Westerman injury leaves big gap on D-line

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This article was published 20/09/2017 (2934 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jamaal Westerman has been a symbol of determination and spirit throughout his three seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Teammates say his presence alone is enough of a motivator to aim higher; his seemingly infinite wisdom about the game and willingness to share it has undoubtedly made most of them better.

But of all the positives Westerman brings to those around him, nothing compares to the impact he has on the field. A menace in the trenches and a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks, the veteran defensive end leads the team in quarterback sacks with seven and has totalled a team-high 32 since joining the Bombers in 2015.

It’s the ability to come up with big plays at big moments that the Bombers will miss most and what they’ll look to replace as they begin life without Westerman, who, earlier this week, was ruled out for the remainder of the 2017 CFL season with an upper-body injury.

“It’s always hard to replace a player of Jamaal Westerman’s ability,” head coach Mike O’Shea said following Wednesday’s practice at Investors Group Field. “Jamaal has had some pretty exciting plays over the last bunch of years for us, so I expect somebody else to make those plays now.”

Although Westerman no longer has a spot on the field, he doesn’t plan to be far from it. Westerman will stick around the club while he rehabs, providing the same kind of support role he’s been known for. He’ll continue to lead meeting-room sessions, lead pre-game speeches and coach from the sidelines.

“Mentally, meeting-wise, physically, I’m probably going to do the same things,” Westerman said, speaking to reporters for the first time since the news was announced Tuesday. “I’m going to study film like I always do, break it down. I don’t think anything would change that much.”

“He’s immersed in the entire culture of the team. In every facet of the actual game, from prep to review, he’s involved,” O’Shea said. “I don’t anticipate any difference there… we’ll see what that looks like in terms of giving him something more to do. I don’t know what that looks like yet.”

Westerman called his injury a “freak accident” before declining to give further detail as to where on his body he was hurt, other than to say it wasn’t career-ending.

“I don’t think there’s a coffin around here for me to jump in,” he said.

Westerman also opted not to discuss what, if anything, was being planned to fix whatever it is that’s nagging him.

The decision to shut him down came after a series of tests with Bombers head athletic therapist Alain Couture, along with results from scans that had been taken by team doctors. When it became clear the pain wasn’t going to subside, a call was ultimately made.

“We decided that it wasn’t a benefit for anybody for me to continue to play and to go out there and possibly make things worse,” Westerman said. “You’re always fighting with whether you can play and then what level can you play at.”

With Westerman a free agent at the end of the season, the question inevitably came up about whether he would like to re-sign with the Bombers, to which the 32-year-old immediately replied he enjoys Winnipeg and does want to come back. He also likes what he’s seen this year from the Bombers, who are 8-3 and in second place in a competitive West Divison.

“But, honestly, right now I’m thinking about the next game and what I have to do to get my rehab right, get my body right,” he said. “But also preparing for this run we’re going to make because right now we’re in a position to get into the playoffs, we’re in a position to do things we haven’t done around here in a long time. Thinking about that other stuff really helps nobody.”

Though the loss of Westerman has surely left a large hole in the lineup, O’Shea is confident it can be filled. He’s reassured by the fact the Bombers have run a constant rotation on the defensive line all season, alternating as many as seven guys throughout a game. With Westerman being a non-import, figuring out the ratio will certainly be a trickier task but far from impossible, as the Bombers were already starting one extra Canadian.

With Westerman out, the Bombers will look to standout rookie import Jackson Jeffcoat to continue his strong season, as well as import Tristan Okpalaugo, one of the Bombers’ key signings in 2017, to provide pressure from the opposite end. Another option will be to increase the workload for non-import Trent Corney — the team’s top pick in 2016 — who has shown a fair amount of improvement in his second CFL season. Import Shayon Green, currently on the practice roster, is also available if needed.

“We’ve done a good job of rotating guys in and out but it’s always tough when you lose a guy like Westerman,” defensive tackle Jake Thomas said. “Jackson and Tristan have been doing a great job this year and Trent has also improved a lot this season. It’s definitely a loss but it gives these other guys chances to step up.”

Thomas said he was surprised when he heard Westerman had been ruled out for the season. He couldn’t recall his teammate ever missing a practice, let alone a game. He does remember when Westerman first joined the team, arriving in Winnipeg after playing six years in the NFL.

“To come in with such a pedigree, because you never really know what a guy’s going to be like when he comes here, it’s not every day you see arguably one of your best players is also the hardest-working guy day in and day out,” Thomas said.

That high intensity will remain from Westerman, only from the sidelines, something veteran cornerback Chris Randle said should help limit the damage of losing such a strong presence.

“His motor never stops and that’s contagious. Personally, he’s the best in the league in my eyes,” Randle said. “But we’ve got a lot of capable guys on this defence, guys that have made plays throughout the season that are going to come in and have to step up for that spot.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

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