Big Blue back in business Bombers prepare for Roughriders in first action since bitter pre-bye loss to Ticats By: Joshua Frey-Sam Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Monday, Sep. 26, 2022 Last Modified: 8:13 PM CDT Monday, Sep. 26, 2022 Updates

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This article was published 25/09/2022 (724 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bye weeks look a little different now for Adam Bighill than they once did.

Bighill, 33, has played in the CFL since he was 24 years old, a time when he could be a bit more selfish with his time off. Now the Bombers’ star linebacker is a family man, and his time away from the field last week was spent waking up with his kids and drinking some coffee. “Just relax a little bit.”

“For me, the byes are more about family now,” said Bighill.

“It’s a bit of a selfish job we have with the amount of time that we have to spend to do what we do. So bye weeks and being able to spend some time with them and focus on them, I mean that’s the most healthy thing I think that I could do.”

Bighill and the rest of the Bombers returned to the practice field after their one-week hiatus, presumably rested and as fresh as they can be 14 weeks into a football season.

Monday’s practice went well beyond the scheduled time, the formal part of practice that is. Many players got upwards of an extra hour of work at IG Field after team drills were complete.

The Big Blue are presumably motivated to rid the sour taste of defeat from their mouths that came at the hands of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats ahead of their second bye week of the season. Both of the Bombers’ losses this season (against Montreal in Week 10) have come before enjoying a week off.

“I think anytime you lose going into the bye, it holds with you a little bit longer just because it’s a little bit longer before you get back on the field to be able to wipe it away. I think that’s natural for everybody,” Bighill said after practice.

“I think (the team’s two losses are) something you have to learn from and maybe ask why. We firmly understand that our two losses now are going into byes. So I think everyone has an understanding of what that is and what that means going forward.”

“We firmly understand that our two losses now are going into byes. So I think everyone has an understanding of what that is and what that means going forward.”–Adam Bighill

The recent loss didn’t appear to stew with head coach Mike O’Shea, who said he took a couple of days to rest before getting back to work. He’s ready to move on to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who the Bombers will face for the third time in the past five weeks Friday at IG Field.

O’Shea said his process during the bye week doesn’t change much in the way of “self-scouting,” even if his team is about to do battle with a familiar foe.

“Every coach has got their own projects they probably want to look at,” O’Shea said. “For the most part, we know who we are. But we know who we are every single week. I don’t think you wait six weeks or eight weeks or split up and say this is when we’re going to do it. It’s a continual process.”

“Sometimes it’s interrupted when you have less time between games. The guys have a pretty standard routine process they follow that allows them to keep up with all the data. Nothing’s going to sort of jump out at us and punch us in the face, ‘Oh, look, we missed this.’ It’s ongoing.”

The week off also allowed Brandon Alexander to study the first reps he’s put on tape this season. The defensive back made his season debut against the Ti-Cats after tearing his ACL during the 2021 Grey Cup, also against Hamilton.

The game certainly didn’t go how the fifth-year pro had hoped, as the Bombers’ defence looked exceptionally uncharacteristic throughout a tilt that saw them surrender 48 points, the most since Week 2 of 2015.

“At the end of the day, I’m my worst critic. So whether first game back or whatever the case may be, whatever I put on tape, I’m going to critique that,” said Alexander, who stayed in Winnipeg during the bye week. “I played football before. It wasn’t like it was my first week out there, ever. Obviously, I made a few mistakes and things like that. But I’m my worst critic. So everything’s going to get corrected.”

After an arduous 10-month rehab stint for his knee injury, Alexander chuckled when talking about only being able to play one game before getting another week off.

“Yes, another week to wait. But I’ll also say this: I think that it was very important and good for me to go out there and show that I can actually do it. Go out there and move pretty good. And have a bye week to even prepare myself body-wise and mentally-wise more.”

“That’s the good thing about football, especially if it’s not the end, yet. You get another chance to go out there and prove it again. Everybody’s eager and excited to get to that game. But it starts today. The only thing we control after that, we get blessed for another day tomorrow, and we do it again tomorrow.”

jfreysam@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jfreysam

Joshua Frey-Sam
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Joshua Frey-Sam happily welcomes a spirited sports debate any day of the week.

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