From 2-1 to 2-3.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers two-game Alberta road trip was a little challenging.

First there was a one-point loss to the Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium which was tough to swallow and then there was the 32-3 blowout loss to the Edmonton Eskimos last Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium.

Winnipeg trailed Edmonton 4-3 when quarterback Drew Willy left the game with a knee injury and did not return.

Armchair quarterbacks huddled around the water cooler early Monday morning - would Willy play this week or won't he?

That question was answered on Wednesday morning when Willy announced he was healthy enough to get back on the field and will be taking snaps tonight (7:30 p.m.) at Investors Group Field as the Blue Bombers face the B.C. Lions.

"It's good for our team, " said head coach Mike O'Shea. "He's one our leaders."

O'Shea says it will be business as usual for his number one quarterback.

"If he was going to be limited - we wouldn't really want him playing. I'm very confident he's going to be able to execute whatever we need him to execute."

Lions linebacker Adam Bighill leads the CFL in defensive tackles with 36 after picking up a career-high 13 last week against Toronto. He is on pace for 162 which would top teammate Solomon Elimimian’s record-setting 2014 total of 143.

"Their linebackers I think are the heart of that defense, (Solomon) Elimimian and (Adam) Bighill," said Patrick Neufeld who will be making his first start of the season on the Winnipeg offensive line tonight. "We got to make sure we know where they are on the field and what they're doing. They have a really good front four. Khreem Smith is an older guy who has been around the league and he's crafty and he's a good football player. And they've got some new guys in the middle. We've got to come in prepared. They're good upfront and we've got to play hard."

Eskimos rookie quarterback James Franklin threw three second half touchdown passes last weekend and now the Bombers defense will have to deal with a Lions offense that features one of the best quarterbacks in the CFL, Travis Lulay who has thrown seven touchdown passes and just two interceptions, and one of the best running backs in the league, Andrew Harris who rushed for three touchdowns against the Argos.

"You take it a game at a time," said defensive tackle Zach Anderson after Wednesday's walkthrough. "Last game it didn't go our way. It's a short week so you tend to flush it and move on. We spent the last couple of days, basically full days of film, letting the bodies rest, getting a mental aspect and getting ready for the game."

Receiver Nick Moore will not play tonight for the Bombers as he recovers from a leg injury and will be replaced by Justin Veltung.

 


Quarterback Drew Willy reflects on the knee injury he suffered last Saturday in Edmonton