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Posted: 3:00 AM CDT Thursday, Jul. 2, 2015

BACK TO SQUARE ONE THE Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 1-0 after their season-opening win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders Saturday, kick off the home portion of their schedule tonight at Investors Group Field against the 0-1 Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

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This article was published 02/07/2015 (3753 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BACK TO SQUARE ONE

THE Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 1-0 after their season-opening win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders Saturday, kick off the home portion of their schedule tonight at Investors Group Field against the 0-1 Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

“We beat Saskatchewan, but it’s just a win,” Bomber defensive tackle Zach Anderson said Wednesday following his team’s pre-game walk-through at IGF. “Now we move on to the next game. We’re going to treat every game the same again. We’re 0-0 and we’ve got to win this game… that’s how we’re looking at it.

“I’m not saying winning is not a big deal. It’s a big deal. But our attitude is, ‘Who’s next?’ “

The Ticats figure to be in an ornery mood. They fell 24-23 in Calgary last week in a Grey Cup rematch and the defending East Division champs opted to stay in Alberta before heading east for this game. Hamilton is on the road for their first four games of the season due to the Pan Am Games being held in Steeltown and Toronto.

“They’re well-coached,” said Bomber coach Mike O’Shea of the Ticats. “(Quarterback) Zach Collaros runs their offence well and he adds the dimension of being very, very slippery out there so he can buy more time on each individual play and as that happens defences can tend to break down and with the new rules I would think there would be more penalties as the play breaks down.

“Defensively they are very good at disguising their coverage, they are very multiple. They play a lot of different coverages, they bring a lot of different pressures from different angles, different looks.”

The Bombers have made three changes to their 46-man roster — the most significant being the return of safety Maurice Leggett, their top defensive player from 2014. He’ll replace Demetrius Wright, who started against the Riders. The other changes see rookie receiver Addison Richards added for Rory Kohlert (who was injured, but dressed last week) and Canadian D-lineman Ivan Brown, who takes linebacker Tony Burnett’s spot.

The Bombers might also be hoping for some good vibes to rub off from the 1990 Grey Cup squad, which will be honoured during the game. A collection of that crew will be at the Tailgate at the Plaza for two hours before kickoff, signing autographs and then celebrated during a break in the third quarter.

Members of that team, including Lyle Bauer, David Black, Bob Cameron, Terry Cochrane, Rob Crifo, Ken Hailey, Rod Hill, Rick House, Trevor Kennerd, Danny McManus, Stan Mikawos, Bob Molle, Dave Ritchie, Chris Walby and Steve Zatylny gathered at the stadium Wednesday night for a private function to watch a DVD of the ’90 Cup win.

SEARS WENT SHOPPING

O’SHEA said the club went hard in the off-season to re-sign veteran DB/LB Johnny Sears, who ultimately signed with the Ticats and had a big game in Week 1.

“Before the new year we made a pretty good push for him. He obviously wasn’t ready to sign. And, after that, whatever the time frame was when he said he was ready to come back I’m sure there was plenty of dialogue between Kyle (GM Walters) and the agent. After a certain amount of time, we had made other moves and it became a little more prohibitive in terms of trying to get him. You still don’t know if you’re going to get him, so you’ve got to move on and keep working and keep working and make moves.”

O’Shea said he believes Sears ultimately got a richer offer from the Ticats.

PARK AND RIDE EXPANDS

THE Bombers announced they have added a ninth Park and Ride location at the Southdale Red River Co-op Food Store on Fermor Avenue at Lakewood Boulevard for the 2015 season. Here’s a list of Park and Ride locations:

McPhillips Street Station: 484 McPhillips St., with parking for up to 500 cars;

Club Regent: 1425 Regent Ave. West, with parking for up to 500 cars;

Centre Scolaire Leo-Remillard: 1095 St. Anne’s Rd., with parking for up to 160 cars;

Manitoba Hydro: 820 Taylor Ave., with parking for up to 500 cars;

Assiniboia Downs: with parking for up to 300 cars;

St. Norbert Hotel: 3540 Pembina Hwy., with parking for up to 200 cars;

Garden City Shopping Centre: with parking for up to 100 cars;

Kildonan Place: with parking for up to 100 cars;

Southdale Co-op: with parking for up to 200 cars.

Non-stop bus service to Investors Group Field begins two hours before kickoff and ends 30 minutes before kickoff. The cost of a round trip is $5. Children under 12 ride free.

— Tait / Wiecek