Article content continued

Because a kicker’s plan is called in the huddle, the play only works if the cover team believes the punter miss-hit the ball.

“We know Medi (Medlock) doesn’t miss that much,” Gauthier said. “But on the field it’s hard to not bite on it. They were all screaming. They did exactly what we did. We have to trust Medi and everything would be alright.”

“We kind of took the cheese,” is how Medlock put it. “They sold it and they were great actors.”

O’Shea says his veteran cover team should know better.

“We’re not a really young punt team,” he said. “We’ve got some smart guys and we didn’t do our job.”

One did it just well enough to save the day.

GRACE UNDER FIRE

That special-teams lesson isn’t the only one the Bombers learned on Sunday.

How about all the times they thought they had the game won in the dying minutes, only to see the Riders get another chance: an apparent game-clinching touchdown overturned by a review, a dropped interception that turned into a Riders first down on the five-yard line.

“We have a great opportunity as the players pick over that film, to learn and take some of these lessons into the next contest,” O’Shea said. “Which is one of the things our players have been good at all year long. They’re going to keep learning right to the very end.”

PRECIOUS TIME

Quarterback Zach Collaros has learned that Grey Cup trips aren’t as easy to come by as he used to believe when he reached the big game twice in his first three years in the league.

“You’re thinking, ‘I’m going to do this every other year,’” Collaros said. “Not everybody gets to do that. It’s a precious thing. You’ve really got to cherish it. It’s hard to put into words. I’m so happy for the guys. Just watching from afar the last couple of years how close they’ve been and now we’re doing it. It’s exciting.”

TRUE COLOURS?

The CFL on Monday said the Bombers will be the official home team in the Grey Cup, using Calgary’s locker-room.

But they’ve chosen to wear their road white jerseys, in which they’ve won back-to-back games to reach the championship.

That leaves Hamilton to wear their home black, in which they’ve gone a perfect 10-0 this season, including the East Final.

THE LAST WORD

“I’m pretty sure they’re not going to be satisfied, nor will we, unless we handle our business.” —O’Shea on the impact his team has made on Winnipeg and its fans.

pfriesen@postmedia.com

Twitter: @friesensunmedia