Ask members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers about having a perfect 6-0 record, and you usually will get a shrug and a repeat of the one-week-at-a-time mantra.
Receiver Rasheed Bailey is an exception.
“Awesome,” Bailey said of his team’s start. “Shoot, man, it’s hard to win in this league. People are underestimating how we’re winning. Offensively, we’re stepping up and making plays. Defensively, we’re playing lights out.
“It just feels good. The atmosphere is good. We’re keeping it tight-knit and s—, man, we’re having fun.”
Moving over to the defence, Nick Taylor was slightly less enthusiastic.
“The fans and the media, y’all tell us more about it than we know,” Taylor said. “I can honestly say that I don’t think about it like that. I don’t put the importance on it like that.”
The Bombers returned to practice on Tuesday, four days after a heart-stopping 26-19 win over previously undefeated Calgary to remain in first place in the CFL West.
It’s a somewhat surprising start, even for a two-time defending Grey Cup champion, considering Winnipeg lost some key players in the off-season and has a long injured list.
As head coach Mike O’Shea had said going into the game, though, there are no ribbon presentations for being undefeated one-third into a season.
“He really keeps that on our minds,” Taylor said. “I guess that trickles down to everybody else on the team.”
Well, almost everybody.
Bailey says it’s crazy to think this franchise hasn’t been 6-0 since 1960.
“But when you work as hard as we do, day in and day out, stuff that Oshe has preached, it’s all showing up on the football field,” he said. “We got guys who are still out here working, and practice has been over for 20 minutes. I mean, this is what this team is about. The character that we have, it shows up on game day.”
BLOCKING IT OUT
Bailey may not be as committed to the even-keel mantra, but the way he’s handling his low production (18 catches, 166 yards) is music to the ears of his head coach.
“Those stats don’t tell the truth,” O’Shea said. “We ask him to do a lot of blocking … he gets guys open by how hard he works during a play. I don’t know that I worry about it. Personal production is so secondary to winning football games. Do I think he’s very good? Absolutely. He’s vital. And balls will come his way.”
Especially when teams watch film and see Greg Ellingson and newcomer Carlton Agudosi making catches all over the field.
Bailey says defences have been watching him closely and the Winnipeg offence is spreading the ball around.
“It just so happens that when it comes to No. 88’s number, they always get us,” he said. “And soon, they ain’t gonna get us no more. So, I’m excited for what’s to come.”
Until then, he’ll continue to contribute without getting the glory.
Not always an easy approach for players in an ego-driven position who are judged by their stats.
“Everybody that’s in our building has to be able to, at some point, put the team first,” O’Shea said. “I don’t think it comes naturally for every guy in here. It’s a learned process, as they are surrounded by pros that do everything they can… at some point during the season, everybody’s got to get that figured out.”
GOOD, AND LUCKY
Taylor acknowledges the defence caught a few breaks last Friday when Calgary receivers failed to catch a few balls.
“They also got some plays where we gave it to them,” he said. “It goes both ways. I guess we were lucky. We keep being lucky and winning, we’ll take it.”
Taylor was involved in a critical play that would have swung momentum Calgary’s way late in the third quarter.
On a third-and-goal from the Winnipeg two, two Stampeders were reaching for the same Bo Levi Mitchell pass in the end zone when Taylor decided to stick his nose in.
“We messed up the coverage a little bit,” he said. “I was going to play the ball, but I saw two receivers come and collide. I just thought I’d throw myself in the middle of it and just make a collision. And nobody came up with the ball. And I know on third down if nobody comes up with it, our offence gets the ball.”
Winnipeg led 20-16 at the time.
ELKS A PRESSING CONCERN
The Bomber offence expects a completely different look going up against head coach Chris Jones’s defence in Edmonton on Friday.
“This team plays a lot of man coverage,” Ellingson said. “They press a lot, more than any team we face, and they’ve always been known to do that, even when he was back in the Sask. days.”
The key for Winnipeg: Recognize when the Elks are playing man-to-man and blitzing, and when they’re faking it, only to drop into coverage.
“So those are things that we have to focus on on film,” Ellingson said. “And then make sure we can capitalize when they do come.”
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twitter: @friesensunmedia
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