Just speculation here, but let’s go out on a limb and suggest a good chunk of Winnipeggers – and especially those who have an office/locker at IG Field – have typed the following words into their search engines over the last couple of days:
‘Cameron Dukes’
Yes, the Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts will meet Friday in south Winnipeg in a marquee Canadian Football League matchup in front of a sold-out crowd, but with the Boatmen – having already locked up first place in the East Division – opting to give their QB1 and Most Outstanding Player candidate Chad Kelly a breather and starting Dukes, a rookie making his first start.
The basic goods on Dukes: he was signed by the Argos this spring after a stint with the Vegas Knight Hawks of the Indoor Football League and, during his college days, led the Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders of Columbia, Kentucky to a NAIA National Championship. He also came off the bench in Toronto’s lone loss to Calgary earlier this year, completing 8-of-15 passes for 63 yards and an interception.
“Don’t know much about him, but I know he led his team to an NAIA championship,” said defensive end Willie Jefferson after practice Wednesday. “He has an opportunity to play in this league and a lot of good guys have come from small schools, so all he has to do is seize his opportunity. But he is coming into a hostile environment and playing a good team and we’re going to try and make it hard for him.”
Still, the common thought from inside the Blue Bombers clubhouse over the last few days is this: the Argos have earned the right to start/rest whoever they want in this tilt. Besides, with Winnipeg in a neck-and-neck sprint for first in the West with the B.C. Lions – both teams currently at 10-4 – they’ve got to get things right within their own squad rather than fixate on the opponent’s depth chart.
“To be honest, I don’t care who they bring,” said receiver Rasheed Bailey with a shrug. “Toronto Argos are coming into our stadium and whoever it is, we’re ready. We’re well rested, we hit the reset button and we have history with this team.
“You are who you are. They’re going to come out and play their defence and their offence, but it’s really not about them. This game is about us, this game is about Winnipeg, this game is about respect and this game is about getting back on track. That’s been the message all week. We’re focused on us.
“The media likes the ‘revenge game’ and who they’re not playing and this and that. I don’t give a … I really don’t care. This team beat us in the Grey Cup last year by one point, they were one point better than us. They look like they’re the best team in the league. They’re going to have starters playing. We’re ready to go. There’s really nothing to talk about, so let’s talk with our pads and do what we do.”
So, forget the Grey Cup rematch angle, the meaningless power rankings or any outside noise like that, the Blue Bombers’ biggest motivation is to get things right again, especially after dropping two of their last three games.
“It’s not about anybody outside of this locker room,” said Jefferson. “As long as the guys inside this locker room communicate out there on the field, we’re good.”
“It’s all about us,” added receiver Kenny Lawler. “We know what we have to do, how we have to execute and what we still want to accomplish.
“What I like about this group is every year the team is different, but what we see with these individuals coming in and working every day with one common goal… it’s beautiful to witness and be a part of. It’s about capitalizing on that this week and then the next and the next.
“We’re figuring it out day by day. We had a great week of practice and we’re going to capture some of that greatness on Friday. It’s starting to get a bit colder out there… it’s time to get things right.”
