One day after signing a one-year deal to return for what will be his fourth season as a Winnipeg Blue Bomber, Chris Streveler made it abundantly clear he has been doing everything possible to be ready to step out on the field when training camp opens in May.
The popular quarterback has been recovering from a serious knee injury suffered in the Banjo Bowl victory over Saskatchewan on Sept. 7 at Princess Auto Stadium. The injury resulted in complete tears of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL), as well as a significant tear to the posterior ligament (PCL) of his left knee.
Speeaking to members of the Winnipeg media via a Zoom call on Monday Afternoon, Streveler shared all the different ways and means he has undertaken in an effort to “expedite” the healing process.
“I have been attacking this thing since day one,” said the 30-year-old pivot from his home in Arizona.
“Been hitting the hyperbaric chamber in Winnipeg right after surgery, trying to heal incisions. Doing everything in the training room, doing the blood flow restriction. Got my own little personal stim machine where I do workouts with those people all the time — just working on muscle activation to prevent some of that atrophy that happens after surgery.”
Between all of that, Streveler and his girlfriend Taylor welcomed the addition of daughter Sunny on Jan. 15. He’s also been trying to grow a quarterback business in Arizona, and also represented himself in contract negotiations with the Bombers.
“You know things happened last year that didn’t work out the way that anyone envisioned that it would on a lot of different fronts. Personally for me, as a team, it didn’t play out the way we thought it would,” admitted Streveler in reference to how different his role with the team was compared to the last time he played for the Blue and Gold in the run to a Grey Cup title in 2019.
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“I broke a rib in the Ottawa game I started and maybe that hurt things a little bit, being a little bit limited moving forward. Maybe that played into it.”
Streveler says that’s why he asked a lot of questions going into free agency, in conversations with the Blue Bombers and several other teams. Part of that process was a discussion with newly-promoted Winnipeg offensive coordinator Jason Hogan.
“I’m calling this dude, he just found out he got the job a day earlier so it was all very fresh. I just needed to have that conversation with him and get his perspective,” said the six-foot-one-inch, 215-pound pivot. He believes he is still very capable of providing the same kind of bruising, change-of-pace style that made him such a valuable and popular member of the team in the 2018 and ’19 seasons.
“You know, I think his style of play, when he was a player, back in his hey day — runner type of guy, can make some different plays, do some different things. So I think he respects that aspect of my game.”
Streveler says nothing specific came out of those discussions with Hogan and is comfortable with how it will all play out at training camp. But he also understands how the dynamic in the locker room has shifted, with the team’s decision to part ways with a number of key veterans like Adam Bighill and his best friend, Drew Wolitarsky.
“Sometimes that stuff is needed. You go to five straight (Grey) Cups, and you lose three — that’s hard and you need some fresh juice in there to bring a fresh perspective because it can’t be just the same thing over and over again,” pointed out Streveler, who says there is still a strong group of remaining veterans and leaders who will make sure the high standards of the Winnipeg organization will be maintained.
“There’s enough guys to pull dudes along and say this is what FIFO means, this is how we go about our business.”
But Streveler admits he will miss his former college teammate. “I can’t sugar coat, it’s very disappointing, very hard for me, knowing what he’s got on his plate with a family. It’s scary when you get that call that you’re getting cut,” said the former Arizona Cardinal and NY Jet, who also spent time in the camps of the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins from 2020-24 before returning to Winnipeg and the CFL.
“Do I still wish he was on the team? Yeah, absolutely, but business is business. We already have a jersey swap scheduled the first time we play Hamilton.”
Having to scratch and claw his way through every NFL stop, Streveler is also not the least bit fazed about the added competition he figures to face in training camp from the likes of Jake Dolegala, Terry Wilson, and possibly former Saskatchewan Roughrider Shea Patterson for the backup job to Zach Collaros.
“The more guys we have pushing each other to be better, bouncing around ideas — I love that in a (quarterbacks) room,” was Streveler’s response to Winnipeg adding more experience to the QB depth chart compared to a year ago.
“I’ve been a professional quarterback for eight years. If I was nervous about competition or worried about having to compete, I would have never made it out of year one.”
