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Buck back into the fray

Blue No. 1 QB will start, get his first taste of Labour Day in Regina

By: BY ED TAIT

Posted: 09/5/2010 11:31 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

Bombers QB Buck Pierce will take the first snap today in what will be his first Labour Day Classic. (TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS )

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REGINA — It’s not "just another game" for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Nobody ever refers to the Labour Day Classic as simply the ninth game on the schedule.

And it won’t be just another start for quarterback Buck Pierce, either, as he returns to take the first snap for a reeling 2-6 team that needs a physical, emotional and spiritual boost.

Bomber head coach Paul LaPolice declared Pierce as the starter upon arrival at the team’s hotel in the Saskatchewan capital late Saturday afternoon.

And along with that declaration comes the heightened expectations of ending a four-game losing skid, a five-game losing streak in the Classic and the mounting pressure of trying to salvage something from the 2010 season.

To-do list

Just another game? Hardly. This is Labour Day and beating the Riders is as big as it gets on a Bomber season to-do list.

"I think that was the first thing I heard when I first signed here," said Pierce.

"I think it was a border agent or somebody as I was coming in.

"I continue to learn more and more about this organization and its traditions. In speaking to the media this week and talking to the fans... you go to the grocery store and people are saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to be there!

"We’re going to be there! We’re bringing the RV.

We’re coming down.’ "It’s a tradition that has gone on for a long time and it’s such an exciting thing to be a part of."

Pierce got the nod over Steven Jyles — both are 1-3 in their starts — after LaPolice watched his No. 1 pivot test his mobility in practice this week.

Pierce dumped the brace he did wear in an earlier return to the lineup, but wouldn’t confirm whether he’ll wear that today.

"After watching him in the last couple of weeks and this week’s practice and coming off the bye week we felt his mobility was good and he’s throwing the ball well and locating it," said LaPolice.

"If you think about his two games at the beginning of the year you could say he was as good as any quarterback in the Canadian Football League, if not having some of the best numbers. That’s a guy you want on your side."

Concerns

Pierce has lost just once at Taylor Field as a starter, with the B.C. Lions. But — as was the case in the loss to Hamilton last month — there will be concerns about his ability to move around in the pocket and do the things with his legs that make him effective.

"It’s been hard to watch," Pierce admitted.

"You have to be supportive and you have to do everything you can do. Being injured is a tough situation for anybody and any athlete, especially at the quarterback position.

"It’s important to stay positive and mentally into it and I was in every meeting. I was a big part of everything they were doing even though I couldn’t suit up."

Watching is one thing. Getting your jersey dirty is quite another.

Welcome to Labour Day, Buck.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

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