PRESEASON 1 | EDMONTON ESKIMOS VS WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
THE 4-1-1
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Friday, IG Field
Streaks: (Pre-season) Edmonton 1W: Winnipeg: first game
Recent history: The Eskimos won their preseason debut last Sunday in Edmonton with a 22-7 victory over the B.C. Lions. This will be the Bombers first preseason game. Winnipeg’s last dress rehearsal goes next Thursday in Saskatchewan, before they open the regular season June 15th in Vancouver. Winnipeg’s home opener is June 27th against these same Eskimos.
Radio: CJOBB
TV: None. Note: Bluebombers.com will live stream the game, featuring 680 CJOB’s broadcast of the game with Bob Irving and Doug Brown.
3 STORYLINES
1. JOB INTERVIEWS
Rosters across the Canadian Football League often feature a number of changes from season to season, and more so lately with the move toward one-year contracts. But while teams across the league underwent massive makeovers – we’re looking at you, Edmonton, B.C., Calgary, Ottawa – the Bombers roster and coaching staff features many familiar faces.
That said, training camp is also about the fight for jobs and the Bombers have their openings, too. Here are the positions to monitor Friday:
Cornerback (2): With both Chris Randle (Ottawa) and Kevin Fogg (Toronto) having departed, the Bombers will be looking at replacing two mainstays of the secondary over the past few years. Ex-Lion Winston Rose looked to have one spot locked up, but he has been down for the last few practices and won’t suit up. On the other side is second-year Bomber Chandler Fenner, who lined up inside last year at halfback and the Dime spot, but played corner in college.
Safety: The other starter that exited over the winter was all-star safety Taylor Loffler, now in Montreal. The Bombers have used both Jeff Hecht and Derek Jones back there in camp and those two may very well split the chores as we inch closer to the real games.
Weak-side linebacker: Jovan Santos-Knox was another regular who left over the winter – he’s with the Eskimos now – and the Bombers will be leaning on Kyrie Wilson to step up and start, just as he did in last year’s playoffs.
WR/SB: The Bombers receiving corps looks virtually set with Chris Matthews now joining Darvin Adams, Drew Wolitarsky and Nic Demski, but the team is looking for a fifth to round out this crew. The collection of pass catchers in camp has been impressive, including Lucky Whitehead, Kenny Lawler, Rasheed Bailey, Corey Washington, Matt Hazel, Tim Wilson, Garrett Johnson, Kenny Walker, Chris Hubert, Charles Nelson and Canadians Daniel Petermann, Dylan Schrot and Rashaun Simonise. Washington will not dress Friday, FYI.
Centre, right guard: A picture of stability over the last few years, the Bombers O-line will feature two new faces this year as the team looks to replace centre Matthias Goossen (retired) and right guard Sukh Chungh (B.C.) The three holdovers are Stanley Bryant and Jermarcus Hardrick at tackle and left guard Patrick Neufeld, and there is a large contingent – both Canadians and Americans – vying for work. Michael Couture and Cody Speller are in a battle for the centre job – Tui Eli, a fourth-round pick this year, remains a project – while two former first-rounders in Geoff Gray and Drew Desjarlais are among those in the fight for work on the interior.
Kick returner: It can be virtually impossible to evaluate kick returners in training camp practices – other than to distinguish who can catch consistently and who can’t – and so when the lights come on for the pre-season the true judgements begin. Lucky Whitehead, Charles Nelson and Mike Jones have all been busy in camp handling these responsibilities and will be under the microscope Friday.
No. 3 quarterback: With Matt Nichols and Chris Streveler set at 1-2, the only drama on the QB depth chart is what happens with the third spot. Veteran Bryan Bennett is Justin Medlock’s holder and an exceptional athlete who has taken turns on kick coverage, but he’s being pushed by Sean McGuire, the all-time leading passer at Western Illinois who was in the Bombers Florida free-agent camp and got a couple of NFL looks.
2. BUBBLE WRAP vs. SNAPS
This is always a pre-season storyline, as veterans and coaches debate how many snaps – if any – they take before the real games begin in a couple of weeks.
Players like Matt Nichols, Andrew Harris, Stanley Bryant, Jermarcus Hardrick, Patrick Neufeld, Justin Medlock, Darvin Adams, Willie Jefferson, Adam Bighill, Jackson Jeffcoat, Brandon Alexander, Chris Matthews and a host of others need not worry about whether they will be suiting up for the opener on June 15th in B.C.
But there is a distinct difference between practice reps in camp and real hitting in a pre-season game. And so as much as these games are about evaluating new talent, many vets do want to get their jerseys dirty at least once before the games count for real. Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea has often left this decision up to his vets, asking them how much they need beforehand.
And then everyone involved says a few silent prayers that the pre-season comes and goes without a significant injury.
Further to that, not dressing Friday are: FB Mike Miller, receivers Nic Demski, Chris Matthews and Corey Washington, O-linemen Pat Neufeld, Jermarcus Hardrick and Manase Foketi (who was placed on the veteran exempt list), linebackers DJ Lalama, Thomas Miles, D-lineman Jonathan Kongbo, defensive backs Marcus Rios, Payton Hall, Winston Rose and Chris Hall.
3. THE LOCALS
The Bombers have a healthy component of local products in camp, some of whom will dress Friday, some of whom will not. But don’t sell this as ‘just a pre-season game’ for many who still dream of pulling on the blue and gold.
The 10 Winnipeg products in camp are running backs Brady Oliveira (20) and Andrew Harris (33), slotback Nic Demski (10), linebackers Thomas Miles (52) and DJ Lalama (25), offensive lineman Geoff Gray (68), defensive lineman Tariq Lachance (79), receiver Dylan Schrot (70), defensive back Abu Conteh (41) and long snapper Zach Greenberg (97) as well as three members of the Winnipeg Rifles in Troy Wilson (76), Cole Sneesby (74) and Brandon Urciuoli (73).
As indicated above, Demski, Miles and Lalama will not play Friday.
5 NEW BOMBERS TO WATCH
#87 Lucky Whitehead, WR/KR: The Bombers could use a dynamic threat in their return game and Whitehead, who once held the same chores with the Dallas Cowboys, has already flashed world-class speed.
#61 Drew Desjarlais, OL: One of the Bombers two first-round draft picks – the other, DL Jonathan Kongbo, is recovering from a knee injury and won’t play – Desjarlais has been working with the club’s No. 1 offence at left guard. That spot will be owned by Patrick Neufeld once the regular season starts, but the Bombers love Desjarlais’ developing skill set and his nasty streak.
#20 Brady Oliveira, RB: The Winnipeg/Oak Park High School product has been solid in training camp. A hard, one cut/north-south runner, Oliveira has also showcased a solid set of mitts through camp.
#98 Steven Richardson, DT: He’s a fire-hydrant type at 5-11, 298 pounds, and uses his leverage to make life miserable for guards and centres who have lined up against him in camp.
#49 Amari Coleman, DB: The Bombers have openings in the secondary and Coleman has survived so far in a camp in which Winston Rose, Chris Humes and Marcus Rios have all missed time with an assortment of hurts.
THE GLOBAL GUYS
#43 Thiadric Hansen, LB – Germany
#71 Garbriel Amavizca-Ortiz, PK – Mexico
#54 Manuel Hernandez-Reyes, LB – Mexico
#47 Sergio Schiaffino-Perez, DB – Mexico
USELESS STAT DEPT
The Bombers split their dress rehearsals a year ago and haven’t gone 2-0 in exhibition games since 1995, although they did go 1-0-1 in 2000. Winnipeg is 7-18-3 in pre-season action dating back to 2005.
