Alexander’s role shifts to safety

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This article was published 16/10/2019 (2155 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon Alexander has been among the most versatile performers in his nearly three seasons as a member the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Corner, defensive halfback and linebacker — his varied duties have forced him to stretch his athletic ability and football IQ. For the past two games, however, the club’s brain trust has thrown him another curve by planting him at safety, replacing veteran Canadian Jeff Hecht.

The 26-year-old Orlando, Fla., product will face perhaps his most challenging test Saturday night, when he goes up against all-star Calgary Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell.

Learning a new position and the prospect of matching wits with Mitchell has put Alexander in full study mode. In other words, he’s been watching a lot of film.

“He knows every snap as far as the shell, the coverages — if you show it to him, he’s going to know what you’re in already, so he already knows where he’s gonna throw,” Alexander said Wednesday. “You’ve gotta be able to disguise things against him. He’s a phenomenal quarterback. He’s in the championship almost every single year for a reason. You’ve just gotta study him a lot and that’s what we’re doing.”

Mitchell’s almost supernatural pocket presence, an innate feel for what he can’t see, creates nightmares for opposing defences.

“He has really good feet back there,” Alexander said. “What I mean is, he’s not necessarily getting out to run the ball or anything. It’s just that he knows how to move with the pocket. He knows how to move away from the pressure. He knows how to move away from people coming to sack him. He has a feel for it without actually looking at it… You’ve really got to watch and see what he likes to do, where he likes to move to, where he doesn’t, you’ve gotta play off that.”

Alexander’s presence in the middle of the defence has made Winnipeg’s secondary quicker to the football, but the transition hasn’t been without its problems.

“I’m getting a little bit more accustomed to it, and the reason why is I’ve got guys around me, picking me up,” Alexander said. “I make mistakes all the time, you know. I’ve got guys around me telling me it will be all right and they’ve got my back and so I know I’ve got theirs, as well.

“I’m getting more accustomed to it and it’s only going to get better as more games are getting played. This is a big game for us and I know that he’s reading the safety.”

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Alexander, who was working as a school teacher when he signed as a free agent with Winnipeg in 2016, is a natural communicator. Playing safety has put an even bigger premium on that part of his skill set. He’s also directing traffic prior to the snap.

“You’ve gotta be able to see the whole field, now,” Alexander said. “…It’s getting people lined up. It’s not the fact that they don’t know (where to line up), but it’s that you see it first before everybody else does. You’ve gotta be able to communicate that from the corner all the way out to the opposite corner… when you’re at half, you only have to communicate with a certain amount of people and you’re only doing a certain amount of things.

“At safety, you’ve gotta communicate with everybody and you’ve gotta be able to cover ground. Another thing is open-field tackling is key. You’re definitely the very last person on defence — you don’t make that tackle, it’s a touchdown.”

A direct consequence of moving an American to a position usually filled by a Canadian has meant a more prominent role for rookie defensive end Jonathan Kongbo, Winnipeg’s fifth overall selection in the 2019 CFL draft.

Kongbo made his pro debut against the Argonauts in Toronto on Aug. 1 after a lengthy rehab from major knee surgery. He’s made steady progress since, registering 11 defensive tackles and one sack in 10 games, while cleaning up a penchant for penalties brought on by hyper-aggressive play.

“At the beginning, all that pent-up energy was not controlled,” said Kongbo, a 23-year-old from Surrey, B.C. “Now I’ve learned to focus and control that energy, where I don’t get too overhyped for a game. I just consider it another day and go out there and do what I do best and have fun. It’s a different approach, and I had to learn that through those experiences, the penalties, it’s taught me all that.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14