Published Oct 10, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 12\u00a0hours ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 4 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n When Winnipeg Blue Bomber Jaiden Woodbey jogs onto the field in Edmonton on Saturday, he\u2019ll check out a certain section in the stadium, narrow his search down to a certain row, zoom in on a certain seat and find the same person he finds before every game.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive columns by Ryan Stelter, Paul Friesen, Ted Wyman, Scott Billeck, Lorrie Goldstein, Warren Kinsella and others. Plus newsletters: Gimme Stelter for your beat on the city, The Exit Row for all your Jets news and On the Rocks for curling.Unlimited online access to Winnipeg Sun and 15 news sites with one account.Winnipeg Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive columns by Ryan Stelter, Paul Friesen, Ted Wyman, Scott Billeck, Lorrie Goldstein, Warren Kinsella and others. Plus newsletters: Gimme Stelter for your beat on the city, The Exit Row for all your Jets news and On the Rocks for curling.Unlimited online access to Winnipeg Sun and 15 news sites with one account.Winnipeg Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s my mom,\u201d Woodbey was telling me before the Bombers left for the Alberta capital. \u201cShe\u2019s a superwoman. And I\u2019m a momma\u2019s boy. I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Now, it\u2019s not unusual for parents to attend their kid\u2019s games. But the Woodbey family is from Fontana, Calif., part of what they call the Inland Empire just outside of Greater Los Angeles.<\/p>\n Initially, I assumed Lanette Woodbey came to the occasional game in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery game,\u201d her son said.<\/p>\n So every home game?<\/p>\n \u201cEvery game,\u201d he repeated.<\/p>\n So she was in Ottawa three weeks ago and will be in Edmonton this weekend?<\/p>\n \u201cEvery game.\u201d<\/p>\n This has been going on since Woodbey was a kid, dad coming to the occasional game, mom crisscrossing the continent to watch him play: college at Florida State, then Boston College, NFL preseason games at home with the L.A. Rams and now Winnipeg.<\/p>\n The Winnipeg Sun’s Daily Headline News<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n No wonder he calls her a superwoman.<\/p>\n Woodbey spent last season with Massachusetts of the Indoor Football League, then signed with the Bombers in March.<\/p>\n As a CFL rookie, the 25-year-old has suited up for the last five games, the last three of which have opened some eyes: back-to-back outings with six tackles and a whopping nine in the last game, the home-field rout over Hamilton.<\/p>\n \u201cThis game felt the slowest,\u201d Woodbey said. \u201cThings are starting to click for me.\u201d<\/p>\n At 6-foot-1 and a thick 234 pounds, Woodbey is a bit of a CFL \u2018tweener, a defensive back who can play linebacker, which makes him ideally suited for Winnipeg\u2019s multifaceted defence.<\/p>\n \u201cSome versatility,\u201d is what\u2019s stood out for head coach Mike O\u2019Shea. \u201cThe way he\u2019s started to pick everything up. He probably has more DB, back-end vision, but he\u2019s tough around the box, too. He\u2019ll bring it. There\u2019s plenty of clips during the season of him putting it on a guy. And then he has a very good knack of coming off blocks and making tackles.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n From the same high school as star receiver Kenny Lawler, the former Bomber now with Hamilton, Woodbey\u2019s knowledge of the CFL was virtually non-existent when he signed.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew nothing about Canada,\u201d he said. \u201cI knew they had 12 players.\u201d<\/p>\n Lawler reached out to him when he signed, and as luck would have it, two of Woodbey\u2019s games have come against the Tiger-Cats, so he and Lawler \u201cchopped it up\u201d after both.<\/p>\n Nobody could have prepared him for the one thing that\u2019s surprised him most about the CFL: how fast receivers get going when they have a head start with the waggle.<\/p>\n \u201cThat makes a big difference,\u201d Woodbey said. \u201cAnd actually doing it in a game versus practice is night and day. Way faster. You practise full speed, but you\u2019ve got adrenaline and stuff like that, so it makes it even more.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Another eye-opener for Woodbey has been the food options in Winnipeg, a place he didn\u2019t know a thing about when he first got here.<\/p>\n \u201cThey actually have a really good Jamaican food spot,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s called K&S. I\u2019m trying to go every day with my teammates. They\u2019ll be making fun of me.\u201d<\/p>\n His other big Winnipeg discovery: Booster Juice.<\/p>\n Sense a trend here?<\/p>\n \u201cTell \u2019em your nickname,\u201d teammate Cam Allen chipped in from the locker next to Woodbey\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cNickname?\u201d Woodbey said, playing it coy.<\/p>\n \u201cJY calls you donuts,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n JY would be defensive coordinator Jordan Younger.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, \u2019cause I talk about food all day,\u201d Woodbey said, laughing. \u201cI love food.\u201d<\/p>\n What hasn\u2019t surprised the man is the amount of work he and his teammates bite off every day.<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a universal blueprint to being great,\u201d he said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what sport you do, what job you work\u2026 you have to work hard and you have to put the time in.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s paid off in back-to-back wins for the 8-7 Bombers, renewing their hopes for a home playoff game with just three weeks left in the regular season.<\/p>\n \u201cIt feels like guys are meshing,\u201d Woodbey said. \u201cEverybody knows what time it is. Even the rookies. The vets\u2026 they\u2019ve been to the Grey Cup five times. So they know what it\u2019s about. So all we do is follow, look around and, \u2018Alright, this is what we need to do.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n What Woodbey will need to do on Saturday in Edmonton is get together with his No. 1 fan before the game and do what he loves as much as football: eat.<\/p>\n \u201cWe always go to breakfast or lunch when she comes out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Later it\u2019ll be off to Commonwealth Stadium for their first time, where Woodbey will look up in the stands to see his superwoman.<\/p>\n Wearing his No. 26, presumably?<\/p>\n \u201cI have to get her a 26 jersey,\u201d the kid said, a little sheepish.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the least he could do.<\/p>\n paul.friesen@kleinmedia.ca<\/p>\n X: @friesensunmedia<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Breadcrumb Trail Links SportsFootballCFLWinnipeg Blue Bombers Get the latest from Paul Friesen straight to your inbox Sign Up…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":205067,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-205066","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cfl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-canadian-football-league","11":"tag-canadianfootballleague","12":"tag-cfl","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205066"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205066\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Redblacks](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Redblacks-4.jpeg\")
OTTAWA, Sept. 20, 2025: Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive back Jaiden Woodbey tackles Ottawa Redblacks receiver Justin Hardy (2) in the second half of a Canadian Football League game at Ottawa on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Spencer Colby Photo by HE CANADIAN PRESS\/Spencer ColbyArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Winnipeg](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/19.7.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-wsun-new.svg\"){kind=logo}
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