When will they catch on?

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/08/2009 (5914 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The quarterbacks in Bomberland have been taking all the knocks for the team’s poor passing game to this point, with a sprinkle of criticism falling on the big shoulders of the offensive line.

But lost in translation has been the lack of productivity in the receiving positions.

One has to go to No. 13 on the league leaders sheet to find a Bombers receiver, and that’s Terrence Edwards, with 15 catches for 244 yards through five games. That’s an average of 48 yards per game and well below the pace for a 1,000-yard season.

And Edwards has been Winnipeg’s best. By a long shot. All the way down at No. 36 on the receivers stats page is Brock Ralph, with nine catches for 102 yards, and Romby Bryant is right behind him with 10 catches for 99 yards.

Those numbers add up to a good game in past seasons for players of this talent, and whether it’s the simple fact that Winnipeg quarterbacks haven’t been able to get them the ball or this receiving corps can’t get open, there’s an issue here that needs to get fixed, and fixed fast.

"I think there’s a lot to come from this whole offence. We’re a work in progress, but we’re doing the work," said Edwards, who got together with new Blue QB Michael Bishop last weekend and caught seven passes for 110 yards.

"Michael will find chemistry with everyone. I want it to start with me. I want to be the leader. I want to be the go-to guy. But I also want him comfortable with the whole offence and go to all the guys."

The Bombers had three 1,000-yard receivers last season, and unless things ramp up in a hurry for some of these men, the club will be lucky to find more than one among this bunch.

Edwards, along with the departed Derick Armstrong and the suddenly silent Romby Bryant, were all 1,000-yard men last season.

Armstrong got into a pout in Week 1 and was subsequently released, so he’s out of the picture. Bryant, who does not talk with the media, had just one catch for three yards last week, but with his speed and Bishop’s arm, he seems like a natural to succeed with the new QB.

"I don’t see anything that he’s done wrong. He’s a deep threat. We just need to get him deep and get him the ball," Edwards said, when asked about Bryant’s struggles to date. "I know it’s going to come. That’s his game — speed. Romby, what he does best is get down the field."

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Coach Mike Kelly is hoping Bishop and Bryant can develop some chemistry.

"You’d like to think Michael and Romby would be a good combination. For whatever reason, and we’ve tried a variety of things as far as moving Romby around, it just hasn’t clicked yet," Kelly said. "If Michael could find Romby downfield, it would stretch the defence and give Romby a chance for some dynamic plays, but we haven’t been able to get in sync."

One bit of good news will see the Blue Bombers insert 6-foot-4, 224-pound receiver Adarius Bowman, who was a teammate of Bishop’s last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

"We’ve said all along (Bowman) has all the physical attributes. He’s a tall guy and he’s thick. He can catch and he can run," Kelly said. "The thing we have to see now, he’s been on the bench for a couple of weeks and as a young player without a lot of experience, does he come back at the top of the learning curve where he was, or does he start all over again? I expect because of his past relationship with Michael (Bishop) that eventually they’ll get on the same page."

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca