Bombers have odds stacked against them in showdown with Eskimos

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This article was published 22/08/2019 (2211 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

EDMONTON — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are riding a two-game win streak and are on top of the CFL’s West Division with seven wins in nine games this season.

But life will be anything but easy for the Blue and Gold Friday when they arrive at Commonwealth Stadium to take on the second-place Edmonton Eskimos, who, despite a slightly worse record at 6-3, have many believing they’re the class of the CFL.

It doesn’t help that the Bombers will be without No.-1 quarterback Matt Nichols for at least the next six games, adding to an ever-growing injury list that now includes six starters from Week 1. That’s not including defensive end Craig Roh, who was placed on the one-game list after playing admirably in relief of Jackson Jeffcoat.

Such is life in professional football, where each team must play the cards they are dealt. While the Eskimos might be considered to have the upper hand — the hosts were 6.5-point favourites — the Bombers don’t view themselves as underdogs.

With that, here are five storylines to keep in mind for Friday’s game.

 

The Strevolution returns

It’s the return of the Strevolution.

Indeed, with Nichols out, it will be Chris Streveler taking over quarterback duties. Unlike last year, when he started the first three games while Nichols worked his way through a knee injury, the 24-year-old returns to the spotlight with a lot more experience than he had a year ago.

“I have a season and a half under my belt, started four games last year… all that experience culminates into helping you feel more comfortable every time you go out there,” said Streveler, noting he’s had snaps in every game he’s been a Bomber. “Shoot, I don’t even think I knew all the rules of the league back then. It’s definitely a different feeling.”

Still, it’s a tall order to ask of someone in just his second year in the league. But Streveler is an intriguing player. Unlike Nichols, he’s an extremely mobile quarterback — he had 77 carries for 441 yards and 10 touchdowns running the Bombers’ short-yardage team last season — and his threat to run on any play is an added wrinkle not often seen in today’s game.

Many fans have been clamouring for Streveler to get more playing time, unhappy with the way Nichols and the offence were operating this season despite the team’s overall success. But what will be most interesting — and crucial to Streveler’s success — is what he can do in the passing game. He hasn’t had a lot of reps this season, attempting just 16 passes and completing nine.

The Eskimos will no doubt force Streveler to beat them with his arm, while trying to contain his legs. But in a season where seven of nine original starters have succumbed to injuries, Streveler, who is still in need of a contract next year, has a prime opportunity to prove he can be a multi-dimensional quarterback.

 

Stopping Harris key to win

If the Bombers are to claim victory, it begins with stopping Trevor Harris.

The Eskimos quarterback leads the league in passing yards with 3,051, putting him on pace to eclipse 6,000 by season’s end — a feat reached just five other times in CFL history. Harris has also been accurate, completing 72 per cent of his passes, and has thrown just two interceptions in 361 passing attempts — a rate of just .55 per cent, another CFL historical best.

Of course, Harris, who has been criticized in the past for putting himself ahead of the team, was quick to share the praise.

“Those receivers are doing so much, the offensive line is doing so much, the running backs are doing so much for all that to happen,” Harris said following Thursday’s walk-through at Commonwealth Stadium. “It’s not me throwing for a certain amount of yards. This is a team thing and I’m just fortunate to be a cog in the engine.”

The Eskimos have plenty of talent on offence, including the league’s leading receiver in Ricky Collins. C.J. Gable is one of the CFL’s most productive running backs who can also pass block and the O-line has been as good as any.

But it all goes through Harris — stop him and the rest should take care of itself.

 

Practise makes perfect

Having watched tape of every quarterback in the league, Bombers defensive end Willie Jefferson said Harris possesses a lot of strengths, but noted there is one element to his game that sticks out among the rest. He also believes it’s the key to stopping the eight-year veteran, quite literally, in his tracks.

While most quarterbacks wouldn’t dare move deeper in the trenches, Jefferson said Harris is one of the few pivots with the guts to step up in the pocket before delivering a pass. He figured that confidence, as a pure pocket passer, is a two-part process, crediting both the Eskimos’ O-line and D-line.

The O-line, which is often complemented by a running back, a fullback or a tight end for added protection, helps form a bubble around Harris, creating a seemingly impenetrable wall. As a result, that forces defenders to come around the back in order to get to Harris.

Harris is also battle tested, Jefferson said, because of what he faces every day at practice, up against a sturdy D-line that features arguably the best 1-2 combo in Almondo Sewell and Mike Moore. It’s during those practice reps that Harris has garnered his confidence, since he doesn’t face nearly as much pressure against other teams come game time.

Put it all together and that’s why Harris has been sacked a league-low three times this season. The key, then, is to generate pressure up the middle.

“You have to get pressure in front of him because he’s a guy that actually steps up into the pocket and wants to stay in the pocket,” Jefferson said. “But as defensive linemen you’ve got to make him pay for that.”

Expect the Bombers to give the Eskimos a number of different looks up front, with the hope of doing just that.

 

Jefferson heating up

Jefferson has been the Bombers’ best defensive player this season, leading the team in pass knockdowns (7), sacks (5) and forced fumbles (3). He recorded his first interception of the season a week ago in a win over the B.C. Lions, in what was a play that turned the momentum of the game.

But ask the 28-year-old product of Beaumont, Texas, and he’ll tell you he’s just getting started.

“I’ve never been the kind of guy that jumps out at the beginning of the season and gets everything going. I’ve always been the guy who, as time goes on, I start getting better,” Jefferson said. “I feel like right now, here in the middle of the season is when I play my best ball. It’s at the point right now where the snowball is at the perfect peak for me.”

That’s good news for a Bombers defence that, with Nichols out of the lineup, will be relied on even more. It’s not so good news for Eskimos offensvie lineman Kyle Saxelid, who will be making his first CFL start at left tackle. Saxelid, who was selected 12th overall by the Eskimos in May, has played mostly right guard this season but started 33 games at left tackle over four seasons at UNLV.

Needless to say, it could be another breakout game for No. 5.

“When I get the opportunity and when we get the opportunity to rush him one-on-one, ah, man, it’s going to come,” Jefferson said. “It’s not the position to put somebody new in.”

 

Harris not worried about offence

Sewell had plenty of nice things to say about Bombers running back Andrew Harris following the Eskimos’ workout Thursday.

“I’ve been saying it for years, I think Andrew Harris is the best player in the league, period,” Sewell said. “When you can rush for 1,000 (yards) and catch for 1,000, that causes a lot of problems.”

Though Harris has never reached the 1,000-1,000 mark — he came close in 2017, with 1,035 rushing and 857 receiving yards — he remains one of the game’s most dominating stars. He has won the league’s rushing title the past two years and is on his way to a third, with a CFL-best 819 yards on the ground through nine games.

Harris had a scare this week after pulling up lame in Tuesday’s practice. He also skipped Wednesday’s closed workout, creating doubt as to whether he’d play. But Harris said Thursday he never doubted playing, which fits well with his “relentless” persona.

It’s the same kind of attitude that makes one wonder if Harris, with Nichols out, might be putting too much pressure on himself to carry the offence. Harris doesn’t see it that way, and doesn’t believe the Bombers need to be anything different with Streveler at the controls.

“I always talk about filling the role I need to be in each individual game or play. There are times where I need to catch, run, block or be more of a leader,” he said. “In this instance now, that leadership role is going to have to be more. I’m just trying to be the most productive I can be on each and every play.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton