INSIDE THE Xs AND Os

Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Friday, Jul. 9, 2010

VEGAS LINE:

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/07/2010 (5901 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VEGAS LINE:

The Bombers are favoured by 11 points.

BOMBERS vs. ARGONAUTS (all-time): The Bombers are 48-46-2 against the Argos

LAST FIVE:

Winnipeg holds a 4-1 advantage.

THE FORECAST: Straight from Environment Canada: Increasing cloudiness near noon then 30 per cent chance of showers. Risk of a thunderstorm late in the afternoon. Wind becoming west 20 km/h early in the afternoon. Cloudy with 30 per cent chance of showers early in the evening and risk of a thunderstorm. High 26. UV index 7 or high.

CROWD WATCH:

The ticket count was around 24,000 Thursday afternoon.

ROSTER UPDATE:

With injuries in the secondary, the Bombers are forced to make a couple changes. DB Clint Kent, DB Jerry-Ralph Jules, and newly signed DB Donald Brown Jr. have all been added to the 46-man roster. LS Taylor Inglis will be in the lineup. DB Keyuo Craver (knee) was placed on the nine-game injury list, joining OL Glenn January (pectoral) and long-snapper Chris Cvetkovic (knee). SB Jabari Arthur, OL Ryan Donnelly, FB Daryl Stephenson, and DB Alex Suber are all on the one-game injured list.

NO REGRETS:

The Argos passed on QB Buck Pierce in the off-season, choosing to go with NFL backup Cleo Lemon instead. Head coach Jim Barker admitted Pierce’s health was a concern in the decision. "We considered it," Barker said Thursday. "He’s been in this league a long time and obviously he played for (Argos owner) David Braley in British Columbia. We just made the decision based on his history that (it) wasn’t the direction our organization was going to go."

HIGH EXPECTATIONS?

Bombers coach Paul LaPolice on how the expectations have changed for his club following an impressive showing in Week 1: "I hope (the fans) think that we’re going to be a team that competes throughout the course of the season and that’s definitely our goal: To be a competitive team in the upper echelon of the league."

BELLI BACK:

The Argos get Adriano Belli back tonight, after the notorious defensive tackle had to sit out the season opener due to suspension. When asked how hard it was to watch teammates drop a 30-16 decision to Calgary last week, Belli offered this sound bite: "It was very difficult, especially after the fourth or fifth beer. It got even worse."

FYI:

Pierce was deadly in second down situations last week, completing 12-of-14 passes…Winnipeg holds a lifetime 33-15 advantage over the Argos at home…Lemon made eight starts for the Miami Dolphins in 2006 and 2007, going 1-7 over that span…In his seven full CFL seasons, SB Jeremaine Copeland has surpassed the 1,000-yard mark five times.

HALFTIME KEY:

How’s this for a swing stat? Since the 2008 season, the Bombers are an impressive 15-1 when leading at halftime. Conversely, the club is a shocking 1-20 when either trailing or square at the break.

— Adam Wazny