The Winnipeg Blue Bombers right tackle was on the other side of the Canadian Football League’s most spirited rivalry last season and understands the crowd at Mosaic Stadium could hit another decibel when Big Blue visits the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday (8:30 p.m CT).
It’s tradition for the Bombers to blare crowd noise throughout the practices leading up to a trip to Regina. One of the many fine details in the team’s preparation, it simulates the feeling of a hostile environment and ensures that the players’ non-verbal communication is up to snuff.
“Extremely important, because this is the best rivalry up here. These are the two loudest stadiums — we have the loudest fans — but Mosaic is going to be loud,” said Lofton, who played 15 games for the Riders last season.
“It’s a rivalry game, we have to prepare for the times you can’t hear and be able to be able to communicate non-verbally and play your best game.”
Lofton and the rest of the Bombers’ offensive line will look to continue their recent stretch of improved play against one of the premier defensive fronts in three-down football.
The Roughriders’ defence enters Week 7 with the most turnovers in the league, (16 — 11 interceptions and five fumble recoveries), the fourth-most sacks (10), and second-most pass knockdowns (18, while holding opposing quarterbacks to the second-lowest efficiency rating (83.1).
“They seem well-coordinated,” said head coach Mike O’Shea. “They’re getting after it. (Their) head coach (Corey Mace) is a d-lineman, I think that that group would certainly buy into that.”
Enter the Bombers, whose offensive line has ratcheted up its play after a slow start to the year. After allowing six sacks and the club eclipsing 100 yards rushing once through the first four contests, the starting five has begun to find a rhythm, paving the way for 328 rush yards and two touchdowns over the last two games.
“We’re in a much better place of, like I feel the communication is improving now,” said centre Chris Kolankowski. “Obviously, two new pieces on the line. No matter how good those players are, when you plug in new pieces it’s going to take a little bit just to get everyone talking the same language.
“We all kind of know where each other is going to be better, like I know (where) Liam (Dobson) is going to be better than Week 1, without even looking you know where he is. You’ve got that feel and chemistry, so it’s just stuff that takes reps honestly.”
Kolankowski described how that “feel” can differ between new or longtime teammates.
“Me and Paddy (Neufeld) have been playing tougher for a long time. So, when I double (teamed) with him I felt great — we’re always head-to-head, shoulder-to-shoulder, so there’s not much of a crease — where me and Liam, we just had to work on it. It’s not that one of us was playing bad, it’s just… getting more consistent with taking steps to compliment each other.”
Lofton re-joined an offensive line — this time as the starter — that became renowned for its continuity and excellent play over the last few seasons. He conceded that it took some time before he felt comfortable during a game.
“I feel like I’m finally starting to find it,” Lofton said. “It definitely took a couple of games, getting used to playing next to the same guys, building that camaraderie, building the communication — that was very important. Just making sure we continue to build on that, and I feel like we’re making good progress with that.”
Offensive coordinator Buck Pierce said he’s seen an increase in physicality from the unit. That was on full display against the Ottawa Redblacks in Week 4 as the Chris Streveler-led offence went to the ground game 37 times and galloped for more than 200 yards.
Indeed, it was an offensive lineman’s dream.
“It’s not going to always look that way every week but it was fun to see that for sure,” Pierce recalled earlier this week.
“I thought they’ve done a good job. They’re continuing to improve, the communication is always a key with those guys and getting on the same page. It’s been fun to watch them grow and get better, as well.”
In a tilt that is sure to feature a healthy dose of nasty in the trenches, the big men will need to strike a balance of controlled aggression in order to emerge with a critical victory.
“Physicality is always a part of it, but as far as the football game, these things always come down to who’s gonna play a cleaner game,” O’Shea said. “We’re dealing with crowd noise, they don’t have to really. Are we gonna execute at a high level, are we going to stay focused enough to execute at the level we need to, to make our plays?
“I think both teams have proven to be a physical group and can be that way. I’m sure they’ll be two rams bashing on each other, but who’s going to make the least amount of mistakes is usually how this one’s going to end up.”
