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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/08/2012 (4812 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SACKMASTER WON’T PLAY

The Bombers will play without a big, productive piece of their defence against the Alouettes tonight.

Defensive lineman Bryant Turner, Winnipeg’s current sackmaster, is back home in Mobile, Ala., to attend the funeral services for his grandmother. The two were very close, and when Turner informed head coach Paul LaPolice about his family situation earlier this week, the club didn’t hesitate to grant him leave.

“We talk about the situation and what has happened,” LaPolice said. “You can’t be somebody who says family is important and then not show that. So when he called me, I said ‘Hey, whatever you need to do, we’ll support (you).'”

The loss of Turner is huge for a Winnipeg defence that relies heavily on a decent pass rush. The 24-year-old leads the club with five sacks through five games, a mark that puts him second among the CFL leaders (B.C.’s Keron Williams has six).

Defensive tackle Brandon Collier takes over in Turner’s spot. He is coming off a shoulder injury that was originally thought to have kept him out for eight weeks but now, he’ll return to the lineup after just missing one game.

Defensive end Kenny Mainor was taken off the nine-game injured list and added to the 46-man roster Thursday. Mainor suffered an ankle injury in the first game of the season and was placed on the nine-game injured list July 12, but his injury wasn’t as serious as originally thought.

Third-year linebacker Marcellus Bowman and rookie running back Will Ford will also dress.

BLUE BETTER

Linebacker Pierre-Luc Labbe knows the Bombers defence must be better against Montreal this time around if they want to walk away with a win. The Alouettes racked up 551 total yards in a 41-30 win in Week 2, picking on Labbe and the rest of the linebackers throughout the contest.

Running back Brandon Whitaker was especially dangerous, amassing 235 total yards on offence.

The issues from that game have been rectified, Labbe believes. “It’s just trying not to do too much, just trying to do your job and not trying to do everybody else’s job,” he said.

TRAVEL ISSUES

Montreal did not arrive in Winnipeg until Thursday evening, as flight delays down east had them sitting around the airport for 101/2 hours. The time wasn’t a total waste, as coaches had them go through a walk-through at one of the gates.

LaPolice was asked if the Bombers could glean any advantage from Montreal’s air nightmare.

“They have a lot of veterans on that football team,” he said. “I don’t think there’s going to be too many things Anthony Calvillo (will miss). He could show up the day of the game… ‘All right, give me the ball.’ “

— Wazny, Hamilton