Bob Irving
CFL.ca
Depth is something all CFL teams strive to develop. The ones that do it most successfully are usually near the top of the standings.
Exhibit A: the 2011 Winnipeg Blue Bombers. There are many reasons for the Bombers 7-1 record, not the least of which is their enormously impressive plus-23 in the takeaway-giveaway category.
The Bombers have forced 33 turnovers and committed only 10. The next best team is Montreal at plus-3. It’s a staggering disparity and a key factor in why the Bombers have won five games in a row for the first time in nine years.
But another primary reason is the quality of performance they have received from their so-called backup players. In the first game of the regular season, starting receivers Kito Poblah and Greg Carr both went down with injuries.
Poblah’s misfortune (he was placed on the 9-game injured list) opened the door for four-year veteran Aaron Hargreaves to move into a starting role. While Hargreaves hasn’t put up big numbers, he has come through with some very significant catches in addition to doing an admirable job of blocking.
A hamstring injury that plagued Carr for weeks opened the door for rookie receiver Clarence Denmark to get into the lineup. Denmark has responded by becoming one of Buck Pierce’s most reliable targets, catching 24 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns.
Carr returned to the lineup in last Friday’s 30-27 win over Hamilton, bumping second year receiver Terrence Jeffers-Harris out of the starting rotation. With Jeffers-Harris chomping at the bit to get back in and Poblah set to come off the 9-game injured list, the Bombers have the luxury of eight solid receivers to choose from, one of those being the ever-improving rookie Jade Etienne.
The Bombers have also demonstrated impressive depth on their defensive line.
When the clubs starting defensive tackles Doug Brown and Dorian Smith went down with a broken toe and high ankle sprain respectively, defensive coordinator Tim Burke and linebackers coach Casey Creehan started a five player rotation that has paid dividends.
Rookies Bryant Turner, Kenny Mainor and Jason Vega, along with veteran non-imports Fernand Kashama and Don Oramasionwu started taking turns along the D-line. Along with sack leader Odell Willis, the Bombers have been able to keep steady pressure on opposing quarterbacks while raising their league-leading sack total to 30.
Brown returned to the lineup against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Smith will soon be back creating the kind of pleasant problem that all coaches love to wrestle with: too many good players and nowhere to play them all.
Case in point, when middle-linebacker Joe Lobendahn missed a game, Marcellus Bowman stepped in without missing a beat. After Lobendahn returned, Bowman had to sit out with turf-toe. Second year player Merrill Johnson took his spot and performed solidly.
Improving the Bombers’ depth, especially in the Canadian player area, was a prime objective of General Manager of Football Operations Joe Mack, his personnel director Ken Moll, and head coach Paul Lapolice. Eight games into the 2011 season, sitting pretty at 7-1, it appears to be “mission accomplished”.
