Receiver/returner Kody Case at Blue Bombers practice this week -- photos by Cameron Bartlett
It’s become one of the clichés in sports, this notion of treating any opportunity — from the smallest of stages to a championship contest — as ‘just another game.’
Thing is, what if someone has waited a lifetime for a moment like this?
And what if this opportunity is what a player has dreamed about for as long as he can remember?
So… just another game?
Try telling that to receiver/returner Kody Case, who looks to be making his Winnipeg Blue Bombers debut this Friday in Regina against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the first of three meetings between these two prairie arch-rivals.
Try telling that to a man who signed with the Blue Bombers in January after playing in the preseason last year with the Indianapolis Colts, was then injured in Winnipeg’s first dress rehearsal this year, subsequently released yet stayed in town to rehab his injury, was re-signed and after slogging through all that is finally getting a shot.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve been on an active game (roster) in the regular season game that matters,” Case said this week. “I was with the Colts in the preseason but haven’t been activated for a professional football game so this would be a great experience. If it happens, it happens. I’m excited.
“At the end of the day it’s football. I’ve been playing it my whole life and I can’t blow up the moment too much. It is an exciting moment for sure. It’s been forever (since he wanted to play pro) … since probably pre-school. This has always been my dream, to play professionally.”
Case in conversation with head coach Mike O’Shea this week
Case grew up around the game and his memories date back for as long as he can remember. His father Bryan is the head coach at South Central Calhoun High School in Lake City, Iowa and Case played for him before playing at South Dakota from 2017-21 — including a stint with Chris Streveler as the quarterback — before finishing at Illinois and getting his look from the Colts.
One of the leading return candidates coming into the season, Case used his time while he was down to not only rehab, but study all of the nuances of the three-down game.
“The rehab process, it sucks being hurt and going through that entire process,” he said. “You’ve really got to take a step back and watch the game unfold and see how the CFL is played and pick up different nuances of the game. It was good to see the game from an outside perspective. I learned a lot about the game, about how every yard matters.
“It all works out in the end if you get your opportunity and you’ve just got to make the most of it. I hope to just bring a spark, to just do my job, trust my blockers out there and read off of them and if I get that opportunity just do what I can with the ball in my hands.”
NOTABLE: Straight from the CFL stats department, some notable nuggets:
- Winnipeg’s next victory will be Mike O’Shea’s 99th as a head coach, tying Cal Murphy for 11th all-time in CFL history.
- Zach Collaros (29,739) needs 261 passing yards to become the 20th player to reach the 30,000-yard mark.
- Adam Bighill’s next sack will be the 50th of his career. He would then join Willie Pless and Charleston Hughes as the only players with 500-plus tackles and 50 sacks.
- Brady Oliveira has recorded back-to-back 100-yard rushing games in the regular season for the first time in his career.
- Saskatchewan’s Rolan Milligan Jr. tops the CFL in defensive takeaways with his league-leading four interceptions. He is second in defensive plays (42) and he is tied for first in special teams tackles (nine)
HURTING, TOO: The Roughriders are experienced their share of injury woes, just as the Blue Bombers have been to start the season. Saskatchewan will start Shea Patterson again at quarterback with veteran Trevor Harris recovering from a knee injury and the club lost former Blue Bomber Jermarcus Hardrick last week to a quad injury that will keep him out long term.
The Riders are expected to start rookie Jacob Brammer in Hardrick’s right tackle spot.
“We’re excited to go out there and play ball… the fact that it’s not going to be Jermarcus (opposite him) is disappointing but it’s also exciting to just go out there and work whoever it is in his spot,” said defensive end Willie Jefferson, who checked in with Hardrick this week to see how he was managing after the injury.
“They have to get ready for us, just as we get ready for them. We know what kind of team they are.”
ICYMI: Great chat on Tuesday with slotback Nic Demski, who joined us for the 14th episode of our live show ‘The Huddle” which goes every Tuesday at 3 p.m. on our YouTube page. All episodes are available on our page and here is the link for the latest:
