It was earlier in the week and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive line was back at work and huddled together in their meeting room around their coach Marty Costello.

The Bombers big eaters have had a lot of upbeat, first-day-back-after-a-win-meetings like this over the past three years. But the circumstances – coming off the West Semi-Final win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in which they absolutely owned the line of scrimmage when it mattered most – made this one particularly lively.

And when you get that many large men in one room all jacked up, let’s just say the reverberations can be measured with the Richter Scale.

“I told the guys when we came in for run down the next day that as an O-lineman, there’s really nothing more enjoyable than at the end of the game when we know we’re running it, they know we’re running it, and you can still physically do it,” began Costello. “There’s nothing more satisfying than that. I told the guys that’s one of my proudest moments as a coach just to stand there, let those guys do their deal and watch it all unfold.”

“I’m proud of what they did. We patted each other on the back a little bit and then I was the typical mean guy who said, ‘OK, now you’ve got to forget about it and move on because we’ve got another challenge this week.’”

There are any number of compelling storylines leading into Sunday’s West Final in Calgary against the Stampeders. Two easy ones:

1. Can the Bombers limit the effectiveness of Bo Levi Mitchell?

2. Which special teams unit steps up to be difference makers in a game in which field position is crucial?

But every game – and especially based on what happened last Sunday in Regina – is ultimately determined at the line of scrimmage. It was Joe Moore, a long-time coach at Pittsburgh and Notre Dame, who once said ‘the greatest feeling in the world is to move a man from Point A to Point B against his will.’

That quote has become a commandment of sorts for O-linemen everywhere. But saying it and doing it on a consistent basis are two different things. All of which takes us back to last Sunday against the Riders as part of this week’s visit to Calgary.

“It’s always a good feeling when you’re ending the game running the ball, when you have the trust of the head coach and the OC (offensive coordinator),” said right guard Sukh Chungh. “As O-linemen, that’s exactly what we wanted to do in a cold game like that. It’s always a good feeling when 25,000 people know we’re going to run the ball, when the whole defence knows we’re going to run the ball, and we’re still able to get positive yardage. When you’ve got a running back like Andrew Harris who’s not going to stop moving his feet and keep going, it’s easy to do your job.”

The Stamps are the league’s stingiest defence and are especially stout against the run, ranking first overall in yards allowed (86.5) and average yards per rush (4.8). The Bombers, as we know, rank first in rushing yards with 134.9 yards per game.

“Basically, it’s going to come down to how well can we finish, how well can we pick up things, keeping Matt (Nichols) up and open holes for 33 (Andrew Harris),” said right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick. “It’s simple.”

“Every day the O and D lines, we break it down; every game, every practice. Everything this team does is on us. We know the receivers won’t catch the ball, the quarterback won’t be able to throw the ball, the running back won’t be able to run the ball unless we give up our body to make this hole.

“The end of the game last week, that’s  the best feeling I’ve probably had in my playing career,” added Hardrick. “I love taking pride in that. It’s the best job I’ve ever had in my life. There’s just something about being in a drive to win, or a short-yardage situation and the four guys with you. You’re not all spread out, it’s a block of five guys. There’s something about we’re going forwards and they’re going backwards, we’re stopping grown men going at full speed trying to get to some of your best friends. It’s the protector in me.”

It was suggested then to Hardrick that the role sounds exactly like a bodyguard, paid to protect and serve.

‘Yessir, that’s exactly it,” said the big tackle with grin. “And like I said, I absolutely love it.”

BOMBER REPORT | November 15, 2018

DOWN COMES THE HAMMER:

Three Bombers were fined by the CFL for their actions in Sunday’s win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders – DE Jackson Jeffcoat and O-linemen Sukh Chungh and Patrick Neufeld.

The CFL news release said Jeffcoat was ‘handed a maximum fine following his high hit on Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Brandon Bridge’ while Neufeld and Chungh were fined for ‘late and unnecessary hits.’ As per league policy, the amount of player fines was not disclosed.

NEW POLICY:

Related to the above, the CFL also issued a statement on player health and safety as it related to the Jeffcoat hit – and a hit on Rider QB Zach Collaros by B.C. Lions D-lineman Odell Willis that was also missed by the officiating crew.

The league has decided it will add an eighth official whose only responsibility is to ‘watch for any blows delivered to the head or neck of a quarterback, one of the most vulnerable players on the field’ for this weekend’s division finals.

To read the full release, click here.

Bombers QB Matt Nichols was asked about the change after practice on Thursday.

“It doesn’t change anything for me,” said Nichols. “I haven’t had any issues with that this season. If they feel like that’s something that is a player safety issue and it’s going to help, then all for it. Whatever the league decides is out of my control, out of our control. It’s something that I don’t really worry too much about or think too much about.”

Asked if the new rule might potentially make him feel better protected, Nichols added:

“Honestly, no one goes out there and says, ‘I’m going to go out and hit Matt in the side of the head today.’ A lot of those things happen so full speed… the best athletes in the world… things just kind of happen.

“To me, maybe there’s a higher likelihood that a penalty would be called, but I wouldn’t say you feel safer. I feel like guys aren’t going to come out and take cheap shots on me. I never feel that way. You know what you’re signing up for when you play football and I have the same mindset going into any game, regardless of how many refs there are.”

OUCH UPDATE:

LB Adam Bighill continued to practise on Thursday, although there was still no sign of LB Jovan Santos-Knox. Both Darvin Adams and Weston Dressler were limited at work on Thursday, but have been declared good to go by head coach Mike O’Shea.

NAYSAYERS BLOCKED:

Both Nichols and O’Shea were asked today about his recent body of work – the club is 6-0 in his last six starts – and how that might have helped silence some naysayers who were so vocal after the Banjo Bowl loss to the Riders.

First, the response from Nichols:

“I think I’ve done a good job my entire career of staying off that rollercoaster. I’ve talked about that many times. To me, it’s not so much about proving people wrong, it’s about proving the people around me right. That’s what’s more important to me. Every game that I feel like I perform well and help my team win and get to celebrate a team victory in the locker room, that’s the important stuff to me. Right now, we’ve been winning some games, but all of that’s for nothing if we don’t win again this week. That’s really all I’m focused on.”

And O’Shea, when asked if seeing people buying back in on Nichols gives him any more satisfaction or happy for him to see the naysayers quieted:

“I’m always happy for the guys, but I don’t pay much attention to the naysayers. I wasn’t listening to them when they doubted him and I’m not listening to them now. We know what we have in Matt.”