All of the numbers have been crunched, the Xs and Os analyzed and over-analyzed. The hype movies are rolling, and the trash speak between the Canadian Soccer League’s two most-rabid fan bases is about to be cranked as much as 11.
Sure, t’s nearly time for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders to climb into the Princess Auto Stadium ring and go toe-to-toe within the Western Ultimate with the depend all the way down to the 5:30 p.m. begin already underway.
If you happen to missed our Sport Preview, it may be discovered right here, and what follows are 5 speaking factors that emerged from Friday’s Blue Bombers media availability earlier than native and nationwide media…
Cool query from Paul Friesen of The Solar when he put it to some of the Blue Bombers on the podium what the membership had ‘going for it proper now’ with the 4 remaining groups within the CFL playoffs all primarily even in expertise.
Willie Jefferson mentioned it was the workforce’s veteran management. Nic Demski pointed to the house crowd and Brady Oliveira steered it was the workforce’s resiliency and dedication to honouring teammates.
And this from Zach Collaros:
“Everyone would say this about their workforce, nevertheless it’s simply our love for one another, the assumption in one another, the assumption in what our plan is. And understanding that we’re going to go on the market and lay it on the road for one another.
“It’s not at all times nice methods. It’s not at all times nice gamers. It’s nice groups that win video games like this. Clearly, Saskatchewan’s an amazing workforce with a bunch of nice gamers and I actually get pleasure from watching their offence and I actually get pleasure from watching their defence after we’re not enjoying them. It comes all the way down to one of the best workforce and I feel the fellows in our locker room to a person would say the identical factor — it’s our love for one another and the assumption in what we’re doing.”
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A story that continues to be irritating some Blue Bombers followers, regardless that the defence ranks first in so many essential classes: why the prevalence of three-man defensive fronts whereas dropping gamers again into protection reasonably than speeding 4 or blitzing extra?
Nice reply on that from Willie Jefferson:
“We simply wish to play defence. We wish to play collectively, play quick, bodily and we wish to get off the sector on second down and if taking a defensive lineman off the sector and placing an additional DB or additional linebacker on the sector helps, then we are able to try this.
“We really feel we are able to get to the quarterback or make it exhausting for quarterbacks to seek out their targets quick or be efficient, with three (man rush).
“(Roughrider QB Trevor Harris) is the important thing to that offence. If we are able to get to him, make it exhausting for him to seek out his targets early, if we are able to knock some balls down and get him shifting round and never have the ability to nickel and dime us down the sector we are able to have a superb sport.”
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A query put to the Blue Bombers gamers on the media availability: ‘What’s tougher, attending to the highest or staying on prime?’
And it was Collaros who put the hammer down on that:
“We haven’t completed the best way we wished to complete the final two seasons. So, there’s that. What makes this sport nice — what makes any job nice — is you’re competing in opposition to your self daily to one-up your preparation. That’s what’s the most enjoyable about it — you may’t relaxation in your laurels and, once more, we haven’t completed the best way we wished to the final two seasons so I wouldn’t say we’re on the highest of something.
“However it’s been a very enjoyable trip as a result of the expectations are excessive in that locker room for one another and individually the expectations are excessive for ourselves, in order that’s what makes it enjoyable in bringing that each one collectively and attempting to win the entire thing.”
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Humorous quote from Collaros, when requested about his speeding totals this yr — his 168 yards alongside the bottom are his highest since 2014, when he rushed for 328 — and the affect of that.
“I’ve needed to scramble to run just a little extra, greater than scramble to go which is clearly what you wish to do to create explosives that approach,” he mentioned. “I feel groups play a bit in another way than they’ve in earlier seasons. You’re seeing extra variations of match protection, four-down rushes, three-down rushes and linebackers dropping to depth so these issues all consider.
“I was athletic, so…”
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Lastly, Jefferson sat down originally of his media session alongside teammate Nic Demski and introduced out a Black Panther motion determine, along with his picture taped over the face.
Right here’s the what and the why behind that: it seems the defensive coaches honour gamers who don’t miss apply through the yr with… ah, let’s let Willie inform it…
“This if my fifth yr being with the workforce but in addition my fifth yr of not lacking a single day of apply. We often get Iron Man (motion figures) however since that is my fifth yr, I’ve bought so many Iron Mans I advised Richie (Corridor, defensive assistant) I wished one thing completely different so he selected to offer me Black Panther.”
Jefferson mentioned there have been a dozen guys on defence who didn’t miss a apply and included amongst them had been Owen Hubert, Tanner Schmekel, Michael Ayers, Shayne Gauthier, Terrell Bonds and Jake Thomas.
It was additionally the fifth yr Thomas hadn’t missed a apply, so he was saluted with an Unimaginable Hulk motion determine.
Requested if he was going to take his Black Panther motion determine onto the sector right this moment, Jefferson mentioned:
“It’s going to remain in my locker till we end doing what we’ve bought to do.”