It’s got marquee matchup written all over it. Two of the hottest teams in the land – the perennial power vs. the upstart newcomers – squaring off in a divisional battle.
Naturally, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers want another shot at the Calgary Stampeders this weekend, especially after being punted around the park in their two earlier meetings this season.
But there’s also been a concerted effort to NOT do the chest-thumping/no respect thing by a Bomber side that seems to know better than do a lot of pre-game blabbing.
And just take a wild stab at where that approach comes from?
Yes, there was head coach Mike O’Shea after practice Tuesday being quizzed about his team, sporting a seven-game win streak, facing a Stampeders side unbeaten in 10.
Asked if he felt an extra ‘tingle’ heading into this one, the Bomber boss didn’t flinch, didn’t raise an eyebrow, didn’t grin or grimace.
“Not really. I mean, everybody knows they’re a good team,” he said. “They were a good team when we played them the previous two times and they’re a good team now.
“You stay consistent in your approach, you stay focused on the task at hand and everybody’s looking for ways to beat them, looking at what we did last time we played against them and how to improve, what other teams have done against them and how to improve on that.
“I don’t know that it provides any extra ‘tingle.’”
Still, if there was a common refrain from the men in the locker room on Tuesday, it was about how much the confidence has grown since the last meeting against the Stamps back in July – the last time this football team lost a game.
So the follow-up question to O’Shea was whether he was intrigued to see how his bunch now measures up, given that transformation over the last two months.
“Not really,” he said. “We’re interesting in one thing and that’s winning.”
And when it was suggested O’Shea wasn’t helping hype this dandy showdown, he grinned.
“Stay the course. I’m interested winning. You guys will determine how we measure up.”
Coach O’Shea
True enough. But the Bombers of July 21st – a team that lost 33-18 to the Stamps – were markedly different than they are today. That night O’Shea pulled Drew Willy, inserting Matt Nichols, after a fourth quarter pass by the then-No. 1 quarterback was picked off by Joe Burnett and returned for a touchdown.
It was Willy’s last pass as a Bomber.
That change, coupled with a number of other factors, is all part of a remarkable in-season transformation that has turned a 1-4 start into an 8-4 West Division contender.
“The mindset of this team is different,” said veteran cornerback Chris Randle. “Earlier in this process it was like, ‘Man, these games are tough’ or there was some doubt where guys were wondering why games weren’t going in our favour. But in this last game against Toronto it wasn’t going in our favour and yet there was never a question. That supreme belief that we would win was always there.
“Winning changes all that, of course. But there’s a belief now in here that we can trust each other and that takes time. Once we started finally clicking and understood we can lean on each other, everything changed.”
Randle was then quizzed about his own curiosity to see now, after this recent run, how they measure up against the Stamps.
“They are a good team. That’s not gone unnoticed. We understand that,” he said. “But we’re a good team, too. I believe in us. I don’t think we need to measure ourselves against anyone.
“If we go out and play our best brand of football, then teams will have to measure up against that.”
BOMBER REPORT
NEW BLUE BLOOD:
The Bombers expanded their practice roster by five on Tuesday, bringing aboard:
-WR Lonnie Outlaw (6-6, 220, Miles College); spent 2015 in the Arena League playing with the Philadelphia Soul, dressing for seven games, pulling in 17 passes for 235 yards and seven TDs. (Watch some of his highlights)
“When he walked in the door I kind of thought to myself, ‘I hope he’s a receiver,” said Nichols, when asked about Outlaw’s height. “We’ll see what he can do. It’s nice when you get some of these new guys in here and we put them against our guys. We feel like we have very good defenders to go against and so it’s a good litmus test right away. Hopefully we find a few new guys to add to the depth of our roster.”
-DB Keith Lewis (6-1, 190, Virginia-Lynchberg) was the first player in Virginia-Lynchberg history to be invited to play in the Medal of Honor All-Star Game, and was also a part of the Nationals team at the College All-Star Game, both in 2014. He signed with the New York Jets in 2014 after going undrafted and has had stints with the San Diego Chargers and, most recently, with the Detroit Lions.
-DT Brandon Williams (6-5, 255, Southern Illinois) played four seasons for the Salukis, lining up at multiple positions in the front seven. As a senior, he was an All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honorable mention after leading the team with 10 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He also registered 49 tackles that season.
-DT Erik Williams (6-3, 270, Bethune-Cookman) played four seasons with the Wildcats, appearing in 32. He signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2015 after going undrafted. His father, Lee Williams, was an All-Pro in the NFL, playing 10 seasons with the San Diego Chargers and Houston Oilers.
-QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson (6-3, 230, Sacramento State) played for the Hornets from 2008-2010, throwing for 1,322 yards and seven touchdowns in that span. He has spent time in both the AFL and the NFL, most recently with the Eagles, where he was released at the end of the 2016 preseason.
Here’s the interesting thing about Bethel-Thompson, as it relates to the Bombers: he has been on the club’s negotiation list longer than anyone and was one of the first additions to that list by former scout Drew Morris, now with the New York Jets.
“He showed (his arm strength) today,” said head coach Mike O’Shea. “He has no problem throwing that ball all the way across the field. He’s a big, thick, strong guy. It’s hard evaluate how he moves, but from all the reports he moves very well. He’s got a lot of experience in the NFL from the PR (practice roster) and rosters over the past six-seven years. He’s been through systems and, apparently, he learns extremely well, as most quarterbacks do.”
OUCH REPORT:
A number of Bombers took a knee for practice on Tuesday to heal any number of bumps and bruises. Not participating were RB Andrew Harris, LBs Ian Wild and Khalil Bass, SB Weston Dressler, DT Euclid Cummings, DEs Justin Cole and Trent Corney and receivers Gerrard Sheppard and Quincy McDuffie.
McDuffie, who had a spectacular kickoff return score against the Argos, is probable, but Sheppard is going to be out for ‘more than a week or two’ according to head coach Mike O’Shea.
WEIGHING IN:
There’s been a lot of media talk lately about contract extensions for O’Shea and GM Kyle Walters. O’Shea, not surprisingly, wouldn’t elaborate on whether he had begun any discussions with Bomber management about a new deal.
“It’s one of those things where earlier in the season I wasn’t worried about it and I’m not worried about it now,” he said.
Clearly, however, it has been discussed by the players. And they know their recent seven-game run has helped quiet down the narrative from earlier in the season that O’Shea might be let go.
“It’s incredible,” said Nichols. “All these guys here want to play for Coach O’Shea. He’s a guy that will go to bat for any of his players at any time. He does a great job and any one of these players would do anything for him and vice versa. I love playing for him and, for me, to have that stability would be great. I’ve bounced around with a lot of coordinators and head coaches in my career and I feel like we have a good one here.”
SOME MAYO WITH THAT?
The injury to Sheppard and uncertainty of McDuffie’s status had Thomas Mayo working with the No. 1 offence again on Tuesday. The first-year Bomber has shown flashes and has also had to temper his frustration with being pulled from the lineup when veteran receivers get healthy again.
“It’s been frustrating, but it’s all part of God’s plan. I’ve just got to be patient and be ready,” he said. “Coach O’Shea told me not to get frustrated because right now it’s a numbers game. It’s hard when you’re on a team with a lot of depth at the receiver position. It’s a good thing, but at the same time it can be frustrating.
“I practice every day like I’m starting. That’s the only thing you can do, keep your head up. You don’t want to go out there and put out some bad film and then they bring in other receivers who take your spot.
“Winning cures everything. I came here to get a ring, just like everybody else. Whatever we’ve got to do to win, I’m here to help.”
