Game 4: Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-1) at Montreal Alouettes (2-0)
MONTREAL – It’s an interesting narrative and perhaps the low-hanging fruit for a Winnipeg Blue Bombers-themed story heading into Saturday’s Week 3 matchup with the Alouettes here in smoky, hazy Montreal. And so, let’s not ignore the obvious and open with a discussion…
The storyline goes like this: the Alouettes may be 2-0 after wins over Ottawa and Hamilton, but they’re going to be facing an ornery Blue Bombers squad after they were beaten – in shocking fashion, no less – at home last week by the B.C. Lions.
Thing is, watching the Blue Bombers in action at practice this week there were few signs of this being a group so angry it could spit rust. So, we put it to Paddy Neufeld at Friday’s media availability at the team’s downtown hotel: Is this Blue Bombers team pissed off?
“Yeah,” Neufeld began. “I mean, you try to play pissed off all the time. But you never want to lose a football game and the way we lost it is not something we’re dwelling on, but it is something that’s in the back of our minds. It’s a little more motivation.
“Losing a game like that leaves a feeling in your stomach that is hard to get rid of and usually winning takes care of that. Our focus is on that first snap of the game against Montreal and then making sure it’s the kind of snap we want to have. They’re going to have their plays that they make, too, and we’re going to have to rebound from that but ultimately, we’re focusing on us and what we have to do to win that football game.”
Same question was posed to Willie Jefferson. And his response mirrored that of Neufeld.
“We’re just ready to get back to playing football. It was a long week,” Jefferson said. “We had enough time to look at the B.C. game; had enough time to look at the Montreal tape and see what we want to do on offence, defence and special teams.
“We can be pissed. We can be angry. Call it whatever you want. We’re just ready to come out here and put another win in the win column and go 1-0.”
And it’s here were the Blue Bombers lean in and trust in their process – that notion of just trying to go 1-0 each week. Man up and accept your medicine, as Adam Bighill suggested right after the loss to the Lions last week, and a team does that by getting back in the film room, getting back in the gym and then getting back to work on game day.
It’s not complicated, but it works.
“I see the same thing you see every week – which is probably what you want to see,” said head coach Mike O’Shea when asked for a read of his club over the last few days. “If it was markedly different you would go, ‘Huh… why are they changing what they are doing?’
“I see the same guys in early in the morning. I see the same guys staying late. I see the same guys in the weight room lifting. They run around at practice. Nothing’s changed.”
The Blue Bombers had many areas they wanted to clean up in the wake of the loss to the Lions in all aspects of their game. But there was also an underlying tone immediately after the game that carried into the work week: they weren’t physical enough, particularly at the line of scrimmage. And, again, that’s what made the loss last week look so out of character.
“It just wasn’t physical enough and that’s something we stand by – offence, defence and special teams,” said Jefferson. “If we have the opportunity to go out there and put a hat on somebody and be a physical team, that’s what we want to do. We got pushed around last week.”
More on the Blue Bombers vs. Alouettes to get you ready in our Week 3 Playbook…
GTDs GALORE
The Blue Bombers depth chart features six changes this week with even more potential mystery as three players are listed as GTD – game time decisions.
On this week are DE Jackson Jeffcoat, DT Cam Lawson, CB Demerio Houston, RB/WR Greg McCraie, OL Tui Eli and QB Dakota Prukop. Coming off are QB Tyrrell Pigrome, CB Desmond Lawrence (moved to six-game injured list), FB Damian Jackson, OL Jakub Szott, DT Miles Fox and DT Tanner Schmekel.
The GTDs are SB Nic Demski, WR Carlton Agudosi and DB Redha Kramdi. Demski’s fiancée was due to deliver their first child over the last few days, while Kramdi did not practice on Thursday after being on the field on Tuesday and Wednesday.
SACK ATTACK
The Blue Bombers surrendered seven sacks last week to the Lions – the highest total since a 38-8 loss to Hamilton in August of 2015. In football time, that’s eons ago.
“We just weren’t ourselves,” veteran tackle Stanley Bryant told bluebombers.com earlier this week. “We all just took our turns doing things we don’t normally do, as a group and as individuals. That played a big part in how things actually looked on the field. We’ve just got to be better. We’ve learned to flush things and move on and play the next play. The other things we don’t need to focus on now.
“It was just one of those games. We haven’t had one like that in a long time. It was rough to see.
“They won their battles one-on-one and executed better than we did. We’ve just got to get back to how we do things and not worry about them but worry about ourselves and our technique in executing our plays.
“Win, lose or draw we go in and look at the mistakes, the execution, and our technique. We’ll go out there and compete like always, be more physical and just play Bomber football. We’ve got to flush last week and get back to enjoying ourselves and beating up on guys.”
COMING HOME
Veteran linebacker Shayne Gauthier will be suiting up for his 84th career game on Saturday – all with the Blue Bombers – and the notion of playing in his home province never gets old.
“It’s always special to play in Montreal. All my friends and family are coming. It’s always nice to see everyone after the game on the field in my jersey,” said Gauthier. “It’s such a nice feeling.”
Gauthier said Canada Day hotel prices being jacked up in Montreal has impacted how many people will be at McGill on Saturday, but he still hopes to have 10-15 friends and family in the house.
“Just to see my family behind the bench is special,” he said. “It doesn’t happen often. Sometimes I’ll have my dad come (to Winnipeg) but that’s one guy in the stands. Last year in Montreal was special because I had close to 25 people there. I don’t treat it as a bigger game or anything, but it is a step up in the level of excitement. I find I also have a bit more stress playing in front of that many friends and family because I want to make them proud.”
