Buck to start against Tiger-Cats

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This article was published 05/10/2011 (5172 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Buck Pierce will be the starting quarterback, but who will do the punting remained a question mark for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Wednesday as the club went through its final full practice at Canad Inns Stadium before facing the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton on Friday evening.

Pierce led the first-team offence throughout Wednesday’s practice — for the second day in a row — and afterward head coach Paul LaPolice proclaimed his QB fit and ready to go after missing last week’s game with a lingering case of sore ribs.

“Buck’s starting,” said LaPolice. “He looked fine. He had a great practice today. I pointed out to the other quarterbacks that he was a great leader…He was leading today very well. Like he missed not being in the game.”

Asked if he’d queried Pierce on the precise state of his health, LaPolice said he accepts that his starting QB is still probably not a hundred percent. “I don’t know if anybody on that team is a hundred percent, right?” LaPolice said.

Meanwhile, LaPolice continued to hedge on who will handle the punting duties for his club on Friday after incumbent Mike Renaud and newcomer Jamie Boreham auditioned during Wednesday’s practice.

The two men staged a 20-minute punting duel that LaPolice watched carefully. The duel appeared to be more or less a standoff, with neither man clearly standing out as both hit towering wind-assisted punts, but also shanked a disturbingly large number.

LaPolice said both men will be on the club’s 46-man roster this week, but he hasn’t yet decided who will be on the 42-man gameday roster.

“Both had strong points and both had weak points as we looked at it. But I want to go back and take a look at the film and talk to the coaches.”

Defensive back Alex Suber, who missed practice with a sore neck on Tuesday, returned to practice on Wednesday. Slotback Terrence Edwards, who also missed practice on Tuesday with a sore hamstring, tried to practise but quickly aborted the attempt. Edwards said his hamstring still felt tight today and he was given another day off.

Edwards has not had a full practice this week, but both the receiver and LaPolice said he is expected to play on Friday.

Also expected to play this Friday — for the first time since he hurt his ankle in the pre-season — is defensive back Johnny Sears, who has practised this week at weak-side linebacker and is also expected to play a big role on special teams, where he excelled during the pre-season before getting injured in the second exhibition game against Toronto.