All hands on deck for Bombers’ receiving corps

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This article was published 27/06/2018 (2634 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Chris Streveler is like a kid on Christmas morning with all his shiny new toys. After two weeks, it doesn’t seem like the rookie Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback has a favourite toy yet, either. He’s made sure to unbox them all, toss in some batteries and see what they’re all capable of.

Last week’s 56-10 shellacking of the Montreal Alouettes was a perfect example of that, as Streveler completed passes with nine different players — a feat the team didn’t accomplish all of last season. The most players to haul in a pass in a game for the Blue and Gold in 2017 was eight, which happened on July 17 in a 29-10 loss at home to the Calgary Stampeders.

Weston Dressler, an 11-year CFL veteran in his third season with the Blue Bombers, said there’s no need to heavily rely on one or two receivers because the team has a lot of players that can make plays with the ball in their hands.

“We got enough guys where everyone wants to be the guy to make the play to win the game but there’s no added pressure to be that guy,” said Dressler, who has six receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown this season. “But if you get the opportunity to make that play, you got to make it. That’s what we’re built on. As receivers in this group, you might not get as many opportunities one week as the next week but however many you get, you got to make the most of them.”

Dressler believes this is the most depth on offence the Bombers have had since he signed with the team three years ago. Dressler said with the addition of new talent and the consistency of working with the same offensive co-ordinator, Paul LaPolice, for three years, the team has “come a long ways” since he’s been here. But with all the weapons, there is still one only one football to go around. Dressler’s OK with that.

“I’ve played long enough and caught enough balls that I’m just as happy when Darvin (Adams), (Nic) Demski or Adarius (Bowman) are making the plays,” Dressler said after Wednesday’s practice. “It doesn’t matter to this group who is making the plays. We’re all out here to win games and doing what we have to do to win.”

With all the veteran talent at receiver, you would think it would be easy for a younger receiver to get lost in the shuffle, but that hasn’t been the case for one second-year player. Drew Wolitarsky, who only had one reception for 15 yards in five games last season, leads the league with three touchdown receptions and has five catches for 66 yards after two weeks of action.

“Actually, I think it’s the opposite,” Wolitarsky said when asked if it would be easy to be ignored on offence with all the talent around him. “Having those guys in the backfield opens me up and having them be able to teach me is getting me open, too. Being a part of that mix and having those guys help me out on and off the field is great. Those are my boys and they taught me everything I know.”

Wolitarsky said with so many capable receivers, it makes the offence that much more dangerous, especially in a scenario where the game is on the line.

“We’re all guys that want to be out there making plays,” Wolitarsky said. “If it’s third down, it’s not like ‘Oh man, Darvin needs to catch this’ or ‘Dressler is getting this ball’ because the ball could be coming anywhere and we’re all ready for it because we all know we can make that play. I think that’s going to separate us later on in the year.”

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The receivers deserve a lot of credit for taking advantage of their opportunities, but you have to look at the rookie quarterback who has done a remarkable job at getting everyone involved. Dressler said he first noticed Streveler could be a special talent in the pre-season, as he handled himself in the huddle like a veteran, despite it being his first time playing in a CFL game.

“I don’t think I’ve seen a true rookie come in and play as well as Chris has,” Dressler said about the rookie who has thrown six touchdown passes in two games. “We try to make things as simple as possible for us as an offensive unit. He’s doing a great job at playing each play and not worrying about what happened the play before — good or bad — and moving on to the next play. The guy is learning every single play he’s out there.”

Wolitarsky, who was a teammate and roommate of Streveler’s at the University of Minnesota before the quarterback transferred to the University of South Dakota, said it has been a fun couple weeks catching passes from his old friend. Not many people would have predicted Streveler would have the most touchdown passes in the CFL after the first two weeks or Wolitarsky would be leading the league in touchdown receptions.

“I definitely couldn’t have predicted it, but I don’t try to predict stuff because life is crazy,” Wolitarsky said.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @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.

Every piece of reporting Taylor 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.