Bombers put faith in strong-armed rookie
Streveler to fill in for injured QB Nichols in season opener against Eskimos
He was the mystery man at mini-camp and didn’t even sign a contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers until May 4.
Just 41 days later, Chris Streveler will be the starting quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in their CFL season opener.
Bombers coach Mike O’Shea announced Monday the 23-yearold from the University of South Dakota will be under centre, in place of injured No. 1 quarterback Matt Nichols, for the lid-lifter against the Edmonton Eskimos Thursday at Investors Group Field.
Streveler, who worked out for Bombers coaches at mini-camp, but was not on the roster, will be the first rookie quarterback to start a CFL season opener just a year after playing college football since Anthony Calvillo did it for the Las Vegas Posse in 1994.
“We said it would be an evaluation of everything they’ve done up to this point and we just feel he’s won that competition,” O’Shea said.
“I thought he did very well through camp and played well in the games. He gives us a good chance to go out there and lead the team and win games.”
When signed, Streveler looked to be in the mix to be the Bombers’ No. 3 quarterback along with Alex Ross. Then veteran backup Darian Durant retired and Nichols hurt his knee — he’s out four to six weeks — in training camp.
That left Streveler and secondyear Ross competing for the opening day starting job and Streveler showed a bit more.
“I don’t think we were looking at guys jockeying back and forth at all,” O’Shea said. “All the quarterbacks have shown strong points and shown the areas where they need to work. In the end, Chris Streveler won the job.”
Streveler had a marvellous debut with the Bombers June 8, going 10-for-10 for 140 yards and an 80-yard touchdown pass in a win over the Edmonton Eskimos.
He struggled a bit Friday in Vancouver, going 3-for-9 with a touchdown pass and an interception that went for a touchdown the other way.
But he did enough to get the nod over the slightly more experienced Ross.
He’s talented, no doubt, but it’s not easy for young quarterbacks to find success quickly in the CFL. Regardless, O’Shea has no intention of easing Streveler into the job by simplifying the playbook.
“I’m gonna go tuck him in at night,” O’Shea said jokingly. “He’s a pro athlete. He’s gonna be just fine. He really will be.
We’re not gonna limit the playbook.
“We have 12 guys on the field on offence and he’s one of them. Everybody’s gonna do their job.
We don’t need the defence to do more, we don’t need the special teams to do more. Everybody just do what they’re supposed to do and we’ll be good.”
Streveler is by no means the conservative choice. He’s got a gunslinger mentality and can move his legs, both solid attributes for the CFL game.
Ross looks to be more of a game manager and clearly the Bombers think Streveler gives them a better chance to win right now. Streveler threw for 6,081 yards and 54 touchdowns in his two seasons at South Dakota.
The Bombers don’t need him to be a star. They just need him to get them through a stretch of three to six games before Nichols returns from his knee injury.
It won’t be easy, but if he can at least do enough to get the Bombers two or three wins in their first five games, they should be in decent shape.
On Thursday, he’ll be going up against the CFL’s most outstanding player from 2017, Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly, and few people will be picking the Bombers to win that one.
Of course, nothing is set in stone. It’s not like Streveler is under tremendous pressure. People understand the circumstances and expectations shouldn’t be too high.
If he succeeds, it’s great. If he doesn’t, O’Shea shouldn’t hesitate to try his luck with Ross or third-stringer Bryan Bennett.
This is about winning games however possible, so as to not derail what could be a Grey Cupcontending season once Nichols is healthy.
Still, it will be pretty impressive if Streveler can come in and perform. He has obviously made a quick impression on his coaches.
“Everybody can see his athleticism,” O’Shea said. “I think that’s the least of the qualities that are going to make him successful. He gets through the playbook and the plays that are called very quickly. He retains information, makes good quick decisions … and then comes the athleticism.”