It’s not that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers need to somehow find any extra motivation right now, especially with already owning a 10-1 record that has them atop both the Canadian Football League’s West Division and overall standings.
Still, when the calendar is soon to flip to September and with the Labour Day Classic now on the horizon, well, let’s just say this is a week where competitive juices start flowing like the Red River after the spring thaw.
“It’s just the environment and the atmosphere there,” began Blue Bombers slotback Nic Demski, who has experienced the Labour Day Classic from both sidelines after originally being drafted by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
“Both sides of the border, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, come out and represent. It’s just a crazy atmosphere out there and you can’t really hear too much on the sidelines, on the field – you can just hear roaring and yelling and screaming. That’s the type of football environment you want to be in.
“It still feels just as special, man. Even me, I woke up today a little tight this morning knowing it was Day 1 (of practice). I just know how much work is going to have to go into this game coming up here. At the end of the day, I’m excited to get to work. It’s always a battle between these two teams at this time of the season and what a perfect time for Labour Day and Banjo Bowl.”
The Blue Bombers will face their arch-rival Roughriders in three of the next four games – this weekend’s Labour Day Classic in Regina, followed by the Banjo Bowl at IG Field on September 10th and then a return visit by the green men on September 30th.
“Obviously it’s something exciting for the fans in both provinces,” said quarterback Zach Collaros. “It’s definitely going to be a physical football game. Going out there is never easy because it’s loud and you have to work on the silent counts and all those different things. There will be a lot of adrenaline, a lot of enthusiasm early on.
“It’s quite the atmosphere whether we’re there or back here for the Banjo Bowl, so it’s going to be exciting.”
The Blue Bombers can become the first team to clinch a playoff spot with a win this weekend and has already reached double-digit wins for a sixth consecutive season (2016-19, 2021-22), tying a franchise record first set from 1957-62.
The big news from Bomberland as the club returned to practice on Wednesday was the return to work of some massively important pieces as safety Brandon Alexander and centre Michael Couture were both back after long stints on the injured list. Also returning were safeties Malcolm Thompson and Noah Hallett, receiver Brendan O’Leary-Orange and offensive tackle Drew Richmond, as well as running back Brady Oliveira, who didn’t finish last Thursday’s win over the Calgary Stampeders.
Not participating were receivers Greg Ellingson and Janarion Grant, and cornerback Demerio Houston, whose spot in the secondary was filled by Jamal Parker. But the return of so many from sick bay provided a lift in a week in which the club began preparation for the biggest regular season road trip of the year.
“What’s really neat is having all the guys see those guys come back on (the field) and take reps,” said head coach Mike O’Shea. “All the guys practising can witness all the guys on the sideline working for months on end with possibly not a clear timeline or window or end game right there. So, when they finally step on the field and get to take practice reps everybody really appreciates their effort.”
More on the Blue Bombers first practice session leading up to the Labour Day Classic in this week’s ‘NEED TO KNOW’…
1. GRINDING, GRINDING, GRINDING…:
A quick peek at the CFL’s statistics reveals that Brady Oliveira is now leading the league in rushing with 604 yards on 130 carries – with 408 of those yards coming in the last five games.
That’s a significant development, as it was just a few weeks ago when the young Winnipegger – who just turned 25 – was hearing and reading criticism from all over the map.
“It feels really good,” said Oliveira of leading the league right now. “You look back at the beginning of the season and there were lots of naysayers out there, lots of critics. Obviously, I try to block that noise out, but it’s just the day and age we live in with social media. And with me having a presence on social media and just scrolling social media you’re going to see these naysayers and these comments. Like I said earlier in the year, it hurt. Being a Winnipegger, I put lots into this and I want to make my city proud and when Winnipeggers weren’t believing in me it hurt.
“But it says a lot about me as a person and my character that when times get tough I don’t just lay down, I keep going. My foot’s on the gas and I just keep going and keep going and keep going and dug myself out of the hole. I just trusted the process every single day, worked extremely hard, my coaches believe in me, my teammates believe in me and now we’re here. I just want to keep on building week after week.”
“I still think I’m not playing my best football. This is my first year starting and I know I still have so much more to show. I’m just so excited for every opportunity I get for every game because I know I can do so much more.”
Oliveira pointed to a win over Edmonton last month when he rushed for 62 yards on 13 carries as being pivotal in him getting back to being a north-south runner who was being the hammer, rather than tiptoeing in the backfield. All of this – handling the criticism and trusting his own game – Oliveira will admit now, is part of learning how to be a pro.
“Being a first-year starter, hearing those critics… to kind of grow as a person you have to go through it and see that. It hit me in the stomach a couple of times reading some comments. My mom mentioned some comments to me and was like, ‘Why are they saying this about you…’ I’m a mama’s boy and I was like, ‘Mom, it’s fine. This is pro football. This is the business we live in. You’re going to see that, just don’t let it bother us. I’m going to keep grinding. I’m a grinder.’ She knows that. My whole life I’ve been through lots and where I got to today it’s by working hard and sacrificing and just keep digging and keep trusting the process.
“… As long as the Winnipeggers believe in me, whoever else doesn’t believe in me I don’t really care. As long as Winnipeg has my back, we’re going to keep this thing going.”
FYI:
It’s likely most of the players returning from injury will be in the lineup by the Banjo Bowl, although some could see action as soon as this weekend. Alexander, who last played in the 2021 Grey Cup, spent a lot of time at Wednesday’s session working special teams. “He’s been in the locker room the entire time, so his leadership is definitely present there,” said Collaros of Alexander. “But having him on the field definitely lifts everyone up around him. It’s another voice out there to make sure we’re all on point.”
The grin on Couture’s face after practice spoke volumes. “It made me realize how much I love what I do, taking a step back and seeing it from a different lens,” he said. “Obviously I’m glad to be back. I think Chris (Kolankowski, who filled in at centre) did a fantastic job. We’re roommates, so we got to be able to speak a lot about what’s going on on the field and in the huddle.”
BRING THE NOISE:
The Blue Bombers began practice with the pumped-in crowd noise on Wednesday in an attempt to handle the anticipated craziness that comes with the Labour Day Classic and to work on their silent snap count.
“I have a headache before, after and during,” said Demski with a grin of practising amid the noise. “It’s part of the process, though. It takes a little bit to get used to, but it’s better to get used to it now during the week than it is to show up there and all of a sudden you hear a bunch of noise, and you can’t talk to each other on the field and can’t communicate the way you want to and everything starts going south. That’s a crucial part of the process this week.”
NEW BLUE BLOOD:
The Blue Bombers have added some depth this week, bringing aboard linebacker DeJuan Cooper and receiver Jaivon Heiligh, both Americans.
Cooper, (6-3, 240, South Dakota), played his college ball at both South Dakota and Monmouth University. He had 143 tackles, 15.5 tackles for a loss, seven sacks and an interception in 53 games.
And Heiligh (6-2, 200, Coastal Carolina) was most recently in camp with the Cincinnati Bengals after a four-year career with the Chanticleers. During his college days he suited up for 45 games and pulled in 191 passes for 2,825 yards and 22 touchdowns while being named First Team All-Sun Belt in 2020 and 2021.
SALUTING:
Update from the former Blue Bombers making a go in the NFL – quarterback Chris Streveler (New York Jets), defensive end Jonathan Kongbo (Denver Broncos) and linebacker Ayo Oyelola (Jacksonville Jaguars) were all added to their team’s practice rosters on Wednesday.
All-star cornerback Dee Alford, meanwhile, has earned a spot on the Atlanta Falcons 53-man roster.
