Dave Darichuk
His picture adorned the front page of both Winnipeg newspapers. The Winnipeg Sun had a headline that screamed “Joey Baby.” It was the lead story on CJOB radio all day, the lead sports story on all the television stations.
Joey Elliott was the talk of a city where football is more than relevant. Whatever the Blue Bombers do is big news, and when Joey Elliott took over the quarterback reins for last week’s game with Hamilton, and then produced a virtuoso 406-yard, game-winning performance against the Ticats, sparking a 32-25 Blue Bomber victory, Elliott became the most talked about person in our prairie city of nearly 800,000 residents.
The question this week is, “Can Joey do it again.”
Elliott’s performance came out of the blue for those who are not familiar with his history in Winnipeg. Not so much for people close to the scene.
“I didn’t expect him to pass for 406 yards” said head coach Paul LaPolice. “But I did expect that his knowledge of our organization and the skillset he has displayed since he arrived in the summer of 2010 would allow him to perform well.” 
Elliott’s story in Winnipeg began on July 20, 2010 when he was signed as a free agent after a proverbial cup of coffee down south. Elliott had thrown for 3,026 yards and 22 touchdowns in his final year with the Purdue Boilermakers, including a 281-yard, two-touchdown game in an upset victory over 7th ranked Ohio State.
Blue Bombers General Manager of Football Operations Joe Mack and Director of player personnel Ken Moll had Elliott on their radar, and when injuries started piling up early in the 2010 season, they brought him into the Blue and Gold fold.
It wasn’t until the last 3 games of that 4-14 Bombers season that Elliott got a chance to play, first in relief, and then as a starter in the final 2 games after injuries sidelined Buck Pierce, Steven Jyles and Alex Brink.
Elliott’s numbers in those games were average, but he demonstrated a take charge, confident attitude that impressed Lapolice and Elliott’s Bomber teammates.
In 2011, Elliott won the backup job behind Pierce out of training camp, but his season came to an early and abrupt end when he suffered a torn ACL in a July 14th game against Calgary while making a tackle on DB Keon Raymond who had recovered a fumble.
Elliott spent the rest of the summer and the off-season in an intensive rehabilitation program, and he came to training camp in 2012 wearing a brace on his knee, but with the same confident swagger, or “moxie” as LaPolice liked to call it. The competition between Elliott and Brink for the #2 quarterback spot went right down to the wire, with LaPolice giving Brink the nod, largely because he had played and gained more experience while Elliott was hurt in 2011.
Elliott bided his time, worked hard, and waited patiently for his opportunity. And when Brink didn’t do enough to convince the coaches he was the immediate answer at quarterback, Elliott got his shot.
Not only did he lead his team to a much-needed victory, Elliott played well beyond his experience. Remember, this was only his third career start, and just his 5th appearance in a regular season CFL game.
So now, Bomberville (formerly ‘Swaggerville’, although there has been no official name change), waits anxiously to see if “Joey Baby” can do it again when the B.C. Lions bring their menacing, veteran-laden defence to Canad-Inns stadium on Friday night. The Lions defence has given up 106 fewer points than Hamilton’s so Elliott will be facing a significantly more challenging situation.
In a season that has produced more frustration than Bomber fans were prepared to accept, Joey Elliott’s work last week stood out like a beacon and created enormous optimism.
The question begging an answer is: Is that optimism justified? Does Joey Elliott have the “IT” factor, or should Bomber fans be counting the days until Buck Pierce is healthy enough to play again?
Answers will be delivered Friday night in what is expected to be a once again sold-out Canad Inns stadium when the big bad B.C. Lions strut their first place record on Portage and Main.
