Columnist image

Archive

Common conception might indicate when facing a high-powered defence, a team's offence needs to find a way to produce in order to keep pace. But when the Blue Bombers visit the Edmonton Eskimos and Chris Jones' oft-dominant defensive system, Winnipeg's own defensive unit is looking to put the team on their shoulders in a critical Week 5 matchup.

In asking several leaders within the Bombers' defence corps, many tend to feel that setting the tone on their side of the ball is of the upmost importance this week.

"It is," said defensive tackle Zach Anderson. "The more the defence can do, the less the offence has to do. That's our goal. The more we can put on our shoulders, the more we can take off Drew (Willy) and the team and let them go to work."

"If the offence is struggling it's our job to help them get back up," said safety Moe Leggett, who led the CFL with five interceptions last season. "Whether it's making a play, making an interception and scoring with it and then going back out there and getting a two-and-out, we have to find ways to pick our offence back up if they're struggling."

The Bombers are coming off a heartbreaking 26-25 loss in Calgary where they held the Stamps' strong, balanced attack to just 288 total yards of net offence.

Take out some costly turnovers and a backbreaking time count violation inside the final two minutes that resulted in a loss of down, and the Blue Bombers could be sitting at 3-1 atop the CFL.

The one facet in that loss that the defence would probably like to eliminate is an 11-play, 107-yard third quarter drive spanning over six minutes that gave the Stampeders their first - and final - lead of the game.

"You take that series out of the game, it was dominance," said Anderson. "It was one of those things where they get a big play and they get the momentum going and they start calling the plays and they're inching that ball, inching that ball. We had a two-and-out prior to that almost every time. They start inching it, inching it and all of a sudden you're in a long drive. And now you're breathing heavy… That's the thing we've got to work on in not being able to lose our minds in a drive like that."

"Yeah, that was a long drive. And they had opportunities to stop them," added the head coach of his defence. "And they recognize it - they watch the film on it. At a late stage in the game, that was half their offence - half their offensive production."

Asked if he agrees with Anderson's assessment of dominance outside of that drive, O'Shea responded simply, "I like that he thinks that way. Absolutely."

Others hedged Anderson's sentiments.

"I wouldn't say dominant because that's still a great team and they made some plays to win that game," said linebacker Chris Randle. "But I think we made strides in the right direction of where we want to go. We're still working on being dominant, completely, throughout the whole game."

Another along the D-line tends to agree with Randle.

"Towards the defensive line, I think at times we've played lights-out and other times - as a group - maybe not quite been as sharp as we need to be in this league," said first-year CFL-er and six-year NFL vet Jamaal Westerman. "We have to continue to sharpen the blade and just keep focus and keep chopping at the focus aspect of it."

Entering their fifth game in a new system, under a new coordinator in Richie Hall and an entirely new defensive staff, Winnipeg continues to build communication and continuity.

"We're still learning the defence - I think that's the only thing holding us back," said Leggett. "We're a little timid with that. But we're learning it each and every day and we're more confident in each other knowing what we're supposed to do."

Mike O'Shea, meanwhile, knows it takes more than one phase to win on any given game day.

"There is that school of thought that says whatever Edmonton's defence does our defence needs to match their production," added the head coach. "But I think our reality is; our offence needs to produce against their defence (and) our defence needs to produce against their offence."

Notes:

Veteran defensive end Greg Peach suffered a lower-body injury in Calgary and has been placed on the six-game injured list. Winnipeg will activate two ends in Thaddeus Gibson and Darrell Johnson, while Deantre Harlan and Kashawn Fraser come off to give the Bombers a speedier look to their constantly-rotating D-line group… Fellow veteran Bryant Turner will miss a consecutive game while recovering from a thumb injury. The club says they will look into fitting the defensive tackle with a playing cast for a potential return next week… Right tackle Devin Tyler will get his first start of the season in place of Jace Daniels this week. Daniels battled through a lower-body injury this week but ultimately couldn't put together enough of a practice week to play in Edmonton…