Coach has killer idea

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/08/2010 (5744 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Put together a list of the great finishers — guys who got it done when it mattered the most — and the names, understandably, are hall-of-fame worthy.

Montana, Jordan, Federer, Nicklaus, Bryant, Woods, Gretzky…

But Michael Myers? The wacko from the Halloween slasher films? One of the great ‘finishers’ of all time?

Turns out he’s on Winnipeg Blue Bomber head coach Paul LaPolice’s list.

"I’m not a Friday the 13th fan but I am a Halloween fan so we showed (the Bomber players) clips of Michael Myers because that guy keeps going," explained LaPolice with a grin on Thursday. "You shoot him in the face, he keeps going. You stab him and he keeps coming. That’s what we showed today to get them the message about finishing."

Full marks for creativity, coach, even if the analogy is out there.

Yes, looking to inspire the troops before another game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats — tonight’s home date will be the fourth meeting with the Tabbies in seven weeks — and trying to hammer home the importance of finishing a game rather than letting it slip away, LaPolice came up with a unique ‘assignment.’

Having dropped three games by a touchdown or less this season, LaPolice asked for the troops to come up with a person, a thing or an animal that finishes.

LaPolice pitched Myers, the bad-ass who just won’t go away. Some of the other suggestions included Maximus Meridius from The Gladiator, the Spartans from 300 and limb-gnawing sharks.

"(Jon) Oosterhuis came up with The Terminator… even when the car compressor came down and squashed him the machine tried to finish," explained Doug Brown. "And then he tried to tell me that the animal he was going to pick was a shark. But obviously he didn’t watch Shark Week on The Discovery Channel because it showed that if you put your finger in the eye of a shark more often than not it swims away.

"And, afterward, some of the guys came up with an adult film star because they always finish, but that’s probably not appropriate. But the message he was trying to convey to us is we have the ability to finish.

"We’ve had passes going into the end zone to win," added Brown. "We had the ball on the three-yard line with a chance to tie. We’ve been really competitive but if we want to take it to the next level we have to start finishing."

The Bombers trail the four-game season series with Hamilton 2-1 and not only need a victory to tie it, but must win by nine or more points to grab the next tiebreaker. The game is especially critical given the Bombers opponents in the next three games: Montreal in Quebec and Saskatchewan twice in the annual Labour Day Classic-Banjo Bowl home-and-home series.

As expected, Buck Pierce will return to the starting lineup and take the first snap after missing three games with a knee strain. He’ll wear a brace on his right hinge, but has shown full mobility in practice all week.

"I’m very excited, very excited," said Pierce. "Excited for the opportunity to get out there and help our team win.

"It’s been hard (to watch). It’s been very hard. You just want to be a part of something. You want to be a part of the process week to week and obviously be in the game and help your teammates win."

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Pierce is 1-2 as a starter this season as was his replacement Steven Jyles. In fact, over the last two games Jyles threw for 576 yards for three touchdowns and zero interceptions, but the Bombers lost both contests.

In making the QB change the coaching staff just felt Pierce’s experience could be a difference when it matters most. Translation: he’s a better finisher.

"(Jyles) should be complimented on his play and for putting us in a position to win each game," said LaPolice. "A lot of times you don’t put up those kind of numbers and put the team in a position to be successful when you’re a second-string quarterback.

"We just felt Buck earned the right to be the starter. He did some great things, there’s his leadership and his ability to move the ball. He earned the job and we wanted to give it back to him."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca