Biggie Shoes To Fill Bombers D – Winnipeg Free Press

Whenever the nerve center of the defense goes down for any length of time, it needs to make real adjustments and fill a hole of considerable size.

With Winnipeg Blue Bombers midfielder Adam Bighill on the injured list after six games with an undisclosed injury sustained during training camp, the consequences echoed inside Princess Auto Stadium.

“Big, big, huge,” Blue Bombers defenseman Willie Jefferson said. “But that's what training camp is for, right? You have to try to find new pieces, find some guys to step in and fill that void as best you can. We've got some young veteran guys that have been here…know the position as well as the older guys.

“But to have him in the stadium, in meetings, things like that, to teach young guys about relationships, lingo, situations and things like that, it's good.”

Jefferson shed some light on the importance of the middle linebacker position.

“The front seven is the quarterback of the defense,” Jefferson said. “We've got guys who work the backs, the packages and the formations when it comes to receivers. But I understand that in the front row, the midfielder is the defender for the front seven.”

Many players on the defensive side of the ball spent part of Thursday praising how difficult it will be to replace Bighill for any length of time, instilling confidence that the next man in will work hard to get the job done. without him in a row.

Blue Bombers head coach Mike O'Shea said he doesn't necessarily believe Bighill will need the first six weeks of the regular season before he's ready to return, noting part of the decision comes down to the business side. A CFL game.

However, per the terms of the CFL's collective bargaining agreement, the Blue Bombers will be without Bighill for at least the first game of the regular season, as he was placed on the injured list after six games.

It's not immediately clear what that means for the middle of the Blue Bombers' defense, with others O'Shea confident Kyrie Wilson and Shane Gauthier can handle the added responsibilities coming their way.

“We've got a lot of guys competing in camp because we've got openings, and then of course Kyrie Wilson and Shane (Gauthier) are guys who have been in our building for a long time that can play there,” O' Shea said.

“How do you replace Adam Bighill?” such questions arise. No one is Adam Bighill and they shouldn't want to be. They want to be like him, but they have to be themselves. Again, authenticity is key for Kiri as a team leader, leading in her own way and Shane in his own way. It's all they can do, and it's all they really want to do. Biggie will do as much as he can to help his teammates during this time and we'll be fine.”

Given his CFL Hall of Fame career, he's less qualified than O'Shea to discuss the impact of not having a star player in the middle of the defense.

“Yeah, it's changed enough that I can't do it,” O'Shea said with a laugh before turning serious. “No, I couldn't do it when I was young.”

Why not?

“Offenses have gotten a little more complex and require vision, the ability to move is definitely the number one priority,” he explained. “Again, we have guys in our system who can do that in the building, move around and play different spots.”

Gauthier, a special teams demon, was limited to six games in the 2023 regular season due to injury, but recorded 28 defensive tackles while seeing more time at linebacker in the 2022 campaign.

“I've been doing this for a while. I know I can do it. They know I can do it. But at the end of the day, we're still in training camp. It's like we don't know anything,” said Gauthier, who re-signed with the Blue Bombers before CFL free agency opened.

“They're evaluating a lot of guys right now. So we don't know what's going to happen until Week 1. But if I need to intervene, I'm ready. They know I'm ready. I have done this in the past. So we'll see how it goes.”

Gauthier was quick to admit that all players will work to be ready when an expanded role comes.

“I have been here for eight years. Every time I've had a chance to go out there, I think I've stepped up and done my job to the best of my ability,” Gauthier said. “If they ask me to do it again, I'm going to go out there and do the best I can like I did before.”

Wilson returns for his seventh season with the Blue Bombers and has learned a lot from Bighill over the years.

“That was tough, man. Because he is the D leader. But we know he's strong and he'll be back soon. We were very surprised by this. He's a fighter, and we know he'll be back soon,” said Wilson, noting how impressed Bighill was with his ability to read the offensive call before the snap.

“I feel like he's always in the meeting room with them, sometimes (where Bighill would be) like, 'Kiri, come down right now.' I said, “Where do you see that?” OK, I'll go. OK. Thanks Biggie.' (He has) experience and he's a student of the game, man. He's been here a long time, so he knows all the tricks and all the little things the offense tries to get at us. That's why it's special.”

Wilson would slide from his outside linebacker position to center, but that's something he's been comfortable with over the past few seasons when Bighill has missed time.

“It's a big responsibility,” Wilson said.

“Because you're basically like a vocal team, making sure everyone gets to the right spot before you snap the ball. This is an important position. Oh, I look like I'm done by the time he comes back. I learned a lot from him and I'm sure he'll still be in the meeting rooms coaching us and helping us if we need help. But I feel up to the task.”

[email protected]

X: @WiebesWorld

Ken Wiebe
Sports reporter

Growing up in the booming metropolis of Altona, Man., Ken Wiebe grew up wanting to play in the NHL, but after realizing his hands were better at typing than scoring goals, he turned his attention to covering his favorite sport as a writer.

Read full bio

Our newsroom depends on the readership that fuels our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.

Our newsroom depends on our readership to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.