Pierce in, Poblah out in Sunday’s game

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This article was published 16/09/2011 (5433 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Buck Pierce will start in Montreal on Sunday when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers take on the Alouettes in a battle for first place in the CFL’s East Division — but he won’t have Kito Poblah to throw to this weekend, or anytime again this season.

Even as Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice was confirming this afternoon that Pierce will be his starting quarterback this week, the club was announcing that Poblah has been placed on the nine-game injury reserve for the second time this season and is now done for the year.

Poblah sustained a severe shoulder sprain in a 45-23 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders last Sunday — the same game that Pierce injured his ribs.

But unlike Pierce — who has rebounded nicely this week with a pair of crisp performances in practice — Poblah is now done in what has been a colossally disappointing season for him and the Bombers, who selected him first overall in the 2011 CFL supplemental draft and had high expectations for him this season.

In the end, Poblah played just three games this year. He injured his knee in Week 1 and missed the next seven games, before returning to play in the last two games.

“It’s unfortunate,” said LaPolice. “He’s a good young player. He looked great in training camp and actually earned a starting job…

“We’ll rehab him and get him ready to go next year.”

Pierce, meantime, is ready to go again right now. “I feel good. I had two real good days of practice I felt. I made every throw. I feel good. I’ll have to be smart out there with my decisions on when I take off, but I won’t be hindered in anyway. I feel like I can do everything.”