CFL.CA STAFF
WINNIPEG — The CFL pre-season schedule kicks off on Monday evening exactly how the regular season will, as the Toronto Argonauts visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for a meeting at Investors Group Field.
Yet to be determined is exactly how the starting lineups will take shape in the June 26th season opener, with both teams entering 2014 amid sizable changes.
No team transformed its identity more than the Bombers this off-season, who are set to debut a new starting quarterback and rookie head coach all under a re-constructed head office led by General Manager Kyle Walters and former Argos player personnel director Ted Goveia.
For a team under some pressure to find its bearings back in the league’s West Division following a letdown 2013 campaign, a pre-season game is no less significant than any regular season one.
“In my mind right now, I don’t think the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are in a position to rest anybody,” rookie head coach Mike O’Shea told BlueBombers.com.
At this time last year the 43-year-old was a member of the Argos’ brain-trust, where he spent four seasons as Special Teams Coordinator. While things were a little different in Toronto with established star quarterback Ricky Ray barely playing in pre-season games, he knows he won’t have the same luxury in his first spin as the front man.
“I believe that we need to play everybody and give them valuable repetitions against good opponents that you need to beat,” he said. “Right now I would think guys need to play, they need to get in there against an opponent other than our defence.”
That applies most to QB Drew Willy, who the Bombers announced would be their starting quarterback shortly after acquiring him from Saskatchewan in exchange for non-import receiver Jade Etienne. While still unproven, he’s enjoyed success in brief stints with nine career touchdown passes to just five interceptions, to go with a quarterback rating of 99.1. It will be a true test for the Boatmen defence as they have a chance go up against the no. 1’s of the Bombers.
O’Shea said all four quarterbacks on the roster are expected to play on Monday however, the focus will inevitably rest on Willy, the team’s biggest off-season addition and the one tasked with leading a different-looking Bomber squad into a brand new era.
The Argos are in a similar situation as the Bombers, as newly-hired defensive coordinator Tim Burke takes over for the departed Chris Jones and looks to show Argos fans what his brand of defence will look like in 2014.
Only Matt Black and Jalil Carter remain from the championship team, as this year they’ll have to cope with key departures that include Patrick Watkins, Marcus Ball, Robert McCune, and Khalif Mitchell. Looking to fill this void will be offseason aquisitions LB Shea Emry, DB Matthew Ware and D-Linemen Aston Whiteside and Thaddeus Gibson. The Boatmen will also look for increased performance from sophmore players DL Cleyon Laing, DB Branden Smith, DB Alonzo Lawrence, S Jermaine Gabriel, LB Jamie Robinson and LB Shane Horton.
On the other hand, almost everything is settled offensively, save for the running back position left open by the retirement of Chad Kackert. Ray won’t dress for the pre-season opener and neither will Chad Owens or Andre Durie, leaving second-string pivot Trevor Harris under centre along with fellow QBs Mitchell Gale and Casey Pachall.
Receivers Argos fans should keep an eye out for on Monday include draft picks Natey Adjei, Evan Pszczonak, Tore Corrado and Alexandre Dupuis and import free agents Robert Gill, KJ Stroud, JD Falslev, Terrell Sinkfield and Andre Snipes-Booker.
Argos fans will also get a glimpse into the future with Matt Sewell, Jaskaran Dhillon and Tyler Holmes expected to play on the offensive line, but outside of that all eyes will be on the Argo backfield, where the running back competition remains wide open.
With Kackert now on the coaching staff and Jerious Norwood released, newcomers Anthony Coombs, Jeremiah Johnson, and Steve Slaton join returnees Anthony Woodson and Curtis Steele in what should be an exciting battle for the starting position.
“We’ve got a group of guys that’s really good, and any of us could be the number one back so you’ve just gotta come out here, put your head down, do what the coaches ask you to do, do a little bit more and just be crisp out there,” Johnson told Argonauts.ca.
Coombs may be the most intriguing option after the Argos traded up to select him third overall in May’s 2014 Draft. He’s already being compared to some of the top Canadian talent in the CFL, including the likes of Andrew Harris and the Argos’ own Andre Durie. Coombs has showed great burst in training camp and will look to make an impression playing in Winnipeg in front of many of his friends from his days at the University of Manitoba.
Fans may want to temper their expectations a little as he develops, but Coombs is very much in the discussion when it comes to the vacant spot.
“The game’s coming to me each day, I’m starting to get better,” Coombs told the team’s official site. “It’s slowing down for me a bit more so I’m just trying to get better each day.”
“The competition is fierce, we’re all making plays out there and we’re all trying to compete a little better and whoever steps up I feel we’ll have a really good running back position this year for the Argos.”
If he’s going to claim the starting position as a rookie, he’ll have to show the coaching staff he can excel in pass protection. Keeping Ray upright is the number one priority for any back in third-year head coach Scott Milanovich’s system.
“That’s the hard thing about our tailback, is we want a guy that can make you miss and is great in the open field, but has enough courage and strength to be a great protector for Ricky,” said Milanovich. “Those guys can be hard to find.”
The Argos will also try different options on kick and punt returns, so Argos fans should look for rookie WR Robert Gill and sophmore DB Branden Smith to have their chances to return kicks and punts Monday night.
Kickoff is at 8:30 P.M. ET, and can be seen on TSN or followed live via Game Tracker on CFL.ca and CFL Mobile.
– With files from BlueBombers.com/Argonauts.ca