Losing to Edmonton at home in the playoffs was a demoralizing way to end what had been a promising 2017 campaign. Losing your starting quarterback a week before the start of the regular season is a demoralizing way to start a new campaign but that’s where the Winnipeg Blue Bombers find themselves.
Chris Streveler is now tasked with being the first rookie starting QB to start fresh out of college since some young buck named Anthony Calvillo debuted in the CFL with the Las Vegas Posse in 1994.
A knee injury will keep Matt Nichols out of the lineup for a while as he was placed on the six-game injured list and the veterans on Winnipeg know they’ll have to step up to support their young pivot who showed promise going 13 for 19 in the pre-season with 184 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Having a stud running back in Andrew Harris along with veteran receivers like Darvin Adams, Weston Dressler and newcomer Adarius Bowman to lean on should help Streveler ease into his role.
General Manager: Kyle Walters
Head coach: Mike O’Shea
2017 Result: 12-6 record, second in West, lost to Eskimos in West semi-final.
Starting QB: Chris Streveler
Key Departures: Clarence Denmark, Jamaal Westerman, T.J. Heath, Dominque Davis, Dan LeFevour, Brian Walker, Faith Ekakitie, Travis Bond
Key Additions: Adam Bighill, Adarius Bowman, Craig Roh, Chandler Fenner, Anthony Gaitor
Expected team strengths: Having a well-balanced attack is something fans should expect—especially from multifaceted running back Andrew Harris. The team scored the most points in the league last year and with a healthy Harris eyeing 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving, this team is likely to give opposing defences a rough time.
“I pride myself on being a four-way back, that being catching the ball, rushing the ball, blocking, being a leader,” Harris said prior to a Week 1 showdown with Edmonton.
Harris also appears to have confidence in Nichols’ replacement.
“[Streveler] doesn’t seem like a 23-year-old fresh out of school,” Harris added. “His attributes, as far as talent, are one of quick decisions, athletic. He can throw the deep ball, he can check it down. It’s just a matter of how he’s going to put it all together when the bullets are flying live and it actually means something.”
Expected team weakness: The Blue Bombers led the CFL in interceptions last year but losing T.J. Heath hurts a ball-hawking secondary. Chris Randle is still around and Brandon Alexander is coming off a strong rookie campaign. Can newcomers Chandler Fenner and Anthony Gaitor gel in a new system? Former longtime Argos defensive back Jordan Younger, a former teammate of O’Shea’s joined Winnipeg’s coaching staff and he could have a significant impact on the new faces in the secondary.
2018 Schedule Quirk: The Bombers really lucked out with a relatively normal, evenly spread out schedule. In fact, they won’t play a single game on fewer than six days’ rest. In a nine-team league that’s rare.
What a successful season would look like: QB controversies can be a distraction for teams but if they face one whenever Nichols is healthy it would be a welcome sight because it would mean Streveler, a product of the University of South Dakota, is thriving.
The defence stepping up to ease the pressure on the offence is also going to be important and a key figure in that should be linebacker Adam Bighill who’s back in Canada after one year with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.
“Coming to a place like Winnipeg is going to be great,” Bighill wrote after he signed with his new team. “In the NFL, you’re just trying to make it and that’s a grind. No matter how proven my resume is, they see me as unproven down there. But it’s great now to have that feeling where it’s ‘We want you. We want to win the Cup and we want you to be a part of it.'”
What a disappointing season would look like: Quite simply, if it’s over before it really begins. If the absence of Nichols stings as much as it has the potential to and they get behind the eight ball early in the season.
Pre-season Grey Cup odds (Via Oddshark): +650
Notable findings/quotes from CFL Media Poll:
• The Riders were the runaway favourite when it came to biggest home-field advantage but the Bombers also go some recognition with one panellist saying, “To me, Winnipeg has always had the loudest fans. Doesn’t matter which stadium or how good or bad the team has been, they make it tough on the visiting team.”
• No surprise here but Andrew Harris is the frontrunner to be named the league’s top Canadian. “The Harris /Wilder Jr. yardage battle will get a ton of coverage this season, so their names will be in the news all season. Harris will benefit from that more than any other candidate. He’ll have an outstanding season.”
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