Written by: Andrew Parker
It’s been nearly two weeks since the Blue Bombers last played, and Winnipeg fans have waited long enough. It’s created an intensity that will be seen tomorrow night, as an over-capacity crowd will rush in to watch the Bombers welcome the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to Canad Inns Stadium.
To refresh your memory, Winnipeg last played against BC and beat them 30-17, stretching their win streak to four games. Hamilton, third in the East division, is coming off a win against Toronto. Both teams have enjoyed the same amount of time off this past week, and Winnipeg Head Coach Paul LaPolice commented on the bye week’s impact.
“The bye week came at a great time because first off, we left town with a win, and secondly it allowed some of our injured guys to heal up and relax and get ready to come play. I wanted all our players to take some time off and get away from football for a little while, but at the same time remember that they have a job to do when they got back and all of our guys have come back to work with motivation and dedication. They love playing in front of their home fans who I know will be a difference on Friday night,” said LaPolice.
Winnipeg receiver Terrence Edwards had similar comments to make on two of the largest factors of the game: the bye week and Winnipeg’s home crowd.
“We’re all well rested and ready to keep building off what we started in the first half of the year. We haven’t played Hamilton since week one and they’ve gotten a lot better since then, but they’re going to be coming into our house which is a dangerous place to play because of our fans and how loud they are,” said Edwards.
More comments have been circling the CFL about Winnipeg’s other loud zone, Swaggerville. The TiCats’ star receiver Dave Stala referred to it as “a cartoon” to a Hamilton TV station, so Winnipeg will have to come out big tomorrow to let their playing prove that while they may be animated, the defense is very real.
Odell Willis, Swaggerville star and the league’s leader in sacks, took a much calmer approach with his comments.
“Our mantra all year has been about putting the team first and we’ve done a great job of that. Each and every one of us is out there playing for the guy next to us and that’s what being a team is all about. We’re top team right now but that doesn’t mean anything until we can be top team at the end of the season. Right now, we’re just getting ready for the TiCats,” said the defensive end.
The game kicks off tomorrow night at 7 PM.
