HAMILTON — With the Grey Cup now just around the corner, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers are preparing for what the game will bring.
The two teams spoke with the media on Friday to discuss their own team and how they feel they match up against their opponent. The Ticats spoke following their practice while the Bombers chatted before embarking to McMaster University for theirs.
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Standout remarks from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers
“I think as opposed to looking at kind of my own situation, I’ve looked at everybody else’s. When you’re in it for the first time, you’re kind of in that moment for yourself. I believe now, more so than ever, I’m in it for the rest of the guys. I mean, being here- in Toronto, we were favourites, we won two there and coming here, there’s been a little bit of a drought and I know guys have been on this team for a long time. They’ve been playing at an extremely high level and they haven’t been able to get to that spot. So I mean, I look around the locker room at some of the guys; I’m in this for them.”
– Chris Van Zeyl on how his approach to playing in big games has changed over his career
“It’s everything, It’s the whole culture in this locker room. In the past, it was, ‘Oh, we’re in the Grey Cup, we have this record, we’ve beat this team twice but let’s go get them again,’ and that was just kind of the mindest. This is another game, it’s not just another game, everything is escalated: the passion, the fans, everything. It’s a different game and it’s a different beast and you can’t treat it like just another game.”
– Chris Van Zeyl on how preparing for this game has been different for its year’s Ticats team
“I think personally, I’ve grown hugely and that’s a hat-tap to my coach and the guys that I’m surrounded with every day. Just my focus, my preparation, technique-wise; night and day. Something we talk about is if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse. I feel like my game definitely took a good step forward.”
– Dylan Wynn on if he believes he is a better football player this time around
“That’s a premier offensive line in this league. They’re big, strong, they pride themselves on being physical. To counter that, you have to be physical back. That’s the type of game that we’re expecting coming in here and it’ll be a lot of fun. Hopefully, some people look at the line play instead of the wide receivers.”
– Dylan Wynn on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ offensive line
“We’re our own identity. You don’t have to put a label on something, I don’t think, to describe yourself. Sometimes, you are what you are sometimes, you have to be a kite in the wind, sometimes your identity changes from week to week. I think we’re a football team that will do whatever it takes to win that week.”
– Orlondo Steinauer on how the 2021 Hamilton Tiger-Cats are different than the 2019 Ticats
“That’s what guaranteed in life and in football, 100 per cent, it is. We can try and act like we can avoid all of it, or you can build an environment/culture that encourages people to worry more about the adversity response than try to avoid adversity.”
– Orlondo Steinauer on how he and his team have dealt with adversity this season
“The simple answer is, we have the right players in the building. That’s just what it is. We’ve got the right players, they’re professional, they enjoy working hard, they create the atmosphere. They create that and it attracts other like-minded individuals.”
– Mike O’Shea on the culture of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
“He’s (Stanley Bryant) been the best or considered the one of the best of the o-lineman in the CFL for a long time. I do believe you can build a foundation for your offence around the offensive line. I think we have and they’ve had a large hand in us winning football games, obviously, and he would be a major part of that because he’s excellent.”
– Mike O’Shea on Stanley Bryant
“I will say, I do feel more at ease. I’ve worked hard to be in this position so things are different and it feels different, I’m preparing different, I’m walking different, I’m talking different. Stepping into what God’s put in front of me; handled all the obstacles and still fighting through the obstacles and Sunday’s possible to stand up there and hold the Grey Cup again and enjoy every moment of it.”
– Rasheed Bailey on how he feels this time around during the Grey Cup
AFI, Visaic and the CFL
American Football International is collaborating with Visaic and the Canadian Football League to present 2021 CFL games live. This is more than a livestream. This is a stream of the top flight TSN network television broadcast.