Word about the potential signing of Pacman Jones was one of the key topics of discussion in Bomberland on Tuesday and most players insisted that second chances were part of life in a locker-room.Jones, should he sign with the Blue Bombers, will only be the next in a long line of players who have run afoul of the law and most Bombers we talked to were more concerned with his ability to help the team than anything else.

"ö Terrence Edwards, WR -- "He's from Georgia, same as me. From what I've seen, he's a pretty good player. I don't know much about him, only what I read in the papers. If he's here, we'll welcome him. But I don't know that yet. But we'll give anybody a second chance."

"ö Lenny Walls, DB -- "Why do you have to hit me with that question? He's a helluva football player. That's all I know. He's somebody that can help. He's going to be a member of Swaggerville. You know that. Swaggerville is the secondary and anybody who possesses the swag to make plays back there. And he's got that."

"ö Obby Khan, OL -- "As a player, he's a phenomenal player. I don't follow the NFL too much, but from what I've seen, he's fast and agile. He's a little ball of hate. If any player can make us better, we'll take him. The coaching staff and management won't bring in any player that is going to make us worse, whether it be on the field or in the locker-room. If he can make this team better, we'll take him. We're men and we govern ourselves in the locker-room. If it gets to the coaches, it's gone too far. In this locker-room, we've done a great job with this group."

"ö Glen January, OL -- "He's an explosive player and pretty good at what he does. Any player that can come in and make us better, we welcome him with open arms. Generally speaking, we police ourselves and it comes down to us to make sure the locker-room is a good place."

"ö Brock Ralph, WR -- "At this point, it's just a rumour to us. We know as much as the guy on the street. Whoever comes our way we're prepared to welcome as part of the team. There was some discussion here, but most of it is from the outside in -- people wondering what this means and if it's true. Most of us don't have any specifics and we don't want to let it become a distraction. If there's a new face in the next couple of days, we'll welcome him."

"ö Shawn Gallant, LB -- "We're getting mixed reports. We're hearing from the media that he's coming and from everywhere else that he's not. It happens all the time. Players get cut from the NFL all the time and you never know if they'll show up or if they'll pan out if they do come. I've learned to just let it happen. It's a big name if it's the case, and if he's ready to play, he can help a team... I've never been out there covering a punt and worrying about another player. Unless he comes to my house banging pots and pans at three in the morning, he won't be a distraction to me."

"ö Doug Brown, DT -- "I don't deal in generalities or alleged rumours. I wanted to wait to comment until his contract is registered with the CFL and it becomes official. That's what I thought when I saw these rumours that Adam "Pacman" Jones could potentially be coming to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers... There's a fine line between what a player's talent can do to benefit a team and whether or not his baggage is detrimental. It's a case-by-case situation and I'm sure the people responsible for player additions and subtractions take this into account."

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 2, 2009 C3