Drew Willy back at practice, cheering up Coach O’Shea

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This article was published 21/10/2014 (4060 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Even better than how Drew Willy looked in Tuesday’s practice, head coach Mike O’Shea said, was what the Bombers’ starting pivot said.

He told the coach that he’d be just fine.

That was music enough to O’Shea’s ears, after Willy missed a week with a hand injury he took against Edmonton. There was a silver lining to that injury, of course, which is that it gave the limping Bombers a chance to take a closer look at Brian Brohm and Robert Marve, both of whom moved the chains against the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday. (Brohm left the game with a season-ending broken thumb.)

Still, having Willy back is better – though the Bombers’ playoff hopes are all but formally over. And the quarterback was satisfied with his return to practice. “I missed a couple throws that I should make, but it was pretty solid,” Willy said, after Tuesday’s practice.

There were some conspicuous absences from practice, though most will be okay to play against the B.C. Lions on Saturday, O’Shea said. DE Greg Peach, DT Jake Thomas and receiver Rory Kohlert should all be good to go. OL Devin Tyler stayed out with a turf toe, though O’Shea wasn’t certain that it would stop him from playing on Saturday.

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However, receiver Nick Moore (knee) will not likely be healthy for Saturday, and DB Demond Washington is still being evaluated after a blow to the head.

Offensive linemen Glenn January and Patrick Neufeld were both back practicing with the team on Tuesday, though not taking first-team reps – that’s just having them ease back into it, O’Shea said, and he expects both to be ready to go this weekend.

Melissa Martin
Reporter-at-large

Melissa Martin reports and opines for the Winnipeg Free Press.

Every piece of reporting Melissa produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.