Leos Take on the Blue and Gold

[Hambone]

Shawn Gore is going through the concussion protocol and could miss Saturday's contest against the Bombers.

Adekolu has been told to be prepared to start.

I had been wondering what happened to Gore. My Spockian eyebrow was raised when Adekolu caught that pass on Saturday night. Initially I thought he was merely brought in as an extra receiver on that particular play. When he continued to stay on the field I started looking across the Lions' set to see who was missing. When I didn't see #85 I started looking up and down the BC bench for Gore. I couldn't locate him there either. I guessed he must've been injured but had no idea when or how.

[B.C.FAN]

I had been wondering what happened to Gore. My Spockian eyebrow was raised when Adekolu caught that pass on Saturday night. Initially I thought he was merely brought in as an extra receiver on that particular play. When he continued to stay on the field I started looking across the Lions' set to see who was missing. When I didn't see #85 I started looking up and down the BC bench for Gore. I couldn't locate him there either. I guessed he must've been injured but had no idea when or how.

I didn't see him get injured but he walked past me to the locker room with one of the trainers. HIs last play was an incomplete second-down pass intended for him with 8:30 left in the fourth quarter. Adekolu came into the game at the start of the next series and caught a 19-yard pass on his first play.

[Blitz]

Shawn Gore is going through the concussion protocol and could miss Saturday's contest against the Bombers.

Adekolu has been told to be prepared to start.

I had been wondering what happened to Gore. My Spockian eyebrow was raised when Adekolu caught that pass on Saturday night. Initially I thought he was merely brought in as an extra receiver on that particular play. When he continued to stay on the field I started looking across the Lions' set to see who was missing. When I didn't see #85 I started looking up and down the BC bench for Gore. I couldn't locate him there either. I guessed he must've been injured but had no idea when or how.

I was really surprised to see Adekolu in the game too. I was finally relieved, at the time, that we were finally giving Adekolu some very deserving rotational game reps. He deserves at least that opportunity. Now I'm disappointed that was not the case.

Shawn Gore is having an excellent season. Its great to see Jennings have the confidence in Gore that he needs his quarterback to have and he has responded. I hope he is fine. I'm sure its the last way that Adekolu would want to get his opportunity from because they not only played college together but have a good friendship by all accounts.

Your 'Spockian eyebrow' is a very good radar detector Hambone!!

[Hambone]

Your 'Spockian eyebrow' is a very good radar detector Hambone!!

Credit where it's due. I "borrowed" the term from Bob McCown.

[Blitz]

This is a very "unscientific" comment, so read it in that light.... Last Saturday, I got to the stadium early to make sure I did not miss the pre-game Husky marching band so I watched the team pre-game workouts. Two things were apparent to my eyes.... first, Jon Jennings has a remarkably smooth throwing motion.... it is damn near poetic!.... secondly, #83 was the receiver who caught my eye. He was sharp in his workout routes and his catching motion was really fluid and crisp... how he was reaching up and bringing in the ball. I know that limbering-up workouts don't necessarily translate to game situations, but I was impressed. When he was subbing for Gore and made that catch, it was not a surprise and he deserves more reps.

Jon Jennings not only has an incredible arm but he also has impressive football anticipation skills. He has often thrown the football against double coverage to only the spot the receiver could make a play or he has forced his receiver to make an adjustment, with the football in the air, so that only the receiver could make a play on it. He often leads his receivers with his throws into areas that they will get open against zone.

I can't believe how many long throws that Jennings has thrown perfectly this season, often with the defender having good coverage. Its amazing to see such a high level of consistency, in terms of accuracy, from a quarterback on long throws. Its just very hard to do. I agree with you that its either 'poetic' or my words would be 'almost magical''

Its not as if our offensive scheme has fooled anyone this season. In fact its made things more challenging for Jennings. Last game, with some additional running plays and the introduction of a few new pass plays, I saw more encouraging things from our scheme and Ihope those adaptions were just not for one game. In fact, we need to add some new wrinkles and adjust our passing game for more man/cover 2 type of defenses.

I think you hit it on the head with Adekolu. He is smooth, has great hands, and good speed. He was injured at the 2013 Combine and was not able to show that speed. in the 40 yd. dash, because he pulled up due to an injury on his second attempt. Adekolu registered 17 reps in the bench press, the second most among all receivers at the 2013 Combine. He is strong and fearless.

He may or not perform well if he gets an opportunity to play but I think he will step up.

I do not think that Phillips is a good tackler and if put in the safety position, I fear we would be be watching him run alongside of receivers for many yards.

Phillips has not been known to be a good tackler and there have been times in the past that he hasn't. He has worked on it. His tackling has been very good this season, the best of our defensive backs. However, he has excellent range and very good anticipation. From the safety position, that is what you need most. Phillips,at safety, could see patterns develop and anticipate. I think we would get some interceptions out of him. Barrin Miles strength as a safety was his outstanding anticipation.

Edem was Montreal's first pick (3rd overall) in the 2013 draft and had an excellent rookie season there. But he was moved out of their starting safety position for a reason. In 2014, he didn't play well at all and by 2015, he was really down on their depth chart. When Montreal traded their 2013 first pick for a lousy 6th round draft choice to Hamilton nor did Hamilton try too hard to sign Edem.

Edem, at 6'1" and 200-210 pounds is is very athletic and he is versatile. He is physical enough to play close to the line of scrimmage and set the edge or run with a slot back in the seam. He was projected, when drafted, as much as a nickelback or Will linebacker even more than as a safety. He was converted from defensive back to linebacker when he played for Calgary.

He would have been a very good fit for our nickel position, allowing Purifoy to play safety and Phillips and Purifoy to play twin safeties in a Cover 2. If I could reconfigure our Leos defence from the start of this season, I would have used Purifoy and Phiillips in a Cover 2 defence and used either Edem or Thompson as our nickel back.

You actually need your halfbacks and boundary corner to come up and make more tackles than you need your safety to tackle.

I think that our wide outs have suffered for the past few years because our QB's (up to Jennings taking over late last year) did not have the arms to fire a pass out to them, be it Gore or Iannuzzi. The wideout prior to Jennings was merely a ruse.

I think that is partially the case.

However, if you have an outstanding receiver playing out there, the quarterback will want to get the football to him. Dickenson did not have great arm strength to throw the long passes to Ryan Thelwell but he did anyway. Thelwell had over 1,000 yds. receiving in 2005 and 2006. With the Stamps in 2007 he had 733 yds. receiving and averaged 17.3 yds. per reception with the Stamps in 2008.

Just go to You Tube and watch the 2011 Grey Cup highlights and watch Lulay throw to Paris Jackson, who took over Iannuzzi's spot for the playoffs and you will see a quarterback confident to throw to the wide side, when its a different receiver than Iannuzzi. Same thing happened in 2012, when Paris got some rotational reps.

Lulay had the arm strength to throw the football to Iannuzzi in 2011 and 2012 but didn't. In 2013, DeMarco did - but didn't. We were slot back -entric with Kevin Glenn but Jennings has been our quarterback for 18 games and he still doesn't throw much to Iannuzzi but has done so a little more lately. One reason for Jennings went away from Iannuzzi, after throwing his way more earlier this season was due to the lack of success rate - we were being successful less than 50% of the time throwing to Iannuzzi in our first number of games.

But still, with Iannuzzi's 20 catches out of 38 attempts, its still the lowest success rate by far, in terms of our receiving crew. Its one reason why I wanted to see Adekolu get some reps at that position.

Iannuzzi had 2 catches last game against Ottawa. Only one of those two receptions were when Iannuzzi was playing field widout. Adekelu comes into the game at field wideout, with only one reception to his name as a Leo and Jennings , with the game on the line in the 4th quarter, promply throws a 19 yard reception to Adekolu. It says a lot.

[TheLionKing]

This is a very "unscientific" comment, so read it in that light.... Last Saturday, I got to the stadium early to make sure I did not miss the pre-game Husky marching band so I watched the team pre-game workouts. Two things were apparent to my eyes.... first, Jon Jennings has a remarkably smooth throwing motion.... it is damn near poetic!.... secondly, #83 was the receiver who caught my eye. He was sharp in his workout routes and his catching motion was really fluid and crisp... how he was reaching up and bringing in the ball. I know that limbering-up workouts don't necessarily translate to game situations, but I was impressed. When he was subbing for Gore and made that catch, it was not a surprise and he deserves more reps.

I was watching the RedBlacks in warm up and noticed that their receivers were all jumping to catch the pass. Wondering if they were preparing for onside kicks.

[Blitz]

I think this game will tell us a lot about Chandler Fenner. He had a decent game in his first start but as good in his second start. Our Leos will need to make a decision as to whether they think he is good enough to play boundary half for the remainder of the year (or at least until Ronnie Yell can return, if he can) or whether to insert Jeremy Harris.

With four games to go in the regular season, our Leos will need to get it right at this very important backfield spot. Harris has very good credentials. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars and had some starts with them.

He's tall (6'2") and more than fast enough... 4.48 40 yd. dash and has a 36 1/2-inch vertical jump.

Harris was too light and not strong enough coming out of college (181 pounds). But he is 195 pounds now and a lot stronger in the upper body.

Its a position I plan to watch on Saturday.

[Blitz]

The headline in the Winnipeg Sun says "Harris Declares Himself Ready to Play

Harris said he is "looking forward to playing against his old team. That is probably an understatement. No final word yet on whether Harris will start against our Leos but its looking that way.

In the meantime T.J. Heath, who arrived in Winnipeg from Toronto will start for the first time. He has five interceptions, Fogg has 3 interceptions and Leggett leads the CFL with 6 interceptions.

Leggett has one interception less by himself than our entire defence. Winnipeg is loaded with ball hawks.

We have a gunslinger. It's going to be a 'showdown"

Bombers' Harris ready to play
Heath eager to do some ball-hawking ... Neufeld return would mean tough decision for O'Shea

By Ted Wyman, Winnipeg Sun
First posted: Wednesday, October 05, 2016

Andrew Harris was flying around the field on Wednesday and said he felt like himself again.

After missing the last three games with an ankle injury, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back looks like he’s ready to return to the lineup Saturday when the B.C. Lions pay a visit to Investors Group Field.

“I’m declaring myself ready to go,” Harris said after practising with the first team offence for the first time since he got injured on Sept. 10.

“If the coaches want to a make a change, that’s up to the them, but I feel ready to play.”

Timothy Flanders has filled in admirably at running back over the last three weeks but the Bombers signed Harris to a big free-agent contract for a reason and they’ll want to have the Canadian in the lineup for the crucial first game of a back-to-back against the Lions.

“He did look good today,” Bombers coach Mike O’Shea said of Harris. “I think we’ll still evaluate every morning and see how he comes out of it and how he feels but he looked very good today.”

Harris practiced with the second-team offence on Tuesday and needed to see how he felt Wednesday before declaring himself ready.
“I hadn’t run or cut in probably two and a half weeks so I didn’t know how it would respond and how it would feel after,” said Harris, who remains third in the league in rushing with 677 yards, despite missing three games. “But this morning when I came in it felt fine.

“Tuesday felt good, it didn’t feel great. It’s one of those things where you just have that soreness and stiffness and you’ve just got to work it out. Today was painless and it feels awesome right now.”

Harris is looking forward to playing his old team — he spent his first six seasons in the CFL with the Lions — and seeing some old friends this weekend.

“More so the guys that I played with, it’s going to be fun going against them,” the Winnipegger said. “Especially guys like (Adam) Bighill and Solomon (Elimimian) and Ryan (Phillips). It’s going to be a different game playing against your old team, your old coaches and stuff but it’ll be a highlight.”

ANOTHER BALL HAWK

T.J. Heath has returned kicks, come into games in certain defensive situations and packages and done what he can to contribute to the Bombers since coming over from Toronto in the Drew Willy trade.

What he really wants is to get his hands on footballs that are targeted for someone else.

Heath was working with the first-team defence Wednesday, in place of halfback Bruce Johnson, and it looks like he’ll get the start Saturday against B.C.

“For sure I’m always looking to get the ball out,” Heath said. “I just want to get in and make some plays wherever I can. I’m not really sure what’s going to happen right now but I’m just preparing myself if the opportunity presents itself. I’ll be ready to make some plays when it happens.”

Heath remains tied for second in the CFL in interceptions, with five, despite not being a regular in the secondary for the last four weeks. He’s still just one back of league leader and teammate Moe Leggett.

“He’s got five interceptions and he wants to be out there ball-hawking,” O’Shea said.

“He’s eager. He wants to get back on the field.

“I like him. He communicates like a veteran. He’s not a young CFL rookie or anything. He seems to break on footballs. To me, he’s as advertised.”

WHAT ABOUT PADDY?

The Bombers could have a bit of a dilemma on their hands if and when offensive lineman Paddy Neufeld returns from an injury that has kept him out of the lineup for 10 weeks.

Neufeld is getting closer to returning to full practice, but the Bombers offensive line — with three imports starting — has been strong in his absence.

When Neufeld went down, Jermarcus Hardrick shifted over to his right guard position, while Travis Bond came in at left tackle. Also including centre Matthias Goossen, right tackle Sukh Chung and left guard Stanley Bryant, the line has played a big role in the Bombers going 7-2 over the last nine games.

O’Shea couldn’t say whether he’d automatically change his lineup if Neufeld is healthy.

“I believe we would take a look at the roster on a week-by-week basis to see what gives us the best chance to win, playing team football,” O’Shea said. “A lot of those decisions are based on how it affects the rest of the roster. What makes us best able to execute as an entire team.”

The decision won’t be easy as Neufeld brings both skill and non-import status to the mix. Hardrick and Bond are both Americans.
“Paddy Neufeld is a skilled offensive lineman,” O’Shea said. “I think he can play three positions — centre, guard and tackle. He’s very, very sharp. In the meetings he basically knows everything that everybody is supposed to do, all the time. In that regard, he’s got that centre mentality that puts everybody in the right spot. He can play across the board for us.”

BLUE NOTES

Linebacker Ian Wild (undisclosed injury) did not practice on Wednesday … Receiver/kick returner Quincy McDuffie took some reps with the first-team offence and looks to be coming back into the lineup after missing the last two games with an upper-body injury.

[Blitz]

The Bombers have just signed Tori Gurley. Gurley led the Argos in touchdowns last season, was second in receiving, and made 59 catches for 791 yds. He will add some height and size to what is not an overwhelming Bombers receiving unit.

Our Leos will need to be bracing for colder weather on the weekend, when they play in Winnipeg. The weather there can change in a heartbeat in October. It's highly variable. Winnipeg can also be a windy city. It will be getting close to freezing by the time our game with the Bombers is over. October in Winnipeg can see temperatures of -6. Gurly will be more worried about having warm gloves than having passes thrown his way.

At least we only play the Bombers in Winnipeg once. Tony Gurley is going to have to face more than questioning about his attitude in Toronto. He is going to face mosquitoes in spring that can almost carry away small children. It's not called the 'Mosquito Capital' for nothing. The mosquito is Manitoba's 'provincial bird'. A swarm of black flies can kill cattle (and that's no joke).

Just having a little fun as my best buddy was born and grew up in Winnipeg, and even though he lives in B.C. now (smart guy), he will be pulling for the Bombers (and there is big beer on the line)

So, I'm hoping that our Leos will go in there and stuff Andrew Harris, create havoc for Nichols, lay a smack down on Dressler, burn those ball hawking Bombers defensive backs, and get back to our moderate climate with a win in their belts.

Winnipeg - a nice place to visit for a win.... and then get away from those flat lands and get back to enjoying our coastal mountains and oceans.

Now, I'm ready for some trash talking from any Blue and Gold fans!!

[Blitz]

Matt Baker has written his "Keys to the Game" and are posted below.

They are:

1) Get to Nichols
2) Win the Turnover Battle
3) Control the Special Teams Battle

Matt Baker

The run through the Wild, Wild West begins on Saturday when our Leos (9-4) visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-6) in the first of a critical home and home series.

The teams will meet again at BC Place on Friday, October 14th so you know these next two games will go a long way in determining who hosts a playoff game in November. With a win or tie, Jonathon Jennings and the Lions would assure themselves of a playoff berth for a 20th consecutive year.

They currently have the longest active post-season streak in the CFL and second longest of all-time behind Edmonton who qualified every year from 1972-2005. “It’s huge. It says a lot about the ownership of the club and the coaches that have come through here,” Jennings said of the pending playoff milestone. “It’s exciting for us to be a part of that and we’re excited for the opportunity to go out there and do it again.”

At the same time, Jennings understands the obstacle he and the team must face first: taking down a hungry Blue Bombers squad looking to snap a two-game losing streak. They previously won seven in a row. “It’s going to be a tough game. We’ve seen what Winnipeg has done this season. They’ve done a great job of getting turnovers and playing smart football. We have to go in there and limit our mistakes and attack them as we have in the past.”

Following the back to backs, they will close out the regular season at home to Edmonton (Oct. 22) and with a home and home against Saskatchewan (Oct. 29 and November 5th).

Here are some other key storylines for Saturday’s clash:

Good Day Old Friend

Former Lions running back Andrew Harris is on track to return after suffering an ankle body injury in the Bombers’ Banjo Bowl victory over Saskatchewan on September 10th. Needless to say, Ryan Phillips and the rest of the Lions’ defence are looking forward to facing their old friend for the first time.

“He’s a teammate and a friend of mine and that’s going to be for life, but once we get between the lines we understand it’s business,” Phillips said. “I know he will definitely get a little more motivated to play us, I know he’s going to be up for the challenge and he wants to help his team get in a position to host a home playoff game too.” Injuries aside, Harris has benefited from playing for his hometown team; his 677 rushing yards are good enough for third in the CFL, behind only Jerome Messam and Brandon Whitaker.

Harris told bluebombers.com:
“I’m declaring myself good to go. If the coaches want to make a change, that’s up to them but I feel ready to play. It’s going to be fun going against them, especially guys like Adam (Bighill), Solomon (Elimimian) and Ryan (Phillips). It’s going to be a different game. Obviously it’s different playing against your old team, your old coaches and stuff. It just highlights it that much more.”

Upon hearing the comments from his pal Phillips, Harris stated:

“Once the whistle blows I’m going to try to hit him in the mouth. After that, I guarantee there will be a lot of laughs, a lot of smiles. But that’s part of the game, that’s what makes it fun. Between the whistles you battle, you grind it out and you’re competing. And then after it’s all said and done you’re still friends and still respect each other.”

It will no doubt be another worthy challenge for the Leos’ elite run-stoppers. His accomplishments in BC were remarkable: Two CFL All-Star selections, two more West Division All-Star nods and of course there was the 2011 Grey Cup where he was named the top Canadian after helping the Lions dispatch Winnipeg 34-23. He is one of the best to ever don Lions orange and will no doubt get a positive reception when he returns to BC Place for the re-match.

Quotable: Buono’s Approach To Back to Backs

“When I was in Alberta we used to have them every year. It was guaranteed. The thing about it is, one game had no resemblance to the other game. The atmosphere is different, the ballpark is different, the whole mindset is all totally different. I don’t look at back to backs, I just look at the next game on the schedule. I don’t want to think about game two before we play game one.”

Next Man Up?

Shawn Gore missed the first two days of practice as he continues to go through concussion protocol, while right tackle Antonio Johnson went down on Tuesday with an injured ankle. Stephen Adekolu took first team reps. at wide receiver and will be ready to perform if called upon. The third-year receiver made his first CFL catch in the win over Ottawa.”It’s like Christmas morning every game,” Adekolu said of the possibility of starting.

“You’re excited because you’re playing football regardless, but you might get that tap on the shoulder. I keep that mindset that I am a starter so that when I do get slotted in I can definitely produce and contribute to the offence.” No Gore would also mean rookie Shaq Johnson would climb the depth chart as well. Meanwhile, Newcomer Kelvin Palmer filled in at Johnson’s spot on the offensive line and Wally Buono says he would be ready to make his first career start.

Three Keys To Victory

Get To Nichols:

Defensive line coach Robin Ross took note of the fact his group put very little pressure on Ottawa’s Trevor Harris last week. A big part of his game plan in practice has been the importance of reversing that trend against Matt Nichols. The Bombers pivot helped engineer a seven-game win streak after taking over from Drew Willy when they were 1-4. Ross’s troops, led by team sacks leader Alex Bazzie, will make it their priority to pressure him early and often.

Win The Turnover Battle:

The Bomber’s defence has recorded the most interceptions (22), as well as the most defensive touchdowns (5) this season. Given the amount of playmakers at his disposal, Jennings can help determine the outcome by doing exactly what he said they need to: Play mistake free football. On the other side, if the defence can beat Winnipeg at their own game by forcing a couple turnovers of their own, it could be the recipe for success.

Control The Special Teams Battle:

We have a hunch the Lions are due to make a big statement on special teams. With Chris Rainey always a force to be reckoned with on the return game, look for him to solve the Bombers’ stellar kick coverage, one that has allowed the least amount of return yards per punt, 8.1 to be precise. Special teams will be key in the Manitoba Capital.

Extra Yardage

Despite not being able to beat out the Lions for a post-season berth last season, the Blue Bombers won both regular season meetings. The match up at Investor’s Group field was a 23-13 Winnipeg victory on July 30th and they prevailed 29-26 on October 10th at BC Place, courtesy a last second field goal by Sergio Castillo.

Since it opened in 2013, the Lions have won two out of three visits to Winnipeg’s fancy new digs.

History watch is on: Adam Bighill is 11 defensive tackles shy of 100 for the season and looks to join Solomon Elimimian who reached the century mark last week. No team in CFL history has had two players record 100 or more defensive stops in the same year.

[Blitz]

Adekolu will start for Shawn Gore. But supposedly Antonio Johnson is injured too. If that is the case, my guess is we would start Kelvin Palmer.

Palmer was signed by our Leos in July but went south to Tampa Bay's training camp before rejoining us. He is 6'4" 290 pounds. Not really heavy but more the prototype offensive tackle we are starting to see in the CFL, due to defenses going with lighter, faster pass defensive ends, who are linebacker size.,

Palmer dressed for 42 games over four years at Baylor. He anchored the offensive line from his tackle position. Baylor led the nation in offense in 2014 with an astounding 618.8 yards per game.

He can play either left or right tackle. He is fundamentally sound, blocks with excellent knee bend, forward lean, and gets leverage. Keeps his feet and active throughout, nicely adjusts to defenders, and shows ability blocking in motion. The offence that he played in with Baylor makes Palmer a good CFL candidate for the tackle position.

Guess we will know more once the depth chart comes out today.

[David]

Adekolu will start for Shawn Gore. But supposedly Antonio Johnson is injured too. If that is the case, my guess is we would start Kelvin Palmer.

Palmer was signed by our Leos in July but went south to Tampa Bay's training camp before rejoining us. He is 6'4" 290 pounds. Not really heavy but more the prototype offensive tackle we are starting to see in the CFL, due to defenses going with lighter, faster pass defensive ends, who are linebacker size.

Johnson will almost certainly miss Saturday's game, in which case Palmer will draw in in his place. A bit under-sized to be sure and has not been in camp all that long to know all of his blocking assignments - this is a rather big concern for me. You can bet that Jamaal Westerman (who could have been ours - sigh) will be pinning his ears back and going after him. In fact, I could see the Bombers looking to exploit this development by over-loading the left side of their D on some plays.

It's important that we have some quick hitters ready.


DH

[squishy35]

http://www.tsn.ca/bombers-db-johnson-su ... s-1.581568

Lions will not see Bombers' DB Johnson as he has been suspended x 2 games for Drug use.....

[B.C.FAN]

The Lions have declared their 46-man roster. Adekolu starts in place of Gore, who moves to the one-game injured list. Shaq Johnson is activated from the practice roster as backup receiver.

Kelvin Palmer is activated and starts at RT in place of Antonio Johnson, who also moves to the one-game injured list.

Roster and depth chart vs. Winnipeg

Mike Beamish reported some interesting trivia about Palmer. He attended Baylor, where he played behind onetime Lions first-round draft pick Danny Watkins, who was drafted and played in the NFL before retiring to pursue his dream of being a firefighter.

Kelvin Palmer, Watkins’ former understudy with the Baylor Bears, comes off the practice roster this week to make his first CFL start Saturday as a replacement for injured starting right tackle Antonio Johnson (ankle).

While Watkins never made it to B.C., some of his college spirit has been embodied in Palmer. “His aggression, his strength, his technique, are all things I tried to copy,” Palmer says. “He was mean — a habit I wouldn’t mind taking on.”

Beamish also delves into the close personal friendship of opposing kickers Richie Leone and Justin Medlock, who lived together for part of the offseason, helping each other with their kicking technique and their golf swings. Leone may be the league's best punter. Medlock may be the best kicker. It could be a good relationship.

Richie Leone has a leg up on most punters seeking NFL jobs

As for the keys to the game, I'll steal one from Matt Baker and tweak another, while adding one of my own.

1. Get to Matt Nichols
He led the Bombers to seven straight wins when he took over from Drew Willy, and has averaged 31.6 points per game in his nine starts. On the season, he has passed for 12 TDs and just three INTs but two of those INTs have come in the past two games, both losses. Disrupting his rhythm and not giving him time to exploit B.C.'s secondary is crucial for the B.C. defence.

2. Contain Andrew Harris
Te ex-Lion is anxious to play his old team but can get frustrated when defences bottle up the inside run game. He is more dangerous as a receiver out of the backfield and will likely get a chance to catch the ball in the flat, where he can make people miss.

3. Don't make costly turnovers
The Bombers have a winning record because they lead the league in turnover margin at +24. The Lions have a winning record despite a turnover margin of -1. They can beat Winnipeg without winning the turnover battle but their chances go down with every turnover they make.

[Blitz]

The Lions have declared their 46-man roster. Adekolu starts in place of Gore, who moves to the one-game injured list. Shaq Johnson is activated from the practice roster as backup receiver.

Kelvin Palmer is activated and starts at RT in place of Antonio Johnson, who also moves to the one-game injured list.

Roster and depth chart vs. Winnipeg

Mike Beamish reported some interesting trivia about Palmer. He attended Baylor, where he played behind onetime Lions first-round draft pick Danny Watkins, who was drafted and played in the NFL before retiring to pursue his dream of being a firefighter.

Kelvin Palmer, Watkins’ former understudy with the Baylor Bears, comes off the practice roster this week to make his first CFL start Saturday as a replacement for injured starting right tackle Antonio Johnson (ankle).

While Watkins never made it to B.C., some of his college spirit has been embodied in Palmer. “His aggression, his strength, his technique, are all things I tried to copy,” Palmer says. “He was mean — a habit I wouldn’t mind taking on.”

Beamish also delves into the close personal friendship of opposing kickers Richie Leone and Justin Medlock, who lived together for part of the offseason, helping each other with their kicking technique and their golf swings. Leone may be the league's best punter. Medlock may be the best kicker. It could be a good relationship.

Richie Leone has a leg up on most punters seeking NFL jobs

As for the keys to the game, I'll steal one from Matt Baker and tweak another, while adding one of my own.

1. Get to Matt Nichols
He led the Bombers to seven straight wins when he took over from Drew Willy, and has averaged 31.6 points per game in his nine starts. On the season, he has passed for 12 TDs and just three INTs but two of those INTs have come in the past two games, both losses. Disrupting his rhythm and not giving him time to exploit B.C.'s secondary is crucial for the B.C. defence.

2. Contain Andrew Harris
Te ex-Lion is anxious to play his old team but can get frustrated when defences bottle up the inside run game. He is more dangerous as a receiver out of the backfield and will likely get a chance to catch the ball in the flat, where he can make people miss.

3. Don't make costly turnovers
The Bombers have a winning record because they lead the league in turnover margin at +24. The Lions have a winning record despite a turnover margin of -1. They can beat Winnipeg without winning the turnover battle but their chances go down with every turnover they make.

The Bombers were already going to start Heath in place of Johnson anyway. Not good about Gore but hopefully for one game only and Adekolu shows well. Good that Shaq also gets an opportunity to dress as a backup receiver...it will be a good experience for him.

Jenninngs has to be careful with interceptions while not losing his aggression. That would play into the Bombers defense. Our receivers and backs also have to be careful and squeeze the football.....the Bombers like to gang tackle and strip the football and they also are trying to punch it out of a receiver or back's hands.

I think Leone is gone next season to be a punter in the NFL.