EDMONTON — The injuries are starting to pile up for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, with six starters now out of the line-up and the organization’s depth being put to the test.
CFL leading receiver Greg Ellingson (hip) and all-star defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat (hip) are the latest two players to hit the injured list, joining the likes of receiver Nic Demski, centre Michael Couture, linebacker Kyrie Wilson and all-star safety Brandon Alexander on the sidelines.
Somehow, the Bombers keep finding players to fill the void and keep on winning, heading into Friday night’s road game against the Edmonton Elks with a sparkling 6-0 record.
“It’s all to the coaches and the training staff and the front office,” Bombers star defensive end Willie Jefferson said Thursday at the team’s hotel in Edmonton.
“They made some good pickups, so we have good guys behind good guys. It’s always next man up and that may be a cliché thing to say, but in this business, it’s real. For us, the next guy up doesn’t drop off. We don’t have any slack to pick up. The next guy up is ready, he’s willing, and he’s prepared just as much as the starter is.”
The next guys up this week are Janarion Grant, the Bombers’ regular kick returner, and defensive end L.B. Mack III.
Grant will fill in for Ellingson at slotback, possibly with the help of American rookie Tavaris Harrison, who was activated from the practice roster, while Mack takes Jeffcoat’s spot at defensive end.
“He’s certainly dynamic with the ball in his hands and he has shown now that he has a great understanding of the offence from a couple different positions,” Bombers coach Mike O’Shea said of Grant. “I think this just adds to his versatility and I’m excited for his opportunity.”
Grant has four career receptions, in 23 games, for 22 yards. He has also carried the ball three times, for eight yards. He has scored five career kick return touchdowns.
If Harrison sees action, the Bombers receiving corps will include three rookies — Dalton Schoen and Carlton Agudosi are the others. Schoen and Agudosi have been excellent so far, with both recording two-touchdown games early in their CFL careers.
Both Ellingson and Jeffcoat have been placed on the one-game injured list.
Ellingson was named the CFL’s top performer of the week after catching 11 passes for 152 yards in a 26-19 win over the Calgary Stampeders last Friday. He will not be easy to replace.
“It’s obviously tough losing a guy like Greg for the week,” Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros said. “Usually the quarterback goes where the defence dictates the ball to go to, but Greg does seem to find his way into little pockets in the defence on second down. He’s a great player, a great teammate, a great person and we’ll obviously miss him. It’s gonna take everybody in the locker room to win and I’m excited for the other guys tomorrow.”
The Elks, sporting a 2-4 record after a big comeback win over the Montreal Alouettes last week, are also dealing with a glut of injuries, with 13 players on the six-game injured list and another five on the one-game.
Among those out of the lineup for Friday’s game are receivers Derel Walker and Kai Locksley, running back James Wilder, Jr., defensive end Jake Ceresna, rookie quarterback Tre Ford and defensive back Aaron Grymes.
JEFFERSON GOING GREEN
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Jefferson showed up for the Bombers media availability on Thursday sporting the No. 99 Edmonton EE jersey that he wore in 2014 and 2015 when he was a member of the organization.
Jefferson often wears interesting or unusual clothes on travel days, but it was a little different to see him in the colours of the team the Bombers are about to play.
“I just like to have fun, with my clothes, and when I have the opportunity to do things like this, I’m gonna do it, have fun,” Jefferson said.
“Just coming back to where it all started with Coach (Chris) Jones. Just wanted to wear my old threads.”
Surely it must have been tough for Jefferson to explain his choice of attire to his teammates — and his head coach — on the plane ride to Edmonton, but somehow the bigger-than-life defensive end can pull it off.
“When I was here in 2014 and 2015, the only thing I could hear about me wearing No. 99 was Gretzky and things like that,” Jefferson said. “I took real pride in wearing No. 99 when I was here and I don’t know if anybody, since I left, has worn it as well as I have, done as well as I have, in the No. 99. I guess that’s another reason why I wore it. To let the Edmonton fans and the Edmonton organization that there hasn’t been anybody like me in 99 since I left.”
‘WE’RE A BORING TEAM’
The Bombers are favoured by 7.5 points to win in Commonwealth Stadium on Friday and it certainly makes sense given that Winnipeg is 6-0, Edmonton is 2-4 and the Elks have lost their last 10 home games, dating back to November of 2019.
There are some people who see this as a trap game for a banged up Bombers team, but you get the sense that under O’Shea’s guidance and with so much experience on the team, this group won’t fall into the snare.
“We’re kind of a boring team,” Collaros said. “We go into each week and it’s just repetition … we do the same thing. It’s boring from your guys’ standpoint.
“Once you start letting outside factors creep in, it could take away from your preparation, which would take away from your performance in the game. It’s professional football and there’s a lot of parity in this league. It comes down to execution and we have to do that at a high level to win any week.”
CASTILLO’S FOND MEMORIES
Sergio Castillo, who played five games for the Bombers in 2021 and helped them win a Grey Cup, is now handling the place-kicking duties in Edmonton, having signed with the Elks as a free agent in the off-season.
Castillo went 5-for-5 on field-goal attempts in the Grey Cup, as the Bombers beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 33-25, and also booted two important single points on kickoffs late in the game.
That game was a highlight of the former NFL kicker’s career and he clearly has fond memories of his short time in Winnipeg.
“The Grey Cup has to be the top memory, for sure,” said Castillo, who also kicked for the Bombers in 2015. “But it’s more about the relationships with the guys, going back to Winnipeg and being part of something special. I came in super late — the bread and butter of the season was already done and I just came for the good part — but that Grey Cup run was definitely fun.”
Castillo had a few discussions with the Bombers about returning in 2022, but things worked out better for him to move on to Edmonton.
So far this season, Castillo has made 15 of 19 field-goal attempts (78.9%) and has hit on six of eight convert attempts.
His numbers are not that different from those of Bombers kicker Marc Liegghio, who has made 15 of 17 field-goal attempts and 11 of 15 converts.
The Bombers are sticking by their kicker, and Castillo said that’s the only way young players can learn and gain the experience necessary to make it in a tough business.
“(He) reminded me a lot of myself, when I first came into the CFL,” Castillo said. “Physically, technically, I was there, but maybe from the mental aspect, I wasn’t getting that edge.
“It’s always easier the second time around, especially after a year. “(Liegghio) started off really well and you can tell he’s into a groove now, especially with his field goals. He was struggling a little bit last year but, from the get-go, you could tell he was a guy that has the will to do it.”
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