Bombers grabbing parts from all over

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/02/2009 (6365 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

AND on the second day of CFL free agency the Winnipeg Blue Bombers continued the reshaping of their roster with the hurried intensity of mad scientists piecing together their very own Frankenstein’s monster.

Following the opening of the market on Monday — a 24-hour span in which they made two trades, lost three offensive linemen and signed two others, added linebacker Shawn Gallant while reportedly inking punter Burke Dales — the team made another deal to land Canadian receiver Brock Ralph from the Edmonton Eskimos for Jason Nugent and future considerations, lost fullback Graeme Bell to the Esks and re-signed linebacker Ike Charlton.

Exhale here.

They also are rumoured to have another significant iron in the fire that may see Zeke Moreno on the move to free up the logjam of talent at middle linebacker. The B.C. Lions, Toronto Argonauts and Saskatchewan Roughriders are said to be interested in Moreno, who joined the Bombers via trade last year when both Barrin Simpson and Joe Lobendahn were injured. The Lions are believed to be shopping veteran Kelly Bates and the Bombers are believed to be inquiring about O-lineman John Hameister-Ries, a first-round pick of the Lions in ’06.

Meanwhile, the club would not make Steve Morley — signed Monday from the Saskatchewan Roughriders — available for interviews, citing his contract had yet to be registered with the CFL and said discussions with Dales had stalled, though reports from Calgary had him headed to Winnipeg.

Bomber president and CEO Lyle Bauer, speaking on behalf of the team as head coach Mike Kelly was only available to radio rights-holder CJOB for media interviews, said Tuesday night the makeover is far from complete.

"There’s a lot of things in the works right now," said Bauer. "As silly as it might sound, we’re trying to work toward finding the people, players and coaches who play for the club and play for the community and for each other. You harken back to those older teams that had success and that’s why they stayed together: they had a chemistry and a bond."

Landing Ralph (6-foot-3, 190) gives the Bombers the roster flexibility to not only start two imports on the O-line in Dan Goodspeed and Glen January, but also tinker with the idea of getting running backs Joe Smith and Fred Reid on the field at the same time.

Ralph suffered through broken ribs last year, catching just 13 passes for 164 yards in 10 games last season but did have 50 catches for 721 yards and three TDs in 14 games with Hamilton in 2007.

Charlton’s return solidifies the SAM (strong side) linebacker position and, coupled with the addition of Siddeeq Shabazz via trade with Edmonton on Monday, gives the Bombers a deep, deep linebacking corps. Charlton said that while his phone was silent for weeks, talks heated up when free agency opened and he rebuffed offers from both the Ticats and Eskimos.

"It’s a done deal and I’m really happy to be back," said Charlton from Cleveland on Tuesday. "I let Winnipeg know that they were always No. 1 on my list. They called me and said I was their No. 1 guy at the SAM (strong-side linebacker) position after watching a lot of film on a lot of guys because I can run and I can cover. I’m also a guy that will hit you if I get the opportunity.

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"I wanted to come back there because, as a defence, we stunk it up last year and the fans of Winnipeg deserve better. I played five years in the NFL on three different teams and I didn’t want that any more. I knew my place. I knew that if you’re not an all-star you can ask for top dollar and some guys may get it, but you can’t go in demanding six-figure salaries when you’re not an all-star. We came together and got it done mostly because I didn’t want to leave."

Kelly also told radio listeners Tuesday the club may back off on trading quarterback Kevin Glenn after attempts to move him received lukewarm interest from across the league. Glenn is due a $50,000 bonus on March 1st.

"I told him that he had value and that if we could not move him we would bring him back and have him compete for the starting job and may the better man win," Kelly said. "If a couple bucks is going to stop us from making prudent business decisions, then we are in the wrong business… To just let Kevin Glenn walk on outta here… I don’t know if we’re prepared to do that at this point."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca