A BIG ADDITION
Bombers veteran Chris Randle says ‘general’ Bighill is piece the defence needed
As training camp approached, veteran cornerback Chris Randle was certain the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defence would be improved in 2018.
That was before the team signed high-impact middle linebacker Adam Bighill.
A week after camp started, and a few days after Bighill arrived, Randle’s optimism has gone through the roof.
“He’s the piece that we needed,” Randle said Sunday after a training camp session at Investors Group Field.
“Honestly I was ready to roll either way. I felt like what we did in the off-season was great. We had some linebackers that are talented and it was mainly about the concept of how we were learning on defence.
“But to add that piece, was a key signing for us. This is Adam Bighill we’re talking about.”
Randle, 29, is entering his seventh CFL season (fifth with the Bombers), and he says he has never been on a roster with more talent than this one. He said that about two minutes after Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols said the exact same thing.
It’s true, the Bombers signed some solid talent in the off-season, including receivers Adarius Bowman and Nic Demski and dime back Chandler Fenner.
They’ve also brought in some newcomers, like former NFL receiver Reuben Randle and defensive backs Marcus Sayles and Tyneil Cooper, who are making an early impression.
But what’s tying it all together, especially on the defensive side of the ball, where the Bombers needed the most improvement, is seven-year veteran Bighill.
“Coming in here, he’s more than just flying around, he’s the centrepiece,” Chris Randle said of the 5-foot-10, 230pound linebacker, who had 108 tackles in his last CFL season (2016). “He’s the one connecting the linebackers to the DBs and the linebackers to the D-line. He has a good grip of how to be a leader and we’re receptive of that because of his reputation. How he conducts himself and how he’s out here working hard and running to the ball all over the place and making plays ... he has the respect of us all already.”
It’s hard to quantify just how badly the Bombers needed a player like that.
They had some good players on defence last season, but they didn’t communicate well enough, which led to far too many busted coverages and explosive plays by the opposition. It added up to the Bombers allowing the most passing yards in the league and the second most net offence by the opposition.
They still put together a 12-6 record, but their defensive shortcomings caught up to them in the playoffs.
Randle believes all that is about to change.
“Bighill is a general,” Randle said.
“What he does is help make sure we’re all on one page. First and foremost you can count on him to be responsible for his job and actions and making plays, and then you can believe his words when he tries to bring us together, when he comes with opinions and he comes with ideas. He hears everyone else out too, so it’s not just a dictatorship. It’s a matter of being a cohesive unit and he’s the centre of it.
“Seeing him out here, communicating with him, spending time with him, understanding him and knowing how he likes to play, it gets me real excited. It’s contagious, how he plays,”
It’s not just Bighill that has Randle thinking big this season.
He believes his team is being prepared extremely well for the coming season, with a group of savvy veterans leading the way.
“To have these guys here, every single day to practice with, it’s like a game out here,” Randle said. “I’m going against (receiver) Darvin Adams every single day, so I’m ready for any
opponent throughout the league.
“Going against Matt Nichols, going against Darvin, going against Andrew (Harris), Adarius Bowman, Weston Dressler ... the weapons are endless. Seeing all those different looks from those playmakers, is fine-tuning my tool bag a little earlier than normal. It’s good for me and I’m sure it’s good for everybody on this team.”
Clearly the pieces are in play for this Bombers team.
Now Randle says it’s all about not getting comfortable.
“Just because we’re here doesn’t mean anything is going to happen,” he said. “It’s all about executing at a high level. It’s all about going to the field and performing.”