Bishop not the solution

It was almost a year ago to the day when yours truly wrote a piece that had Kevin Glenn boiling over and ready to poke my eyes out with a sharp stick.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were 2-8 at the time and the quarterback, one year removed from being named an East Division all-star, was mired in a season-long slump that had seen him benched and, at that point of the campaign, with three times as many interceptions as touchdowns. Using our finely-honed journalistic training we came to the conclusion the Bombers were about to see their season flushed down the drain because the starting QB was awful.

Not surprisingly, Glenn didn't ask for a copy of the story to have framed for his rec-room wall.

We bring this up today in the wake of the Bombers' 29-14 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the annual Labour Day Classic because while the pieces may have changed over the past 12 months, the most glaring weakness of this franchise certainly has not: It does not have a championship-calibre QB in its employ.

Now, all of this isn't meant to slag Michael Bishop, even though he is an obvious target after throwing three interceptions Sunday in Regina. Truth be told, the veteran pivot has come exactly as advertised when he was summoned from the football scrap heap: he throws hard, sometimes to the right team, and his best skill is his ability to parachute into a club and fit in quickly with his new teammates.

But he is a Band-Aid fix to the problem. And the notion that the Bombers could squeeze more out of his skill set than the other coaches and teams before is either naive, arrogant or both. And if management figures he is the man who can lead the organization to its first championship since 1990 they are positively certifiable.

All of which has put the club in an intriguing position as the second half of the season approaches. The goofiness of the CFL playoff format -- where six of eight teams qualify for the Grey Cup derby -- means you have to be absolutely putrid to be eliminated this early. The Bombers know that and still believe Bishop is their best option for a run to the post-season.

Fair enough.

Our question, however, is this: Where is the long-term upside in continuing to hitch your wagon to a 33-year-old vagabond QB -- besides qualifying for the playoffs with likely little payoff at the end? More importantly, we ask should they sacrifice the rest of the season in an attempt to find a clear-cut answer to this most-critical question?

Hey, we're just throwing it out there...

Problem is, what are the Bombers' current options?

The anointed starter when the curtain lifted on the season, Stefan LeFors, has not only lost the confidence of head coach Mike Kelly, rumour has it the team will have an MRI done on his non-throwing shoulder sometime this week. And the book on third-stringer Bryan Randall is that he is an excellent student in the film room, but that knowledge isn't transferring to the field in practice every day.

A few things, then, that should be tossed out as we debate all this, especially after watching Riders QB Darian Durant make one mistake in Sunday's victory but call an effective game to improve his career won-lost record to 9-4.

"ö Before the Bombers toss them aside, shouldn't the club try to get a clearer answer on LeFors and, in particular, on Randall in game action? And if they choose not to, what's the point of having them just fill spots on the depth chart?

"ö Why aren't there more prospects in town already? The Riders, for example, have five QBs -- Durant, Steven Jyles and Dalton Bell, all on the active roster, while Graham Harrell and Cole Bergquist are getting a season-long look-see. As well, their neg list is dotted with a number of big-time CFL prospects including Chase Daniel and D.J. Shockley (signed to the Atlanta Falcons practice squad on Monday).

If the Bombers aren't convinced LeFors and Randall are the future, it's our suggestion there be a rotation of newcomers every other week until they find an answer. Among those believed to be on their neg list are Andre Woodson, the former Kentucky starter now on the Washington Redskins practice roster; former Clemson star Cullen Harper, currently a free agent, as well as Brian Johnson and Quinn Gray -- both headed for the UFL.

And if they aren't available, isn't it worth finding somebody who is?

And, finally, one more thing while we're discussing the Bishop-as-a-quick-fix idea: Would it be so wrong right now to reconsider Casey Printers, warts and all, given he is five years younger than their current starter and a former CFL Most Outstanding Player?

Really, what does a 3-6 outfit obviously spinning its wheels have to lose at this point? Another season without a championship? Been there, done that... 18 years and counting.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 8, 2009 C1