Happy days for boys in Blue

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/10/2009 (5837 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Freshly-minted CFL Offensive Player of the Week Adarius Bowman is readying to conduct a media mini-scrum in the clamour of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers locker-room when teammate Odell Willis eyes the unfolding scene.

"I’m Adarius Bowman," begins Willis, his impersonation sounding nothing at all like Bowman, but more like Mike Tyson on helium, "and I want to be the greatest receiver in the CFL. I want to break a-a-l-l-l-l of Milt Stegall’s records…"

Laughter ensues. Willis steps up the act and Bowman, trying to maintain his composure while a TV camera is rolling, finally says: "We better get going here. He’s not going to stop."

Funny, isn’t it, what a three-game win streak can do for the vibe around a football team?

Now, while it’s not always wise to take the temperature of any squad simply by strolling through a locker-room, that scene as the Bombers returned to the practice field Wednesday spoke volumes about where this outfit is with a month left in the regular season.

It’s not like the Bombers were tight or gnawing at each other’s throats when they were 3-8 — actually, one of this team’s enduring qualities is its resiliency — but wins over Toronto, Edmonton and Hamilton are now feeding the collective confidence.

That’s why, even as a constant drizzle fell on a late-afternoon practice, chilling everyone to the bone, the Bombers were bopping around the field like it was the first day of training camp.

"I’m loving our team chemistry," Bowman said. "I feel like that’s the biggest key with our team right now, our team chemistry.

"Earlier in the season, we went through a lot of adjusting just trying to figure out what we had on this team — what this guy is good at, what that guy is better at. Now it’s just showing up maybe later than some expected. I feel like our guys did a great job just staying focused and not giving up or shutting it down. The sky’s the limit from this point on."

That’s all well and good to say now, with the team sharing second spot in the East with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. But Bowman and others insist it’s that chemistry which kept this team from imploding into a twisted mess at its lowest point — the three straight losses in early September that threatened to destroy the season.

"What held us together? Faith," Bowman said. "It’s having faith in the guy next to you and knowing that he’s going to support you and be right there for you when you make a mistake or when you make a big play. We’re getting used to each other. We’re becoming a family, man. It’s showing, too. Guys are enjoying the game… I’ll tell you, I couldn’t be in a better place right now. I’m loving it.

"We know what we can do. We’re not doubting anybody’s talent in here. We know what we’ve got in this locker-room."

Even punter Mike Renaud, his season officially over after tearing the ACL in his knee in Monday’s win, was trying to stay upbeat while hanging around his teammates.

"I couldn’t be happier here in Winnipeg," he said. "This is the first team to give me a legitimate opportunity, so I’m going to be loyal and work as hard as I can to rehab this knee and come back and have as good a year as I possibly can.

"It’s very unfortunate to have my season end this way. I felt like I was getting better and better in the second half of the season. But I’m happy with my statistics and feel like I contributed to the team and made my mark. As tough as it is, I’m really looking forward to next season and just getting better and coming into camp strong and healthy."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca