Lobendahn’s future is now

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/09/2009 (5862 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Pro football, and really all pro sport, is the ultimate survival of the fittest and best explained by the simple maxim "kill or be killed."

So, while many will point to Barrin Simpson and say he’s the ultimate warrior and a force in the clubhouse, others say that when you look at the numbers it’s easy to see why Bombers coach Mike Kelly and his staff were pushing towards a more limited role for the 31-year-old veteran.

Simpson, who has played with a turf toe injury that has required him to take as many as two pain-killing needles per game, has seen his production slip recently.

The six-time all-star and two-time defensive player of the year nominee collected 50 tackles in the first six games of the season but has just eight over his last three.

None of the Bombers brass, including Kelly, have come out and said Simpson is no longer a productive player.

"This wasn’t any kind of knee-jerk reaction or anything," said Kelly. "We’ve been looking at this for awhile. We talked as a defensive staff. I always watch the three phases of the game and have my own opinions about how guys played. Then I go back with the staff and see if our opinions match up. And in this case they do. We thought it was in the best interest of our football club to have Joe Lobendahn and Siddeeq Shabazz out there at the same time and allow Barrin to come in in certain packages and still be the player he is. He is a productive player. But we’ve also got some other good guys, so let him heal up and still contribute."

Simpson balked at the approach and after some discussions with the club, asked to be traded. Kelly said on Friday afternoon that Simpson won’t dress for Sunday’s game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but after that, there’s no resolution in sight.

"We took Barrin off some special teams and had him in one package (they have two) of our defence where he would rotate in and out where that package was needed. Depending on how Joe Lobendahn was playing at middle linebacker, then Barrin would go in there. It was just a matter of reformulating his role, perhaps, and putting it in a light where he was still being a valuable member of our football club," said Kelly.

But there’s no question the play of Lobendahn, Shabazz and Derrick Doggett has pushed the Bombers to make some defensive adjustments.

"You look at all the players together and you put a puzzle together," said Bombers defensive co-ordinator Mark Nelson. "If you go back a month ago, Siddeeq was named defensive player of the month for his work at linebacker. Due to injuries he’s been at free safety. Joe was good early and then got hurt and came back. Barrin’s been doing a good job. Sometimes you want to put a little different puzzle out there. It can change again in a second. It can always change."

Lobendahn is the future middle linebacker of the Bombers and it’s likely the future has arrived.

"Joe is a very explosive player. Joe’s a hitter. He explodes on people. There are only a few players who have that," said Nelson. "He started half a dozen games last year and he’s been very good in the games he’s played this year. I’m very confident he can do the job. Joe’s a darn good football player and the more he plays, the better he’ll get."

Lobendahn says Simpson’s decisions can’t affect what the other players do on the field.

"I love playing with Barrin. You learn from the best and he is the best," said Lobendahn. "But it’s a business. It’s a numbers game. I’m just happy that I have a job. I want him to stay, but if not, he has to do what he has to do and look after his family. But this is a job and my job is to go out there and play and win a game.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca