Juiciest part of ’09 trade yet to come?

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This article was published 24/03/2010 (6002 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jabari Arthur, who spent last season in the shadows of the training room, is hoping to run for some daylight this season.

Arthur came to the Bombers midway through the 2009 season in a trade that saw the Canadian receiver, along with import wideout Titus Ryan and import defensive end Odell Willis, join the Winnipeg roster. Receivers Romby Bryant and Arjei Franklin headed West to the Calgary Stampeders.

While Ryan and Willis made nice contributions to the Bombers, Arthur arrived injured and it was determined he needed surgery to get his broken foot properly mended.

A Canadian receiver with lots of upside, Bombers management considered Arthur the key piece of the trade. Strong Canadian receivers have long been the hallmark of successful CFL squads. Think Ben Cahoon in Montreal or go back further to Tony Gabriel in Ottawa and Joe Poplawski in Winnipeg. If Arthur can ever have his name mentioned in that company, the Bombers will have won this deal by a landslide.

With the surgery behind him, Arthur has been rehabbing and will have a chance to prove himself when camp breaks this spring.

"I’m someone who will do everything in his power to help the team win. I’m one of those people who plays with my teammates and for my teammates," said Arthur, in town this week so team doctors to have a look at him. "People can expect me to be someone who lays it on the line to try and win games."

Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice is high on the third-year pro who was raised in Montreal and played his college football at the University of Akron.

"His treatment is going well. I spoke to him Monday night at dinner. He’s starting to run and we expect him to be going full bore by training camp," said LaPolice. "I evaluated Jabari coming out of the draft as the No. 1 receiver in the draft that year. He has excellent abilities and what people sometimes forget is that he was a quarterback coming out of high school. So he has superior football intellect and his knowledge has progressed. He just hasn’t played a lot of football the last couple of years, so we’re going to give him a chance to compete."

Arthur arrived in Winnipeg last summer and almost immediately had surgery. From then on he was seen around the facility, mostly working out and rehabbing. He’d like to be known for his on-field work this season.

"I came off the plane and drove by the stadium and got goosebumps. I’m ready to play. It’s been almost a full year since I played football. I’m very excited to be out there and play and be with the fellas," said Arthur. "I think we’ve got a nice mix of players and we could be contenders for the East Division."

LaPolice likes his Canadian talent at the receiver position.

"We’ve got Jabari, who was a first-round pick. We’ve got Brock Ralph, who was a first-round pick. And Aaron Hargreaves, who was a second-round pick. We like our depth there," said LaPolice.

Arthur met LaPolice for the first time at the CFL evaluation camp a few weeks back and liked what he saw.

"He’s a winner and a very impressive guy," said Arthur, who spent some time with the Kansas City Chiefs before moving to the Stamps late in the 2008 season where he mostly saw duty on special teams. "We spoke and he seems like a straightforward guy. I look forward to working with him and the rest of the coaching staff."

Watching from the sidelines for a full season was frustrating for the 6-4, 225-pound Arthur.

"It’s like being a kid when you are sick and you can’t go outside for recess," said Arthur. "Not being out there with the guys and having fun and trying to help the team win."

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca