Still wide gulf between Blue, Pierce

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/04/2010 (5976 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Forget the swirling rumours for a moment and know this about the growing Buck-Pierce-to-the-Winnipeg-Blue-Bombers speculation:

The two sides still have a lot of ground to cover before the 28-year-old free-agent quarterback even comes close to putting his name on a contract. And as much as the Pierce camp is proclaiming the injury to his non-throwing shoulder is healed and the concussion issue is overblown, it’s clear Bomber management is wrestling with the risk that comes with signing him.

And then there’s the little matter of dealing with his agent’s demands for the same dollar figures he received last year in B.C. — $300,000 — even if it was to be incentive-laden.

“With a salary cap if you make a fairly substantial commitment to any position and that player gets hurt it can adversely affect the whole team,” said Bomber boss Joe Mack Tuesday. “And with a quarterback if he gets hurt you not only lose your starter but somebody else who may have gotten the reps in practice hasn’t been on the field as much.

“I’m not trying to be evasive, but it’s an evolving process and we’re still evaluating our entire quarterback situation. We also have a couple of other (quarterbacks), none with CFL experience but with some real tools, that we’re talking to now that I really like. I hope to get this resolved by the end of the week or find out if we can get into the same ballpark.”

The Bombers have four quarterbacks under contract: Steven Jyles, Stefan LeFors, Ricky Santos and Adam DiMichele, although reports indicate LeFors is not willing to return for the $90,000 he received from the club last year after having his salary cut mid-season. Sources say the Bombers had been shopping LeFors, but his new stance may squelch any attempt to trade him.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca