PRESEASON 1 | EDMONTON ESKIMOS VS WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

THE 4-1-1

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Investors Group Field
Streaks: (Preseason) Edmonton 1W: Winnipeg: first game
Recent history: The Eskimos won their preseason debut last Sunday in Edmonton with a 35-12 decision over Saskatchewan. The Esks starters opened the game against a Roughriders squad minus a ton of veterans and scored on their first two possessions, as QB Mike Reilly was 5-of-6 for 69 yards and a TD before exiting.

These same two clubs met in the playoffs last November, with the Eskimos knocking off the Bombers 39-32 in the West Semi-Final.

3 STORYLINES

TO BE 2, OR NOT TO BE 2

If this storyline looks familiar, it’s because the exact same script unfolded a year ago when the Bombers opened their two-game preseason schedule hoping someone would emerge as the clear-cut No. 2 quarterback out of the bullpen. Back then, the principles were Dom Davis and Dan LeFevour, as the two veterans scrapped for the spot behind Matt Nichols. This year, with Davis released and subsequently having signed with Ottawa and LeFevour now retired – and with Darian Durant doing his thing and retiring just before training camp – the Bombers are in the same position, albeit with new faces.

The candidates:

• Alex Ross is the most experienced of the four other QBs on the Bombers depth chart, having dressed for four games last year with the B.C. Lions and going five for 12, 82 yards and two picks in garbage time. He is learning a new system now that he is here in Winnipeg, but the Lions were intrigued by him because of his numbers at Coastal Carolina where he owns virtually every school passing record. He was part of the purge in B.C. when Ed Hervey became the GM, and at just 25, hopes to establish himself not just as the Bombers No. 2, but ultimately a guy who could push for starter’s work in this league.
• Chris Streveler comes to Winnipeg fresh from the University of South Dakota, where he played two years after transferring from Minnesota. Streveler is a big-bodied QB at 6-1, 211, and in his two years with the Coyotes was more than prolific, throwing for 6,081 yards and 54 TDs while also flashing some skills as a runner. He’s had a crash course on the CFL game since his arrival; Friday will show how quick a study he is.
• Zack Mahoney is another pivot who arrived straight from a college campus. Mahoney is a Canadian citizen who ended up starting games at Syracuse University after joining the Orange as a walk-on. Considered a tough ‘gamer’-type, his reps in camp have been limited behind Nichols, Ross and Streveler.
• Bryan Bennett is a name some Bombers diehards will remember. He spent the 2016 season with the team before moving to Saskatchewan last year. The Oregon-Southeastern Louisiana product is a superb athlete, but is recovering from an injury and has yet to practice.

No position on the football field is studied and evaluated more than the quarterback. And no position is more results based. That’s why Friday is massive, knowing that snaps could be limited and every decision and throw could be decisive in this fight.

THE OTHER JOB INTERVIEWS

The Bombers, like every CFL team, won’t be without their changes in 2018. CFL stars like Adarius Bowman and Adam Bighill have come aboard, as have players the team hopes emerges into future stars like Chandler Fenner, Nic Demski and any of the new faces the scouting staff unearthed last year.

So, the question becomes which players become this year’s version of Brandon Alexander, Jackson Jeffcoat, Brian Walker, Jovan Santos-Knox, Cory Johnson, all players who emerged as starters last season as CFL rookies?

The battle for work behind the group of incumbent import receivers of Darvin Adams, Weston Dressler and Adarius Bowman has been intriguing through camp. Former NFLers like Corey Washington, Kenbrell Thompkins and Rueben Randle are all in the mix, along with Myles White – who joined the practice roster late last year. But don’t rule out players like A.J. Coney and Donteea Dye, both of whom have kick-return skills. The same goes for Ryan Lankford, who led the team in kickoff-return yards and made six starts.

The Bombers also plan on starting two Canadians in the receiving corps. Even though he has missed some time in camp, Nic Demski is a lock for one of those spots, at slotback. But the wide receiver gig has been an intriguing battle. Drew Wolitarsky was locking down that job before he was nicked in camp, opening the door for top draft pick Rashaun Simonise to step up and impress.

The other areas to watch include the defensive line spot, where newcomer Brandin Bryant, a tackle, could push both Drake Nevis and Cory Johnson and at end where the Bombers could employ solid rotation of Jackson Jeffcoat, Craig Roh and Tristan Okpalaugo.

Adam Bighill’s addition gives the Bombers so man options on defence, and means the weak-side job now looks to be a scrap between Jovan Santos-Knox and Kyrie Wilson, especially with veteran Ian Wild missing much of camp with an injury.

And finally, in the secondary the only locks are CFL All-Stars Chris Randle at corner and Taylor Loffler at safety. Former B.C. Lion Anthony Gaitor has had a solid camp, as has Kevin Fogg and a handful of rookies, most notably Marcus Sayles and Tyneil Cooper and another former Lion in Steven Clarke. That crew is all pushing incumbents Brian Walker and Brandon Alexander.

BUBBLE WRAP vs. SNAPS

This is the debate that is fuelled during every preseason: how many reps, if any at all, do the starters get leading into the real games? Yes, for as much as star players may want to get some time in the preseason to get their timing down and take or give a ferocious hit, there is always the risk of injury. Of course, a guy could also roll an ankle just hopping out of his SUV in the morning.

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea indicated everyone healthy would be dressing, but that not everyone will take a snap against the Eskimos.

“Guys need work, right?” said O’Shea. “And so, we want to make sure everything we see going on in training camp, the good stuff, is there in the game.

“In between what we want and what they need, or what they need and what we think they need… somewhere in there lies the number of reps that they’ll get. But I do like to ask the players what they think they need, especially the guys on defence and special teams. Some of them like to play a lot of the teams in one of the games.”

O’Shea did confirm that Matt Nichols will get some playing time Friday, but just how much is unknown. Nichols said he felt he needed at least a couple of quarters to get used to the adrenaline that comes with game action.

“I don’t know if it’s as much as that as you’re playing with the play clock, you’re playing against a different defence and seeing different looks than you’ve seen in practice all camp long,” Nichols explained. “You’re playing with a little bit of adrenaline which I think is something, especially as a quarterback, you really need to get those reps with the adrenaline in your body because I feel like I can throw the ball 55 yards in practice, 65 in a game. That’s how much more juice you get. You want to get used to that before Week 1, for sure.”

5 NEW BOMBERS TO WATCH

#13 Rashaun Simonise, WR: There’s just a smoothness to every route he runs. The Bombers top pick in the 2018 draft could be starting sooner rather than later and any concerns about his commitment were erased the moment he arrived.

#41 Tyneil Cooper, DB: One of those ‘out-of-nowhere’ additions that has stood out in camp. Rhode Island product who played his college ball at Dixie State. He’s smallish at 5-8, but just keeps making plays.

#71 Daniel Petermann, SB: Missed a couple of days during camp, but has otherwise caught just about everything thrown his way. The move to starting two Canadians in the receiving corps and the departures of Matt Coates and Julian Feoli-Gudino has opened jobs for homegrown pass catchers.

#17 Chris Streveler, QB: Tough to get a read on any of the QBs with them wearing the untouchable yellow jerseys. But the rookie from South Dakota seems to make quick decisions and get rid of the ball quickly. We’ll see about his ability to attack on deeper throws and to run when pressure busts up the pocket on Friday.

#35 Johnny Augustine, RB: The Bombers are dressing only three RBs for Friday – Andrew Harris, Augustine and Jahad Thomas, added earlier this week. With the workload for Harris likely to be limited, it’s a glorious opportunity for Augustine, a Canadian, to showcase his talents.

USELESS STAT DEPT

The Bombers tied both of their dress rehearsals a year ago – there is no OT in the preseason – and haven’t gone 2-0 in exhibition games since 1995, although they did go 1-0-1 in 2000. Winnipeg is 6-17-3 in preseason action dating back to 2005.

GOOD TO GO

Nic Demski had missed a few days earlier in camp, but has been impressive when healthy and a quick study of Paul LaPolice’s offence. Asked if he approached contests like this as ‘just a preseason game’, Demski said:

“I don’t treat it that way. Honestly. I have three years under my belt, but at the same time, this is my first year in a new offence with a new team in a new organization. Obviously from team to team they do different things… I just want to get settled in. I just want to get as comfortable as I can so that by the time Week 1 rolls around I’m ready to go.”

GOOD ADVICE

Matt Nichols has the ear of everyone in the Bombers locker room, but especially those who share the QB room with him. He offered this earlier this week during a discussion on preseason snaps and how the new QBs in camp might make an impression.

“As a young player, I didn’t care about when or how much I was going to play,” said Nichols. “It was just the fact that when I did go in there I wanted to move the ball and put up points and score touchdowns. Honestly, there were a couple times in my career where those couple quarters I got in a preseason game made the difference in me being able to continue my career or not.

“They are very important reps, every single rep you get out there, especially as a young quarterback to go out there and prove you are competent and take the things you’ve been coached to do out onto the field. For me, I would just say ‘Don’t count your reps, make your reps count.’ That’s a cliché thing, but that’s what it’s all about: be ready to go at any time because you don’t know when your time is going to come in the preseason a lot of the time. But you can sure be ready and make sure you make the most of it.”