The Bombers practised again at blustery St. James Rods field Sunday and will continue to do so in preparations for Thursday’s opener on the grass at Commonwealth Stadium. Some notes and quotes from the practice:

• All-star defensive tackle Doug Brown was absent as he was sick, but the club hopes the big man will be back at work shortly.
• LB Siddeeq Shabazz has been taking turns with the No. 1 defence and may get the green light to go within the next couple of days. Not practising at all Sunday were DB James Johnson (knee) and DB Steven Holness (shoulder) while DT Tyrone Williams, who won’t play, was in full gear.
• "I think a couple of the guys that were nicked up are coming along fine and we’ll have better ideas within the next 24 hours to see how they respond to the stress they had today," said head coach Mike Kelly. "(Shabazz) is not behind mentally at all. Physically, he’s a really good athlete and he’s adapting quickly. I don’t think there’s going to be a real discernible drop off."
• It’s probable Shabazz will dress as one of the team’s three designated imports and see action in the team’s 3-4 defensive set.
• As we reported in today’s paper, the Bombers have extended the contract of new running back Lavarus Giles and they made it official today. The 6-1, 213-pound product of Jackson state - just 23 – has been the talk of the preseason with two solid performances against Hamilton and Montreal.