Alouettes down Bombers

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This article was published 18/06/2009 (5954 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MONTREAL — He was one of the many Winnipeg Blue Bomber spring signings that drew little fanfare and a collective shrug of the shoulders from across the Canadian Football League.

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Oh sure, 23-year-old Lavarus Giles has size at 6-2 and 215, and was said to have decent wheels for big dude. But his numbers in college — he hails from the same school, Jackson State, as arguably the greatest running back on the planet in Walter Payton — were only so-so.

And with veterans Fred Reid and Joe Smith listed above him on the depth chart and with former Oregon State star Yvenson Bernard also getting a training camp invite — his resumé positively glows and he came with the recommendation of Bombers icon Mike Riley — Giles looked like he wouldn’t be around for long.

In fact, when he arrived for Bombers rookie camp in late May, honestly, he had “no chance’”written all over him.
Trouble is, no one told the young man about the long odds stacked against him.

And all Giles did in two pre-season games, including an eye-popping effort in Tuesday night’s 31-27 pre-season loss to the Montreal Alouettes at Percival Molson Stadium, was run over, around and through anybody who got in his way. He rumbled for 161 yards on just 12 carries against the Als, including an explosive, jaw-dropping 77-yard gallop that was the game’s biggest highlight.

Couple that with the 77 yards he had in last week’s win over Hamilton and all Giles did was finish with 238 yards on 26 carries. That, folks, is 9.15 yards per carry and it accomplishes two things:

1. It makes veteran tailback Joe Smith — the physical equal of Giles, but with a considerably bigger paycheque — sweat bullets, and
2. It gives head coach Mike Kelly & Co. one massive headache as the team must declare its final roster by Thursday afternoon.

Giles may not have a handy-dandy nickname yet, but we’d humbly suggest “Migraine” is a damn good fit.

“Coach Kelly told us over and over again, ‘Make the coaches’ job hard.’ I hope I made it hard for him. I hope,” Giles added with a grin, “he can’t sleep tonight.”

“That’s why I went to the pharmacy before the game and got some Sleep-Eze,” Kelly quipped afterward. “I’ll take one and then (today) try not to get too excited about anything and go in and evaluate and make decisions. But he IS special.”

So now here’s one of the many Bomber conundrums as the regular season approaches: How do you not keep Giles around and what do you do about the crowded backfield? That’s of little concern for Giles, who is simply trying to find regular work in Winnipeg after failing to crack the Calgary Stampeders last year and spending the rest of the season on the New Orleans Saints’ practice roster.

“Before I came out here, I said I was going to do whatever it takes to try and make this team,” Giles said. “Hopefully, I made a good impression because I’ve got a family at home, a wife and a child, and I’ve got to take care of them. I talked to my wife today and it’s pretty rough with them at home waiting. She knew before we got married that I’d be travelling and there’d be times like this, but she’s OK.

“All I wanted to do was go out there and leave it all on the field. I’m living for today, one day at a time. I’m not going to smile until I make this team. Then I’ll smile.”

Several other Bombers also popped off the page, including linebackers Joe Lobendahn, Jonathan Hefney and Jasper Johnson, safety Ian Logan, kickers Alexis Serna and Mike Renaud and defensive end Riall Johnson. Most of all, Kelly was impressed with how his team reacted after the game — they were peeved with a capital ‘P’ about the result.

“I like that they didn’t like losing, even though it’s only a pre-season game,” Kelly said. “I told them afterward, ‘Swish it around in your mouth a little bit and know that it doesn’t taste very good. But then spit it out.’ That’s what I really wanted to impress upon this club: We can’t accept losing.”

BLUE NOTES: Starting left guard Brendon LaBatte, the Bombers’ best O-lineman, left the game with an undisclosed upper-body injury that will be evaluated further when the team gets back to Winnipeg Thursday. Kelly Bates moved from left to right guard in his place, with Ryan Donnelly and Luke Fritz possible replacements.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca