Enlarge Image

His first pass was a 30-yard wobbler. But when quarterback Stefan LeFors punched out at the end of the first quarter against the Ticats, the Bombers were up 19-0, he had completed five of eight passes for 98 yards and had no interceptions. Not bad for 15 minutes of work. (MIKE.DEAL@FREEPRESS.MB.CA WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

WINNIPEG — Nobody need jump the gun and map out a parade route down Portage Avenue or start sizing fingers for Grey Cup rings just yet.

But for all those Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans who were furious with the new regime's gutting of the roster and threatening to storm the club's offices with torches and pointy sticks this winter, Wednesday night's 32-22 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in front of 27,742 at Canad Inns Stadium -- even if it's only preseason -- has to at least count for something.

Heck, if nothing else, it beats getting spanked at home in their first exposure to a championship-starved fan base.

The Mike Kelly era kicked off with a solid performance against the worst team in the Canadian Football League last year, the year before that -- shoot, in the new millennium -- with a decent across-the-board effort that will make the next few hours difficult for a coaching staff that plans to slice the roster down to 60.

Here's one man's take on the performances of some who jumped off the page in their first test:

"ö QUARTERBACKS: THE big question heading into this contest, and the season for that matter, is whether Stefan LeFors is ready for prime time. And his 15 minutes of work was a perfect snippet of what was advertised before he came east from Edmonton: he won't necessarily win a game for a club single-handedly, but is said to take command of a huddle, call a smart game and know his playbook from cover to cover. The proof from Wednesday night: two touchdown drives and a field goal on his three series and he finished with decent numbers: five for eight for 98 yards.

Bryan Randall showed some flashes, particularly a 52-yard strike to Romby Bryant and finished four of seven for 82 yards. James Kilian was three of three, but for just 13 yards. He also was walloped a couple of times in the backfield and sacked for a safety, but he wasn't working behind the No. 1 offensive line, either.

Richie Williams took over in the fourth and was five of 10 for 71 yards, but was working behind an O-line that featured two guys likely headed back to college (draft picks Adam Bestard and Mike Morris) with the first string watching from the bench.

"ö RUNNING BACKS: No Joe Smith or Fred Reid, so it was a perfect opportunity for Lavarus Giles and Yvenson Bernard to flash their skills. Giles looks like a slightly smaller Smith and rumbled 14 times for 77 yards and two short TD runs. Bernard, the former Oregon State star, had 48 yards on nine carries, but also fumbled near the Bombers' goal line (recovered by the Bombers). For what it's worth, Jon Oosterhuis -- the converted D-lineman -- took a lot of turns at fullback while draft pick Peter Quinney pulled in a 19-yard pass with just over two minutes remaining.

"ö RECEIVERS: Derick Armstrong didn't dress, Terrence Edwards caught the first pass of the game for 30 yards and then exited while Bryant was spectacular with three catches for 108 yards. Arjei Franklin was also busy with three catches. The only major addition/change here will see Adarius Bowman, picked up in the Dan Goodspeed trade, taking turns alongside the other imports when the season opens.

"ö OFFENSIVE LINE: We heard that one rival GM referred to the Bomber O-line as "speed bumps" this winter after the departures of Alex Gauthier, Goodspeed and Dominic Picard. But while they officially surrendered five sacks against a Ticats D-line still auditioning people, a lot of that came with the No. 1 crew on the sideline.

"ö DEFENSIVE LINE: No sacks, but the vets did stuff the Ticats on a third-and-one before leaving the game. We especially liked the work of two other newcomers, Chase Ortiz and former Eskimo Montez Murphy, who likely can't crack the starting lineup but are worth keeping around.

"ö LINEBACKERS: We don't know where he fits in this bunch or if there's room, but the newcomer who made the biggest overall impression was Jasper Johnson, the former Central Arkansas star. He flew all over the field while taking turns in the spot reserved for Siddeeq Shabazz and kept popping up on the kick coverage. Another fresh face who makes a coach's job difficult at cut-down day.

"ö SECONDARY: Here's a juicy stat: two interceptions on the night for the Bombers defensive backs, who haven't exactly been throwing scares into enemy QBs over the last few years. For what it's worth, the secondary that started the game featured James Johnson (one pick) and Ronyell Whitaker at corner, Ian Logan at safety and Jovon Johnson and Keyuo Craver at halfback. The other pick went to Willie Byrd.

"ö SPECIALISTS: New punter Mike Renaud picked up a series of high-fives in the fourth quarter for a 59-yard kick that bounced out at the one and, because Alexis Serna struggled when he punted, looks like a lock for the job unless he throws up all over himself next week in Montreal. Serna was good on all three field goal tries, the longest from 40 and into a stiff wind.

Big concerns about the return game, though. Ramonce Taylor, who has picked up a lot of love in the last few weeks, fumbled one punt and his main challenger -- John Eubanks -- did the same on the next kick. Oops.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

The Fifth quarter C3

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 18, 2009 C1