GAME 4 | B.C. LIONS (1-1) at WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (1-2)

THE 4-1-1

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Saturday; Investors Group Field
TV: TSN, ESPN-+
Radio: CJOB
Vegas line: The Bombers are favoured by 3 1/2 points.
Streaks: B.C.: 1L; Winnipeg: 1L
Home/Road: The Bombers are 0-1 at home this year, dropping their season opener 33-30 to Edmonton back on June 14^th. The Lions are 0-1 on the road after a loss last week in Edmonton.
Series (since 1954): Winnipeg leads with a record of 89-79-2.
Recent history: The Bombers and Lions are 8-8 in their last 16 meetings, with 11 of the games being decided in the last three minutes. The Lions won two of three meetings last year, but are 1-3 in their last four visits to Winnipeg.

3 STORYLINES

1. A TRIUMPHANT RETURN: MATT’S BACK

It was an intriguing and fascinating story to open the season, this tale of Chris Streveler’s sudden and rapid rise to prominence. But as Bomber head coach Mike O’Shea has said a few times this week, this is Matt Nichols’ team, no ifs ands or buts.

Healthy again after missing the first three games, Nichols will take the first snap for the Bombers against the Lions.

“It’s frustrating, but at the same time I tried to keep my positive attitude around the guys,” Nichols told a media scrum Thursday of his time away from the huddle. “I thought (Streveler) did an unbelievable job, especially because I know what it’s like for a young quarterback coming up to this league. The way that he performed was much better than 99 percent of the rookies who come up and play in their first year. He did a great job and I think he’s got a bright future.

“He’s a guy that wants to soak up every bit of information. Obviously, he’s got athleticism. The biggest adjustment for him is the rollercoaster of professional football. It’s something he got a good taste of… you can have some super highs and super lows in this business and to be able, as a quarterback, to stay right in the middle no matter what’s going on around you is important. He’s got a lot to take away from these games he played in.”

What changes with Nichols at the controls? Good question. Offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice said there will be less designed run calls for Nichols as there were for Streveler. The rest, of course, he wouldn’t reveal.

“(Matt’s) got experience, played a lot of games, seen a lot of pictures. That’s obviously the difference between the two players,” said LaPolice. “The one thing I’ll give Chris a lot of credit for is the reason we minimized things is really doing what he’s best at, not because he couldn’t handle anything in the playbook that Matt couldn’t handle.

“He’s a guy that was in the facility and still is in the facility late hours. It’s less of what young guys can handle because he’s a pretty sharp young guy.

“The quarterback’s job is to be a leader. I always say to the guys in the (quarterbacks) room, ‘Define reality and give hope’ and I thought all our quarterbacks have given hope when they’ve had opportunities to play.”

2. A WORK (STILL) IN PROGRESS

The Bombers were on their heels defensively in last week’s loss to Hamilton, as the Ticats worked with a maximum protection front that gave quarterback Jeremiah Masoli ample time to play pitch and catch with his speedy receiving corps. Winnipeg repeatedly brought pressure to counter, but the Ticats still cranked out 468 yards net offence as Masoli eclipsed the 300-yard passing mark for the eighth consecutive game and Hamilton ball carriers combined for over 100 yards along the ground.

The evidence is thin through three games this year, but the Bombers insist the defence will be improved this year, especially as new faces like Adam Bighill and Chandler Fenner – and rookie defensive backs Marcus Sayles and Tyneil Cooper – become more comfortable.

The defence wants to continue with its ball-hawking ways – their four turnovers is tied for second – and then cut back on the yards allowed. Earlier this week we asked Fenner what his crew on defence wanted to establish as their defensive identity.

“Adapting. We want to focus on having an adaptive gameplan,” he said. “What I mean by that is we need our defence to be a living, breathing thing… a living, breathing organism that moves, that never has a tendency because it is reacting to what it’s seeing.

“I really started focusing on that after the Hamilton game because their offence was reading us. Watching the TV copy (of the game), you can hear them talking about how they are going to attack us on the next play, what they’re running and what they’re planning on running based on what they see. I’m stealing that. I want that for our defence. I want our defence to have that communication to the point that no matter what we see or no matter what our initial gameplan was, we can adjust it to win. That’s what I want our identity to be, because we’re already physical, we’re already fast, we already have really intelligent guys on the entire defence.

“There’s always an answer,” added Fenner. “So if something happens to you on a play, it’s a matter of absorbing it and then using it to your advantage. You might get hit with a play, but the defence is so connected and there is so much communication… it’s like hitting water – as soon as you make a dent it’s going to fill back up again.”

3. PROTECT THY HOME TURF

Just to open up an old wound – apologies – but the Bombers didn’t exactly christen Investors Group Field in style when the joint first opened up in 2013. The Bombers went just 7-23 from the first season through to the early part of 2016 in an ugly, nightmarish stretch that certainly didn’t create any notion of homefield advantage.

But when Nichols took over at quarterback, the numbers started to change, as the Bombers went on a 10-3 run from August 3^rd, 2016 through September 30^th, 2017.

Yet, there’s this to now munch on: including last year’s final home regular season game – a 36-27 loss to the Lions in which Nichols was injured and didn’t finish – the playoff loss to the Edmonton Eskimos in the West Semi-Final and this year’s home opener loss to Edmonton, the Bombers have now lost three consecutive at IGF. That’s a scary trend that must end ASAP.

THE QBS

• Winnipeg’s Matt Nichols is 21-9 in his last 30 starts and 29-21-0 in his career.
• B.C.’s Jonathon Jennings has a career record of 20-20-0.

ROSTER SHUFFLE

The Bombers are making two changes to their 46-man roster. Coming on this week are DE Trent Corney and QB Matt Nichols. Coming off are DB Derek Jones and QB Mitchell Gale.

3 BOMBERS TO WATCH

#15 Matt Nichols, QB: Clearly, it’s a huge boost to get your starting quarterback – and a guy who is 21-9 in his last 30 starts – back to the offence. But while Nichols would have nothing of the notion he needed to shake off rust when the issue was broached on Thursday, it might be a bit much to expect him to be cruising early. The Bombers offence needs to stay on the field in order for him to re-establish a chemistry with his receiving corps.

#26 Tyneil Cooper, CB: Cooper dressed last week as the Bombers extra defensive back, but will get his first CFL start Saturday against the Lions. He did see snaps with the starting D last week after some struggles by Marcus Sayles. Cooper came straight to the Bombers from Dixie State.

#16 Taylor Loffler, S: The Lions have had some success against the Bombers in the last couple of years when they hit some big ‘explosion’ plays with their talented receiving corps. Loffler has established himself as the CFL’s hardest hitter from the safety position, and one or two of those teeth-rattling shots can cause receivers to develop alligator arms.

X FACTOR

#94 Jackson Jeffcoat, DE: The Bombers have registered four sacks through the first three games, tied for third behind Calgary (6) and B.C. (5). Jeffcoat tied for the team lead with seven sacks a year ago, but has yet to bring a QB to the ground through the first three.

CRITICAL NUMBER

-1: The Bombers have developed a reputation over the past few years of protecting the football offensively and stealing it defensively, leading to a solid +14 last season – second only to Calgary’s +20. But that ratio stands at -1 after three games.

MISCELANEOUS

• The Bombers have converted 61 percent of their second-down chances through the first three games of 2018. Just FYI, the CFL record (since the league started tracking the stat in 2008) is 55 percent, set by Montreal in 2008. In 2^nd-and-six yards or less the Bombers are 25-of-34 (74 percent). By comparison, the Lions are 37 per cent on second-down conversions, ranking seventh overall in the league.
• The Lions built up a 12-point lead on Edmonton last week before losing. Last season they lost twice when leading by 10 points or more.
• The Lions were 1-6 in their last seven road games last year. The lone win came here in Winnipeg in October.
• Weston Dressler needs 98 receiving yards to move into the CFL’s all-time Top 20 list.
• Teams that have committed less or an even number of turnovers so far this season are 10-1-1.

HELLO, OLD FRIENDS

The Bombers lineup features three players who suited up for the Lions a year ago in linebackers Adam Bighill and Chandler Fenner, and defensive end Craig Roh (defensive back Anthony Gaitor is on the injured list).

Asked earlier in the week if he was fired up a teeny-tiny bit more to face his old squad, Fenner offered up an interesting take.

“I’m really thinking about progression,” said Fenner. “That’s where I started and I’m really thinking about showing my progress. I’m very thankful I started there because I learned a lot there. Now I want to show those coaches, as well as my own coaches, how far I’ve come.

“It’s not just, ‘Oh, I used to play there. I’m amped up to play against them.’ I just want to show growth against the team I used to play for. There’s no anger there at all. I’m always competitive. I’m always going to be in the middle of it. I’m always going to be trying to make a big hit, an interception or a big play. That never goes up or down. You can have too much tension, too much anger… there’s not enough space in a game for that. You have to have a clear mind.

“Besides, why would you run over to near their bench to celebrate or something? Then you’re missing the call on the next play you’re supposed to be getting. That’s the wrong vibe. You don’t want that negative energy going into the game. You want everything to be positive.”

Meanwhile, here’s Lions receiver Manny Arceneaux on facing Bighill (courtesy bclions.com).

“He’ll hustle and he’s got a high engine, high motor and he’s going to play ‘til the clock reads zero. You’ve just got to hit those kinds of guys in the mouth, impose your will on them and that starts right off the bat. You’ve got to put your pads on people like that and let them know it’s going to be a long night.”

REMEMBER…

Saturday is the annual Purolator Tackle Hunger Game in support of Winnipeg Harvest. Bomber fans are asked to bring a non-perishable food item or provide a cash donation. Winnipeg families are in most need of canned fish or poultry, canned fruit and vegetables, pasta and pasta sauce, rice and peanut butter. Last year Bomber fans donated a total of 202,071 pounds of food.