The Canadian Press
Three rookies have helped pull the Bombers’ secondary out of a tailspin.
Terrence Frederick, C.J. Roberts and Taylor Loffler have been on the No. 1 defensive unit the last two games for Winnipeg on the back end, the latter two made the first two starts of their careers. Roberts made his initial CFL start just two weeks earlier than Frederick and Loffler.
Frederick and Roberts book end each other at the boundary and field corner spots while Loffler patrols the middle of the field as Winnipeg’s safety. Roberts spent time on the Bombers’ practice roster to end 2015.
Loffler was drafted in the third round, 19th overall. Frederick suffered a major shoulder injury in 2014 that kept him out of football until he landed with Winnipeg in late June.
Each man has assimilated to the CFL style of football quickly.
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Terrence Frederick intercepts a pass intended for Hamilton’s Brandon Banks (The Canadian Press)
The five-foot-10 Texas A&M product recorded three tackles and one game-sealing interception on his first three-down game action. Then Frederick made seven stops in Winnipeg’s Week 7 blowout win over Hamilton. No. 35 looks comfortable on the short side, especially for a rookie.
Just four weeks ago, Roberts made his debut north of the border and got baptized in a hurry. Derel Walker, an Aggies teammate of Frederick, roasted the first-year corner for a 74-yard touchdown. Roberts drew a flag on the play for illegal contact, which made it look even worse. Giving up a big play like that could wreck a rookie’s confidence, but it didn’t rattle Roberts.
Instead the Colorado State-Pueblo alum kept working hard to improve his craft and rewarded the coaching staff for keeping faith in him by jumping a Brandon Banks route and intercepting Jeremiah Masoli for a pick-six that ignited a 34-0 opening 30 minutes against the Ticats.
Meanwhile, Loffler has stepped into the starting lineup for Macho Harris who is on the six-game injured list with an undisclosed injury. Even though the Kelowna, B.C. native earned a scholarship to Boise State and was the backbone on a University of British Columbia team that won a Vanier Cup in 2015, the leap to the pro game can be daunting. Two games in as a starter Loffler seems like he already belongs.
During the six-foot-four, 220-pounder’s first CFL start against Edmonton you could notice a steady presence. Loffler nullified any long plays down the middle of the field. When balls were thrown in his area underneath he made a downhill beeline and laid well-timed hits to separate the receiver from the football.
After no official statistics but a strong showing in a victory to begin his career as a starter, Loffler registered four tackles, one interception and one knock down while flying around Investors Group Field with a purpose. If you took the name off the back of the jersey onlookers would’ve thought the national safety was a seasoned veteran. Loffler’s emergence gives the Bombers a ratio option, which is always important in the Canadian game.
The sample size is admittedly small, but nonetheless Winnipeg allowed a completion rate of 70.5 percent in the first five weeks of the season. That number has dipped to 61.9 percent with Frederick, Roberts and Loffler all in the starting secondary together. And four of Winnipeg’s league-leading nine interceptions have come in the last two games, three from the new Bomber trio.
CFL offences are throwing the football at a higher rate than we’ve ever seen – 70.7 percent of plays have been passes to begin 2016. Quarterback efficiency is at an all-time high through six games at 101.2. Those two statistics show that it’s increasingly important to find defensive players who can cover and tackle well.
With the emergence of three young pros Winnipeg has some depth on the back end. Chris Randle and Johnny Adams – two talented cover men – are working back from injuries. Once they are healthy that unit becomes even deeper. And Kevin Fogg, Julian Posey and Bruce Johnson haven’t even been mentioned yet.
That’s a group which has the makings to create a no fly zone for the Bombers.
