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News October 23, 2023

Upon Further Review | EDM 25 WPG 45

2nd Half - Brendan O'Leary-Orange 84 - Rasheed Bailey 88 touchdown celebration

@EdTaitWFC

Let the record show that moments after Nic Demski had helped the Winnipeg Blue Bombers make Canadian Football League history Saturday night, the first man off the bench to help him celebrate was Brady Oliveira.

And for anyone who has followed the Blue Bombers this season, that particular snapshot from the club’s 45-25 victory over the Edmonton Elks captures so much; from the historical significance of the moment, to the bond the two Winnipegers have formed since becoming teammates with their hometown team.

Demski pulled in a seven-yard pass from Zach Collaros with just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter Saturday that not only put him over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career, but also meant the Blue Bombers became the first team in CFL history to have a Canadian finish with 1K in receiving and another homegrown – Oliveira – rush for over 1K.

“I think we’ll be able to sit back now in the locker room over a couple of cold ones and really soak in how special this is,” Oliveira told bluebombers.com. “We kind of talked about it on the sidelines near the fourth quarter… that’s crazy. That’s history. No one has ever done that, and this league has been around for years and years.”

“So, it’s special, man. I’m so proud of Demski. I see how he works his butt off and how he attacks every single day. He’s a true pro and that’s a guy I look up to and a guy I looked up to when I came to this team.

“He’s the definition of a pro and those are the guys you want in this locker room. Seeing him have so much success this year in his first 1,000-yard season, for him to be one of my best friends and for us to make history together and with us both being from Oak Park… it’s special, man.”

No question, it’s special. Oliveira now has 1,498 yards rushing – the second highest total by a Canadian in league history to the 1,813 Jon Cornish of the Calgary Stampeders amassed in 2013 and now the eighth-highest total in Blue Bombers history (Robert Mimbs holds the team record with 1,769 in 1991).

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to get the ball in my hands and make plays and I never want to lose that,” said Demski. “I’m thankful to be here with this organization and for them to have the trust in me and be with a great offensive line, great receivers, a great quarterback and running back.”

Further to the 1K-1K feat pulled by Demski and Oliveira – it’s not lost on their teammates how big that is and how phenomenal that it has been authored by two Winnipeggers from the same high school.

“That’s so cool,” said Collaros. “I’m actually surprised it had never been done before. And for them to both be from the same high school? I always tell them I wish there was a pro team in my hometown (Steubenville, Ohio)… I would play for them. It’s one of the coolest stories, one of the coolest things to be able do this in front of family and friends, old coaches and teammates, mentors. Some of my closest friends still are from my hometown, so for them to be doing this here is really amazing.”

More on the Blue Bombers win over the Elks in this week’s edition of UPON FURTHER REVIEW…

ONE MORE ON DEMSKI GETTING TO 1K… because it’s been a tough road over the last few weeks for him to reach the mark. He had six catches for 137 yards and a TD in the loss to Hamilton in mid-September, but in the three games since had 11 catches for 75 yards.

“The last couple of weeks we’ve seen some really off coverage and zone and guys trying to get their hands on him,” Collaros explained. “It’s been in the back of my head – I want to get it to him. It just didn’t work out the last couple of weeks and it was certainly on our mind tonight and I’m happy we got it done. I know we sometimes talk about numbers and that they don’t mean much, but for a receiver 1,000 yards means something. It’s the first of many for him. I mean it. As long as I’m playing and I’m here and Nic’s going to be here we’re going to keep going.”

And that respect Demski has in the room – as mentioned above by Oliveira – is very much real.

“I love Nic Demski,” said Collaros. “I love what he’s about. I love him as a football player. I love him as a friend, as a person, as a father… I just think he’s an unbelievable guy. He does a lot for our team, obviously on the field as a receiver, but in the locker room, too.”

GOOD TO SEE RASHEED BAILEY GET INTO THE END ZONE – TWICE… against the Elks because he is such an emotional tone setter for the club.

Bailey scored his fourth and fifth touchdowns of the year and – as we’ve said many times before – the veteran receiver does so much of the dirty work he deserves a little glory once in a while.

“I do a lot of stuff that’s done in the dark,” he said. “You turn the tape on and you’ll see a lot of the dirty work. So, to get those rewards… God is so good. I was at the Gala the other night (the Blue Bombers annual banquet) and was able to talk about the culture we have here and what we’ve built, well, sometimes the glory comes back. I’ve learned so many lessons throughout all of this. I’ve learned a lot about myself.”

And here’s the evidence of how much Bailey is appreciated, via Demski:

“It’s funny, every week you’ve got to tell ‘Sheed, ‘Just keep working. It’s coming. It’s coming. Keep working.’ And he does. Every day he puts the hard hat on and does the job most receivers don’t want to do and that’s blocking in the trenches and blocking linebackers and defensive ends. He takes pride in it. So, for him to get his opportunities downfield and his end zone shots, I know it means so much to ‘Sheed and it gets everybody going on the bench – not just the offence – the defence is riled up, the kickers, the punter… everybody loves it because ‘Sheed just comes with a great attitude every day. So, for him to get those opportunities, I’m pumped up for him.”

THREE NUMBERS WHICH JUMP OUT FROM THE STATISTICAL REPORT… available here.

1 – The Blue Bombers cranked out 28 first downs and had a time of possession of 38 minutes and 52 seconds (Edmonton had 16 first downs and a time of possession of 21:08). Those numbers again represent how Winnipeg’s offence was able to dictate the game with their solid ground game which led to an efficient passing attack.

The Blue Bombers averaged 6.7 yards on first down, while Collaros (13-of-16, 125 yards and one TD) and Dru Brown (7-of-7, 94 yards and two TDs) combined to complete 87.7% of their passes and finish with a 157.7 QB efficiency rating.

2 – Calgary’s win over B.C. on Friday clinched first place for the Blue Bombers, putting them atop the West Division for the third straight season – a feat which hadn’t been done in these parts since 1960-62. That said, it does need to be pointed out that the Blue Bombers did finish first in the East Division from 1992-94.

3 – Another historical number to mention: Winnipeg won its 10th straight against Edmonton on Saturday, a streak that dates to 2019. Over that span, the average margin of victory is a whopping 15.6 points.

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN… the Blue Bombers wrap up their regular season this Friday in Calgary and then will enjoy a first-round bye in the playoffs as the Lions host the Stampeders at B.C. Place in the West Semi-Final. And when the Blue Bombers return to IG Field to face the winner of that game, well, if Saturday is any indication, that crowd should be bonkers.

“We kept our focus because of the crowd here and because we wanted to do it for each other,” said Bailey. “We wanted to start fast and just play our fashion of football. We had moments where we weren’t really doing that, but that crowd, man… there were moments where I couldn’t even hear myself talk.

“We’ve got something special brewing here and I can’t wait to come back for the West Final because it’s going to be absolutely crazy.

“That, tonight, was the pre-game. I always tweet how much we love the fans and appreciate them, and they knew we weren’t playing for anything, too. So, to hear the way they were tonight – there’s no place you’d rather play in the CFL than here because of that.”