Human bowling ball built for Bombers D

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This article was published 23/05/2024 (512 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s a hole in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers A-gap, and Tanner Schmekel is ready to help fill it.

The second-year Canadian defensive tackle is among the crop of interior penetrators benefitting from an otherwise unfortunate situation that arose in last weekend’s pre-season game in Saskatchewan.

National player Cam Lawson, who was expected to be a major contributor alongside veteran Jake Thomas, was added to the six-game injured list on Wednesday with what is believed to be a serious ailment (undisclosed) — one that could keep him out well beyond six contests.

It’s the ugly side of pre-season football, when an injury can derail someone’s season before it even starts but create an opportunity to others battling to crack the roster.

In the case of an unproven talent such as Schmekel, the door is open to jump into the rotation on the Bombers defensive front.

“Cam’s like a brother to me so I just want to wish him a speedy recovery,” Schmekel said Thursday, following a training camp session at Princess Auto Stadium. “But I think this is a great opportunity for me. I played behind Cam and Jake and Ricky Walker last year, and I think they gave me all the tools I need to just jump right in and help the team win and just do my job.”

Schmekel, a 24-year-old Regina product, was selected in the fourth round of the CFL draft by the Bombers last spring and made the active roster out of camp. He recorded one sack in his rookie campaign, in the regular-season finale against the Stampeders.

That one play has driven Schmekel all off-season and is a reason he boasts so much confidence this spring.

“It was my first sack in the CFL, I’ll never forget it. I watched it probably like 40 times this off-season just itching to get my second one,” he said.

“It was a B-gap rush and then I got too far upfield so I spun back and a couple of guys made the quarterback stutter and I just — ‘Boom.’ Big hit.”

The 6-1 290-pounder, who described himself as a “bowling ball” with an “old-school style of play,” has a deeper understanding of what’s needed of him to succeed at the pro level.

It starts with a refined technique, something head coach Mike O’Shea said is the next natural step in the progression of a second-year defensive lineman.

“The same thing you really see from most second-year guys is just their comfort level with the playbook, with what they’re being asked to do,” O’Shea said. “Their skill level obviously improves, they work on stuff in the off-season, they just come in and they’re so much more relaxed and open to learning and they’re way ahead of the game compared to their first training camp, and it shows on the field with these guys.

“Tanner is one of them. He’s using his hands way more, he’s doing what he’s asked to do way more — it’s right — so, he’s just built for that spot, right?”

The loss of Lawson also means the Bombers will be without some valuable experience beyond their 12-year veteran Thomas.

Lawson appeared in 33 games over the last two seasons with the Bombers.

Schmekel, third-year pro Miles Fox, second-year Canadian Collin Kornelson, first-year American Jamal Woods, second-season American Jabari Ellis and rookie third-round pick Kyle Samson are all fighting for a spot in the rotation.

Whether it was simply a good poker face or his true feelings coming out, O’Shea said he’s confident the mostly young group of interior linemen will be just fine.

“Anytime you lose a guy, just on a personal level it stinks,” O’Shea said. “Each guy has his own physical attributes. With Cam there’s some definite things, he looks different than some other guys.

“But we’ve drafted well at that spot and I think a name that has to keep coming up is Jake Thomas. I mean, he’s been in there doing it for a long time and doing it at a very high level and knows how to help his teammates out and get them playing at a high level too.”

Schmekel recognized the importance of the next week, as he and the other hopefuls have just a few more practices and one game (against the Stampeders on May 31) to make an impression on the coaching staff.

He plans to pull out all the stops, like the only way he knows how. It’s what he calls the “Schmekel style of football.”

“I have to make sure I’m assignment sound, I’m physical in there and I just play my brand of football,” he said.

“I’m a physical player, I think I showed that against Saskatchewan, so I just got to go out there and play the Schmekel style of football and I think I’ll impress people.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

X:@jfreysam