Winnipeg Blue Bombers DB Maurice Leggett and LB Khalil Bass celebrate a defensive stop against the Saskatchewan Roughriders during fourth quarter CFL action in Winnipeg on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016. (CFL PHOTO - Jason Halstead)
Maurice Leggett surveys the Winnipeg Blue Bombers locker room for a few moments, taking in all the post-practice activity around him.
He spies Taylor Loffler taking on all challengers on the ping-pong table. There are three different groups of players hunkered down and devouring their post-practice meal. The offensive linemen are yukking it up in their corner, the defensive lineman are howling in laughter at something over on their side…
“Look at it in here right now,” began the Bombers linebacker with a size-large grin. “I mean, it’s hard for anybody to leave the locker room right now, even though we hang together outside of here, too.
“It’s just a different feeling this year. We still trash talk each other, but we expect great things out of each other. No matter what happens, we’re right there picking each other up.”
Maurice Leggett
“I haven’t been on a team this close since college. It’s like we’re all roommates. We’re going to have our disagreements and issues, but it never carries onto the field. You can’t make everyone happy, but if there is an issue it always gets settled right then and there without grudges.”
Now, we know what some of you cynics out there are thinking right now: hey pal, pump the brakes on all the syrupy/cornball stuff… every team that sports a winning record boasts about chemistry, how tight the room is and blah, blah, blah.
True enough.
But when a veteran like Leggett chimes in on the topic – or a Grey Cup champion like Andrew Harris – then there must be some value to that kind of closeness, even if it isn’t quantifiable.
“It’s the little things that tell you how tight this team is,” explained Harris. “The running backs go out for dinner after wins… the groups have stuck together and the team, collectively, is very tight.
“I really think that’s a big part of where we’re at right now. This team is completely different as far as that stuff goes, from any other team I’ve ever been on.”
“There are no egos. People encourage instead of getting negative… that’s a great sign.”
Andrew Harris
Interestingly enough, there was evidence of this even when this team was 1-4 out of the starting blocks. It was Harris who mentioned it first in the media, but those thoughts were also voiced by Euclid Cummings back in July. “Just be patient”, they preached to the most patient fan base in the Canadian Football League – the wins will come.
What Harris has seen reminds him, in many ways, of the B.C. Lions squad he was a part of in 2011. That team will forever be remembered as the Grey Cup champs that year, but they also started the year 0-5 and became the first team in league history to be that deep in a hole and still finish first.
So yeah, there are some pretty meaty parallels right now.
“What we’ve already gone through and the adversity we’ve faced this year, we’ve seen it all, really,” said Harris. “We’ve been in tough games, we’ve been on losing streaks. But this team has always fought back. That’s character.
“Think of how we came back in that Calgary game (24-0, before losing 36-34) or in our last game against B.C. when we came back from being down 10. Those are tough teams.
“Honestly, to me this is the No. 1 thing you need to have with a team: that kind of closeness. The GM of the Cleveland Indians (Mike Chernoff) said the same thing this week about building a successful team. It is just so crucial, having guys that trust each other and want to play with each other.
“You know,” Harris added, “sometimes you don’t realize what you have until you’ve seen something else. But to me, I noticed it with this team right away. You can’t measure it, but it’s crucial. And to get where we’re at right now from where we started – to be in control of our own destiny and have a chance for a home playoff game – that’s exactly where we want to be right now.”
BOMBER REPORT – October 26th
TIGHT LIPPED:
The Bombers aren’t tipping their hand at all as to what their depth chart might look like for Saturday’s game against the Ottawa REDBLACKS.
WR Darvin Adams continues to work with the No. 1 offence, Pat Neufeld was in Sukh Chungh’s spot at right guard and Bruce Johnson, coming off his two-game suspension, continues to be lining up with the starting defence in Kevin Fogg’s spot.
“Nothing’s inked in, it’s all in pencil,” said Johnson. “Me and Fogg have been taking reps back and forth and we’ll see when the game gets here. It’ll be a great feeling to be back out there with the guys. I can’t lie about that. It’s always fun being out there with them because we’ve got a great group of guys. Sitting out is always hard… but I was sitting at home rooting the guys on that did a good job.
“You always appreciate the game. Before (he came) here, I sat out three years so I’ve always appreciated the game and being a part of this, and something like this that’s good that’s happening right now.”
Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea on Adams: “He’s taking another step closer (to returning), that’s for sure. It’s not a question of whether he’s healthy enough, it’s his fitness. We’ve got a guy who has been on the sidelines since Week 6… that’s a long time. And there’s bye weeks in there, too. We’ve got to make sure he’s able to go for the entire game and go hard for the entire game.”
ABOUT THAT…:
O’Shea was being asked a question after practice Wednesday about players in the secondary getting a ‘raw deal’ when it comes to year-end awards when he cut off his inquisitor.
“I could tell you I honestly never think about year-end awards,” he said. “It’s so far down the line of what these guys want to accomplish. The satisfaction of winning a football game trumps everything like that.”
BIG PICTURE VS. LITTLE PICTURE:
The Bombers know they are headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2011 but – as is O’Shea’s way – must continue to focus on the game that is right there in front of them. A Winnipeg win on Saturday, coupled with a loss by B.C. in Saskatchewan, would guarantee second spot in the West Division. But there is still also a chance the Bombers could be the crossover team if they lose their final two regular season games, Edmonton wins both their final two to get to 10-8 and the Lions win or tie at least one of their last two.
“We have to be thinking about Ottawa,” said O’Shea. “How do you manage the other part? It’s this time of year. It’s playoff football. No matter where we’re at, this is playoff football. The race to be seeded is still ongoing and it may come down to that last game of the season.
“So, these are extremely important games for all these clubs, really.”
