Bob Irving
CFL.ca
Winnipeg Blue Bomber head coach Paul LaPolice has told his players he believes they have the ability to compete for the Grey Cup.
On the surface, that might seem like an ambitious statement for a team coming off a 7-11 season, but in an eight team league it’s hardly a stretch to suggest you have a chance to win it all. I suspect 7 other CFL head coaches are telling their players the same thing.
Does LaPolice have reason to believe his team is capable of chasing down the Hamilton Tiger Cats and Montreal Alouettes and winning the CFL East Division??
Well, let’s take a look at the lineup Lapolice will field when the Bombers kick off their 2010 regular season at home against the Tiger Cats on Friday, July 2nd.
The Bombers have upgraded the quarterback position. Gone are Michael Bishop, Ricky Santos, Adam DiMichelle, Casey Bramlett, Bryan Randall and Richie Williams, all of whom were on the roster at some point in 2009. Their replacements are Buck Pierce, Steven Jyles and rookie Alex Brink.
Pierce has impressed the coaches and his teammates with his physical and mental abilities as well as his leadership skills. There is a real sense that he is capable of giving the Bombers the first consistent quarterbacking since Kevin Glenn was traded at the end of the 2008 season.
Pierce will work behind an offensive line that features a pair of import tackles in newcomers Kelly Butler and Andre Douglas. Veteran Obby Khan will be at center with Brendon Labatte and Steve Morley the guards.
Pierce’s targets will include veterans Terrence Edwards, Adarius Bowman and Brock Ralph, with rookies Cory Watson and Terrence Jeffers-Harris also winning starting spots. In Jeffers-Harris, the Bombers believe they have a rookie of the year candidate. And LaPolice says running back Fred Reid, who rushed for 1371 yards in 2009, can expect to catch more than the 21 passes he caught last year. Reid is going to be counted on to be one of the Bombers game breakers.
On defence, Winnipeg’s strength will once again be in the front-7. The same 4 starters that ended last season will make up the defensive line 2010. The group is led by 35-year old tackle Doug Brown, a perennial all-star who shows no signs of slowing down. Dorian Smith will lineup beside Brown while O’Dell Willis and Philip Hunt will be the defensive ends. Both play fast and furious and should provide nightmares for opposing quarterbacks.
The linebacking corps features Joe Lobendahn in the middle, with 32-year old Ike Charlton and 23-year old rookie Marcelllus Bowman on the outside.
The secondary features fifth year safety Ian Logan, who should be ready to challenge for all-star honors, cornerbacks Jovon Johnson and Lavar Glover with Keyuo Craver and rookie Alex Suber at the halfback spots. Suber is only 5-foot 6, but he has had a dynamic pre-season.
The Bombers kicking game is in capable hands with place-kicker Alexis Serna heading into his 3rd season and punter Mike Renaud expecting to improve on his consistency. Long time long-snapper Chris Cvetkovic suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second pre-season game, but Adam Bestard from Wilfrid Laurier appears to be a capable replacement.
Can the Blue Bombers compete for the 2010 Grey Cup? They think they can, and they’ll try to start proving it when they open the season Friday, July 2nd at home against Hamilton.
