It takes an army to effectively storm an enemy castle and dethrone a king, especially one that has ruled for so long.
That was one of the key subplots which emerged from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ dominant 35-14 victory over the Calgary Stampeders in last Sunday and will still be front and centre for this week’s Western Final in Regina against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The Bombers got so many contributions from so many players against the Stamps, many of whom were not even on this team’s roster when the curtain lifted on the 2019 season.
There was, of course, quarterback Zach Collaros who was acquired at the trade deadline and has made just two starts – both wins against the Stamps – and returns to Regina for the division final against the same team he started for at the beginning of the year.
There was Cody Speller starting at centre for the first time this year after Michael Couture, who had been steady there in 18 games all year, was injured in the regular season finale. And then there was Mercy Maston and Nick Taylor – CFL vets signed 15 days apart in August – who not only started in the Bombers secondary on Sunday, but made critical interceptions in the fourth quarter.
All told, the Bombers had 69 players suit up this season, with 42 of them making at least one start.
“That’s what the CFL is about… that’s what football is about, that’s what any sport is about, especially a team game,” Taylor told bluebombers.com. “You’re going to have injuries, you’re going to have people in and out of the lineup for whatever reasons. Other people have to come in and step up and play their part when their number is called upon and be ready to roll.”
The Bombers have preached a ‘next-man-up’ mentality over and over again during the past few seasons, so much so that it became almost cliché in these parts. But players like Maston, Speller and Taylor are just one of the many examples of how that approach has fit.
Taylor dressed for three games with the Edmonton Eskimos this year before being bumped. Four months later he’s starting in the division final.
“It’s been a crazy year for me,” he said. “It was tough for me to be in Edmonton and then get released when I thought I was going to be playing. Things happen and it’s unfortunate it didn’t go my way. But I’ll always bet on myself. They wanted to keep me around, but I made a decision for myself because I felt like I could contribute to a team. This opportunity presented itself in Winnipeg and my agent and their guys made it work.
“I actually think it helped my career because it made me become a way better professional. The guys here, they get here early, they study their craft, they work on their craft. What a year, man. And it’s not over yet.”
The Bombers return to the practice field on Wednesday, and we thought we’d take a look at four key storylines that figure to be important and evolving leading up to Sunday’s game.
WESTERN FINAL: 4 STORYLINES
1. THE BOMBERS 1-2 QB PUNCH
We hinted at the possibilities of the Zach Collaros-Chris Streveler two-headed quarterback monster in this space last week and it became THE most compelling side story in the Bombers’ victory in Calgary.
Collaros was making just his second start for the Bombers last weekend and played an efficient game in iffy passing conditions by completing 11-of-21 for 193 yards, including a 71-yard strike to Darvin Adams early in the fourth quarter that put Winnipeg up 24-14.
Couple that with the work of Streveler – whose performance while working on a bum foot is the stuff of legend – and the Bombers had both the leading passer and the leading rusher in the Western Semi-Final working from the same position.
So, yes, the Collaros-returns-to-Regina angle will be front and centre in the days ahead. But give offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice and quarterbacks coach Buck Pierce another week to devise schemes and – based on the results from Calgary – we could be talking about one of the most unique tandems in CFL playoff history.
FYI, Streveler started all three games against the Riders this year, and threw for three touchdowns against four interceptions, but also rushed for 183 yards and three more scores.
2. THE CODY WATCH
While Bomber Nation gleefully rub their hands together at the prospects of more Collaros-Streveler, Rider fans have their hands together in prayer that their starter, Cody Fajardo, is good to go Sunday.
One of the feel-good stories of the CFL season, Fajardo has quickly become a hero in Saskatchewan after replacing Collaros in Week 1 and then guiding the Riders to first place in the division. But he injured an oblique muscle during practice on October 30th and missed the Riders regular season finale. The Riders practised a couple of times last week – with Fajardo not throwing – and all eyes will be on the pivot when they return to work on Wednesday.
“At this point, it’s the playoffs and I will be on the field for the West final no matter how painful it is,” Fajardo told reporters in Regina last Thursday. “These ones are the toughest because it’s time. There isn’t anything you can do that helps the healing process go any quicker. It’s frustrating because you want to be hands-on and you want to do as much as you can. Sometimes, less is better. If you do too much, then you can overwork it or cause more problems.
“I have been really thankful about having this week off.”
The interesting side story to this year’s West Final… when these two clubs met in the West Semi-Final it was Matt Nichols at the controls for the Bombers and Brandon Bridge for the Riders, after it had been reported all week Collaros would return from injury to start.
This year there are the questions about Fajardo – it would be rookie Isaac Harker at the controls if the starter isn’t good to go – while the Bombers are without Nichols and starting Collaros. Crazy Football League, indeed.
HELLO, OLD FRIENDS
So much was made last week about the familiarity of the Bombers and Stampeders, especially given the two teams played a home-and-home series six days apart in Weeks 19 and 20 of the regular season. In fact, Winnipeg – which had the bye in the final week of the regular season – faced Calgary for three successive games.
The Riders and Bombers have also become quite familiar in the last few months. These two clubs did their annual Labour Day Classic-Banjo Bowl doubleheader in September and met again on Regina on October 5th. That makes Sunday’s Western Final the fourth meeting between these two Prairie rivals in 77 days. It’s also the Bombers’ fourth trip to Regina this year, having also played there in the preseason.
Another historical nugget… Sunday will mark the first Western Final meeting between these two long-time foes since 1972 at old Winnipeg Stadium. In that game, Riders legend Ron Lancaster rallied from a 24-7 deficit to win 27-24 on a last-second field goal by Jack Abendschan. But it was the ending of that game that still rankles Bombers fans almost 50 years later. With the score tied at 24-24, Abendschan had lined up for the game-winning kick with no time left but missed. Mike Law of the Bombers then kicked the ball out of the end zone to prevent giving up a single, with the ball then punted back into the Winnipeg end by Lancaster. That kicked was scooped up by Paul Williams, who then hoofed it to the Winnipeg 30-yard line where the Rider returner was tackled.
Unfortunately, the Bombers were called for no yards, which set up Abendschan for a second chance from 32 yards out – and he nailed the kick for the win.
4. A SPECIAL TEAMS DIFFERENCE MAKER?
Some interesting numbers from the three games between these two teams this year:
- Riders kicker Brett Lauther was good on all eight of his field goal attempts against the Bombers, including the game winner with no time left in the Labour Day Classic. Winnipeg’s Justin Medlock didn’t miss, either, going 3-for-3.
- The Bombers got a 72-yard punt return TD by Janarion Grant in their Banjo Bowl win, the biggest return by either team in the three meetings. The Riders’ longest return was a 39-yard kickoff return by Loucheiz Purifoy in the Labour Day Classic.
- Medlock enters the Western Final having hit his last 16 field goal attempts, including all four in last week’s win over Calgary; Lauther connected on 78 percent of his attempts this season, but struggled in the Riders’ last regular season game, going just two-of-six.
5. BYE WEEK: RUST VS. REST
The Bombers certainly benefitted from their extra week to prep for the Stampeders, as LaPolice and defensive coordinator Richie Hall – heck, the entire coaching staff – put together gameplans that had Calgary’s crew scrambling to react.
What shouldn’t be overlooked is what the Bombers did defensively against the Stamps, forcing four turnovers and limiting Bo Levi Mitchell to 116 yards. Worth noting here is Fajardo had two 300-yard passing games against the Bombers this season, but was also sacked a whopping 13 times in those meetings.
Finishing first allows the Riders staff to prepare in the same way while allowing players – not just Fajardo – that extra time to heal wounds. The host has captured the West Final in each of the last five years, but is just 18-18 in games dating back to 1983.
