Linebackers heart and soul of the team

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/09/2014 (4082 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Linebackers have for a long time held a special place in Blue Bombers lore. They’re the heart of the defence and on the Prairie a linebacking crew can often be the difference between pretender and contender.

When the Blue Bombers have won championships, often a linebacker stood tall swinging a hammer as lead hand on the crew. The choice for the top linebacker in Bombers history will be made from an elite group of players.

Voters have selected Ken Ploen as the quarterback and Chris Walby as the offensive lineman of the Free Press/TSN 1290 All-Time Bombers Team. This week it’s your turn to select a linebacker for the team.

Bud Grant and our panel have had their say. Now you get to weigh in.

We’re presenting a position each week over a nine-week period with our panel’s choices of the top-five Winnipeg Blue Bombers to ever play for the club at that spot.

Cast your vote at alltimebombers.winnipegfreepress.com

On Friday afternoons at 4 p.m., live on TSN 1290’s Hustler and Lawless program, the Free Press and TSN 1290 websites, as well as the Saturday edition of the Winnipeg Free Press, we’ll announce the winner and member of the All-Time Bombers Team.

The Free Press print and digital editions as well as www.tsn1290.ca will run stories every Monday putting forth the position of the week and finalists selected by our panel. Voting will take place on both websites.

Legendary Blue Bombers player and coach Bud Grant headlines our panel. Grant was joined by former Bombers player and GM Paul Robson, Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductee and Free Press sports reporter Ed Tait, Free Press columnist and TSN 1290 host Gary Lawless and TSN 1290’s Andrew “Hustler” Paterson.

Panelists were provided a statistical breakdown of the Bombers dating back to the 1950s as well as an anecdotal package of the early Bombers teams when statistics were not recorded.

Each panelist brought a unique perspective and personal set of criteria. Grant joined the group via conference call from a cabin in the Wisconsin woods while the rest huddled around a boardroom table at the Free Press.

From Grant’s gravelly voice emanating out of the telephone speaker, to Tait’s vivid recollections of games and players, to Robson’s cold analysis of a players strengths and weaknesses, to Paterson’s views from the upper decks of our stadiums, there were strong opinions all around.

Some players were quickly selected. Others were hotly debated. Sometimes it came down to a clash of eras. Others made it on the merit of championship wins while those without rings on their fingers were often set aside.

Vote a maximum of once per day and help choose the Blue Bombers player you consider the best at the following positions to be presented in this order: Quarterback, offensive lineman, linebacker, kicker, kick returner, running back, defensive lineman, defensive back and receiver.

We’ve done our part. The final decisions are up to you. So vote and vote often. You’re the GM of this team. Make your choices.

LINEBACKER

GREG BATTLE* 1987-93, 1997-98

Voted the CFL’s top defensive player in 1990 and 1991, Battle is the Bombers all-time leader in tackles and fumble returns. He wasn’t gregarious and camera-friendly like teammates Tyrone Jones and James West, but was a difference-maker on the field.

TYRONE JONES* 1983-87, 1989-91

A rush-end type who terrorized QBs, Jones finished with 98 sacks — most in Bomber history — was the CFL’s top defender in 1985 and a four-time CFL All-Star. His run-ins with Cal Murphy were legendary, as was his play on the field.

JAMES WEST 1986-92

Gregarious and passionate about the game and life, West was part of two Grey-Cup championship with the Bombers, is third all-time on the club’s tackle list and was one of the leaders of a defence that was the team’s backbone.

PAUL RANDOLPH 1989-95

Quietly went about his business in the shadow of Battle, Jones and West. Among the club’s all-time leader in tackles, he was inducted into the Bomber HOF in 2002.

PHIL MINNICK 1965-73

A tackling machine in the days before the numbers were tracked by the CFL. A two-time CFL All-Star (1966, 1969), he played under Bud Grant and then was one of the mainstays during some tough years in the late 60s.

* Indicates member of Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @garylawless