REGINA — It was two years ago this month when former Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive back Marcus Sayles gave a headline-grabbing response when asked about his old club.
To set the scene, the Bombers were 4-0 but weren’t lighting up the scoreboard as they ranked fifth in the CFL in scoring. The B.C. Lions, who Sayles was playing for at the time, were 3-0 and had outscored their opponents 137-49.
“Right now they look like they’re a little vanilla,” said Sayles before that Week 5 showdown at BC Place.
RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES
Marcus Sayles, pictured while he was a member of the Blue Bombers in 2018, says he has learned to respect his opponents.
“They’ve been skating away by little points, so we feel like we can beat them pretty bad.”
Just over 24 hours later, the Blue and Gold stomped the Leos 43-22.
“I definitely did (catch flack for that). Especially on social media. I had so many fans sending me ice cream cones,” said Sayles with a laugh on Thursday.
“Looking back on it, we just gotta respect our opponent. They can come in at any time and put some work in.”
Fast forward to today, it’s somewhat of a similar story. While the Bombers don’t spot a perfect record (2-4), they are coming off back-to-back wins, including an encouraging 41-37 result over Calgary last week. However, they remain in the basement in scoring with 23.3 points per game.
Then there’s the Saskatchewan Roughriders — who scooped up Sayles in early June after the Lions let him go — who sit at 4-1.
The two sides meet at Mosaic Stadium Friday night at 8:30 p.m. CT.
So, after the Riders finished their walk-through, Sayles was once again asked by the Free Press for his opinion on the Bombers offence and their recent struggles.
He chose his words much more carefully on this occasion.
“They haven’t had all their guys together for the last couple games. They might have some inexperience in some places, but they still have experience in their locker room,” said Sayles, who won a Grey Cup with Winnipeg in 2019.
“They still have guys that have been in those Grey Cup games… and they’re gonna come in here and try to play physical football. They got Brady (Oliveira) who’s been doing his thing the last couple years and we got to be prepared for all facets of the game.”
A very different answer and Sayles is also hoping for a very different result.
“Unfortunately, we just weren’t ready on that day. We’re definitley going to be ready this time,” he said.
MACE vs. COLLAROS
Riders head coach Corey Mace seems to have Zach Collaros’s number in big games.
Prior to putting on the headset, Mace was a standout defensive lineman and sacked Collaros, then with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, in the 2014 Grey Cup to help the Calgary Stampeders to a 20-16 victory.
“I believe they gave me credit for it, but man, I don’t know… It was kind of close. But to the grave, I’m saying that (sack) was all me,” said Mace Thursday.
“But that’s just a tip of the cap to Zach. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Zach and how he approaches the game and how he competes. The fact that we’re talking about me playing against this guy and he’s still rolling in the league and doing a great job, that’s just a credit to him.”
Then as a defensive coordinator with the Toronto Argonauts, Mace gave the Blue Bombers pivot a ton of issues in the 2022 championship game in a 24-23 upset win for the Boatmen.
“(Mace) always has a really good plan. He has good wrinkles, depending on what team they’re playing. They do an excellent job playing the coverage that’s called and getting after the passer up front,” said Collaros.
FIRST TASTE OF BOMBERS-RIDERS FOR OUELLETTE
Riders running back A.J. Ouellette recently spent a day at the Country Thunder Saskatchewan music festival in nearby Craven.
In addition to seeing country music star Luke Combs perform, the former Argonaut was quickly educated on how eager Riderville is to see their team come out on top against Winnipeg on Friday.
“It was like every other person said, ‘Beat Winnipeg, we don’t care for them,’” said Ouellette, who scored two touchdowns in the ‘22 title game for Toronto.
“But I’ve always played good against Winnipeg.”
The Riders signed Ouellette, a 28-year-old out of the University of Ohio, in free agency this winter. Through five games, he has 301 rushing yards, three touchdowns, and a not-so-good 3.81 yards per carry average.
The Bombers are currently last in the league against the run and Ouellette believes he’s poised for a strong outing.
“They’re always thinking pass rush first, that’s what their d-line is known for… And it’s always been (linebacker Adam Bighill’s) job to fix their mistakes. So, if I can play a little game with Biggie and get him in the wrong spots and all that, it should be a pretty good game.”
X: @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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