Bob Irving
CFL.ca
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers new Vice President and General Manager of Football Operations Joe Mack believes there is a common denominator at all levels of football. Says Mack, “It begins and ends at the quarterback position. If you look at it historically in the NFL and CFL, if you want to consistently compete for championships, you have to have good quarterback play.”
And so the battle is joined in the Blue Bomber training camp, and by far the most compelling competition surrounds which of the four quarterbacks will lead the Bombers into the 2010 CFL season.
When the 2009 season ended on a disappointing 7-11 note and no post-season participation, Michael Bishop was the Blue Bombers quarterback of record. The backups were Casey Bramlett and Ricky Santos, with Adam DiMichele on the practice roster and Stefan LeFors on the 9-game injured list. Only DiMichele has returned, and in the early stages of Paul LaPolice’s first camp as head coach, the starting quarterback job has become a two-man race between Buck Pierce and Steven Jyles, with Alex Brink and DeMichele vying for the number three spot.
Pierce wasn’t even on the Bomber radar screen for most of the off-season. Released by the B.C. Lions partly because of his big salary, partly because of his injury history and partly because Casey Printers had won Wally Buono’s favor, Pierce was a man without a team until LeFors advised the Bombers he was giving up football and getting on with his life.
Mack and LaPolice had professed no interest in Pierce, but when LeFors pulled the chute on his career, the Bombers immediately began their due diligence on Pierce. LaPolice liked Pierce’s ability, but like everyone else, was wary of the litany of injuries, particularly the concussion issue. Upon closer examination, though, LaPolice discovered Pierce’s concussion situation had been blown out of proportion, and after a short, intense period of negotiation, Buck Pierce became a Winnipeg Blue Bomber.
His five years of CFL experience, and more importantly, his 34 starts for the B.C. Lions, 21 of which he won, have made Pierce the favorite to win the starting quarterback job. But LaPolice promised an open competition, and Jyles, who spent the last two years with LaPolice in Saskatchewan, believes he has every chance to win the job. Jyles has started only one game during his four years in the CFL including two seasons with Edmonton and another pair with the Riders, but his familiarity with LaPolice’s multiple offensive attacks gives him at least a bit of an edge.
Brink, who was a late addition to the Bomber roster, is considered to be a player of significant interest. He brings with him an impressive resume from Washington State University where he threw for 10,913 yards to become the Cougars’ all-time leading passer.
Brink was drafted in the 7th round by Houston of the NFL in 2008, but the 6-foot, 2-inch native of Eugene, Oregon, decided he would be better served trying to further his career north of the border. This makes the Bombers more than a little happy that they acquired his rights from Hamilton on during the CFL Canadian Draft. Brink has a strong arm, moves well, and has been quite impressive early in camp.
DiMichele played his college football at Temple university where he finished fourth on the Owls’ all-time passing list with 5,024 yards and 40 touchdowns, but he appears to be in tough against Pierce, Jyles and Brink.
Will the Blue bombers get the quarterback production required to contend this year? If Buck Pierce can stay healthy, the answer to that question is probably yes. If Pierce goes down, all bets are off.
