Blue swing axe; ‘good group’ remains

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/06/2009 (5944 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

 The first wave of cuts has hit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers like a tsunami crashing through the roster and left some nasty carnage in its wake.

But while dreams died on Friday with the release of 13 players, the trimming also says as much about who is left standing as who is gonzo alonzo.

"There were some upset young men today, sincerely upset that they weren’t going to be a part of this right now," said head coach Mike Kelly. "But the guys that are here have performed at a high level whether it was in the exhibition game or, most importantly, all the way through practices and meeting times and how they’ve handled themselves accordingly.

"I think we’ve got a good group here."

Cut adrift were quarterback James Kilian, linebacker Johnny Baldwin, defensive backs Darrius Battles, John Eubanks and Willie Byrd, receivers Chris Jackson, Justin Surrency and Ramonce Taylor, defensive lineman DeVon Hicks, kicker Dan Giancola and three draft picks — offensive linemen Adam Bestard and Mike Morris and fullback Peter Quinney.

Of the cuts, the biggest eyebrow-raiser was the release of Taylor, the former Texas star who Kelly called one of the best athletes he had ever been around and seemed destined to be the team’s primary kick returner. Eubanks, an all-star returner during his college days, was also thought to be in the running for those chores.

But both men fumbled a punt return in Wednesday’s exhibition win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats while part of the decision to release Taylor, confirmed by a member of the organization, was related to a "code of conduct" issue.

"I said all along that athletic ability was about fifth on our list of requirements that are needed for you to be a Winnipeg Blue Bomber," said Kelly. "And he didn’t uphold very well in the first four. As gifted an athlete as he is, it just wasn’t the time or place for him right now. I’m looking for mature individuals here that know how to handle themselves as professionals and know how to come to work every day and, at the end of the day, feel like they’ve accomplished something."

Asked if Taylor, who was trying to clean up his act after marijuana and parole-violation charges in the past, had found big trouble here in River City, Kelly said: "No, not that I’m aware of. There were just some things that I didn’t feel warranted keeping him around; that his athletic ability didn’t trump some of the other aspects."

For what it’s worth, Joe Smith, Fred Reid, Lavarus Giles and Yvenson Bernard were working kickoff returns at Friday afternoon’s practice while Jovon Johnson may also get a look in Tuesday’s final pre-season game in Montreal against the Alouettes. All CFL teams must make their final cuts by next Thursday at 2 p.m.

With that in mind, Kelly’s post-practice reminder to the troops was simple: Just because you’ve survived this round of cuts doesn’t mean you should be picking out a house just yet.

"Don’t get all full of yourselves because we beat Hamilton in a pre-season game," Kelly said. "Montreal is going to be a challenge this week and we have to learn from last week and move on."

Kelly and director of player personnel John Murphy praised many of those still remaining, including newcomers Jonathan Hefney and Jasper Johnson — both linebackers — as well as second-year QB Bryan Randall and placekicker Alexis Serna.

Meanwhile, holdout defensive back Lenny Walls agreed to terms on a new deal with the Bombers and certainly didn’t look out of place in his first practice with his new club.

"It’s always good to be out there doing what you love to do," said Walls. "This isn’t just my job, it’s what I love to do, it’s what I’ve been doing since I was seven years old. I’m absolutely happy the team got (the contract) done and I’m very appreciative of the patience shown by them. The good thing about me is it doesn’t take me long to get up to beat."

BLUE NOTES: LB Siddeeq Shabazz was practising on Friday as was WR Derick Armstrong, although both were limited… the three draft picks — Morris, Bestard and Quinney — will likely return to school and could be offered 2010 contracts later this year.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca