O-lineman got the message

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This article was published 24/07/2012 (4823 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Steve Morley is a veteran. And he’s been healthy all season.

Those two things alone have allowed Morley to stand apart this season on a Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive line that has been beset by injury and dominated by youthful inexperience.

And so you’d think if anyone had unshakeable job security on the Bombers right now, it would be the lone constant on an offensive line where, aside from Morley, change has been the only constant in 2012.

All of which is why everyone took notice — in particular Morley — when the Bomber coaching staff decided in Toronto last week to platoon Morley with Paul Swiston, another youthful and inexperienced offensive lineman.

If the intent was to send a loud message to Morley — and everyone else — that no one’s job is safe on an 0-4 football team, then, well, it worked.

So what was that all about? Bombers offensive-line coach Pat Delmonaco put the answer this way. “We’re demanding that the guys have to perform every play — not for 50 per cent of the plays. I mean every play. And we’ve had some great downs up front at crucial moments. And we’ve also had some young guys who are pushing and getting better and they’re earning reps.

“So it’s not to say that Steve Morley is doing something bad. Paul Swiston is coming along and he deserves some time to play and right now, that’s where he’s going to get rotated in.”

Of course, if this was all just about the brain trust wanting to get Swiston reps, they could just as easily swap him out with the other guard on the line, relative newbie Chris Greaves.

But they’re not platooning Greaves and his eight lifetime professional starts, they’re platooning Morley and his 83 games of CFL experience — not to mention three seasons in the NFL and NFL Europe.

And the distinction is not lost on Morley, who said he has heard the message the club was sending him loud and clear. “I’ve got to play better… I don’t think I was taking any plays off — just making mistakes here and there. And being a veteran player, you can’t do that. For me, I’m treated differently than a young player. I can’t make those mistakes. I have to play at the top of my game.

“We’re 0-4 right now and we’ve got a lot of new faces. Basically you’ve got to be perfect. Last year when we won seven games (through the first eight games), you could get away with a lot more stuff. Whereas this year, our backs are against the wall, everyone’s pointing fingers, so you have to play flawless out there.”

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Perfect, of course, is never going to happen in that most imperfect of human conditions — the line of scrimmage. But there was a sense in Toronto last week the offensive line finally found some traction, creating big holes for running back Chad Simpson and giving QB Alex Brink adequate protection, with some notable exceptions.

And so expect more of the same this Thursday evening against the Edmonton Eskimos, including the platooning of Swiston and Morley, said Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice.

“(Morley) has got a guy behind him that is a kid that has performed well. We’re just trying to make sure who the best player is. And certainly, we want Steven’s play to improve as well as to get Paul Swiston some play. And we’re going to continue to go with that until those two guys can declare themselves.

“But Steven’s game I thought was better last week.”

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca