Fast, furious… and futile

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/09/2009 (5852 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE Winnipeg Blue Bombers will go into action this weekend with three quarterbacks that were not on their opening day roster.

That, more than anything, is the tale of this team’s woeful season.

The Bombers broke camp with Stefan LeFors, Bryan Randall and Richie Williams at pivot. Many thought this was the dawning of a new era at quarterback in Winnipeg, with young, fresh talent at the position.

That it has been an unmitigated disaster explains the presence of Michael Bishop, Casey Bramlet and Ricky Santos in the yellow ‘don’t-hit-me’ practice jerseys at Tuesday’s workout.

Santos is the newest of the bunch and will dress on Saturday night, but he’s unlikely to see any action.

The No. 1 job remains Michael Bishop’s, but the fact the club continues to bring in fresh blood for audition purposes on a seemingly weekly basis is a strong indicator the Bombers don’t see the veteran as their quarterback of tomorrow.

At 3-8 the Bombers remain just two wins out of a playoff spot, but the focus appears to be shifting to the future. Quarterback is the most important position in football and the Bombers don’t believe they have an answer at this point.

"Let’s face reality, we have three quarterbacks that didn’t go through camp with us. We have a receiving corps that wasn’t around here a year ago," said coach Mike Kelly, who now has 25 new faces in camp that weren’t with the Bombers at the end of last season. "We’ll just keep teaching and see if we can’t get some productivity out of this group."

The latest changes saw Kelly obtain QB Ricky Santos from Montreal and receivers Jabari Arthur and Titus Ryan, as well as defensive lineman Odell Willis, from Calgary.

All four were at practice on Tuesday but Arthur didn’t take part in drills due to a foot injury that will likely keep him out of the lineup this weekend.

"Leaving a franchise that has a history in this league of winning and great excellence is saddening but again, I’ve been given the chance to come to a franchise that has the potential to be great," said Santos, who had a fine collegiate career at the University of New Hampshire.

The Alouettes are 9-2 and appear headed to the Grey Cup, so making the move from the penthouse to what many have termed a ‘circus,’ or ‘gong show atmosphere,’ in Winnipeg could be viewed as disheartening, but Santos says players are too single-minded to focus on the troubles of others.

"That’s not on me to worry about what was going on here. I was doing my part to help my team get better and I didn’t pay attention to Winnipeg unless we were playing them," said Santos.

Santos won the Walter Payton Award in 2007 as the best NCAA Division I-AA player in the country and he left New Hampshire with school records for most passing yards, most passing touchdowns, most pass attempts and most completions.

The 25-year-old 6-2, 215-pounder from Norwood, Mass. says he expects to quickly pick up the Bombers offence.

"For me this is a bit of an adjustment. I’m a shotgun, spread offence guy, but I think I’ll be able to pick it up quickly. We’ll see."

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Hello-goodbye

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have undergone major personnel surgery from the end of last season to now with 25 new players on the active roster. Here’s some key additions and subtractions:

INCOMING

WR Adarius Bowman

LB Shawn Gallant

OL Glenn January

CB James Johnson

QB Stefan LeFors

QB Casey Bramlet

OL Steve Morley

LB Siddeeq Shabazz

QB Michael Bishop

QB Ricky Santos

OUTGOING

DE Tom Canada (released)

OL Alexandre Gauthier (Ham.)

QB Kevin Glenn (Ham.)

OL Dan Goodspeed (Ham.)

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LB Cam Hall (Mtl.)

LB Zeke Moreno (Tor.)

OL Dominic Picard (Tor.)

SB Milt Stegall (retired)

SB Derick Armstrong (released)