May 23, 2017

Bombers’ ever-evolving secondary takes on new look in ’17

Coaches preach it and the players live it: ‘Football is a change business.’ And it’s an expression that represents both the competitiveness and paranoia that comes with playing the game.

Veterans – no matter how well-established, respected or honoured – know they should always be looking over their shoulder at who may be gaining on them.

And rookies are schooled in pushing for work right away, especially understanding that salary-cap issues are forever part of the decision-making process in putting together a team.

This is an important factor to keep in mind as we open the second installment in our positional preview series leading into the opening of rookie camp this Wednesday and main camp on Sunday.

Just to rewind a tad, the Bombers secondary – the collection of defensive backs that make up the air defence – underwent a significant makeover heading into the 2016 season, and then it changed dramatically again once the campaign began to unfold.

It could be said, then, that the only constant when it comes to this team’s secondary is change.

Consider, as proof, the opening night starting unit from a year ago: it featured Chris Randle and Kevin Fogg, a rookie replacing an injured Johnny Adams, at corner; Julian Posey and Bruce Johnson at halfback and Macho Harris – a veteran brought aboard from the Saskatchewan Roughriders – at safety.

And six months later when the Bombers faced the B.C. Lions in the Western Semi-Final, the starting secondary had newcomer Terrence Frederick and Randle at corner, Johnson and T.J. Heath at halfback and rookie Taylor Loffler at safety.

By then Adams had been traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats; Heath was part of the Drew Willy deal last September with the Toronto Argonauts; Loffler replaced a dinged Harris at safety in Week 6 and never gave the gig up en route to being named a CFL All-Star. Posey, meanwhile, finished the year on the practice roster before being released.

The message here to the collective would be this: don’t get too comfy, lads.

There are other factors that could lead to more change. While defensive totals are always a group success or failure, the Bombers were all over the map when it comes to defensive statistics, particularly as it relates to the men in the secondary.

Winnipeg led the CFL in forcing turnovers with 59 takeaways – including a league-best 30 interceptions and 25 forced fumbles (second in the CFL) – but also surrendered 335.2 yards passing against per game, most in the CFL.

The Bombers upgraded their defensive front in the offseason in an effort to create more pressure, but also spent the winter looking for defensive back candidates adept at playing man-to-man coverage – the goal being to move away from being a unit that was set up predominantly in zone coverage a year ago. All that could possibly lead to a fundamental change that could see more pressure on quarterbacks from the front seven and leave the defensive backfield alone to fend for itself.


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Now as much as the club’s brass is always looking to push the incumbents, what the Bombers finished 2016 with in the secondary is very much an intriguing collection of talent, especially given the upgrades on the defensive line.

Randle and Johnson are the veterans, Frederick and Fogg showed flashes while Heath – who tied with Maurice Leggett for the CFL lead in interceptions with seven – is a ball-hawking machine with a long list of NFL stops. As for Loffler, his name came up frequently during CFL Week in Regina in March from players around the league as an emerging star.

Again though, in this league veterans and young guns alike learn quickly one lesson about life in the secondary: rent, don’t buy.

Impact Newcomer

Roc Carmichael stood out at rookie camp in April as the kind of coverage guy who could line up anywhere in the secondary. Not only will he get a look at half and corner, he could also take some reps behind Moe Leggett at the strong-side linebacker/dime back spot.

X-Factor

Taylor Loffler is already a CFL All-Star, having earned that nod with just 12 starts as a rookie but after making a significant impact – both literally and figuratively – patrolling the middle of the Bombers secondary. And yet he’s listed here as an X Factor because many in the CFL believe he just flashed hints at his potential in ’16 and his room to grow still is significant.

Juicy Number – 64

Winnipeg’s interception total over the past three years – 30 in 2016, 21 in 2015 and 13 in 2014. That number is the most among CFL teams, followed by Hamilton (60), Ottawa and Edmonton (58), Calgary (49), B.C. (46), Montreal (43), Saskatchewan (40) and Toronto (39).