Former enemy fits right in with Bombers

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/04/2016 (3439 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

IN January, just days after inking a two-year contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Weston Dressler was asked how he felt about joining the enemy.

Having played the previous eight seasons for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Winnipeg’s longtime rival in the CFL, Dressler admitted the move was a weird one.

His honesty took few by surprise. After all, Dressler had become a staple in the local community in Regina and was still under contract with the Riders through the 2016 season. After news broke he had been released — a move made by new management to shed salary — the decision raised eyebrows across the league and soon sparked a bidding war for his services.

Monday, when Dressler walked off the turf at Investors Group Field following his first official practice with the Bombers, who are running a three-day mini-camp this week to help fine-tune their offence, he was once again questioned about his comfort level.

Only this time he had a look of ease. If there were any residual feelings of awkwardness from the news conference months before, Dressler spoke as if it had melted away with the snow.

“It’s just exciting to be playing football again,” said Dressler, who at 30 years old and standing 5-7 is still regarded as one of the elite receivers in the league. In eight seasons, he has pulled in 50 touchdowns and has been named a CFL all-star twice.

Although it’s easy for Dressler to identify the differences with his new team — the playbook is different, most of the people, too — there are also a few, calming familiarities.

Familiar was the man running most of Monday’s practice in Paul LaPolice, the Bombers offensive co-ordinator, who was also the OC for the Riders during Dressler’s first two seasons in the CFL.

So too was lining up for a play next to Ryan Smith, who along with Dressler were the two biggest threats in Saskatchewan’s receiving group last season. When Smith became a free agent in the winter, it was Dressler who helped convince him to sign with Winnipeg.

Then there’s the man throwing him the ball in No. 1 quarterback Drew Willy. Willy spent two seasons with the Roughriders before signing with Winnipeg in 2014.

“It always makes it easier when you’re working with guys you have worked with before,” said Dressler. “It may be with a different team, a different situation but just to have that kind of experience together in the past definitely helps.”

In a way, it’s what Dressler has done in the past that has the Bombers feeling so high about what he could do for their future. His strong work ethic and leadership qualities, parts of what created such a formidable reputation across the CFL, will be important.

“But it’s being that familiar threat to opposing defences that will matter most and something the Bombers feel they have in their new receiver.

“He’s a complete package,” said Bombers coach Mike O’Shea.

“He really is and he’s going to be a pleasure to have around.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.catwitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

Every piece of reporting Jeff produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.