It’s ‘flustrating’ for Buck

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This article was published 18/07/2012 (4831 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Buck Pierce coined a new term Tuesday, one that perfectly describes where his head is at these days.

Visibly “flustrated” — a combination of flustered and frustrated — with yet another injury, this one involving torn ligaments and a torn muscle in his left foot, the Blue Bombers quarterback told the media Tuesday afternoon he would be out for a month.

“They (the doctors) said about four weeks,” Pierce told reporters at the Bombers offices. “I’m not one to really listen to timelines; that’s more for you guys to hear, and I have an idea about it. Players are coming back quicker (from this injury), as well. I’m pretty sure it’s four or less. They didn’t say it’s something that’s going to be real lengthy.”

It’s anyone’s guess how long the quarterback will actually be out of commission. The official stance from the club Tuesday morning was that Pierce is sidelined indefinitely, and while that position softened slightly later in the day, his timeline remains murky.

“Could be four weeks to, you know… we’re thinking at least four weeks, and we’ll see where it is after that,” head coach Paul LaPolice said from Toronto. “But again, the foot. (Returner) Tim Brown had a foot injury, a kid we had last year, and it took a long time. We’ve had other guys take two weeks.”

Offering a timeline and looking ahead was the easy part for Pierce; the discussion turned a little colder when the subject of his injury woes came up again. His injury in Edmonton on Friday was the second time in three outings he has been unable to finish a game this season and the 22nd time he’s left a game in 58 career starts. In the season-opening loss to the B.C. Lions, Pierce was forced to leave the game with a leg injury.

It’s a different leg and a different injury this time, but the same emotions are present.

“People get hurt. Obviously, this one hurts… and, you know, it’s bad. I’m not very happy,” he said. “It’s frustrating. You know, I’m not the only one who gets hurt. This is a game (where) you put your body on the line, and you love football and sometimes football doesn’t love you back.

“That’s the ‘flustrating’ part about it.”

Pierce was injured on a sack by Edmonton defensive tackle Ted Laurent in the first quarter of Friday’s 42-10 loss to the Eskimos. The play looked innocent enough: Laurent chased a scrambling Pierce out of the pocket and tackled him around the ankles, but the takedown immediately put the quarterback out of commission for the rest of the evening.

After the game, Pierce had his left foot in a walking boot and was using a crutch. The club was very careful with the diagnosis, taking three full days to announce what the injury was.

The 30-year-old, who signed a three-year extension with the club in the off-season, has been forced from the game with an injury in nine of his 24 starts with Winnipeg. All told, he’s missed a total of 15 out of 39 games in his two-plus seasons as the Bombers’ starting quarterback.

“Every time I heal up from something, I feel great and I feel like I’m ready to go and out of the woods, and then something fluke like this happens,” he said. “And that’s the hardest part — mentally having to go through this kind of stuff and having your teammates wonder if you’re going to be ready or not.”

The club placed Pierce on a one-game injured list for Wednesday’s contest against the Toronto Argonauts at Rogers Centre (6:30 p.m., TSN, CJOB). The team does have the option to move him to the nine-game injured list for the rest of the first half of the schedule.

Third-year quarterback Alex Brink gets the start for the winless Bombers against the Argos, who have just one win in three tries this season. Joey Elliott will back him up, while Justin Goltz comes off the practice roster to serve as the No. 3 quarterback.

— with files from Paul Wiecek

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

Pierce in Blue and Gold

BUCK Pierce is in his third season with the Blue Bombers, joining the club in 2010 as a free agent after five injury-plagued years in B.C. His injury history, specifically the nine games he’s had to leave, as a member of the Blue and Gold:

— July 16, 2010 — Pierce goes down awkwardly in the third quarter of a game against the Tiger-Cats, suffering a right-knee injury. He misses three games.

— Aug. 13, 2010 — He returns (against those same Ticats), but is forced to leave the game after aggravating that same right knee. He misses the next game.

— Sept. 5, 2010 — Pierce suffers a freak injury when his right elbow lands on the face mask of a Saskatchewan defender, dislocating the joint in the process. He misses the rest of the season (nine games) and there’s worry his career might be over. He vows to return.

— July 14, 2011 — Third week of the new season. Pierce leaves the game at the half against Calgary with a left-quadriceps strain. He starts the next game, though.

— July 28, 2011 — Suffers a left-calf injury and has to leave the game in the third quarter against B.C. Once again, he makes the next start.

— Sept. 24, 2011 — In Toronto, Pierce takes a hard shot to the midsection and leaves the game in the second quarter. Bruised ribs. The club holds him out of the next game.

— Oct. 28, 2011 — A right-knee injury again, and it’s against the Argos again. Pierce is forced from the game in the first half. He misses the next start in Calgary, but is back for the post-season run.

— June 29, 2012 — Pierce suffers a right-leg injury late in the first half against B.C. and is removed from the game. He makes the next start in Montreal.

— July 13, 2012 — The veteran tears ligaments and a muscle in his left foot after getting sacked by Edmonton defensive tackle Ted Laurent. He’s ruled out for the next game and beyond.