Not half bad

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/09/2011 (5383 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The biggest question mark surrounding the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at the start of the 2011 CFL season was whether starting quarterback Buck Pierce could stay healthy.

If Pierce stayed at least mostly upright, the thinking went, then the Bombers had a chance.

Well, with the CFL season now at the midway point, Pierce has been more reliable than anyone could have expected — particularly given the savage hits, some of them even legal, he took during the first five games. And the Bombers not only have a chance, they’re leading the CFL with a sparkly 7-2 record heading into Sunday’s Banjo Bowl against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

When Pierce leads the Winnipeg offence out on to the field at Canad Inns Stadium Sunday, he will have started 10 regular-season games in a row, equalling the longest uninterrupted stretch of starts in Pierce’s injury-pocked professional career (Pierce also started 10 straight games with the B.C. Lions between Aug. 29-Nov. 1, 2008).

While it is true that injury chased Pierce from the second half of a loss to Calgary (reported as a quadricep) in Week 3 and a win over B.C. (reported as a calf) in Week 5, it remains to Pierce’s fullest credit that both times he answered the starting bell the next game and he remains the only starting quarterback Winnipeg has had in 2011.

“It’s a combination of things,” Pierce reflected of his durability following practice on Thursday. “I think maybe I’ve been a little bit smarter (in not taking unnecessary hits). And there’s also some luck involved.

“It’s a long season and I know better than anyone how quickly things can be taken away from you. But that’s a good stat (starting 10 games in a row). I can smile about that right now, that’s good,” Pierce said.

“Anytime you can stand tall and answer your critics — that’s a good feeling.”

In what has thus far been a genuinely remarkable CFL season, Pierce’s comeback from a dislocated elbow on his throwing arm that ended his 2010 season is without question the comeback story of the year in the CFL. Here’s some other noteworthy moments and people from the first half of the Bombers 2011 season:

MVP: Defensive co-ordinator Tim Burke. The Bombers defence was good last year, it has become great this year under Burke. If you believe that’s a coincidence, bear in mind that Burke was the defensive co-ordinator in Montreal from 2008-10 when the Als went to the Grey Cup three times in a row and won the last two. A trip to Vancouver on the last Sunday in November with Winnipeg this year would make Burke 4-for-4 in Grey Cup appearances. Some coincidence.

“I think we’re farther along than I thought we would be at this point,” Burke said Thursday. “But I still think we got a long way to go in terms of improvement.”

Tragedy: The sudden death of Bombers assistant head coach Richard Harris on July 26 left a huge void on the club that will never be entirely replaced.

Biggest regret: “Is there anything I would have done differently?… I guess I would have spent a hell of a lot more time with coach Harris.”

— Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice reflecting Thursday on the first half of the season.

Most remarkable statistic: The Bombers are plus-21 in giveaways-takeaways this season. Plus-21. The next best team in the CFL is Edmonton, who are plus-4. Plus-4. Amazing.

Most pleasant surprise: The 15 sacks registered so far by defensive ends Odell Willis and Kenny Mainor. Good things were expected this season from Willis, but no one was expecting a sack-a-game pace from him. And Mainor’s six sacks in seven games are six more than anyone was expecting from him when he started the season on the practice roster.

Most unpleasant surprise: The Bombers gave running back Fred Reid a shiny new contract to start the season and just about everyone was expecting a repeat performance from last year’s CFL rushing leader. But for reasons only partly in his control, Reid has averaged just 3.9 yards per carry this season and scored only two touchdowns, despite leading the league in carries.

The touchdown maker: On a team that has struggled at times to get the ball in the end zone, slotback Terrence Edwards is second in the league in touchdowns with six and has been the club’s one reliable big-play threat.

The 13th Man: The Bombers will play this Sunday to their fourth consecutive sellout and have only singles left for their next home game after that, Sept. 30 against the Alouettes. And the stadium has not only been full, it’s been over-filled, thanks to temporary stands brought in after the first two sellouts.

The Cartoon: It seems to motivate their opponents and there have been times when it’s threatened to get out of hand, but it’s undeniable that the overall impact of the ‘Swaggerville’ phenomenon has been positive for the Bombers, on the field and at the cash register.

Three reasons the Bombers will play in the Grey Cup in Nov. 1: Defence wins championships. 2. Winnipeg has, by far, the best defence in the league. 3. It’s the Bombers’ turn.

Three reasons the Bombers won’t play in the Grey Cup: 1. Winnipeg’s passing game and net offence is second last in the league, ahead only of the Toronto Argonauts, who’d have a hard time beating St. Paul’s High School right now. 2. Winnipeg’s got a much tougher schedule in the second half than they did in the first half. 3. It’s never the Bombers’ turn.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca