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<\/p>\nNIAGARA FALLS \u2014 Chris Streveler has unofficially always led the Canadian Football League in unbridled enthusiasm and the energy that flows from him on any day on the gridiron could power a major urban centre.<\/p>\n
And now the veteran quarterback \u2014 who gets the start tonight for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in place of the injured Zach Collaros \u2014 is working to harness all that energy and enthusiasm to help guide the offence and pull the club out of a two-game tailspin.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited. Any opportunity to get out there with the boys is exciting,\u201d said Streveler upon arrival in Hamilton on Thursday. \u201cI had a good couple days of prep. Another short week and sometimes it\u2019s better that way \u2014 just get into the game and get rolling. We\u2019re all pretty excited.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of review and studying, just putting last minute pieces together. I definitely have a process for that. And for me \u2014 and you guys probably know this \u2014 I\u2019m a high-energy guy. So, for me it\u2019s how do I dial that back and save my energy that way come game time I can use it in a productive way. That\u2019s always been my thing even since high school. My coach would say, \u2018Calm down. You\u2019re way too hyped before a game.\u2019 I\u2019ve always tried to just keep myself as calm as possible and save my energy for when it\u2019s time to play.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m saving my energy, that way I have energy for the game,\u201d he added. \u201cQuarterback is a unique position because there\u2019s a lot of thinking and decision making involved so you want to find that blend of being able to be under control and thinking but still be myself, which is a high-energy, enthusiastic person and that\u2019s how I lead, too. I\u2019m just going to be myself. That\u2019s the only person I know how to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The Blue Bombers placed Collaros on the one-game injured list on Thursday following the the head injury he suffered in the Banjo Bowl loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders and a hit from defensive back CJ Reavis. The CFL, FYI, officially fined Reavis an undisclosed amount on Thursday for \u2018for delivering a high hit\u2019 on the Blue Bombers QB1.<\/p>\n
Winnipeg is 2-0 in games in which Streveler has started in \u201925, as he completed 15-of-24 passes for 246 yards with three touchdowns and one interception in the season-opening win over the B.C. Lions and then was 17-of-21 for 173 yards with three picks in a win over the Toronto Argonauts.<\/p>\n
Streveler has had the bulk of work during practice this week with Collaros sidelined and will be backed up by Terry Wilson and Chase Atropoeus. Asked if there is a point in his preparation where there can be information overload and he just needs to lock in, Streveler offered this:<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s where I\u2019m at now. You have your process leading up. You watch a ton of film at the beginning of the week and try to get a general feel. And then as the week goes on you break it up based on day, based on what we\u2019re putting in and then you\u2019ve got everything in and you go back and review and walk through it all. I also do walk throughs on my own every night. It\u2019s just doing those extra things so you feel prepared \u2014 watching last minute film \u2014 and by the time you get there, all the work is pretty much done.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll go through my call sheet one more time, do one last little walk through but other than that you know what\u2019s in, you know what you\u2019re trying to do and you feel good about it at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n
ICYMI, here is our Game Preview from Thursday:<\/p>\n
Game Preview: Wpg at Ham<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n And follow along here as we present a collection of notes\/quotes\/anecdotes to help get Blue Bombers fans up to speed for tonight\u2019s matchup with the Ticats in this week\u2019s GAME DAY HQ\u2026<\/p>\n HOUSTON, WE HAVE LAUNCH<\/p>\n Veteran cornerback Demerio Houston will make his first appearance for the Blue Bombers tonight \u2014 call it a re-debut \u2014 as he slides into the starting cornerback spot opposite Dexter Lawson, Jr. and in place of rookie Trey Vaval, who still dresses and will handle kick return duties.<\/p>\n \u201cIt feels amazing,\u201d Houston told reporters here when the team arrived in Hamilton. \u201cI really didn\u2019t feel like I would see this day, but the day\u2019s come and I\u2019m just ready for (today). I\u2019m just ready to get back out there with my brothers and play the game I love.\u201d<\/p>\n The Blue Bombers brought Houston back in mid-August as a CFL free agent. He spent 2021-23 with the club before signing with the Calgary Stampeders last season but was then released after being charged with misdemeanour domestic violence after an argument with his wife last November. In March, the charges \u2014 which Houston publicly denied \u2014 were dismissed in court with his public defender adding they would be expunged from his record.<\/p>\n Now he\u2019s back hoping to make the most of a second chance.<\/p>\n \u201cMy number is called. That\u2019s the motto here: be ready when your number is called and my number is called,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m up and I\u2019m ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n Blue Bombers head coach Mike O\u2019Shea said Houston needed time to get into game shape, with the veteran corner saying he needed to \u2018get my feet back under me and get back into the film and get ready to play football again.\u2019<\/p>\n Houston also spoke about having a greater appreciation for the game after not having it for more than half of this season.<\/p>\n \u201cIt definitely sinks in where you wake up early in the morning and you\u2019re used to getting up for football but now you\u2019re doing other things like going to work or with the kids, which I was grateful for and I loved doing, but it definitely hit a little different without playing football and watching the games and not being there,\u201d he said. \u201cI always had moments where I\u2019m like, \u2018Dang, normally I would be in camp right now or I\u2019d be at the game right now playing.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cThose were definitely challenging moments for me and I\u2019m just grateful I\u2019m getting this opportunity to play again.\u201d<\/p>\n KENNY AND BO<\/p>\n The Blue Bombers did an effective job in limiting the damage of Riders QB Trevor Harris over the last two games, holding him to 458 yards passing and one TD while intercepting him once. Now they go from one Most Outstanding Player candidate to a pair of others \u2014 both familiar faces in Ticat quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and old friend Kenny Lawler.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not quite the same,\u201d said Younger in a chat with bluebombers.com this week about facing Mitchell after two weeks of Harris. \u201cI\u2019d say (Hamilton\u2019s) offence is a little more vertical than Saskatchewan\u2019s with the way they attack. (Ticat head coach\/offensive coordinator) Scott Milanovich is over there drawing up the plays has done an amazing job of creating space for their best players, for Kenny, and just finding the matchups, creating the space, and then Bo is finding it. They\u2019ve got a good chemistry going between Bo and the play caller.\u201d<\/p>\n Mitchell leads the CFL with 24 passing TDs \u2014 10 of them to Lawler \u2014 and is second in passing yardage to Toronto\u2019s Nick Arbuckle at 3,653. Lawler has already set a career high in TDs with the 10 and in yardage at 1,047.<\/p>\n The challenge now for Younger & Co. is how to give Lawler extra attention to avoid one-on-one matchups without sacrificing elsewhere on defence. The Ticats also have Kiondre Smith (735 receiving yards) and Tim White (664) among the CFL receiving leaders while Greg Bell is sixth in rushing with 519 yards.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the most difficult thing of playing against players who are able to impact the game on any play like Kenny,\u201d Younger said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to give him the respect he deserves, but you\u2019ve also got to pick your spots because they\u2019ve got so many other capable athletes. My job as a play caller is to try and mix that up and keep it balanced so that I\u2019m not exposing one side of the defence while trying to help another.\u201d<\/p>\n TEAM TED<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Demerio-Houston-9-24308-Large.jpg\")
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