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May 11, 2018

Positional Preview | Offensive Line

Stanley Bryant (66) -Ottowa Redblacks @ Winnipeg Bluebombers Kyle Thomas Photo

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers open rookie camp on May 16th. This is the fifth in our annual positional-preview series leading up to the first day players hit the field…


OFFENSIVE LINE 

Maybe it’s just folklore now. A tale that is told so often it becomes considered fact, whether it is true or not.

We bring this up because not too long ago, as the story goes, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers would begin training camp with so many new faces along the offensive line a request was made for the troops to wear strips of masking tape featuring names on the fronts of their helmets just to help for identification.

Fact or fiction, it likely wasn’t a bad idea given the constant turnover of personnel along the line of scrimmage back then.

All of which leads us to the next installment in our positional preview series and a look at the rock the Bombers offensive line has become over the last couple of seasons.

Consider this as evidence of the position’s consistency: over the past two seasons, just six men have made starts along the Bombers offensive line: Stanley Bryant and Matthias Goossen (36 starts each), Sukh Chungh and Jermarcus Hardrick (34 each), Travis Bond (28) and Patrick Neufeld (9). Even the sixth man has been the picture of stability, with 2017 draft pick Michael Couture having dressed for all 36 games over that stretch.

Prior to that, 10 different linemen made starts every year from 2013-15. And dating back further, 22 different men started games along the Bombers offensive line from 2012-15.

That’s a whole lot of big dudes regularly taking up space at the buffet line.

Of course, those that understand and appreciate the value of the offensive line will insist that stability up front is directly related to the Bombers run over the last two years. That protection, after all, has been mammoth in helping quarterback Matt Nichols throw for 8,138 yards and 46 touchdowns against just 17 interceptions over the last two years, and in Andrew Harris not only winning the rushing title but being named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian last season.

There will be one change in 2018, although technically, it was more than hinted at late last season when Patrick Neufeld replaced an injured Travis Bond at left guard and then hung onto the gig for the West Semi-Final. Bond, who was so solid in his two years here, is now in Saskatchewan as the club opted to return to starting three Canadians up front in Neufeld, centre Matthias Goossen and right guard Sukh Chungh. They will be flanked by two CFL All-Stars in left tackle Stanley Bryant – also named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman in 2017 – and Jermarcus Hardrick.

Interestingly, this crew is relatively young in hog years, what with Bryant – coming off his best year as a pro – the oldest at 32, followed by Neufeld at 29, Hardrick at 27 while Chungh, 26, and Goossen, 25, have significant starts under their belt, and if they so choose, still years ahead of them in the game.

There’s something else at play with this crew that is an old-school throwback to the days of Chris Walby, Lyle Bauer, Miles Gorrell, David Black, Brett MacNeil, Nick Benjamin et al… this current Bombers O-line are as cohesive off the field as they are on it.

And in O-line circles, that represents the highest of praise.


TRAINING CAMP 2018 PREVIEW | A LOOK AT THE OFFENSIVE LINE

The Returnees: Stanley Bryant, Patrick Neufeld*, Matthias Goossen*, Sukh Chungh*, Jermarcus Hardrick, Michael Couture*, Manese Foketi (practice roster), Qadr Spooner* (practice roster), Cody Speller* (attended training camp before heading back to McMaster University).
Free agent additions: none
2018 CFL draft picks: Arnaud Gendron-Dumouchel (4th round/33rd overall), Matthew Ouellet De Carlo (6thround/49th overall), Ben Koczwara (8th round/67th overall).
Depatures: Travis Bond (Saskatchewan)

*Indicates Canadian

IMPACT NEWCOMER

Michael Couture

OK, so technically Couture isn’t a ‘newcomer’, given he is heading into his third year with the Bombers and has already dressed for 36 regular season games since being drafted in 2016. But the big Simon Fraser product has yet to make a start, and given the lack of turnover in this position group, we’re trotting him out here for consideration.

Couture played tackle, guard and centre at SFU and in his two years with the Bombers, has drawn rave reviews for his dedication to his craft, both on and off the field. His development, even though it isn’t represented by in-game snaps, is a huge reason why management felt comfortable with the decision to start three Canadians up front.

X FACTOR

Patrick Neufeld

It seems like every reference to Neufeld includes the term ‘injury concern.’ He did dress for 18 games last season for the first time in his seven years as a pro and at the end of the year, was starting. Neufeld is one of the leaders in the O-line room and solid when on the field. The questions about his durability will remain until he stays healthy for more than one season.

STANDOUT NUMBER: 73

The number of quarterback sacks given up by the Bombers over the last two seasons, 38 last year and 35 in 2016. The significance of that number? In 2015 alone the Bombers surrendered a whopping 71 sacks.