It’s early – so early that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have yet to play a snap in anger – and still the club is already leading the Canadian Football League in one unofficial category:
Preseason love, praise, and plaudits.
The Blue Bombers open their 2023 campaign Friday night at IG Field against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as the presumptive Grey Cup favourites. They top the power rankings, have the best Vegas odds, and placed 11 players on TSN’s annual Top 50 players list, with SIX players in the Top 10 in Zach Collaros (1), Stanley Bryant (4), Dalton Schoen (5), Willie Jefferson (6), Kenny Lawler (8), and Adam Bighill (10).
And you know what? All of that means absolutely nothing to the men in blue and gold.
“It’s just noise, that’s all it is,” said all-star guard Pat Neufeld. “I mean, I’m sure guys watch and see that stuff, but we don’t talk about it. It’s a nice feather in the cap, but at the end of the day it doesn’t help us win games, it doesn’t impact whether we lose games.
“It’s something for fans to talk about, for the media to have storylines and it’s good for the league. But in our locker room, it’s nothing. We’ve come to the point now as a group to really understand that. Again, it’s just noise.”
And a veteran team certainly knows how to filter all that chatter. Years ago, before this team began maturing, this type of preseason discussion – and back then it was mostly framed negatively – would have been the type of pre-game fodder players would have pinned up on the proverbial bulletin board.
And now…
“It’s funny, you look on social media and of course that stuff pops up,” added slotback Nic Demski. “But when you’re around our locker room and the guys we’re talking about football. We’re not talking about Top 50; we’re not even congratulating anybody about that stuff. It just is what it is. It’s nice and individually it feels great, but this is a team sport and it’s about us focussing on this game and working to get back to where we belong.
“All that stuff looks nice on the resume, but we’re not thinking about the Top 50, we’re thinking about hoisting that trophy. That’s what’s on our mind.”
More on expectations, encores, pressing questions and other stuff in this week’s Game Day Playbook…
1. What does Zach Collaros do for an encore?
The Blue Bombers QB1 threw for 4,183 yards and 37 TDs last year – both career bests – while winning the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player Award for the second straight year. He is 33-5 as a starter here, including the playoffs and two Grey Cup championships and his 7,589 passing yards already has him ranked 11th in franchise history – just 581 yards behind Tom Burgess in 10th spot.
One more: the last player in the CFL to win THREE straight MOPs was Doug Flutie, when he won four straight awards from 1991-94 and then six in seven years through 1997 – Baltimore RB Mike Pringle interrupted his run by winning in 1995.
And, of course, Collaros has no interest in that stuff whatsoever – just as the team collectively has approached all of the hype mentioned above.
2. How much gas is left in the Blue Bombers tank?
We wrote about this earlier in the week but it’s worth mentioning again as the season has officially arrived. The Blue Bombers have the oldest – they prefer ‘most experienced’ – team in the CFL, with an average age of 28.9.
With that comes the narrative that team is going to somehow ‘age out’ all at once which, frankly, is a ridiculous notion given skills decline at varying rates. The Blue Bombers do have 10 starters 30 or older, but those players are still productive. As well, this is a team that lost out on a third-straight Grey Cup championship by one point and is coming off a franchise-record 15-win season.
So, discuss amongst yourselves about this championship window potentially closing…
“I think in this league the window is there every season for every team,” said Collaros. “There’s always so much (Roster) turnaround – obviously, there hasn’t been much turnaround for us – but there hasn’t been any discussions about that. I’m just being honest with you.
“We still all believe we can do this at a high level. Nobody is in there thinking about retirement. We’re not that much older than everybody else and, again, Stanley Bryant (who is 37) brings up the median on that.”
3. What is the value in continuity?
Related to the above – with the Blue Bombers returning so many players, continuity will be massive to start the season. Winnipeg opened last year with nine straight wins, lost its 10th in overtime, and then won three more for a 12-1 start en route to 15-3.
In 2021 the team opened 2-0, lost by a TD in Toronto, and then cruised to an 11-1 record before resting starters in the final two games to finish 11-3 and then win the Grey Cup. And back in 2019 the team opened 5-0, dropped a couple, and then improved to 8-2 and as QB injuries piled up finished 11-7 before the epic run that ended a 28-year championship drought.
All that has added up to a pile of wins right out of the gate in years past, and while there’s no formula to measure continuity in that, it is a massive part of the club locking up first place in the West the last two seasons and securing a home playoff date.
4. The new kicker situation
Marc Liegghio was released on the weekend, meaning the placekicking chores will be handled by veteran Sergio Castillo – now in his third tour with the Blue Bombers – with Australian Jamieson Sheahan, who played his college ball at Cal and was the club’s first pick in the Global Draft, handling the punting and serving as the holder on placekicks.
“If you don’t have nerves, you’re probably not doing the right thing,” Sheahan said Thursday. “It’s how you frame it and how you look at nerves. Nerves for me are a preparation thing – it’s just part of being ready for the game. If I wake up and I’m not feeling nerves before the game, then I might not quite be in it.
“I’ll have nerves, yeah, sure. I’ve had nerves before every game in the three different footballs I’ve ever played (Aussie Rules, NCAA and now CFL). It will be channelling them and using it as excitement and preparing the body for what’s about to happen. Nerves for sure, but good nerves.”
5. Nic Demski joins the century club
The Winnipeg product – the pride of the Charleswood Broncos, Oak Park Raiders and University of Manitoba Bisons – will suit up for his 100th career regular-season game tonight. Drafted by Saskatchewan in the first round in 2015, he returned home as a free agent and has transformed into a CFL star and has been named the Blue Bombers Most Outstanding Canadian in each of the last two years. Demski had hoped to play game 100 late last season but was rested for the playoffs.
“I wanted to do that last year, but I was nicked up a little bit and didn’t play in the last B.C. game,” he said. “It’s made that anticipation even that much more. I can’t wait to come out here and hear the crowd roaring and stride out for my 100th game. Doing it here at home, especially for a home opener, it does mean a lot. There’s been a lot of hard work, a lot of commitment and dedication to it so just to see all that good stuff come to fruition does mean a lot.”
6. Dalton Schoen Year 2 and who steps up in the absence of Kenny Lawler…
Schoen pieced together a dominant rookie campaign as the CFL’s top newcomer and leading receiver. He’s part of a receiving corps that was supposed to feature Kenny Lawler, but now will be without him as the club works to resolve his legal situation.
“I think Dalton’s just going to continue to get better as he gains more experience in this league and we’re able to move him around and play different positions,” said Collaros. “He’s had an unbelievable training camp and I’m really not surprised knowing the kind of person he is and his dedication to the game of football and his teammates. He’s a great football player, so I wouldn’t be surprised if just continues to be him.”
Carlton Agudosi, meanwhile, steps in for Lawler as a starter.
“I’ve had of reps with Carlton and we can move him around a little bit and create some matchup things for him,” Collaros added. “Any time you can bring a guy like him, with his physical gifts, onto the field it’s a big thing. He’s also smart. We can move him around. He can be used in the run game and he’s a great teammate. I’m really excited for the opportunity he has.”
7. Of ‘Nationalized Americans’, ‘Designated Nationals’, ‘Designated Americans’ and the CFL’s strange and complicated new roster rule…
We could detail the CFL’s new rule that was implemented to give American players with three years of service with the same team – or five or more years in the CFL – the chance to replace a designated national for up to 23 snaps. But we would also like fans to finish reading this article rather than have their eyes gloss over.
For what it’s worth, the Blue Bombers designated American for Friday is Janarion Grant and he could enter the game for Drew Wolitarsky or Brendan O’Leary-Orange. Part of the intention behind the rule was to help prevent so much roster turnover in the offseason but creating an incentive for teams and players to remain with one squad rather than move on, but the confusion around the concept has created a negative storyline heading into the start of the season.
“I think there’s still confusion about exactly the intent of these sorts of things,” said head coach Mike O’Shea. “I do think it’s important that everybody involved in the CFL works together to make sure we’re doing our best for our league. Right now, there’s a lot of chatter, a lot of negativity, about this and I think it’s everybody’s responsibility to avoid that to make sure we showcase the absolute best of our league, especially with more coverage in other places.
“To have that overshadowed by some confusion is… let’s just hope it doesn’t go on too long.”
8. Who starts where in the air defence?
The Blue Bombers depth chart for the season opener features Desmond Lawrence and Demerio Houston at corner, Deatrick Nichols and Evan Holm at halfback, Alden Darby, Jr. at dime and Brandon Alexander at safety. In related moves, both Winston Rose and Jamal Parker were shifted to the six-game injured list.
This is the norm in the Blue Bombers secondary, to tell the truth. Consider that last year the club started 15 different players in the air defence, with 11 of that crew back for ’23.
“We’ve brought most of our guys back, so most of them have got good, quality reps during the year last year,” said Alexander. “They got to play in significant games and made big plays. Those are the guys you want back and to have around. It makes it tough on the coaches in terms of their decisions, but we’re a very tight-knit group and however it comes out, it comes out.
“The benefit is everybody can play different positions and if anything were to happen, anybody can slide in anywhere. We tell everybody that in this league at some point you’re going to get an opportunity to play. It’s what you do with that opportunity that matters.”
9. A salute to new blue debuts
Three members of the Blue Bombers 2023 CFL Draft class have made the opening day roster in defensive end Anthony Bennett (1st round, 8th overall), defensive back Jake Kelly (2nd round, 15th overall) and defensive tackle Tanner Schmekel (4th round, 35th overall).
Also making their CFL debuts are quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome, defensive end Celestin Haba and Sheahan, the punter, along with fullback Damian Jackson.
10. And, finally, a question as it relates specifically to Friday’s game: how do the Blue Bombers handle old nemesis Bo Levi Mitchell?
The Ticats made arguably the biggest move of the offseason, trading third and fifth-round picks to Calgary for Mitchell last November before he signed a three-year contract extension in January. The deal landed Hamilton a QB with the highest winning percentage all-time at 77.8 on the strength of a 90-25-2 record.
Mitchell is 12-5 all-time vs. the Blue Bombers – 13-6 if playoffs are included – but was also the starter in two losses last year while in Calgary as Winnipeg swept the season series.
