Winnipeg defensive end Tom Canada celebrates the Blue Bombers' 24-22 win over the Montreal Alouettes in the East semifinal. (Joe Bryksa/Canadian Press)
Feature
Bombers' front four face challenge stopping Joseph
Last Updated Fri., Nov. 23, 2007
Chris Iorfida, CBC Sports
With Kerry Joseph versus Ryan Dinwiddie pegged as a quarterback mismatch by many prognosticators, Winnipeg's pass rushers will be under the gun in Sunday's Grey Cup to neutralize the stellar Saskatchewan pivot.
Joseph earned the CFL most outstanding player honours after throwing for 4,002 yards and 24 touchdowns for the Roughriders and rushing for another 13 touchdowns, one shy of Doug Flutie's CFL record for a quarterback.
"He's a big threat," said Winnipeg defensive end Tom Canada. "It's gonna be a challenge for our defence [but] we're definitely ready for it."
Canada was the only CFL defender this season to record three sacks in a game on two separate occasions, and he performed the feat in a Sept. 2 game against Joseph and the Riders.
Any satisfaction over the accomplishment was dashed when Joseph stunned the Blue Bombers by galloping 27 yards for the winning touchdown in the game's final seconds.
It was a different story just a week later when Winnipeg beat Saskatchewan 34-15, with the Bomber defence harassing Joseph, who averaged a paltry six yards per pass attempt, nearly three shy of his season average.
"It had a lot do to with coverage," Canada said of the change. "If we have good coverage in the secondary, then we're able to tee off and get after the quarterback."
Canada and fellow defensive linemen Doug Brown, Gavin Walls and Jerome Haywood helped lead the way this season as Winnipeg boasted a balanced defence, with only Toronto limiting opponents to fewer yards.
Tough against the run
The Bombers allowed the fewest rushing touchdowns in the league (10) and were no slouches when opposing quarterbacks dropped back to pass. The unit allowed the second fewest passing yards in the CFL and finished with 50 sacks, third highest in the league.
Canada led the way with 12 sacks, tied for third in the league, with Walls next best on Winnipeg, with nine.
Linebacker Barrin Simpson, who finished second in the league with 112 tackles, said the formidable pass rush made everyone else's job much easier.
"We have four guys up front who can rush the passer," Simpson said. "That gives us the ability to put more people in coverage and not have to blitz all the time because we have those guys up front."
Brown and Canada have played on the line since 2004, with Walls joining a year later.
Canada said Haywood's lack of ego made him a welcome addition to the group this season.
Nearly a foot shorter than fellow tackle Brown, Haywood stretched his five-foot-nine frame to block a field goal attempt in the CFL East against Toronto and also recovered a fumble.
Haywood will look to carry the momentum into the Grey Cup when he lines up across from his former Ottawa Renegade teammate, Joseph.
Haywood relishes chance to hit Joseph
"I like playing against Kerry," said Haywood. "I look at him and smile and whenever I get a chance to hit him, I hit him as hard as I can.
The defensive tackle proved as much the last time he faced Joseph and the Roughriders, finishing with three tackles and two sacks in Winnipeg's win.
Brown, who is from New Westminster, B.C., is the only one of the quartet who played in the team's 2001 Grey Cup loss.
His second chance will now depend in large part on first-time starter Dinwiddie, thrust into onto the big stage after star quarterback Kevin Glenn broke his arm in the East final.
"Every other area on our team realizes that we need to make this transition [for him] as easy as possible and we need to all step up our game so we can take the pressure off him," Brown said.
Roughrider running backs Corey Holmes and Wes Cates each ranked in the top 10 in the league in yards from scrimmage, but the fact that both are banged up could present an opportunity for the Winnipeg defence to put more pressure on Joseph.
That in turn could ease the pressure on Dinwiddie and the Bomber offence.
"We need to get their offence into a second and long-type situation so it has a lot to do with our linebackers coming up and filling the run," said Canada. "If we stop the run then we get to tee off and do our thing."
Canada and Brown have each kept up their regular blogging duties this week in the Winnipeg press. Along with their fellow lineman, they will look to write a storybook end to the season and help author the franchise's first Grey Cup win since 1990.
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