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Quarterback Joey Elliott was running the second-team offence during Saturday's workout. (KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ) Photo Store

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After a week of watching the repetition of practice, an organized controlled scrimmage -- even if it was just for 20 minutes -- counts as a big deal at Winnipeg Blue Bombers training camp.

Emerging from the locker-room after a 20-minute break to avoid the worst of the lightning, the coaches put the players through the paces of a game simulation at a soggy Canad Inns Stadium Saturday.

Head coach Paul LaPolice made the most of the less than ideal weather conditions, treating the hiatus as a halftime, before sending out his charges for the third quarter.

Quarterback Buck Pierce led the first-team offence against the first-team defence and marched his unit down the field for a touchdown. The big play: a 46-yard completion to receiver Paul Hubbard over defensive back Jovon Johnson for the major score.

Hubbard was one of three rookie receivers who impressed during the mock game.

Doug Pierce made a difficult catch in traffic over defensive back Johnny Sears in one series, while Chris Matthews put his 6-foot-5 frame to good use by hauling in two passes from quarterback Alex Brink over Johnson.

The second was a jump ball fade to the front corner of the end zone over the reigning CFL defensive player of the year, a grab that drew a nice ovation from the crowd at the stadium. Matthews said he was pleased with his Saturday showing.

"You have to make plays," the 22-year-old offered. "You can't be content on just making a catch or two here and there, you have to do it on a consistent basis. Doesn't matter if it's raining or snowing out there -- just catch the ball.

"And I wasn't the only one out there catching the ball well (Saturday). There's a good group here. We're trying to make it hard for the defence and for the coaches."

While the brief "game" did offer a few hints as to what the roster would look like if the season started today -- Chris Kowalczuk was at centre for the first-team offence; Pierre-Luc Labbe was at the middle linebacker on defence -- the results should be taken with several grains of salt.

Simulated games do not feature any hitting or tackling, making it difficult to mimic the real football experience. Receivers feel a lot better about themselves when they can stretch out for a ball in the middle of the field and know they won't get sandwiched between a linebacker and a safety. When asked why there was no hitting Saturday, LaPolice said it was just too risky a proposition.

"I don't know what more contact gives you," he said. "And then the second thing is: In a league like the Canadian Football League, where it's so crucial (to have) your seven Canadian starters... your ninth Canadian starter is a lot different than your second. In other leagues, you can put the next player in, but (here) the ratio is so important, I would never jeopardize that."

LaPolice didn't think many clubs use a full-contact scrimmage in this day and age, vaguely recalling a physical scrimmage scenario when he was with Hamilton in 2004.

"In my career, I haven't seen many people who do that."

Monitoring

One area of interest that requires further monitoring was at the backup quarterback spot. It was Joey Elliott, and not Brink, who ran the second-team offence Saturday, an interesting turn of events given how the QB depth chart started at the beginning of camp.

LaPolice warned reporters not to read into that decision, adding he never indicated Brink was to be penciled in as the second-stringer at the start of camp (that's technically true; he only said Brink may get more reps just because Elliott was coming off an ACL injury).

"I'll declare who one, two and three is -- everyone is saying Alex Brink is No. 2, that's not established (yet)," LaPolice stated. "We've rolled all those guys and they're all getting equal reps, we chart every throw they make and the catches and drops by receivers. I don't know who (Nos.) 2 and 3 is."

The Bombers are back on the field this morning at 10:30 a.m.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @wazoowazny

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 10, 2012 B7