LeFors is with us

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This article was published 19/06/2009 (5949 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BLUE Bombers head coach Mike Kelly has been dancing around the subject and playing coy about his starting quarterback for a couple of months now, but on Thursday afternoon he dropped the charade and deadpanned the news most ob­servers had figured out some  time ago.

Stefan LeFors is our starting quarterback. He’ll start against Montreal next week and he’ll get more reps. He’ll get more reps going forward to prepare himself for the season. He’s our starting quarterback and will start the season for us. I’m saying it now for all to hear: Stefan LeFors is our starting quarterback," Kelly said in his day-after-the-game address just outside the media bunker at the team’s Maroons Road headquarters.

LeFors worked for one quarter in Wednesday’s pre-season game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, a 32-22 win for Winnipeg, and Kelly saw all he needed to see as the third-year pro put 19 points on the board and completed five of eight passing for 98 yards.

"I’ve been convinced for awhile," Kelly said. "He did a good job last night and did the things I expected him to do. I’m pleased with the way he’s playing. He’s our quarterback."

"Hearing the news that came out today, it’s excting to know I have someone in my corner. Someone who believes in me and someone who traded for me and knows what I can do," said LeFors. "This gives me the confidence I can get the job done. Coach Kelly has put his confidence in me and I know he’ll put me in a position to succeed."

While Kelly has been hesitant to push LeFors to the front of the line, the men in the locker-room haven’t been fooled.

"Stefan did a great job. He was calm and collected the whole time. He led with confidence. The first time our group was out there together and he did a great job keeping us together," veteran offensive lineman Obby Khan said before slapping the ultimate seal of approval on his signal-caller.

"He got stroked a couple of times and got up and said, ‘Don’t worry about it, guys.’ That’s the biggest thing for the leader, and Stefan is our leader, to stay on the same key. Whether it’s a 40-yard bomb or a two-yard hand-off, it was the same emotional level. And that’s awesome."

Kelly traded for LeFors in the off-season and immediately began shopping incumbent starter Kevin Glenn around the league. The move drew howls of criticism from the public and no end of discussion among Bombers fans.

It’s one thing to have the city bickering back and forth about the quarterback position, but another matter altogether to have the locker-room split. Kahn says LeFors has won the trust of his teammates.

"Right off the bat, we were a little nervous because we’ve never seen him in action or this offence in action and it’s first time out there. It’s a relief to see him put up points in the first quarter like that," Kahn said. "Stef was calm and direct. It felt great to see him work so well."

LeFors has seen very little game action as a pro despite being in his third year. In 2007, the 28-year-old started five games for the Edmonton Eskimos and saw action in one game last season, but he looked confident and seasoned on Wednesday night.

"I hope the fans like what we did, but what matters is what goes on in this room," said LeFors after Wednesday’s game.

"We know the things we did well and the things that went wrong. We’ll fix those. We’ll take the win, but there’s lots of room for improvement," LeFors said after Wednesday’s game. "Not a lot of mental errors. We had an audible and we got to it. The offensive line did a great job and the receivers made it easy for me."

LeFors said he won’t settle for mediocrity.

"Settling for a field goal on one of those drives was disappointing. Any time we get down there, we want to punch it in for six," he said. "We want touchdowns, not field goals. The linemen played well and I don’t think I really got touched, and that’s all you can ask for."

Wideout Arjei Franklin liked what he saw from LeFors as the smooth lefty spread the ball around, throwing 10 passes and handing the ball off 10 times.

"I think he did well. He handled the huddle real well, and look at how well he moved the ball," Franklin said. "That’s the best sign. We’ll look at the film and see we left a lot of points on the field. That’s something we’ll want to work on."

Kelly wasn’t exactly gloating but was quick to smile when asked about his pet pupil minutes after the game.

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"Stef was Stef. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell everybody since February. He played within himself and he delivered the ball expeditiously and guided us very well. I felt good about the way he played," Kelly said.

Kelly also liked the work of his other quarterbacks and the decision to cut one will likely be difficult.

"I thought they all played well. In particular, Bryan Randall," he said. "He threw the ball very relaxed. He’s worked very hard on his mechanics and become a better passer. He still has a way to go. All of the guys were able to move the ball at times, and that’s what’s important."

Kelly has said he’ll cut down to 60 players by today and it’s possible he’ll make a move on one of his quarterbacks. LeFors clearly isn’t going anywhere and the same can likely be said for Randall. That leaves James Kilian and Richie Williams fighting for a third spot. Kelly might ask the fourth and odd man out to take a spot on the practice roster, but that’s probably not in the cards, as both Kilian and Williams will have strong chances to hook on elsewhere.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

The LeFors file

Winnipeg coach Mike Kelly named Stefan LeFors his starting quarterback on Thursday after watching LeFors go five-for-eight passing for 98 yards and stake his team to a 19-0 lead in one quarter of work in a pre-season win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Here's the 28-year-old lefty's resumé:

Born: June 7, 1981 in Baton Rouge, La.

School: Louisville.

As a pro: Drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round (121st overall) in 2005... Released by the Panthers in Sept. 2006 and signed as a free agent by the Eskimos on Nov. 22, 2006... Started five games for the Eskimos as a rookie in '07 after Ricky Ray injured his shoulder, completing 60.8 per cent of his passes for six TDs against eight interceptions... Threw only four passes last year as he backed up Ray and veteran Jason Maas... Traded to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Jan. 21, 2009 for a second-round pick in 2009 and a conditional pick in 2010 (a first-rounder if he starts nine games or more).

College days: Fourth on the Cardinals' all-time passing list... Set Louisville record with 756 career rushing yards as a QB... conference player of the year in 2004 and finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.