Randle injury ‘a huge void’

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This article was published 09/09/2015 (3996 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It sounds as though the Winnipeg Blue Bombers could be without the services of strong-side linebacker Chris Randle for a while.

Randle hurt his knee Sunday in Regina during a 37-19 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and head coach Mike O’Shea said Tuesday Randle will be lost to the Bombers for at least this week and possibly longer.

“He’s not going to be available to us. We’ll find out more in the next couple days,” O’Shea said. “It doesn’t seem good right now.”

Randle has been a leader on defence and in the Bombers locker-room and no one was pretending he will be easily replaced.

“It’s a huge void. He’s a big leader on and off the field. He’s a good teammate and a great friend,” said Maurice Leggett, who will move this week from safety to SAM to fill in for Randle.

With Leggett moving to linebacker, Lin-J Shell will likely start this week at safety.

The other notable personnel change this week could be on the offensive line, where non-import left guard Chris Greaves did not practise Tuesday and was replaced by import Sam Longo.

Meanwhile, injured defensive tackle Bryant Turner — who missed Sunday’s game — was back practising Tuesday.

Nichols hears the banjos

Matt Nichols will get his first start in Blue and Gold this Saturday, less than a week after he was acquired in a trade with the Edmonton Eskimos.

Nichols could only laugh when he was jokingly asked if playing quarterback for the Bombers in a Banjo Bowl is the culmination of a lifelong dream. “Absolutely — you hear great things about that down in California,” Nichols grinned.

Nichols led the first team offence in practice on Tuesday and said he expects to have access to the entire Bombers playbook by Saturday.

O’Shea said the play calling for the offence this week will continue to be handled by offensive co-ordinator Marcel Bellefeuille.

O’Shea fires a friend

Here’s what O’Shea had to say Tuesday about firing special-teams co-ordinator Pat Tracey:

“We go back to university,” said O’Shea. “Pat’s a professional coach and he understands the business. As they say, it’s a great game and a terrible business.

“But it’s a decision we had to make to go forward. We can’t keep living in a world where our special teams are reasons why we lose.”

A 60-yard punt-return touchdown by the Roughriders on Sunday was the third punt-return TD the Bombers have given up in a season in which there have only been seven punt return TDs in the entire league.

O’Shea played at the University of Guelph when Tracey was a coach there.

Hoping for Muamba

O’Shea had this to say about former Bombers all-star linebacker Henoc Muamba, who was cut by the Indianapolis Colts over the weekend. Muamba had a workout with the New York Giants this week and his agent has also asked for offers from CFL teams.

“Would he make this team better? I think Henoc Muamba makes any team better. He’s a fantastic player — he’s an all-star calibre player,” said O’Shea.

“I’m sure we’re talking to him. Henoc enjoyed his time in Winnipeg and I’m sure we’d be on the list. But it’s a nine-team list, I’m sure.”

Adams: ‘got to smarten up’

If there was a single turning point in Winnipeg’s loss to the Riders, it came on Play 97 when a Saskatchewan drive that appeared to have stalled at midfield was extended by an illegal-contact-on-a-receiver penalty by Bombers cornerback Johnny Adams.

Agitated by the call, Adams made a bad situation worse by taking an unnecessary roughness penalty one play later. One play after that, the Riders were in the end zone and what had been a tight 16-10 game in the third quarter was suddenly blown wide open.

It’s not the first time Adams has lost his temper this season — he’s regularly got into confrontations, both in practice and during games. But it was the costliest episode — and Adams knows it.

“I’ve got to smarten up,” Adams said following practice at IGF Tuesday. “I’ve got to stop taking those kinds of penalties and get back to playing smart football…

“Penalties are going to hurt my team. I need to clear that up. And my team needs me to keep my composure and make some plays.”

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @PaulWiecek