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Willie Jefferson remains a defensive end like no other, unique in his stature, his skills – and sometimes in the way he speaks and thinks.

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Not many players are willing to deviate from the mantras of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, their unofficial blue and gold rules.

But the tall, calm Texan is the exception.

The mantra is: one day at a time, one game at a time.

In a conversation with Jefferson this week, he was not only willing to look beyond Friday’s game against Hamilton, but also took a journey through the next few weeks – including two games in a row against the rival Riders, followed by two games in a row against up-and-coming Edmonton – and ended up exactly where he envisions his team.

“We’re getting ready for the Labour Day Classic and we’re going up against a good Saskatchewan team – that’s going to be a challenge for us,” Jefferson said. “If we keep going like this and get those two wins against Sask, we’d basically be number one in the West. And then we’ve just got to keep Edmonton where they are, keep them in position. They’re getting better and better. If we can get through the next four or five West games, we’ll be right up there and have a good chance to have the West final here again.”

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“We want this playoff home game. And we also want this week off.”

And with that, Jefferson had violated pretty much every unwritten rule in Chapter 1 of head coach Mike O’Shea’s imaginary handbook.

But that’s exactly where the 4-6 Bombers are: Their usual place at the top of the CFL West is within reach.

With a record of 0:4 or even 2:6, nobody would have expected such a situation.

But the BC Lions have crashed, the Riders haven’t won in five weeks and Calgary remains mediocre, leaving the door more than a crack wide open.

The Bombers are only three points behind first-place Saskatchewan (5-5-1), two behind second-place BC and are tied with the Stamps. The season series against them and the Lions is already decided.

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“It’s a great opportunity,” said receiver Nic Demski. “It’s funny because some people would have written us off a while ago. It’s such a long season that it’s really about how you finish, not how you start. We’ve kept the faith here. And we know we still have a long way to go… but we’ve done a pretty good job of getting off to a fast start after the week off.”

“We just have to keep going and see where it takes us.”

Taking the Tiger-Cats 2-8 lightly would set them back and also violate another of their coach’s unwritten rules.

Quarterback Zach Collaros, however, doesn’t think that will happen, not with new, tough-guy coordinator Chris Jones leading Hamilton’s defense.

Collaros was on the same team as Jones in Saskatchewan and Toronto and knows what to expect on Friday.

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“He brings confidence, tenacity and physicality,” the quarterback said. “He makes his guys play fast. He understands this game at a very high level … so I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re already integrated into what he likes to do and doing it well.”

Statistics show that the Ticats give up more points than anyone else. By far.

“Statistics can be misleading sometimes,” Collaros said. “Sometimes even the record. I’ve played against a lot of these guys for a long time and I have a lot of respect for them. It’s going to be a challenge. It always is. That’s professional football.”

“It’s a short week, a new coordinator, these things make things even more complicated.”

The Bombers played in Vancouver on Sunday and had little time to rest, recover and recharge, not to mention study film.

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“Go to the weight room, the training room, the hot tub and cold water pool, eat right and get good sleep,” Jefferson said, listing the challenges of a five-day work week. “But still putting in those hours of film study. That’s not something you can just give up.”

“We don’t take this team lightly. When they come to Winnipeg, we have to do our best.”

The 33-year-old now sang directly from O’Shea’s hymn book.

The coach explained to his players at the beginning of the week and frequently that they had to find a way to complete these hours of study.

Jefferson has emerged as one of the leaders and shown the newer, younger players how it’s done.

Then he goes on the field and shows them things that only he can do to get to the quarterback or get his hands on a pass.

Of the few players I asked, Jefferson was also the only one who saw an advantage in playing games five days apart.

“The game comes early,” he said. “The check comes fast.”

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