The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated the Edmonton Elks by a score of 45-25 on Saturday night in front of 32,343 fans at IG Field. Below are my thoughts on the game.
Collaros watch
Fans in Winnipeg spent early Saturday morning celebrating Calgary’s upset win over B.C., which resulted in the Blue Bombers clinching first place in the West Division for the third straight year. The conversation quickly changed focus to how the club would manage its roster against Edmonton given that the contest no longer had any playoff implications.
Zach Collaros ended up playing until near the end of the third quarter, completing 13-of-16 pass attempts for 125 yards and one touchdown. The two-time reigning Most Outstanding Player floated a ball to Kenny Lawler in the flat on his final drive and was lucky that Loucheiz Purifoy dropped it, as the defensive back came close to bringing it back for a 90-yard pick-six. Collaros threw a pick-six to Purifoy during Winnipeg’s game against the Elks on Aug. 10, which occurred on the same play on which he suffered a neck injury.
Player rest has been a hot topic in the CFL since the Toronto Argonauts clinched first place in the East Division with six games left to play. Chad Kelly has started four of the five games since, though Cameron Dukes has come on in a relief role in a couple of those contests. The difference, however, is that Kelly is a first-year starter, while Collaros has been around for over a decade. It made sense for Winnipeg to sit Collaros for most of the second half and the team would be wise to rest him for all of next week.
Winnipeg’s offensive line did a great job of controlling the line of scrimmage, preventing a dangerous Edmonton defensive line led by Jake Ceresna and A.C. Leonard from recording any sacks. The unit also helped Brady Oliveira, Johnny Augustine, Dakota Prukop, and Greg McCrae to combine for 153 yards and two touchdowns along the ground.
Dru Brown was excellent in a relief role, completing all seven of his pass attempts for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Assuming he gets the start in next week’s regular-season finale in Calgary, the pending free agent will be looking to show he can be effective as a starter. Brown’s been excellent coming off the bench this year but struggled in his lone start of the year, which coincidentally came in Week 11 against the Stampeders at McMahon Stadium.
Over the top
Adam Bighill made a sensational goal-line stop in the first quarter, leaping over the line of scrimmage to knock Taylor Cornelius back on second-and-goal from the two-yard line. Though Edmonton scored on the following play, it was still a sensational tackle that will be in contention for 3DownNation‘s best play of the week.
The veteran linebacker’s shortage yardage technique has drawn criticism from some fans on social media, who believe he should be penalized for jumping over the line to make contact with oncoming ball-carriers. He indicated that the league’s officials have never warned him about his technique, nor does he believe it should be penalized.
“You’ve got all these fans on social media saying, ‘Oh, you’re flying over leading with your head and spearing.’ The fact is it’s not really true. People especially in Saskatchewan don’t like it when I stop their quarterback on third-and-short, so they get all mad about it. You’re not trying to take your helmet and put it in their helmet, that’s what you never try to do,” said Bighill from the locker room.
“I’m in rules committee with the CFL on behalf of the CFL [Players’ Association] and we talk about short yardage and we’re always talking about player safety. That’s not a play where you’re overly concerned about head-to-head contact because of the style of the play. If you look at the D-line and O-line, you think they’re hitting heads every single play like that? What does the quarterback do when he drives the ball? He puts his head down and goes forward with the crown of his head down. Long story short, the rules committee is not worried about that style of play.”
Bighill scored a touchdown on a 26-yard fumble return on Edmonton’s first drive after Jackson Jeffcoat knocked the ball from Tre Ford’s hands as part of an impressive overall defensive performance. Willie Jefferson sacked Ford twice, as did Cameron Lawson and Evan Holm. Ford’s given opposing teams fits with his speed since taking over as Edmonton’s starting quarterback but was limited to only 14 yards along the ground.
Deatrick Nichols also deserves mention for knocking down a pass with both hands while on a halfback blitz in the third quarter. He appeared close to making the interception, which he almost surely would have returned for a touchdown.
The only defensive blemish came on a bust in coverage that allowed Manny Arceneaux to rumble for a 77-yard reception in what may have been the final game of his 15-year career.
Demski’s first 1k
Nic Demski entered Saturday’s game needing 21 receiving yards to reach the 1,000-yard milestone for the first time in his career, though he was forced to leave the game due to injury in the second quarter after making three receptions for 15 yards. He returned to the game after halftime and finished the night with five catches for 27 yards, allowing him to cross the 1,000-yard mark.
“It really does feel like a monkey off my back. I really thought I was gonna get it last week but some stuff doesn’t work out that way. It was a grind to get it but I got it done and now I can just focus on playoffs,” said Demski, who indicated that reaching the milestone was a factor in him returning to the field after briefly leaving due to injury.
“I wanted to get it done. We’ll see what happens next week but either way we’re gonna have some time to rest, so I’m just thankful for this opportunity.”
Saskatchewan Roughriders’ receiver Samuel Emilus also went over 1,000 yards on Saturday, making him and Demski the first two Canadians to reach the milestone in the same year since Andy Fantuz and Brad Sinopoli did so in 2016. With nothing to play for next week, it seems possible that Demski won’t play regardless of the status of his injury.
Demski’s mark also made history as he and Brady Oliveira became the first two Canadians to receive and rush for 1,000 yards on the same team in the same season. Even more impressively, the pair were both born and raised in the city in which they play and even attended the same high school, albeit at different times.
“It’s special,” said Demski. “The crowd’s applause and knowing how much it means to this city, especially two Winnipeg guys to do it together, it did kind of go over my head but I’m definitely taking it in now. It’s a crazy thing that just happened and I’m thankful for the opportunities.”
Greg McCrae took over Demski’s spot at slotback while the Winnipeg native was getting attention from the training staff, though the chemistry between he and Zach Collaros was akin to an onion and a chocolate bar. Collaros threw well behind McCrae on his first target, while the second landed at McCrae’s feet. McCrae later caught a 10-yard touchdown pass, though it came after Dru Brown had taken the controls under centre.
Demski also drew a questionable 39-yard pass interference penalty on the club’s first drive, setting up a three-yard touchdown run from Brady Oliveira. Edmonton head coach Chris Jones tried to challenge the call, though he threw his flag after the ball was snapped for the following play, which meant the penalty could no longer be reviewed.
Streak snapped
Deontez Alexander brought back Sergio Castillo’s kickoff 98 yards to the house early in the fourth quarter, recording Edmonton’s first return touchdown since Aug. 28, 2015. Winnipeg’s cover units have been suspect at times this season but seemed to have improved as of late. They’ll have to review the tape to see what went wrong on Alexander’s return, as he went untouched to the house.
“That guy’s very quick and I think he went untouched,” said veteran special teamer Jesse Briggs, who indicated he’ll have to watch the film to figure out exactly what went wrong. “When you let a fast guy like that get his wheels going it’s gonna be tough to bring him down. We’ve just got to get bodies around him and do a better job of getting down there, getting off blocks and taking shots low.”
Packed house
The Blue Bombers drew a sold-out crowd of 32,343 for their final home game of the regular season, though it appeared to be buoyed by a large contingent of local amateur football players and youth dancers. Winnipeg has finished its home schedule with an average attendance figure of 30,449, a 6.3 percent increase from last season and the second-highest in club history. The record of 30,637 was set in 2013 when IG Field first opened.
There’s plenty of hand-wringing going on in Winnipeg regarding the poor recent attendance at Jets games. It’s clear the same problem isn’t affecting the Blue Bombers, who are drawing as well as ever. Maybe the Jets can take notes from their CFL counterparts.
Danke-Schoen
Dalton Schoen missed Saturday’s game due to an ankle injury and was spotted on the sideline in a walking boot. Though head coach Mike O’Shea doesn’t comment on player injuries, it’s clear the ailment is serious and will keep Schoen out for at least the rest of the regular season.
While the injury could force the star receiver to miss the playoffs, let’s not forget that Winnipeg played Chris Streveler in the West Semi-Final only 22 days after he suffered a distal tibia fracture and a severe high-ankle sprain in 2019. The team clearly has a history of finding creative ways (ie. heavy-duty painkillers) to get players back on the field for critical games.
Schoen is a pending free agent but one gets the sense that he’s planning to sign a long-term contract extension with the Blue Bombers. If he’s not planning to test free agency and can play through the pain, I wouldn’t be shocked if he dressed for the West Final.
Brendan O’Leary-Orange drew into the starting lineup as part of a reconfigured receiving corps and wasn’t targeted. Drew Wolitarsky, who bumped in from wideout to slotback in Schoen’s absence, made two catches for 36 yards.
First-year folly
The CFL unveiled the list of players who are eligible for Most Outstanding Rookie this past week and Winnipeg’s portion featured only seven names, which was barely half as many as the other teams across the country.
Celestin Haba seems like a popular candidate for the award — he’s recorded four sacks and one forced fumble — but he’s only played seven games and is currently on the practice roster. If Winnipeg isn’t bothering to dress him, how can he possibly be their top rookie?
If you ask me, the only candidates who have played enough for consideration are Anthony Bennett, Damian Jackson, and Jamieson Sheahan. Personally, I’d vote for Sheahan, who showed impressive speed on Saturday as he helped track down Kyran Moore on a 36-yard punt return in the third quarter.
At a university party, a classmate of mine once said, “Drinking is just borrowing happiness from tomorrow.” This seems like an appropriate idiom for the veteran nature of Winnipeg’s roster. The team is enjoying one hell of a party having appeared in three straight Grey Cups with a fourth potentially on the way but the ensuing hangover will kick in sooner or later. It’s nice to see fans enjoying the ride while it lasts with strong attendance and television ratings.
As for the rest of the player awards, I’d vote for Zach Collaros as Most Outstanding Player, Willie Jefferson as Most Outstanding Defensive Player, Brady Oliveira as Most Outstanding Canadian, Chris Kolankowski as Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, and Sergio Castillo as Most Outstanding Special Teams Player. For clarity, I don’t get to vote for year-end awards at the team level, though I will at the league level.
Money Medlock
Justin Medlock was honoured at halftime following his selection for the Winnipeg Football Club Hall of Fame. The 39-year-old has only been out of the league for four years, which puts into perspective how strongly the club valued his contributions on the field.
Medlock is the first member of the team’s current dynasty to be inducted but he certainly won’t be the last. Other players who should join him over the next five to ten years include Zach Collaros, Andrew Harris, Stanley Bryant, Jermarcus Hardrick, Patrick Neufeld, Jake Thomas, Willie Jefferson, Jackson Jeffcoat, and Adam Bighill. There are a bunch of other players under the age of 30 who will likely be inducted someday as well.
Balmy ball
The temperature at kickoff for Saturday’s game was 12 degrees as Manitoba continues to enjoy a beautiful autumn. This may have been the first regular season in Blue Bombers history during which the club didn’t play a home game below ten degrees, which was surely a welcome change from the local fans.
This trend likely won’t carry into the playoffs when the Blue Bombers host the B.C. Lions or Calgary Stampeders in the West Final on Nov. 11. Have your parkas ready.
Every fall, there are a few weeks in Winnipeg during which construction has mostly stopped, the bugs are gone, and the weather is still warm. If you ask me, this is the best time of year. I wish it was longer.
Next up
The Blue Bombers (13-4) will conclude the regular season on Friday, Oct. 27 against the Calgary Stampeders (6-11) at McMahon Stadium. Winnipeg has won both meetings between the two teams this season, earning a 24-11 victory at home on July 7 and a 19-18 win in Calgary on Aug. 18 with Dru Brown under centre.
Brown will presumably get the start next week as the game has no impact on the standings for either team, though head coach Mike O’Shea indicated that he hasn’t made any decisions yet regarding his roster for next week. The Stampeders clinched the third and final playoff spot in the West Division after they upset the B.C. Lions on Friday night and the Saskatchewan Roughriders lost to the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday afternoon.
