Weather is snow joke for Bombers

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This article was published 10/10/2019 (2405 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

While most Winnipeggers were disappointed to wake up to a winter wonderland on Thursday, Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Andrew Harris was singing “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.”

The Bombers (9-6) play the Montreal Alouettes (8-6) on Saturday at IG Field and Harris hopes the snow is here to stay.

“I’m definitely excited about it. I hope it keeps snowing for the next three days here,” said Harris, the CFL’s rushing leader with 1,095 yards. “I’ll be geared up. I can go snowmobiling on Sunday.”

Harris added if anyone benefits from the snow, it’s the offence.

“It’s something I’ve always enjoyed doing,” Harris said after Thursday’s practice. “I feel like as an offence, you always have an advantage when it’s slippery and wet like this cause you know where the ball’s going, you know the direction you’re going and the defence is stuck trying to react to things. Any time it’s slick and the footing is off, it’s always an advantage for the offence.”

It’s no secret the Bombers are better known for their rushing attack than they are for their passing game, but head coach Mike O’Shea quickly shot down the idea that playing in sloppy conditions better suits his team.

“You’re never going to hear me say or the players say (weather) was a factor,” O’Shea said. “What, am I gonna stand up here after the game and say the weather was bad? You know? The weather’s perfect. You gotta embrace it. Whether we’re a passing team or a running team, it should make no difference. We’re going to take whatever Mother Nature throws at us and have fun with it.”

One player who likely would disagree with the idea of the weather being “perfect” is kicker Justin Medlock. He said Thursday’s conditions were not easy to kick in and if they’re similar on Saturday, he’s going to need some help from teammates.

“I asked some of the O-lineman if it snows really bad (on Saturday) to help me clear a spot. But other than that, stay warm and keep plugging away and one kick at a time,” Medlock said when asked how he approaches kicking in difficult conditions.

Medlock has made 27 of 33 field-goal attempts this year with his longest being a 55-yarder. But don’t expect him to show off his range on Saturday.

“If it’s a field that has a lot of snow like today, today was pretty bad, so that would be really tough. So, I think probably kicking 45 yards and out would be really hard out there. Maybe extra points would be hard,” the 35-year-old kicker said. “But it just depends. If the field is really covered in snow, then it’s going to take some time to get all of that off. But if it’s one of those that we can just dust off quick, we’ll be all right.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31

Taylor Allen
Reporter

Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.

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