Blue and Gold true colours of champions

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/12/2021 (1012 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HAMILTON — Expectations can be a funny thing sometimes. The higher they are, the harder it is to meet them. And when you fall short, it hurts like hell.

But then there are moments like what we saw on Sunday.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers had their backs against the wall in the biggest game of the season and with seemingly no way to get out. It’s during those moments when you’re truly tested that a team shows its true colours.

And when the dust finally settled at Tim Hortons Field in the 108th Grey Cup, it was the Bombers being showered once again with blue and gold confetti. The victory was made even more surreal given how they earned it, rallying from behind in the fourth quarter to beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 33-25, in overtime to claim their second title in as many seasons.

From decades without a championship, to back-to-back Grey Cups.

“We believe in the process here and we just stick to the script,” said Bombers receiver Nic Demski, who was named the game’s top Canadian. “That’s something that we love to say, is that we stick to the script, and we did it again tonight.”

One of the narratives coming out of the days-long build up to Sunday’s championship game was how the Bombers faced little adversity this season. They paced the CFL with an 11-3 record and clinched the West Division with a month remaining in the regular season.

They were heavy favourites despite playing against a Tiger-Cats team propelled by a raucous home crowd. Hamilton needed to win twice in the playoffs, including once on the road to get there and had injuries to key players, including the loss of defensive lineman Ted Laurent to an illness days before kickoff.

To outsiders, life seemed easy in Winnipeg. The Bombers suffered few significant injuries compared to other clubs across the league and had much of that same Grey Cup-winning team from 2019.

But to believe that would be to ignore the Bombers’ commitment to strength and conditioning, led by longtime head athletic therapist Al Couture. As well as the credit deserved for being a model of consistency in a league where heavy roster turnover is the norm.

Or that every team faced adversity from playing during a global health crisis, with COVID-19 wiping out preseason games and shortening training camp. There’s more than luck involved in not suffering a single positive test; it’s a testament to the Bombers’ discipline and dedication to following strict health protocols enforced by the CFL to keep a season — and the league’s bottom line — firmly intact.

“The will to win is powerful. It’s undeniable. It’s special and we got guys that will put it on the line for everyone,” Bombers linebacker Adam Bighill said. “It’s just fitting the way it ended, with our defence making a play. We want the pressure on us. We want to turn off the lights and we did that.”

He added: “Man, we’ve worked so hard all year long. We pulled it out all through the playoffs because we loved each other. We went out every single day and worked for each other and those are the results.”

To suggest the Bombers didn’t face adversity would also ignore the road it took to defend their title, including surviving six turnovers in a 21-17 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western final.

And they proved no worse for wear on Sunday when the Tiger-Cats had them on their heels late in the second quarter, scoring 10 unanswered points in the final 2:26 to take a 10-7 lead into halftime.

And again when Hamilton added to their lead in the second half, leading 22-10 minutes into the fourth quarter. That’s when the Bombers turned it on, turning a genuine love for one another into a comeback that will ripple in the streets of Winnipeg for decades to come.

“I’m so happy but I’m not surprised though, because of the team we have,” Bombers safety Brandon Alexander said.

“The resiliency that we showed is from everything we’ve built from the beginning. It was every single day. Everyone bought in, no matter who they are or what background they come from or what role they had — everyone bought in.”

It took a full team effort to earn the win. From an offence that led the league in scoring but struggled early on, to a defence that seemed to get pushed around until they started to punch back down the stretch.

The Bombers met their high expectations and it’s still unclear what the future will hold for a group that has only a few players signed for next season. But the joy from this one will linger for some time, not just because of what they did together but how they did it. As a team.

“I’ve never been part of a team like this, around a group of men like this before — they’re just incredible,” said Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros, the CFL’s most oustanding player.

“It’s just resiliency, perseverance. We did it all year. It’s just an amazing, amazing group and I’m so proud to be a part of it.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton