Bob Irving
CFL.ca
The Winnipeg Blue bombers returned to the practice field this week after a weeklong bye, and head coach Paul Lapolice was accentuating the “positive” as the Bombers prepared for their annual trip down the Trans-Canada Highway to Regina for the Scotiabank Labour Day Weekend showdown with the Roughriders.
“When you’re sitting at 2-6, people give up hope and believe the sky is falling. We need to make sure our players know there is plenty of football left to be played. The message that was delivered when the players returned from the bye for a team meeting on Sunday was that there is still 20 points left on the board with 10 games left, and we are in a position to get any position in the East as well as the West Division,” LaPolice told his weekly radio show on CJOB.
“We continue to strive to be one of the best teams in the CFL, but it’s important for the players to understand that, despite all the gloom and doom, the season is not over, we need to continue to win, take it one game at a time, and then at the end of the season we’ll count our points up and we’ll be in a situation where we can compete for the Grey Cup.”
Lapolice also rallied to the defence of a couple of his players. Middle-linebacker Joe Lobendahn has been criticized by some of the fans for ineffective play, but LaPolice says he’s sticking with Lobendahn pointing out that the three-year veteran has been battling injuries which have hampered his effectiveness.
LaPolice also said that receiver Adarius Bowman will stay in the starting rotation, despite a disastrous game in Montreal during which he dropped 2 passes that would have produced big and possibly game-changing plays. Lapolice says Bowman is a leader, he works hard, and he’s confident the big wide-out will bounce back.
The Bombers expect to have three players back from the injured list for the Sunday game in Regina. Quarterback Buck Pierce has had time for his injured knee to fully heal and he’ll be back at the helm when the Bombers and Riders hook up at Mosaic Stadium. Safety Ian Logan, who has missed 5 games this season with hamstring injuries, is also ready to return. And rookie linebacker Marcellus Bowman from Boston College, who had a strong pre-season, has recovered from a broken thumb and should get his first taste of the Winnipeg-Saskatchewan rivalry this weekend.
The Bombers are also keeping a very close eye on the camp of the NFL’s Detroit Lions. Defensive halfback Jonathan Hefney, who was the CFL East Division rookie of the year in 2009, is on the proverbial “bubble” with the Lions, and the Bombers would roll out the red carpet for Hefney if he doesn’t make it with the Lions.
