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News November 11, 2019

Upon Further Review | WPG 35 CGY 14

Winnipeg Blue BombersÕ quarterback Chris Streveler celebrates a running touchdown during fourth quarter CFL Western Semi-Final action in Calgary, on Sunday, November 10, 2019. (CFL PHOTO - DAVE CHIDLEY)

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A scene which made for an intriguing snapshot in the aftermath of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Western Semi-Final takedown of the Calgary Stampeders…

There was Zach Collaros, the twice-traded-this-season-now-starting-quarterback of the Bombers – a guy also still living in a hotel room in Winnipeg and learning the names of some of his teammates – sitting beside Chris Streveler, who was questionable to even suit up Sunday, as the two performed a post-game mutual-admiration act.

“This guy is a warrior,” said Collaros, nodding toward Streveler. “Toughest guy in the league.”

Added Streveler a few minutes later…

“I just want to touch on him,” he began pointing his thumb in the direction of Collaros, “we kinda talked about it earlier, but I gotta say him coming in and being able to fit in so seamlessly with our quarterback room, we have a really great room and he fits in tremendously. I’m just happy for him. He’s had a crazy season and been through a lot. We’re just happy.”

Yes, it’s true there were many storylines and twice as many key characters that emerged from the Bombers’ 35-14 win over the Stampeders Sunday at McMahon Stadium, but the dual-quarterback angle was arguably the most intriguing.

Collaros completed 11 of 21 passes for 193 yards and a 71-yard TD strike to Darvin Adams, while Streveler rushed 13 times for 82 yards, including a 24-yard run in the fourth quarter that put the Bombers up by 21 points.

Let’s consider Collaros, to begin…

Sunday’s game was just his third start of the season – and in his first, he lasted all of two plays in the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ season-opener before being levelled with a cheap shot hit that sent him to the injured list. Traded to Toronto in August and then flipped to the Bombers in October literally minutes before the trade deadline ended, Collaros has since made two starts for Winnipeg – both wins and both over the Stampeders.

And now he is heading back to Saskatchewan for the Western Final.

As the old sports-writing adage goes, ‘some stories just write themselves.’

Asked if that whole scenario was odd after Sunday’s win, Collaros thought for a moment and then offered, “I don’t know if it’s ‘odd’… it is what it is. I was fortunate enough a month ago that I was traded (to Winnipeg) at the deadline, to this great organization with these great teammates. It just so happens we’re going to the place I started the year at.”

The work of Streveler, meanwhile, will go down in Bombers playoff folklore. He was on crutches and in a walking boot following the Bombers’ 37-33 loss in Calgary back on October 19th and did not suit up in Winnipeg’s 29-28 win at IG Field six days later.

He was limited in practice last week – skipping last Thursday’s session entirely – but after taking Sunday’s warm-up, only seemed to gain strength as the game progressed. Streveler didn’t throw a single pass, but working behind the dominant work of the offensive line, used his unique skillset to leave an indelible imprint on the victory.

The terms ‘gritty’ and ‘gutsy’ don’t even begin to describe what the second-year pro was able to accomplish while working on a bum wheel.

“LaPo (Offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice) and the coaches do a great job of mixing in different stuff and getting everyone involved,” said Streveler, who went out of his way to thank the Bombers training staff and the support he had from his teammates in the days leading up to Sunday. “It’s definitely unique, but it’s at that point in the season where whatever you’ve got to do to win the football game everyone on this team is more than willing to do it.

“… It was just a matter of wanting to be out there with the guys. Osh (head coach Mike O’Shea) said the other day, ‘If you have anything left to give, now’s the time to give it. If you can be out there, you gotta be out there.’ That’s the bottom line.”

More on the Bombers Western Semi-Final win in our weekly post-game collection of notes and quotes we call ‘UPON FURTHER REVIEW’…

IT’S WORTH BEATING THE STREVELER DRUM A LITTLE MORE… here, given the impact his effort had on his teammates – both those sharing the offensive huddle with him and those on defence and special teams. In short, it can be contagious.

“He’s as tough as they come,” said right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick. “Great leader. He’s a young guy, but he has such a veteran poise. You have to be in the locker room to understand it, to see him coming in to watch film. He’s always at the stadium. He’s a tough cookie.”

Some numbers inside Streveler’s numbers:

  • Not including the kneel-downs at the end of the game, Streveler carried 13 times – just twice in the opening 30 minutes, but 13 times in the second half.
  • Of those runs, three converted second downs and three more converted third downs.
  • He carried six times on first down, cranking out 54 yards, including the 24-yard TD run.
  • Interestingly, the Bombers cranked out 195 yards along the ground with Streveler playing a prominent role. But Andrew Harris had 57 yards on 14 carries, Nic Demski had 53 yards on three carries – including a 33-yard TD – while Janarion Grant also rushed once for three yards.

Worth noting – just a few weeks ago in the loss to Calgary, the Bombers were able to crank out 191 yards along the ground – giving them 386 yards along the ground in their last two visits to McMahon.

“That gave us a huge mental edge on defence,” said defensive end Willie Jefferson of Streveler’s work. “To see your quarterback out there, who you know has a hurt ankle, and he’s doing that in the cold against a tough defensive team and he’s just getting up and doing it again and again and again. I mean, c’mon bro. That’s unbelievable, man. Unbelievable.

“He’s one of those guys that you can’t really tell, ‘no’ to. You try to tell him to take it easy in practice, you try and tell him to slide when he can, but when Strev’s on the field he makes plays. You can’t tell him what to do, all you can do is stand there and be amazed.”

STYLES MAKE FIGHTS, AS THEY SAY IN BOXING… and, unlike previous years, the Bombers felt they matched up well against the previously-defending Grey Cup champs. Winnipeg won two of three meetings this year using three different starting quarterbacks, including Matt Nichols, and in the one defeat fell by just four points.

And so as much as guys like yours truly kept hammering away on the franchise’s horrible record at McMahon dating back to 1990, that meant nada to this current squad.

“It’s true, this sure hasn’t been an easy place to win, and it’s something we talked about as a team,” said Nic Demski. “But we felt like we had their number all year and just had to come in here and play physical, smart football and we were going to take their throne away. And that’s exactly what we did.”

The Bombers out-scored the Stamps 27-0 after falling behind 14-8, and it was Demski’s 33-yard TD run in the third quarter that gave Winnipeg its first lead – and one they did not relinquish.

“We had that play dialled up a couple of weeks ago and it worked against them then,” Demski explained. “LaPo trusted it again this week and I saw a crease. Once I took that I just put my head back and ran. Our O-line… I didn’t even get touched.

“It’s funny, because at the start of the year I wasn’t really following my blocks and they got on me. I took it as constructive criticism, went back to the film room and looked at where I should be cutting. Props to them for making those blocks.”

THE EXTRA WEEK OF PREP FOR THE BOMBERS… was a factor, as defensive coordinator Richie Hall, along with Glen Young, Jordan Younger and James Stanley put together an outstanding gameplan that really flummoxed Stamps QB Bo Levi Mitchell, who was just 12 of 28 for 116 yards with one TD and three interceptions.

Mitchell struggled particularly in the second half, going 0-for-4 in the third quarter and finishing the final 30 minutes of the game going 5-for-10 for 54 yards and two interceptions. All told, he was picked off three times, by Mike Jones, Nick Taylor and Mercy Maston – the latter of whom was celebrating his 27th birthday.

 

 

“We just stuck to the gameplan,” said Taylor. “Our defensive coordinator, DB coach and everybody came up with a good gameplan and all we had do was follow it. It sounds simple, but that’s what happened out there.”

The Stamps were limited to just 207 yards net offence and turned the ball over four times – including a turnover on downs on their last possession. The two fourth-quarter interceptions led to a critical 10 points for the Bombers.

“We executed and we executed extremely well,” said Adam Bighll. “The gameplan was extremely solid and we played very tight to that. We’re not going to say we’re surprised. We know we can do that.

“We’re going to appreciate today and the here and now. But we also understand the big picture here… we’re going to be on the road all the way through. Now we get to focus on that next piece. There’s no better feeling than earning the right to work for another week.”

“This is one step,” added Darvin Adams. “Now we’ve got to go back to work. We’ve won one game. We’ll stay humble and we’ll stay hungry.”