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November 20, 2019

“It’s really an honour and a privilege to be here.”

CALGARY – It would be impossible to measure all the kilometres travelled by Jermarcus Hardrick this season all over the Canadian Football League map. But when he first packed up his stuff in Lincoln, Nebraska before heading north for training camp, his mission was clear.

“I read a quote from Osh (head coach Mike O’Shea) while we were on the bus coming over here to practice today,” began Hardrick, just before the club’s first practice of Grey Cup week at sunny Hellard Field in northwest Calgary. “He said to be smart this week because we have the rest of our lives to party as a champions. And so I just want to do everything I can this week to honour my teammates and make sure we’re in the best situation possible to win on Sunday.

“It takes me back to the start of the season… the ultimate goal when I got the U-Haul and drove to Winnipeg this summer was that I didn’t want to drive back home without being a champion. And we’re one step away.”

The Bombers’ roster features its share of vets and newcomers, but there are a select few who have actually played in a Grey Cup game. Willie Jefferson, Mike Miller and Korey Jones did with Edmonton in 2015, Adam Bighill and Andrew Harris were on the B.C. Lions squad that knocked off the Bombers in 2011. Stanley Bryant has a ring from the 2014 Calgary Stampeders and Zach Collaros and Chad Rempel from the 2012 Toronto Argonauts.

Wednesday wasn’t just the first official practice day of Grey Cup, it was also a chance for the Bombers to get their cleats on the ground and begin to catch some of the Grey Cup vibe.

“I was just talking to a couple of the guys about how hard it is to get into this game,” said Andrew Harris, who is here for the first time since 2011. “It’s really an honour and a privilege to be here. That week for me flew by so fast I’m definitely enjoying it a lot more this time around.

“You appreciate it a lot more and realize how hard it is to get here. (2011) went by so fast for me… shout out to my dog Lulay (Travis Lulay, the QB for the Lions in ’11 was at the press conference working for Sportsnet) back there… it’s more about preparation and making sure you’re doing everything possible to put yourself in the best position to win the game. At the end of the day, it’s just another game and you can’t hype it up too much in your mind and get too excited about it. Obviously it’s a championship game, but it’s just another football game for the guys.”

So much of this is about timing, too. Consider defensive tackle Steven Richardson, who was this close to packing it in and quitting after being dumped by the Los Angeles Chargers and then having his phone go silent. Until…

“It was literally the day before that I got the call from Winnipeg when I called my agent and said things weren’t working out because I wasn’t hearing a lot of things from teams. I was getting ready to start a new career,” said Richardson. “I had just told him I was done and was going to find a new path. The next day Winnipeg called and I was like, ‘Let’s go. Let’s do it.’

“It’s been a wild ride, like a roller-coaster with its ups and downs. But we’re here today and I’m glad we’re here today because I’ve enjoyed every single moment. I would say it’s been a perfect experience for me in my first year in Winnipeg.”

The Bombers were on the field for their first full practice in advance of Sunday’s 107th Grey Cup against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Here are some of the other notes and quotes in our final season edition of ‘NEED TO KNOW’…


LISTEN UP:

Bombers GM Kyle Walters met with the media during practice Wednesday and offered an update on how the success of the club so far this season might change the contract talks with head coach Mike O’Shea, who is working on an expiring deal.

“It doesn’t change anything,” Walters said. “I’ve said at various points this year that Mike has no interest in talking about that sort of stuff during the year. I’ve looked Mike right in the eye and told him I want him to be the head coach next year and he’s looked me in the eye and told me he wants to be back.

“There’s a whole lot of things that can go between getting a signed contract for him, but we’re not going to worry about that. What we talked about is a good start and he and I will sit down, win or lose, and try to get something sorted out.”

TRY, TRY AGAIN:

Zach Collaros has made it pretty clear, especially since Sunday night after the Western Final, that he has no interest in revisiting the hit from Simoni Lawrence of the Ticats that sent him to the injured list. Still, that hasn’t stopped reporters from lobbing the same questions at him every day. An example, from Wednesday:

Reporter: After you guys were victorious in Sask, Simoni Lawrence sent out a tweet congratulating you and glad to see you back. Did that mean anything to you and what are your thoughts on that?

Collaros: I don’t really use social media that often, so… that is what it is.

Reporter: How would you describe the relationship between you two since the incident?

Collaros: I talked about it a little bit last night… we had a conversation there after Labour Day and it’s behind us now.

Reporter: If you can’t relay what was in it, how important was that conversation for you or for the both of you in your relationship?

Collaros: Obviously you want to talk through things any time there’s a problem in a friendship or any kind of relationship. So, it was nice to see us get it behind us.

Reporter: What do you expect out of Simoni on Sunday?

Collaros: A lot of effort. He’s a really good football player. I expect him to do whatever Mark (Washington, Ticats defensive coordinator) and Orlondo (Steinauer) expect him to do.

Reporter: Last one… he says he’s not a polite person on the field like most people. So, I’m assuming there will be trash talk. Are you prepared for that and do you trash talk back? How do you handle that?

Collaros: The trash talk thing is kind of a media-driven thing.

LOVE YOU, MAN:

Funny moment from Wednesday’s media session that featured Collaros and Harris at the podium. Here’s Harris when asked about the quick transition of Collaros, not only into the offence, but just to the team:

“I didn’t really know Zach too, too well. But there’s some trust and confidence in him and he did fit into the locker room really well and knew a couple of guys from past teams, so there’s some familiarity with some of the guys.

“He’s been great,” Harris continued, before reaching over to put his arm around the quarterback and adding, “so, it’s been good to have you buddy.”