Reid thinking big, again

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/09/2009 (5929 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Fred Reid entered the Winnipeg Blue Bombers record book in his last game but has already set his sights on breaking that mark and moving to new heights.

Reid ran for 260 yards against the B.C. Lions in the club’s 37-10 win prior to the bye week and set a club record for rushing yards in a game in the process but says the record won’t be safe for long.

"I expect 260 every game. I believe I can do it. I set a goal for 300 and then I try to get to it. I believe I can do it," said Reid.

"That’s what I’m expecting when I go into every game. I’m trying to take it back to my high school days when I ran for 300 yards every game. With this wide field, I think I’m capable. I’ve set high goals and I’m gonna try to set some more records this season."

Winnipeg rushed for almost 400 yards between Reid’s 260 and Yvenson Bernard’s 112 yards in their laugher over the Lions but only passed for 131 yards as Michael Bishop went 11-for-20 on the night.

The Bombers would like to have more balance on offence when they face the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday but coach Mike Kelly says whatever is working is the right call.

"When I was in the XFL, (coach) Galen Hall said to me one time, ‘Hey Mike, do you think you’re going to the well once too often?’ Well, you don’t know that until the well goes dry," said Kelly, when asked about running the ball almost exclusively in the latter stages of the win in B.C.

"If something is working, we’re going to stick with it. There’s no reason to go away from it. Some of the players were surprised, they couldn’t remember a CFL game where the coach called the same play four times in a row. Well, we picked up 53 yards on those four plays. Why change?"

Offensive guard Brendon LaBatte, who is quietly having an all-Canadian season, says the club can’t think run only.

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"As offensive lineman, we’d love to rush the ball for over 300 yards every week but it’s not going to happen," said LaBatte. "We’ve done a good job as a unit and we’re working on improving all the time but we’d like to have more balance in our offence."

The Bombers announced late Wednesday night they have ended negotiations with troubled cornerback Adam (Pacman) Jones. Reid told the Free Press earlier Tuesday that he’d listen to inquiries about his jersey number should Jones have an interest in it.

Jones wore No. 32 in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans and locker-room tradition suggests that if a player wants a number worn by another player, he’d better be ready to pony up. Reid says this situation is no different.

"For the right price, I’d think about it. But this number is going to be hard to get rid of. It’s been good to me," said Reid. "But for somebody coming in here that already has lots of money. I’d say ten grand. Ten grand sounds good to me. Other than that, I have to keep it. It’s been good to me."

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca