Written by: Andrew Parker
It’s the last game of the season, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers could clinch first place in the East with a win tomorrow over the Calgary Stampeders. Both teams currently sit at 10-7 on the season, and with so many teams tied for first in both divisions, things are coming down to the wire as everyone vies for the first round bye that finishing first would provide.
There are a few things to consider as the Bombers travel to Alberta, the biggest being backup quarterback Alex Brink making his third ever professional start while Buck Pierce recovers from injury. Brink is no stranger to situations like this, impressing in several games so far with his fill-in leadership.
“We know how important this game is and we know how important it is to take care of our own business and not have to rely on other teams so we’ve got to be prepared. I feel like I’ve come a long way since my first start in this league last year and I’m confident I’ll be able to get the job done and do what I can to help my team win,” said Brink.
Relying on other teams would mean looking to Montreal to lose their game tomorrow night against the BC Lions in case of a Bomber loss. If the Bombers win, they’ll finish first no matter what the outcome is in BC, as Winnipeg leads their season series with the Als 2-1.
Calgary is also competing closely for first, and leading them will be Drew Tate at quarterback. Tate has taken over the Stamps in recent games while Henry Burris patches things up with the team. Although Tate comes into this match with two wins worth of momentum, neither of those wins came against Winnipeg’s strong defence, featuring the man nominated for three Player Awards: Jovon Johnson. Johnson picked up nominations for Most Outstanding Defensive Player (he’s leading the league in interceptions), Most Outstanding Special Teams Player (ranked second in both punt return and missed field goal return yards), and Most Outstanding Player overall (didn’t you read the other ones?) To top it off, Johnson may have the inside scoop.
“Drew [Tate] was my college quarterback so I know all about his tendencies and how much he hates getting pressure. He’s a real smart player but he’s about to go up against a really great defense so we’re going to be ready to pull out all the stops. This game is basically a playoff game for us and we’re going to treat it as one,” said Johnson.
That intensity and forward-thinking is shared by Head Coach Paul LaPolice, who summed up the entire situation nicely: Calgary’s hopes, Montreal’s sidebar, and exactly what’s at stake for Winnipeg.
“All last week, I didn’t want our guys to think about ‘first place’ and ‘Grey Cup’ but the reality is, if we want to have a shot at first in our division, we have to beat Calgary and that’s the mindset I want them to have this week. Calgary is playing for a lot over there too so I expect this to have a playoff-like atmosphere and for it to be a hard fought battle between these two teams. Our fate has to lie in our hands, not any other team’s,” said LaPolice.
Winnipeg and Calgary play their final season game tomorrow at 3 PM Winnipeg time.
