Ed Tait takes a look back at the 2019 Blue Bombers season with his Top 10 stories of the year…

#5 – C’MON DOWN TO WINNIPEG, WILLIE

He came exactly as previously advertised – a defensive difference maker, offensive gameplan wrecker, and quarterback nightmare maker – all rolled up into one menacing package.

When the doors opened to the Canadian Football League free agent market last February, few thought the Winnipeg Blue Bombers would be in the market for defensive end Willie Jefferson. After all, the blue and gold already had two capable starters in Jackson Jeffcoat and Craig Roh under contract and the scouting department had a line on a few potential prospects.

Yet, as other teams aggressively pursued the star pivots on the market in Bo Levi Mitchell, Mike Reilly and Trevor Harris, the Bombers chased Jefferson, who had been both the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2018.

And the more the two sides chatted, the more a move to Winnipeg became appealing for the veteran end.

It helped, too, that in addition to Jefferson getting calls of recommendation from Stanley Bryant, Matt Nichols, Darvin Adams and Nic Demski, the Bombers also flew Senior Director of Public and Player Relations Darren Cameron to Houston to meet with him personally to seal the deal.

“When the conversations did first start I was kind of hesitant to come this way,” said Jefferson, after being formally introduced to the Winnipeg media following his addition in February. “But it’s a business. It’s nothing personal.

“And once they looked at that side of things it really became clear which organization was really going after me the most, which organization was willing to take care of me and my family and the things I was looking for. And then there was the team aspect. That’s pretty much how I looked at it.

“It was pretty much like the whole recruiting process in college again. It was getting phone calls like, ‘Yeah, man… it’s fun out here. Come out here and let’s try to do something we’ve been trying to do for the last couple of years.’ Just looking at the team and looking at the stuff you guys have been doing out here I feel comfortable coming out here.”

The new union evolved into a perfect marriage. Jefferson’s impact on the defence was almost instant, but was first punctuated in an early season victory over Ottawa in which, speaking into a TSN television camera as the final seconds ticked away, he yelled ‘How ‘bout that smoke? C’mon down to Winnipeg.’”

The Jefferson legend grew further as the season unfolded. He set a career-best mark with 12 sacks, established a new record for CFL defensive linemen with 16 pass knockdowns – which led the league – while also adding a league-best six forced fumbles, an interception and two fumble recoveries.

By season’s end, he was rewarded with his third straight appearance on the CFL All-Star team while being named the Bombers’ Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Defensive Player. And to top it off, he was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player during Grey Cup week.

Three days after that, fittingly, he had arguably his best game as a Bomber on the biggest stage, with two tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles in the Grey Cup victory.

Jefferson is currently drawing NFL interest – not surprisingly – but should he return to the Bombers for 2020 he’ll bring more than just his game-changing skillset. He brought a contagious energy to the Bombers in ’19, and a joy for the game that was absolutely infectious.

“I like coming out here and performing to the highest level I can because I know now that I can help bring a lot of happiness to other folks,” he told bluebombers.com in September. “There are a lot of people in the stands who are down and when they see us making plays on defence, or the offence make plays, it can lift them up. That’s something I learned just talking to people outside of football and in the offseason.

“You just can’t take stuff like this for granted. I know a lot of guys at home right now training and they don’t know if they’re ever going to get a call to play football. I wake up every day and know I have a job and can come out here and play football.”

This is the sixth in a series recapping the Top 10 Bomber stories of 2019.
Next: #4 ANDREW HARRIS: DISAPPOINTMENT AND GLORY

Previously:
#6 – THE COLLAROS TRADE: UNEARTHING GOLD AT THE DEADLINE
#7 – STABILITY… AND CHANGE
#8 – ADVERSITY HITS
#9 – BURSTING OUT OF THE STARTING BLOCKS
#10 – RELOADING AFTER 2018