Jaylen Smith is already seeing his workload increase in the Winnipeg defence in just his second season; photo by Sam Calvert
HAMILTON, ON — His expectations have grown, as has his workload in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defence.
And as second-year linebacker Jaylen Smith returns home to Hamilton for today’s matchup with the Tiger-Cats, what has also grown is his hometown ticket demand.
“It’s going to be fun,” said Smith after practice one day earlier this week. “Last year I think I had 50 people there. Hopefully, I can double that. I always love going home and I love playing there, too. Outside of last year when we lost there, I had never lost a game in that stadium. I’m hoping to keep that streak going again, outside of last year.”
Smith, who grew up in Hamilton and played his college ball at North Texas before being drafted by the Blue Bombers in the second round last year, played high school and little league games on the site — previously known as Ivor Wynne Stadium before its reconstruction — before heading south.
“Pretty much my whole family on my mom’s side and a lot of my dad’s side as well (will be there on Sunday,” said Smith. “I probably have more friends coming this year than last year, considering the game is going to be on the weekend.”
Smith’s trajectory has been a sensational upward arrow since his rookie season and he’s already flashing the athleticism and positional versatility he showed at North Texas that fits in so well with Jordan Younger’s defence here in Winnipeg.
“I’m just trying to learn, do the job they ask me to do to the best of my ability,” he said. “I don’t really look at it as upwards until we win a championship. It doesn’t matter… if I’m not on defence, I’m doing my job on special teams. I just want to do my job to the best of my ability. I just want to win.”
As much as there are many returning players to the Blue Bombers defence, it remains essentially a wet ball of clay still being shaped into something. Smith will certainly have a role in that.
“I’m extremely excited about the energy he brings to the game, the enthusiasm he brings to the game,” said Younger. “He came into camp in great shape. I’m just excited to see him get these opportunities — he’s earned it to be out there and he’s just going to get better and better.
“We’re trying to put him in roles where he has a chance to thrive and a chance to succeed. But he’s a dynamic football player who is strong enough and physical enough to mix it up and be tight to the box but athletic enough and smooth enough to be out in space.”
ICYMI, here is our Game Preview for today:
And what follows are more notes and quotes to get you ready for the matchup in our latest edition of Game Day HQ:
CHANGES TO THE MIDDLE MEN
The Blue Bombers depth chart features some changes this week and the most significant come along the interior of the offensive line where there will essentially be changes. First, veteran Pat Neufeld returns to his right guard spot after missing last week’s game due to the birth of his twins. Getting him back is massive for a number of reasons, including the ability for Tyler Elsbury to then shift back to centre, where he had been solid through the first two games.
Elsbury moved over the guard in last week’s loss to Edmonton, with Tui Eli starting in the middle. Eli will be the sixth OL tonight.
As well, newcomer Micah Mazzccua (pronounced Maz-oo-ka) will made his CFL debut at left guard in place of Gabe Wallace, who has been moved to the reserve list. Mazzccua is a massive man at 6-5, 344 and started games at two big-time football schools in Nebraska and Florida.
Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea described Mazzccua as a “smart, big-bodied guy who seems to play with good vision and in training camp he’s one of the guys you really took notice of because he was really moving people. He’s a player. He had a good week of practice.”
And here’s the man who will be running behind Mazzccua & Co. — for those of you new here, that would be running back Brady Oliveira — on the new face up front:
“I’m excited. Whatever the starting five is out there — and six when we have a sixth man in some formations — I feel totally confident,” said Oliveira. “I’ve touched on this before but with Marty Costello, the best offensive line coach in the league, he gets those guys ready every single week whoever is going to play.
“In talking about Micah, I’m intrigued by him and excited to see how he goes out there and performs. He’s a big dude, he’s aggressive and he’s got that meanness inside of him. You need that as an offensive lineman. I’m excited for any young guy who gets his opportunity because at one point I was in his shoes.”
AND ANOTHER ONE
One more lineup-related change — quarterback Dru Brown, acquired last week in the trade with the Ottawa RedBlacks, will not be on the roster. Both he and Wallace are on the two-man reserve roster.
Here’s O’Shea explaining the rationale there:
“It’s just to give him another week. He’s the type of guy that can absorb a playbook, but is it really fair to be thrown out there and then if he’s thrown out there to play and the playbook gets shrunk a little bit because of that, because new verbiage or anything like that… I just think he needed another week.”
3 QUOTES ON 3 THINGS
1 O’Shea on the Blue Bombers run defence, which has surrendered a league high 154.3 yards per game through three games and allowed three different backs — Calgary’s Dedrick Mills, Hamilton’s Larry Rountree III and Justin Rankin of the Elks — to each eclipse the 100-yard rushing mark:
“It’s the same answer I give every time this comes up: run plays make yards because you’re not where you’re supposed to be or you miss a tackle when you are there and you just don’t finish. And then big runs happen when you get two of those things — two guys not where they’re supposed to be or a guy where is not supposed to be and then somebody else missing a tackle. Be where you’re supposed to be and finish the play when it comes your way.”
2 Jonathan Moxey on returning to Hamilton — along with receiver Tim White — for the first time after signing with the Blue Bombers this winter in free agency:
“It’s just a blessing whenever I got to a city where I used to live, used to play for… it comes full circle. I just have to lock in. I’m proud of the journey, grateful to God for the journey I’ve been on but I’m playing for a new team now and I’ve got to lock in for my new teammates and make it happen,”
3 Oliveira when asked where the offence is at after three games:
“Looking back at last week, too many mistakes, too many turnovers, fumbles… that’s something we have to do better and it’s something we worked on this week in practice and in the prep for Hamilton.
“There’s still lots of room for growth but I’m happy with how we’ve been playing.”
SKIPPING ‘THE ROYAL WEDDING’
Just FYI, Zach Collaros is here in Hamilton with the team and, no, he did not attend the wedding between his long-time buddy Travis Kelce and pop superstar Taylor Swift Friday night in New York.
“I was bummed (to miss it) because Trav came to all my stuff,” said Collaros with a chuckle. “We had engagement parties, we had bachelor parties and our wedding up here. That makes it tough.
“But you can speak to any pro football player and part of this deal is you miss events like that which kind of is what it is. It’s not a normal job where you can take a couple days off make up your work on the fly — you’ve got to play a game. That’s always been tough, missing friend’s weddings, family weddings, family events… it’s never easy, for sure.”
It was then suggested to Collaros that perhaps Travis and Taylor should have looked at the Blue Bombers game schedule before scheduling their wedding date.
“I talked to him other day. We were taking a walk and I said, ‘You guys could have looked at the game schedule.’ It is what it is.”
NOTABLE NUMBERS
Cool stuff from the CFL stats dept:
- Hamilton has had 33 possessions in their three games and generated 13 TD drives. That creates a 39% success rate – no team has EVER approached that before now. The Ticats have scored on 10 drives of
70 yards or more. - Hamilton is 14-5 after a bye week since the start of 2018, and 4-1 under Scott Milanovich.
- Zach Collaros needs just seven yards passing to move past Khari Jones into second spot in Blue Bombers history, behind only Dieter Brock.
- Blue Bombers receiver Nic Demski now has 506 career receptions and has recently moved past Jason Clermont (501) on the CFL’s list of Canadians with at least 500 catches. Next up is Mike Morreale in 16th spot at 509. Demski would need to get to 553 in receptions to move into the Top 10 on that list, headed by Ben Cahoon, who finished his career at 1,017.
GAME DAY -1
Sam Calvert and your humble agent set up today’s game from a grassy knoll here in Hamilton:
