‘Fast-healer’ Bighill ready for action

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This article was published 29/08/2024 (402 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Some tweaks are just that: minor injuries that simply need a little TLC to be ironed out.

No one knows that better than Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ linebacker Adam Bighill, whose background in exercise science helped him immediately know he avoided the worst when he suffered a hamstring injury on Aug. 18 against the B.C. Lions and how to treat it for a quick recovery.

Bighill, the heartbeat of the Bombers defensive unit, pulled up lame while in pursuit of a Lions’ ball carrier and did not return to the game. He was placed on the six-game injured list last Thursday — missed last week’s contest against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats — and, to the surprise of many, was back practising by Wednesday.

“I knew right away it wasn’t that bad. I mean, I’ve had injuries where I’m like, ‘OK, this is going to be a while,’ and I knew that wasn’t going to be the case. I was just being more safe than not,” Bighill said following the Bombers’ closed practice at Princess Auto Stadium on Thursday. The club will be in Regina to face the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the annual Labour Day Classic at Mosaic Stadium on Sunday (6 p.m.).

“There’s more than just tissue,” he said about the recovery process for a hammy, “there’s also alignment that influences the way muscles behave too, so there’s sometimes quicker and easier ways to get things to respond well or maybe why things aren’t responding as we look at the right areas.”

While Bighill, who categorized himself as a “fast healer,” quietly treated his injury behind closed doors, many feared a much worse outcome for the 12-year vet, in that the club would be without one of their leaders for at least a few games down the home stretch of the regular season.

“I think it’s just kind of team policy this year, doing things a bit different in terms of how they’re handling potential cap issues, I don’t know,” said Bighill, who ended up missing only nine days of action. “That’s up to coach.”

Bighill’s teammates are certainly happy to have their man in the middle back in time for a crucial game against a Prairie rival.

“It means a lot. He’s like the point guard for our team,” said Willie Jefferson. “Just to have him on the field, and with the other guys behind him, it’ll make everything run smoother for our defence. His experience and him knowing tendencies of the offence before they even hike the ball, it’s gonna slow the game down not just for him but for everybody.”

Bighill and the rest of the defensive unit will need to rely on that experience as they attempt to stifle a wily vet, quarterback Trevor Harris.

Harris, who has played two games since returning from a knee injury, has had some personal success against Winnipeg in his 12-year career. In 13 starts, he’s completed 66.8 per cent of his passes while averaging 253 passing yards and tossing for 19 touchdowns to six interceptions.

“Savvy, he’s got probably the quickest release time in the CFL,” Bighill said of Harris, who he called a good friend off the field. “Knows where he wants to go with the ball and just proves that he watches tape, puts in the work.”

The Bombers lost the first meeting of the season to the Roughriders, a hard-nosed 19-9 contest in Regina on July 19 in which third-year pro Shea Patterson was under centre for Saskatchewan. It proved to be one of the best performances of Patterson’s young career, as he went 17-for-25 for 261 yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions.

Head coach Mike O’Shea is confident his group has evolved and gotten healthier since then, which could lead to a different result this time around.

“Seems like it was a long time ago,” said O’Shea. “It seems like our defence has really gelled. It also seems like we’ve got a different host of pass rushers so I think we are different defensively than we were then.”

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There have been a few occasions in recent years when Nic Demski has thrived more than the Labour Day Classic in Regina.

The Bombers’ receiver has been a pain in the you-know-what of the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the first game of the annual home-and-home between the prairie rivals, racking up 13 receptions for 238 yards and two touchdowns in the last three meetings at Mosaic Stadium.

“I don’t know. Probably just the energy out there,” said the always-humble Demski. “It’s a place that either you’re going to be locked in for the game and things are going to go your way, or those aren’t going to go your way. It’s really that simple.

“There’s a lot of outside noise in that stadium, but it’s a great energy place to play. It’s always a game that adds a little bit more hype to it and if you can handle the pressure, it’s always going to be in your favour.”

Demski will look to add to his totals on Sunday, in a game that has always been held in a special place by the hometown product and grew even greater once he turned pro.

Though bitter-sweet, Demski scored his first career touchdown in his first Labour Day Classic, as a member of the Roughriders in 2015. Then a fresh-faced rookie, the University of Manitoba product scored on a 60-yard punt return that changed the momentum in a game controlled early on by Winnipeg and super-charged Saskatchewan to a 37-19 victory.

“Anytime you get this back-to-back, Labour Day-Banjo Bowl, it’s almost one of those games that you’re gonna circle on your calendar,” said Demski, who rightfully kept the ball from his first major. “Obviously, it’s a long season so you got to go week by week but when this time rolls around in the season, it’s always a lot of fun.”

Perhaps another big performance by the veteran receiver would mean a little more this year, as he tries to avenge a late fumble that ultimately sealed the Bombers’ fate against the Roughriders in July.

While the spotlight was on Demski for the untimely giveaway, it was a slog of a performance by the entire Bombers’ offence, which could only muster nine points against the stingy Riders’ defence.

Things have hardly been better for the unit since that time, but there’s certainly a clear message on how they will improve their chances this time around.

“We had too many turnovers last time we were there and we didn’t stay on the field as much as we would have liked. I think we’re gonna do a lot better job of doing that this game,” said Demski.

O’Shea offered a similar, yet much shorter, sentiment:

“We got to take care of the football,” he said. “That’s probably the No. 1 issue.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

X:@jfreysam