.

“He gets off the ball well, he’s got some thickness to him and in university he was pretty productive,” said O’Shea on Wednesday. “The commentary from the scouting department was that his pressure rate was very high. You can get a lot done with pressure, whether it results in a sack or not.”

Haba, who hails from South Carolina, got his start at Scottsdale Community College before finishing his career at the NCAA Division I level. In his senior year, he recorded 3.5 sacks, 21 tackles, one interception, and one fumble recovery in 10 games.

Haba didn’t garner any NFL looks, but stayed ready in case his phone rang.

“It means a lot, especially with the type of team this is, a championship team that is known for being good,” said Haba. “I’m actually blessed to be in the position that I am to say ‘I’m playing for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.’”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31

Taylor Allen
Reporter

Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.

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