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The bye week is a good time for Lyle Bauer’s views on club’s progress. (KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

With the CFL season approaching the halfway mark and the Blue Bombers on a bye week, we thought this was a perfect time to take the temperature of the big boss in Bomberland.

And while the invitation for a conversation was accepted, this wasn't really a back-and-forth chat between a reporter and Blue Bomber CEO and president Lyle Bauer. More like he talked and we listened.

Here are the highlights from 30 minutes with the former offensive lineman and three-time Grey Cup champion-turned front office maven:

FP: As a former offensive lineman, how much fun was watching your group put up a club rushing record against the B.C. Lions last week?

LB: I know what it's like to be in that huddle when the running game is working and you just keep telling the QB to "run the damn ball. Just keep pounding the rock." We had some pretty good rushing teams in my day but nothing like that. Almost 400 yards on the ground. That's quite a game. I usually watch the games alone in a confined space but this was a night where it was a lot of fun to watch.

FP: Casey Printers says he's willing to join a team's practice roster to do what he has to do to work his way back into the league. Why don't you tell your football people to bring him in?

LB: I provide input and counsel in some cases but our football people run the football side of the business. Our football people looked at Casey Printers. They had him at a camp in Florida and they're not prepared to go that route at this point in time and I respect that decision.

FP: The football club cut Stefan LeFors's pay in the middle of the season. There's been lots of talk about it. What do you have to say about it?

LB: There's been lots of talk about it but unfortunately the facts aren't there and that's unfortunate that people report things that in some cases they don't know a damn thing about. There were discussions as far as Stefan is concerned and he's spoken about it but at no time was there a gun put to Stefan's head. Performance is one thing. We assumed a contract from Edmonton. If Stefan was not our starting quarterback, we couldn't afford to have that contract. Stefan was released and signed again to another contract. All the dealings with Stefan and his agent took place over several days. Numerous days. And they had the option to shop him elsewhere. Stefan doesn't have to be here if he doesn't want to be here. He elected to sign here. You see players released by many clubs and it has gone on for years. It's not something you like to do. Nobody wants to do it. But this is a bitch of a business.

FP: Brendan Taman was your GM and after you hired Mike Kelly as your coach this past off-season, Brendan left and he's now with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. It meant an almost entirely new football operations department save for Ross Hodgkinson. Do you wish you had been able to talk Brendan into staying?

LB: No. Brendan and I remain very good friends. Brendan needed a big break. When Brendan was going through his deliberations we met in person and I knew he needed a big break. I have the utmost respect for Brendan. We went through some difficult times here with our arms locked. I'm happy to see he's still in the league because I feel we need people like him in the league. But he's in a position with a little less focus and pressure and I think you know as well as I do, that he never really enjoyed that.

FP: Mike Kelly made some disparaging remarks about Brendan's style of doing things. Do you regret those comments?

LB: I think they were unfortunate. Personnel guys have their own way of doing things. Their asset is their knowledge base. There have been several personnel people here that have kept their player information in their head or in a notebook because that's what they have to sell. It's unfortunate that those comments came out and we've moved on. We've got a new system in place and I think it was a direction we were headed in anyway.

FP: You're 3-5. Is that where you thought you'd be at this point of the season?

LB: Unfortunately yes. There are one or two other games we could have won and maybe another we could have lost. I divide the season into thirds and for the first third I had written down 2-4 with the comment "growing pains." I'm not sure we expected this many growing pains, in particular in our passing game. I wanted a change in attitude and character on the football field and I think we've accomplished that and it lays a foundation for our future. They don't quit and they'll always fight. We have a solid locker-room.

FP: This is the third coach you've hired after Jim Daly and Doug Berry. Do you think you've got it right this time?

LB: What do you mean got it right this time? There have been successes along the way. We've been to the playoffs seven out of my nine years. We've been to two Grey Cup championships. We've hosted playoff games. Time will tell if this was the right decision. We have someone who absolutely wants to be here. Someone who is passionate, perhaps to a fault.

FP: You've hired three guys. If this guy isn't a success, should you be fired?

LB: That will be the board's decision. Let's face it. We all have a shelf life. This isn't looked at by me as a retirement gig. I mark the rest of my time here in months, not years. If people want to judge the business in little pieces, go ahead, but I think you have to look at the big picture. The people that say I should be fired, they'll eventually get their wish.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 28, 2009 C1