Jemarcus Hardrick 51 with fans
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers christened the 2021 Canadian Football League season with a not-so subtle reminder to all the oddsmakers, the doubters and naysayers out there.
Hey… remember us?
Some 620 days since winning the 2019 Grey Cup, the Bombers once again flashed all the characteristics of a championship squad in a dominant 19-6 win over a Hamilton Tiger-Cats in front of 29,376 rabid faithful on an absolutely wonderful night at IG Field. The win was reminiscent of the last meeting between these two clubs, and came with the Ticats again favoured and atop all the power rankings and dominating all the early season Grey Cup predictions.
And while it’s obviously too early to make any concrete conclusions, Bombers defensive end Willie Jefferson was asked afterward what this result might say to the rest of the league. His answer was succinct.
“Keep doubting us and see what happens,” said Jefferson. “We’ve been underdogs since 2019 and we love the fight. We love to be the underdog and come out on top.
“We’re going to keep doing that, keep clawing, keep fighting, keep out process the way it’s been and keep working hard. If the league continues doubt, or whoever wants to doubt us, then keep doing that. That doesn’t matter to us. We play for us.”
There were a lot of elements that made the night special on top of the victory. The crowd was the largest in Canada since the global pandemic began shutting things down in March of 2020 and fans were treated to the unveiling of the Bombers’ ‘11 X Grey Cup Champions’ banner.
After that – and an early score by the Ticats on their first drive – the Bombers settled in and began to impose their will, again, at the line of scrimmage. Winnipeg not only held Hamilton to just that six points, but forced three turnovers and limited the Ticats to just 280 yards net offence. Meanwhile, the Bombers offence benefitted from the creativity of quarterback Zach Collaros who moved effectively around the pocket and found Kenny Lawler for two touchdowns while completing 18 of 28 for 217 yards.
“We got a win and Orlondo Steinauer (Ticats head coach) used to tell me all the time in Hamilton, ‘Wins are not easy to come by in this league,” said Collaros. “So, any time you get a win you’ve got to be happy about. For me, a total team effort. Our defence was unbelievable, they gave us so many opportunities that we didn’t capitalize on and obviously we need to clean that kind of stuff up. Special teams-wise, Legs (Marc Liegghio) and Tyler (Crapigna) were out there kicking the ball really well, we were covering really well… it was just a total team effort.
“I’m very happy for Brady (Oliveira), but those guys up front (on the offensive line) are incredible and paved the way the entire night.”
Yes, not to be lost on the night was the work of Oliveira. Filling in for Andrew Harris the young Winnipegger rumbled for 126 yards on 22 carries and added another 21 yards on his lone reception.
“Lived out a childhood dream,” said Oliveira. “Me being from Winnipeg… I used to come to games here as a kid and now that I’m actually able to experience it and go out there and soak it all in, I had so much fun out there tonight. It was truly amazing. A game I’ll remember for the rest of my life and this is only just the beginning right now.”
It was indeed a memorable night for a ton of reasons, not the least of which was simply the return of the CFL and the return of fans gathering in the stands.
“It was fun,” said Jefferson. “It was exciting, breathtaking… I felt overjoyed coming out of the tunnel, seeing everybody, hearing everybody, seeing the smoke again, hearing the anthem. It was crazy, man. I missed it and I’m glad we had the outcome like we did tonight. This is what we’ve been waiting to give the city of Winnipeg and the province of Manitoba.”
THE BIG STAT: 3
The Bombers defence generated three turnovers – two interceptions and a fumble – and, dating back to the 2019 Grey Cup, have forced 10 turnovers in their last two games against the Ticats.
NOTABLE
- The Bombers took some licks in the injury department as returner/receiver Janarion Grant, dime back Josh Johnson and linebacker Les Maruo all did not return to action in the second half.
- Charles Nelson took over the return duties from Grant while Brandon Alexander moved over to the dime, with rookie Noah Hallett taking over at safety. Nick Hallett also took a rep or two.
- Johnson and Maruo were both on the sidelines for the second half, for what it’s worth.
- The Bombers scratch was OL Geoff Gray, with centre/guard Tui Eli dressing as the sixth O-lineman.
NUMBERS GAME
12: The Bombers have now won 12 of their last 13 home games, their best stretch since 1993-94. Winnipeg is now 3-5 in home openers at IG Field.
2: Special teams tackles by Mike Miller, leaving him now three shy of tying CFL all-time leader Jason Arakgi. Arakgi retired with 190; Miller is now at 187.
70: Receiving yards by Nic Demski, on five catches, to lead all Bombers receivers. Lawler had 69 on four receptions.
7: Tackles by Mike Jones and Adam Bighill, leading the Bombers.
NEXT: The Bombers are home at IG Field next Friday against the Toronto Argonauts for their second game of the truncated regular season, with a 7:30 p.m. start.
