Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
WINNIPEG — Getting set for an opponent they haven’t seen since Week 1, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers enter Week 16 with a Saturday-night tilt against the Edmonton Eskimos, a team who has faced their recent woes no different than Winnipeg.
Currently sitting at the bottom of the West Division standings, the Bombers match the point total of the BC Lions but have one more loss than the Leos. Despite Winnipeg still being very much in the playoff chance for a likely western crossover to the East’s playoff bracket, time is running out for Mike O’Shea and his team as the schedule enters the final quarter of the season.
When it comes time for playoff pushes like this, veteran leadership certainly comes in handy, especially as injuries start to mount.
Luckily for the Blue Bombers offence, more particularly their receiving corps, they have Weston Dressler, who made his return to the lineup last week against the Alouettes after being placed on the team’s six-game injury list earlier in August. In that game against the Als, Dressler registered his 700th career reception.
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“It means that you’ve been available for a lot of games,” Winnipeg’s head coach Mike O’Shea said on the accomplishment. “We don’t usually celebrate personal accolades in this room, but I find it pretty remarkable and something he should certainly be proud of. But, Weston being the way that he is, those are things that most good professionals are going to think when their career is over, not during the season when they’re working for that ultimate prize.”
Dressler’s leadership has become a huge asset for the Bombers offence, particularly in a young receiving corps that might get pushed into action with injuries to veteran players. And for those who haven’t spent much time around the receiver himself, they’re likely to be amazed by just how much time Dressler has spent as a student of the game, who’s now able to take on an unofficial coaching role amongst the receivers.
“Yeah, no doubt. He’s been that way probably for a number of years,” O’Shea said regarding Dressler’s leadership. “I don’t think it’s anything new. You’re probably talking to guys who are new around him. But he’s not just a coach on the field, you can come in any morning and he’s watching film and running an impromptu meeting with the guys.”
With the Bombers entering Saturday’s game with a few question marks surrounding guys like Nic Demski, the youngsters in the Bombers receiving corps would be smart to rub shoulders with a player with the career that Dressler has had thus far.
“Yup, absolutely. I think our young guys are smart enough to know that they have to latch onto him,” O’Shea says.
It’s players like Dressler and Andrew Harris who have the experience to be prominent leaders in Winnipeg’s push for the playoffs, as both players have spent time with teams throughout their career who have consistently been contenders. Dressler spent from 2008 to 2015 as a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, while Harris spent 2010-2015 with the BC Lions. Between the two, they have each won a Grey Cup and combine for six total CFL All-Star honours.
Another player dealing with the punishment brought on by a full season’s workload, let alone taking on the brunt of the majority of your team’s offence, would be Andrew Harris, who took Tuesday off as a maintenance day.
“It’s crucial,” Harris says. “I think anytime you’re getting the ball, getting ten or so touches in a game, bumps and bruises accumulate so just staying on top of certain things. You just want to be smart about how you handle week-to-week.”
It’s particularly important, especially when you consider the defence the Blue Bombers will be going up against with Almondo Sewell lining up and likely to fill some of the lanes Harris hopes to be running through.
“Some of it is just the position of where a guy lines up,” O’Shea said regarding how the Eskimos front four are able to cause havoc. “Obviously, Almondo Sewell has sort of set the standard for a number of years to what teams are looking for in an interior defensive lineman. When you’re preparing against someone like that you have to know where he is, and you’ve got to bring your lunch bucket and your hard hat because it’s going to be a long day, but we feel the same way with Drake. He’s done a fantastic job for us and I think he’s playing at a very high level and people around the league know that.”
Edmonton’s defence ranks second in the league in total sacks, and a large part of their success on defence relies heavily on their front four. Edmonton doesn’t blitz as much as many other teams do, so for them to be so high in sacks, it’s a testament of just how physical their front four are.
“I think its typical of any defence,” O’Shea said. “Every defensive coordinator, every head coach will say, if you can get there with four then that gives you extra bodies in coverage. If you have to keep bringing more and more guys, you’re pushing your guys in the backend and then they have to be more right and more right, to the point of being perfect.”
Winnipeg’s offence is more than aware of what Edmonton brings to the table despite not facing them since their Week 1 overtime matchup riddled with rain delays.
“They have a good front four, a good d-line that can get there,” O’Shea said. “Obviously, our O-line will have to be sharp to make sure that they protect.”
The Blue Bombers will also have the highly potent offence operated by Mike Reilly to deal with, which is undoubtedly the backbone and identity that the Eskimos have earned. With that comes the performance of Duke Williams, who currently leads the league in receiving yards and receptions.
“He’s right at the top,” O’Shea said on where he believes Williams ranks among the leagues best. “I think he’s averaging like 17 yards per reception, or whatever it is. He’s got a lot of targets, he’s come down with a lot of footballs, scored touchdowns, he’s a big body, he has speed. That pairing with Mike Reilly has been successful all season and last year too.”
A lot has changed for the Eskimos since their Week 1 meeting with the Bombers. For instance, the Eskimos are now without Derel Walker, the perfect companion to counter any additional attention Williams may have received. But as Mike O’Shea states, team’s find ways to adapt to change, even if its change within their own lineup.
“Like any team, I think it’s next man up. I don’t know if the offence changes a lot, it’s just the guy plugged into that spot is going to get a bunch of targets and catches.”
In that case, it may just turn out to be Bryant Mitchell that the Blue Bombers will be needing to keep an eye on.
The Blue Bombers will travel to take on the Eskimos Saturday, with game time scheduled as the latter game on tap for the day. Kick off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
With files from BlueBombers.com
