Bombers ‘D’ looks impressive

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This article was published 03/06/2019 (2288 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As far as first impressions go, it was a pretty smooth ride for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defence in the team’s pre-season opener against the Edmonton Eskimos Friday at IG Field.

The game began with many of the team’s projected starters and evolved into mostly rookies and others fighting for playing time this season, as the second half wore on. No matter who was on and when, the Eskimos offence struggled to gain momentum, limited to just a field goal in a 20-3 victory for the Blue and Gold.

“Overall, it was pretty good. We eliminated the explosion plays; we came up big in the red zone several times… for the most part, execution was at a pretty high level,” Bombers middle linebacker Adam Bighill said after Sunday’s workout. “We got everybody in to play, we had guys flying around and making their share of plays.”

The Eskimos employed three quarterbacks, with Logan Kilgore, Jeremiah Briscoe and Danny O’Brien taking reps. They combined for just 51 per cent passing (21-for-41), with the longest pass totalling just 20 yards.

That didn’t stop Edmonton from getting close, however, as they moved the ball inside Winnipeg’s five-yard line three times. Only once, though, did the Eskimos leave with points: a 19-yard field goal by Sean Whyte in the final moments of the first half.

On the two other occasions, the Bombers stood tall, forcing a pair of turnovers. Bighill forced a fumble by Kilgore at the goal line late in the first quarter (recovered by Willie Jefferson), followed by a turnover on downs late in the fourth frame, thanks to a strong pass coverage by the secondary and some sturdy run defence.

“A couple takeaways down deep. That becomes very important to winning those tight games. The score, I guess, didn’t indicate that but it would have been a lot tighter down the wire if we didn’t make those stands or have those takeaways,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said.

The Bombers have forced more turnovers than any other team the past three seasons, registering 146. The Calgary Stampeders, whose 49 takeaways last season tied Winnipeg for most in the league, have forced the second-most over that same stretch, with 139.

“It’s an area of focus of ours, obviously. Over the last three years, our defence has been pretty damn good at taking the ball away, so we expect the same and the players do, too. It’s good that it happens but you’d like to take it away a little bit earlier so the offence have some more room to work,” O’Shea said.

The Bombers dressed 41 players on defence, creating the difficult task of having to rotate the lineup a number of times so everyone could play. Given the high amount of turnover, the defence displayed some impressive discipline. The defence had just three penalties, totalling 30 yards. Only one of those was for an offside.

“You see us doing pushups every single day for when we go offside. I don’t think we had any offside penalties, maybe one,” defensive end Craig Roh said. “There are guys who were still a little too excited, there were still a few penalties that I think we can clean up, but overall, I thought it was a pretty good performance.”

O’Shea said he continues to tinker with his lineup before Thursday’s exhibition finale in Regina. Traditionally, it’s a game that would go to players still trying to earn a roster spot.

“This next game is really for the younger guys to prove themselves and try to get on the team,” Roh said. “It will be very important for them; I’ve definitely been in that area before and it’s a lot of pressure. It’s make-it-or-break-it time.”

Noteworthy: Bombers right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick returned to practice Sunday after missing the past seven days of training camp. There’s still no word on whether he’ll suit up against the Roughriders, but he did say he’ll be ready for the regular-season opener June 15 at B.C…. receiver/returner Charles Nelson left practice with a noticeable limp and is considered day-to-day… running back Brady Oliveira was also absent from practice… linebacker Manuel Herenandez-Reyes, one of three “global” players on the roster, suffered an undisclosed lower-body injury in Friday’s game and is expected to miss at least a couple weeks.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton