Matt Smith/CFL.ca
The most intriguing team for me this off-season is the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. After orchestrating a resurgent season in 2016, the Bombers were going to be an interesting group this winter regardless. Their acquisition of the number one overall pick late last season, though, cranked the interest level in them up a notch.
With the focus still on them, the past week was certainly an interesting one for Winnipeg.
Interesting week
With the number one and six overall picks in May’s draft, the Bombers have a great opportunity to secure two franchise pieces for the long term. But with the CFL Combine presented by adidas all wrapped up, it doesn’t sound like Winnipeg is any closer to determining who they’re going to use their first pick on.
“The more information you got as the week went on murkied the waters, I’d say,” general manager Kyle Walters told Ed Tait of BlueBombers.com. “Now it’s a matter of we’ll sit down and have to watch this film a lot more closely over the next couple of weeks and go back and watch some more game film.”
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The Bombers’ staff looks on during the bench press at the CFL Combine (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
On the one hand, that’s good news, because it tells us there was a ton of competition over the course of the combine. Having a tough decision to make is fairly desirable if you’re the team holding the number one pick, but it also puts a ton of pressure on to select the right player.
Winnipeg is moving in a really nice direction, so it’s not like the future of their team depends on who they select at number one. However, when you have an asset like that, you want to get it right, regardless of the situation. It sounds like the Bombers are going to need a lot of deliberating and debate to come to a decision at number one, let alone number six.
I wrote a few weeks ago how the offensive line seems to be the place to target with Winnipeg’s first pick. While the Bombers have come a substantial way in Canadian depth on the line, I still think it’s an area they can augment and there are a number of solid talents available at the high end of the draft.
There are some really solid prospects at other positions, too, which is why this is going to be such a difficult decision for Walters and company. In the end, though, GMs want tough decisions, and it looks like that’s exactly what Walters is going to get.
The week got a little more interesting for Winnipeg when receiver Ryan Smith announced his retirement out of nowhere on Friday. Smith is going to pursue other interests outside of football and has decided to step away from the game at the age of 25. I respect the decision 100 per cent and wish him the best going forward, but I do feel bad for the Bombers due to the timing.
Ryan Smith’s retirement caught the football world by surprise on Friday (CFL.ca)
Winnipeg’s off-season plan was shaped with the assumption Smith was going to be in the fold for he 2017 campaign. Remember, Smith was one of the team’s many impressive forays into free agency a year ago along with players like Andrew Harris and Justin Medlock. But just one season into his time with the Bombers, Smith is stepping away.
The timing is unfortunate for Winnipeg, as they weren’t able to potentially use free agency to replace Smith. Granted, the North Dakota product played just 11 games last season, so it’s not like he was irreplaceable in the team’s resurgent season. In saying that, a full season would have seen Smith finish second on the team with around 800 receiving yards, so it’s not like he didn’t contribute, either.
The Bombers have some really nice pieces at receiver going forward, so I’m fairly confident they’ll be able to withstand the loss of Smith without a ton of difficulty. But the timing of his retirement, while unavoidable, was slightly unfortunate nonetheless.
My original title for this part of the MMQB was “Frustrating week”, but I amended it to “Interesting week.” I don’t think Winnipeg is frustrated at all, because I think they realize they’re in a really nice spot heading into 2017. But the Bombers were certainly thrown a couple curveballs this past week, and that absolutely keeps things interesting.
The Money List part two
Two weeks ago, we started our MMQB Money List by selecting Bo Levi Mitchell as our quarterback. To refresh, we’re choosing one player at each position with one specific piece of criteria: we’re identifying players with the goal to win a Grey Cup immediately in mind. This week we’re switching the focus to the defensive side of the ball.
Linebacker – Solomon Elimimian, BC Lions
2016 was a significant bounce back season for Lions linebacker Solomon Elimimian (Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca)
There are some really good linebackers in this league, but it’s clear to me Elimimian is at the very top of this mountain. Elimimian is perhaps the most devastating force defensively in the entire league and can impact the game in so many different facets.
For the second time in his career, Elimimian led the CFL in tackles in 2016 and did so after suffering a season ending Achilles injury the year before. Elimimian finished with 129 defensive tackles in 2016, which just happens to be the third highest single season total in league history. Oh, and Elimimian just happens to hold the all-time record of 143 set in 2014.
But Elimimian isn’t just dominant in the middle tier of the defence. The 30-year-old Hawaii grad also finished eighth in 2016 with eight sacks, the most of any linebacker. In fact, Elimimian has finished with five or more sacks in three of his CFL seasons, which is pretty impressive for someone with as much responsibility in the middle of the field as he shoulders.
Finally, Elimimian is no slouch in coverage, either. While he had just one interception in 2016, he has eight for the career and is mobile enough to take on coverage assignments on certain blitz packages. He’s one of the most versatile defensive players in the league and was a no-brainer as our money linebacker.
Defensive back – T.J. Heath, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Bombers defensive back T.J. Heath was traded from Toronto midway through 2016 (The Canadian Press)
This was an extremely difficult decision to make. In fact, choosing the best defensive back on the Bombers had me banging my head on the keyboard in trying to make this choice. Heath’s teammates Maurice Leggett, Kevin Fogg, and Taylor Loffler were all considered, as were Tommie Campbell and Jamar Wall of the Stampeders, among a few others.
But I went with Heath because I just love how dynamic he is. In his first CFL season, Heath finished tied for the league lead with seven interceptions and did so on a pair of teams. If you can believe it, the Bombers acquired Heath and the first overall pick in their Drew Willy deal with Toronto. That’s a pretty impressive return.
Heath was considered the heart of the Toronto defensive backfield before the trade and the team was visibly shaken by his departure. That tells you lots right there, and when you factor in how well he fit with his new team immediately, I’m even more convinced of his importance.
Heath’s ball skills are among the best at his position across the league and his ability to break on a pass is what I love most about him. He reads the quarterback well, has effective range, and has explosive speed once into his break. I’m fascinated to watch Heath in a full season with the Bombers, because that backfield looks terrifyingly good heading into 2017.
