Bombers wary of battered Stamps

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This article was published 15/07/2015 (4098 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MUCH is made about playing on a short week in the CFL.

It’s tough. It’s tiring. It results in injuries and, more importantly, losses.

So the Winnipeg Blue Bombers should be licking their chops the prospects of playing the Calgary Stampeders, who will suit up on four days’ rest, right?

On the contrary, apparently.

“I don’t think it’s much of an edge, every team has to deal with that in the CFL,” quarterback Drew Willy said. “You deal with the cards that are dealt. We’ve had one.”

That’s correct, Drew. And the Bombers lost decisively 52-26 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats after playing on four days’ rest.

“When we came off ours, it wasn’t really an issue of being a short week as it was a defence not gelling as a unit,” defensive lineman Zach Anderson said. “We don’t even think about it, we just go in and play them like they’ve had a bye week.

“It’s all the same, we treat every team all the same.”

With the loss of two high-calibre offensive tackles — Edwin Harrison and Dan Federkeil — in Monday’s 25-20 win over the Toronto Argonauts, the Stamps offensive line has morphed into what looks like a mouth-watering proposition for those up front on the Bombers’ defensive corps.

That’d be an unwise assumption, however.

“I probably fell into that trap early on in my career,” said defensive lineman Greg Peach. “Then you get zero sacks and no pressure and maybe we should have taken it a bit more serious. We’re going to prepare like we have two remaining starters.”

Despite their injuries, the Stamps rallied to pull out a Week 3 win that moved them to 2-1 on the year — and set up a showdown for sole possession of first place in the West on Saturday in Cowtown.

“We wouldn’t count on it being an advantage,” Winnipeg head coach Mike O’Shea said. “That’s a team coached by John Hufnagel, a Grey Cup champion, and he’s been doing it a long time. He knows the formula for his team that’s going to allow them to be prepared to play.

“Everything that Calgary has shown in the recent history that I’ve been looking at them is a player goes down for them the next one steps up.

“You look at (receiver Jeff) Fuller, you look at when (running back) Jon Cornish goes out, they still seem to be able to run the ball effectively. Their tackles go down and they still seem to be able to score the points and win the game. I think they are well-coached and have a deep pipeline.”

Anderson agrees with his head coach and feels the Stamps will slot in a formidable replacement, one they need be wary of. To start at least.

“It’s something different because, and you got to understand, whoever they put in, they could fly in the next Stanley Bryant tomorrow,” Anderson said. “Now, you don’t have any film on that guy, you’re not prepared in that regard. But on the flip side, you got a new guy in there, so you’re going to expect a little simpler game plan.

“Hopefully we can key on that.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

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