Happy ending beats sad one

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This article was published 05/11/2010 (5450 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You’re only as good as your last game.

Or something like that.

Look, there’s one game left. If you’re the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-13) and you have a shot to prove to the masses that the growing pains of the 2010 season — a march that never really got going thanks to roster turnover, untimely brain cramps and flat-out bad luck — are going to amount to something great next summer, then what better time to show your best side?

And that’s exactly the motivational carrot the club is chasing tonight when they close out the campaign against the Calgary Stampeders (12-5) at Canad Inns Stadium (7 p.m., TSN, CJOB).

The message from the veterans on the Bomb Squad: Leave the impression that the concrete poured this season will harden into a solid foundation.

“Sure, if we were playing for a Grey Cup or a playoff it would be easier to get up for,” centre Obby Khan said after the walk-through Thursday.

“But it doesn’t matter if we’re 0-18 or 18-0, we have to play hard. If we don’t play, we might not be here next year. The coaches are evaluating us all the time and if you don’t show up for this game mentally, you’ll be gone.”

Quarterback Joey Elliott, the rookie out of Purdue, gets his second straight start for the Bombers and for him, the game is more than just sending the home fans into hibernation with rose-coloured glasses and a smile in their heart. The 24-year-old — like many of the Bombers seeing this initial exposure to the Canadian game (the club has had roughly a dozen or so rookies mixing in and out of the lineup) — is actually auditioning for the 2011 season.

“It’s our last time playing together — I told the guys it’s like college (and) not going to a bowl game,” added Elliott, who was 15-of-29 for 130 yards against Edmonton last week. “You (don’t) know who’s going to be here next year.”

The early training-camp psyche is just one of the reasons for the Bombers to finish strong.

There are also the individual number chases of slotback Terrence Edwards, running back Fred Reid and defensive end Phillip Hunt. Edwards is 22 yards ahead of Saskatchewan’s Andy Fantuz and Hamilton’s Arland Bruce III for the receiving title, while Reid is just 11 yards back of Toronto’s Cory Boyd for the rushing title.

Hunt, meanwhile, has a comfortable four-sack lead over Montreal’s John Bowman heading into the final weekend of play.

Despite the mental challenge of trying to bring some roar to the last game of a season that has gone out like a lamb, the Bombers to a man say they are treating this one as professional football players. Forget about the evaluation factor — going through the motions on the field will not endear a guy to a teammate who’s busting his hump until the echo of the whistle.

Plus, as some point out, it’s just poor form.

“This is our job,” said fullback Jon Oosterhuis, boggled by the fortunes of the team this year. “It shouldn’t matter if it’s a pre-season game or if it’s the championship — we get evaluated every time we step on the field. We get remembered for what we do, and the last game is the last chance to show people this thing is headed in the right direction.”

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca

DEPTH CHART

WHEN BOMBERS HAVE THE BALL

WR *84 Carr

LT *59 Douglas

LG 61 Fritz

C 60 Khan

RG 62 Morley

RT *68 Butler

SB *14 Jeffers-Harris

SB *82 Edwards

SB 81 Watson

WR 15 Hargreaves

QB *16 Elliott

RB *32 Reid

K/P 17 Palardy/9 Renaud

Lineups subject to change

STAMPS DEFENCE

DE *39 Hughes

DT *95 Claybrooks

DT *77 Johnson

DE *43 McCune

LB *11 M. Jackson

LB *12 Simpson

LB *25 Raymond

CB *27 Browner

DB *35 Dixon

DB *28 Smith

CB *33 Anderson

S 31 Lysack

WHEN THE STamps HAVE THE BALL

WR *83 Bryant

LT *65 Archibald

LG 59 Myddelton

C 66 O’Neill

RG 67 Tsoumpas

RT *62 S. Bryant

WR 87 Franklin

SB *85 Rambo

SB *82 Lewis

FB 26 Cote

QB *1 Burris

RB *21 Reynolds

K/P 6 Maver/16 Dales

BOMBER DEFENCE

DE *40 Willis

DT 97 Brown

DT *95 Hopkins

DE *53 Hunt

LB *38 Bowman

LB *51 McCoy

LB *41 Kent

CB *2 Johnson

DB *23 Hefney

DB *21 Suber

CB *20 Beasley

S 31 Logan

*Denotes import

Lineups subject to change