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May 26, 2016

Positional Preview: Offensive Line

Winnipeg Blue Bombers C Matthias Goossen tries to block Toronto Argonauts LB Jamie Robinson during fourth-quarter CFL action in Winnipeg on Thurs., June 26, 2014. (CFL PHOTO - Jason Halstead)

May 26, 2016

It’s a scene that has played out far too often in these parts over the years, so much so that Winnipeg Blue Bomber fans have grown accustomed to cringing every time a quarterback goes down in a heap of humanity.

Drew Willy had already taken a season’s worth of hellacious shots last year before his year ended with a leg injury in August.

And before that it was (insert any Bomber quarterback’s name here dating all the way back to the last championship season in 1990) who would often finish each game checking to see if his limbs were still intact and questioning his career choices.

We bring this up today as part of the fifth installment of our Bomber positional analysis series heading into the opening of main camp on Sunday because it remains one of the key issues with the organization.

Now, while protecting the quarterback is a priority with every football team on the planet, protecting him while working with the Canadian ratio might be one of the most delicate balancing acts in all of sports.

After all, 300-plus pound men with quick feet, a nasty streak AND a Canadian passport are as rare as unicorns and white whales.

Questions remain about the Bombers’ offensive line as the 2016 season approaches. But, for the first time in eons, there is also less of a sense of desperation about the five spots up front.

Three consecutive drafts have given the Bombers two starters in Matthias Goossen and Sukh Chungh, along with potential depth in 2016 selections Michael Couture and Zach Intzandt. Veteran Jeff Keeping, added in free agency, provides a wealth of experience courtesy of 100 career starts across the line.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers wide receiver Julian Feoli-Gudino leaps into the arms of teammate Patrick Neufeld after scoring a touchdown against the Montreal Alouettes in the final minutes of the fourth quarter CFL football action Friday, July 11, 2014 in Montreal. The Blue Bombers beat the Alouettes 34-33. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul ChiassonThere are also four big behemoths from down south in rookie camp – all of them 6-3 or taller and north of 300 pounds – to go along with veteran left tackle Stanley Bryant, Jace Daniels – who started nine games last year before an injury cost him his season – and former B.C. Lion/Saskatchewan Roughrider Jermarcus Hardrick.
The key piece to all of this might be Patrick Neufeld, who started 11 of the 12 games he dressed for a year ago. Now 27, Neufeld has struggled with injuries since the trade with Saskatchewan for Alex Hall that brought him to Winnipeg. But it’s his ability to play both guard and tackle that could be critical to the Bombers.

If he starts at tackle and stays healthy, the Bombers will use their next best American to Bryant at guard. If he is pegged for the guard spot, then an American will flank the right side of the offensive line, opposite Bryant at left tackle.

All of this is to say that the Bombers have finally stockpiled a variety of pieces, both Canadian and American, that could make the offensive line no longer a revolving door of talent.

And no one could be more thrilled with that development than Drew Willy & Co.

Offensive Line Graphic

 


TRAINING CAMP CENTRAL

THIS IS THE FIFTH IN A POSITION-BY-POSITION TRAINING CAMP PREVIEW SERIES BY BLUEBOMBERS.COM


 

The rest of our camp previews are scheduled as follows:

Special teams

Defensive Backs

Linebackers

Defensive Line

Running backs: May 27

Receivers: May 28

Quarterbacks: May 29