The Lede: "Man, that's cool to see the young guys step in, buy in ...

The start of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 2024 campaign opened with the usual unanswered questions. Offseason change, after all, brings that every year.

Yet, all the joy and promise that comes at the beginning of a new season was suddenly lost and spiralling toward the negative as that change — coupled with some crushing early-season injuries — led to an 0-4 stumble out of the starting blocks.

Vultures were circling and early-season obituaries were being penned on a club that had been so dominant over a run that featured four consecutive Grey Cup appearances and two championships.

Fast forward now to the present and it’s worth taking another look at the impact of all the change the Blue Bombers have undergone this season. That’s especially important as they head into tonight’s game against the Edmonton Elks riding a six-game win streak, back on top in the Canadian Football League’s West Division, and now one victory shy of securing a playoff spot for the eighth straight year.

Still, we lean into this old saying with that uncomfortable start having long faded in the rearview mirror — ‘all great changes are often preceded by chaos.’ 

Indeed, a team built for so long on stability and consistency in its personnel saw so many key pieces leave in free agency or caught in a salary cap purge certainly felt the impact of that change early in the campaign.

And now? All that early-season chaos has led to some many new faces now making significant contributions.

As receiver Nic Demski put it this week in a chat with bluebombers.com “Every good thing takes a while to blossom.”

Consider the following…

-Pokey Wilson leads the Blue Bombers in receiving yardage with 844 with draft pick Kevens Clercius and newcomer Keric Wheatfall stepping in as starters in the receiving corps with the likes of Dalton Schoen and Drew Wolitarsky injured.

-New starting corners Tyrell Ford and Terrell Bonds have been superb, with Ford tied for the league lead in interceptions and Bonds having started all 14 games.

-Michael Griffin II continues to get more and more work on defence and leads the team with 15 special-teams tackles — tied for third-most in the CFL.

-And then there’s linebackers Tony Jones and Michael Ayers — both of whom made massive plays in last week’s win in Edmonton. There’s defensive tackle Jamal Woods, ends TyJuan Garbutt and Celestin Haba, new left guard Liam Dobson and right tackle Eric Lofton.

And so on, and so on and so on…

“Man, that’s cool to see the young guys step in, buy in, and be FIFO,” said veteran defensive end Willie Jefferson, referencing the team’s ‘Fit in or F Off’ motto. “They accept their role. They’re in the game. There’s no back-ups; they’re playing. A guy like Ayers came in and knew for a fact he was going to be a special-teams guy but with the way things turned out he had to play defence. With all the veteran guys around him and talking to him he was able to get into the right mindset, lock in and make a big play. And with him making that big play in Edmonton it shows the vets he’s locked in and bought in, that he’s focussed, that he’s doing his film study and reading his keys.

“So, when he makes a big play, we’re going to show him some love — especially as a young guy.”

And when it was suggested the young guys stepping up to make the vets proud must give a ‘big brother proud of a little brother’ vibe, Jefferson’s face broke into a wide grin.

“That’s exactly how it is,” he said. “It’s with the young D-linemen, young linebackers, young DBs and receivers… all of them; all those guys who are first or second-year guys in the league and still wet behind the ears. But the way we’re rolling now, the way these guys are stepping in and stepping up and doing the right things and asking questions in meetings, it’s impressive. They’re ready. They don’t have that deer-caught-in-the-headlights look.

“And then when they make these big plays it IS that big brother proud of the little brother scenario. We’re proud of them.”

“You see these young guys in training camp, and you don’t know too much about them or their game,” added Demski. “You ID the guys who you think might make the team at the start of the year and then to see them take their game to the next level and make this progression is amazing.

“All those guys have worked their tails off — not just wanting to be better athletically, but mentally as well, to do whatever it takes to win. These new guys are fully bought in and now it’s showing on the field.

“I’m happy they’re a part of this and I’m sure it feels the same for them as well.”

Pokey Wilson is the prime example of a guy growing into the gig and learning on the job to the point now where he is a legit CFL Most Outstanding Rookie candidate.

“Going into the first week when I figured out I was going to be included in the starting lineup as a receiver I just wanted to be able to do my job and play my role,” said Wilson to reporters earlier this week. “But when my role got bigger, and I had more responsibilities I just wanted to make the plays that came to me and don’t force and press anything.

“I would say the biggest growth I’ve had is just being able to be a consistent player. (The early-season injuries) forced me to be ready faster rather than sit back and follow (the vets). I came into a leading role in the third or fourth game.

“… Being able to have a role on the team and being able to fulfill that role to the best of my ability is one of my most prideful things with being part of this team.”

Wilson, Ford, Bonds, Ayers, Woods, Garbutt, Haba, Adams, Jones, Dobson, Lofton… that’s a long list of newcomers or new starters living up to the ‘next-man-up’ mentality.

“It’s expected,” said head coach Mike O’Shea. “We have a room-full of vets that are wired correctly with that idea that even if they’re not playing they still want not just the team to be successful, but they want the guy going in for them to be successful, too. There will be a source of pride for that, but not too much pride in that it’s part of the deal.

“We learned that quite some time ago. A long time ago the coaching staff did a good job ensuring that was the way it was going to be by encouraging the players to take ownership. So now we’re at the point where that’s just the way the players operate. But for the young guys to feel that or recognize that their vets and not just the coaching staff put a lot of time in with them, that’s very important.”

And it’s a massive part in turning 0-4 into 8-6 and on the cusp of another trip to the playoffs.