Bombers 411

Posted: 3:00 AM CDT Saturday, Aug. 29, 2015

Picard a question mark

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This article was published 29/08/2015 (3876 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Picard a question mark

They put him on the roster for today’s game at Investors Group Field against the Calgary Stampeders, but Blue Bombers coach Mike O’Shea couldn’t be definitive Friday that veteran centre Dominic Picard would be a player today.

After missing nearly a week of practice because of an upper-body injury, Picard did engage in the Friday’s walk-through workout, but left before he could speak to reporters.

At right, Dominic Picard (68) and Sukh Chungh (69) at a Winnipeg Blue Bomber practice at Investors Group Field in June. (Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press)

O’Shea danced around the matter again Friday.

“He’s got to get some work done,” the coach said about treatment. “He’s going to be on the roster and my expectations for him and his expectations are he’s going to give it his best shot to play and we’ll see, go right up to the last minute to see how that looks.

“You know, Dom’s a pretty tough guy. He’s a competitive guy, too.

“Once again, with a veteran guy who’s an important cog to the machine, you’ve got afford him as much time as possible.”

After that answer, O’Shea was asked if Picard’s status was probable, doubtful or something else.

“I’d list him as a starter,” the coach said.

If Picard can’t play, expect second-year pro Matthias Goosen to step into that role.

Penalty calls being missed

Having given up a league-high 26 sacks, the Blue Bombers have clearly struggled to protect their quarterback.

It appears they’re not the only ones guilty of such offences.

There’s an easy argument to be made that CFL referees have done an exceptionally poor job of enforcing rules designed to protect quarterbacks. Just Winnipeg’s bad luck it has been victimized by such oversights.

Winnipeg’s opponents have been flagged for just three roughing-the-passer penalties this season.

When you examine the specifics of the three calls, two can easily be relegated to second-half garbage time in games against Edmonton and Hamilton that the Bombers trailed badly, and both of those calls were hits on No. 2 pivot Brian Brohm.

Only once this season — in Week 4 when the Bombers lost 26-25 in Calgary — has an opponent been flagged for an illegal hit on Bombers’ No. 1 man Drew Willy.

It’s fair to wonder how that’s possible, given the abuse Willy has taken this season.

He’s been knocked out of two games by clearly illegal hits — one of them a hellacious head-to-head blow. In both instances, opponents were fined later, but the missed calls left the Bombers in bad positions on the field and in the games.

And in the context of some of the lame roughing-the-passer and contacting-the-kicker flags seen around the CFL this season, it’s a frustrating element to the Winnipeg season so far.

Kicker on practice roster

Friday, the Bombers added kicker Sergio Castillo, 24, to the practice roster.

He played college at West Texas A&M and in 2013, won the Fred Mitchell Award given to the nation’s top kicker.

“It’s the business side of the football team that’s such that you’re always adding guys,” Winnipeg coach Mike O’Shea said. “When you find someone who’s a good player, you’ve got to keep them around. You look around the league and some teams are struggling running through kickers, having to make that change all the time.

O’Shea said the move was not meant to inject some competition for kicker Lirim Hajrullahu.

“That doesn’t mean Lirim’s job is in jeopardy. He’s our guy,” O’Shea said.

— Tim Campbell