Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
It is a game with many storylines for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the most important also being the most compelling: with a win, they earn a spot in the Grey Cup derby.
But Friday’s contest is also about ending a long drought at home against the Calgary Stampeders, a stretch that dates back so long it includes games at dearly-departed Canad Inns Stadium.
It’s about making believers of the Doubting Thomases out there who cling to the notion – and perhaps, rightly so – that until this team beats the Stamps in a meaningful game, they will not be considered legit contenders.
And it’s also about a Bombers squad which has got its mojo working at a critical point in the season, having now won four straight since a loss in the Banjo Bowl.
“I can’t put my finger on it, it’s just the attention to detail is at an all-time high here right now,” said linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox. “We’ve got guys talking football 24-7 in this locker room. You get in here first thing in the morning and guys are going over game plans, talking about what they are seeing. It’s a culture I haven’t been around ever in my life with everyone so dialed-in and so in tune with the guy next to him. It’s fun to play that way and I think it’s only going to ramp up in these last couple of games.”
All that said, there’s also an underlying quest for respect here. The Bombers find themselves near or at the top of any number of Power Rankings right now, but understand the only way to earn that respect – and the only Power Ranking that truly matters – is to be the last team standing on the last Sunday in November.
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But before this bunch can even get to all that, they need to take care of business Friday. Without that task accomplished first, the rest simply doesn’t matter.
“We’re fighting for a playoff spot. That’s where I’m at right now,” said veteran cornerback Chris Randle. “It wouldn’t make a difference if it was Edmonton or Sask, Montreal or Calgary coming in here. We want to win because we need to give our fans a win. We want to win because that’s what it takes for our organization to get to the next step. We want to work because we’ve put in a lot of hard work and have a lot of dedication. And we want to win because that’s our goal. If you’re taking care of business and continuing to prepare and execute at the high level, we have in the last couple of weeks, then everything will come with it – the accolades, the wins, the respect.”
There’s also the obvious: no one in the Bombers clubhouse wants to head into Edmonton next week needing a win just to qualify for the playoffs. Not on the road and certainly not against any squad led by Mike Reilly.
And while there is a scenario where the Bombers could fall to 9-9 and still make the playoffs, that’s hardly the best route to success in the postseason.
“Yeah, for sure. That’s exactly how I feel, how this team feels,” said quarterback Matt Nichols. “You don’t want to limp into the playoffs having people winning other games that are just helping you limp across the line. For us, controlling your own destiny is a great thing because if you don’t win one of these next two then we definitely don’t deserve to be there.”
History not on Nichols’ side
It’s a gruesome number – 0-8 – but that’s the career won-lost record for Matt Nichols in starts against the Stampeders, four with the Bombers and four as a member of the Eskimos.
Consider this, though, when evaluating that number: in a 36-34 loss in Calgary in September of 2016, the Bombers rallied from a 24-0 deficit to lead 34-33 with 15 seconds left before Rene Paredes hit a 52-yarder as time expired. And in a 25-23 loss to Calgary on September 24th, 2015 the Bombers were dinged for a procedure penalty the officials later admitted was a mistake and had to settle for a Lirim Hajrullahu 50-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide.
There’s also this: the Stamps have just been damn good during Nichols’ days in the CFL.
“They’ve been a good football team for almost the last decade that I’ve been up here,” he said. “I think if you look at everyone else’s record that’s played against them it’s probably not better. I’ve had a lot of close games against them and we’ve found ways to lose games. I don’t care about any of that. I’ve said many times that any time you play a team it’s a completely different scenario, a completely different match up. We’re a different team than we were the last time we played them and I think they are, too.”
Limiting 33
More gruesome Bombers vs. Stamps numbers… In his four games as a Bomber against the Stampeders, Andrew Harris has rushed 33 times for just 126 yards, a 3.82-yard average.
“They’ve got the better of me the last couple of games, for sure,” said Harris. “For me, I’ve just got to do whatever I have to do to help my team win, whether that’s being called on to block, catch a ball or run, then just be the best I can in all those phases. They do a good job stopping the run and that’s something we like to establish and be successful in. We’ve just got to be physical, play with a high energy and do it for 60 minutes.”
Harris had just seven carries for 13 yards in the meeting between the two clubs in late August, but that was a game in which the Bombers were also without two offensive starters in right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick and receiver Weston Dressler.
The club has also found some more offensive balance in the weeks since.
“Regardless of who we’re playing it’s no secret that (the run) is something we want to get established,” said Nichols. “I also feel like if it’s not working we have plenty of other options and playmakers on this team and it’s everyone else’s responsibility to step up and make plays. If one thing isn’t going the way you want you’ve got to find another way to get it done. We’ve been doing that much better in the last few weeks than we were earlier in the season.”
