Ghost of Bombers Past

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/11/2009 (5812 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kevin GLENN left Winnipeg like a has-been actor but he returns this weekend in a starring role and threatens to squash the hopes of some of his biggest detractors.

Glenn, who signed on with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats after the Bombers released him in the off-season, will be the starting quarterback this Sunday in a game that will determine the host of the East semifinal.

The Ticats have secured a spot in the East semifinal while the Bombers remain on the outside looking in. Winnipeg would host the Tiger-Cats in the East semifinal with a win Sunday while a Hamilton win would eliminate the Bombers and allow the Tabbies to host either the B.C. Lions or the Edmonton Eskimos in a crossover berth from the West Division.

Bombers head coach Mike Kelly determined shortly after taking the job that Glenn, Winnipeg’s starter for most of 2008, was not going to be his quarterback. Kelly tried to trade Glenn, then offered him a pay cut to stay as a backup. When Glenn balked, he was released.

The pivot landed in Hamilton and opened the season as the backup to Quinton Porter. Some solid work in relief led to his being named the starter late in the season after the Bombers rolled into Hamilton and cruised to a 38-28 win that saw Porter get chased early.

Since then, Glenn has won two of three, with the one loss a 41-38 defeat to Montreal where he threw for more than 500 yards.

The stage is set for Glenn to exact revenge on Kelly and his old team but, at least publicly, Glenn won’t cop to such emotions.

"It’s another game and an opportunity for us to win and then be able to host a playoff game and that would be a good thing," said Glenn, via telephone on Wednesday, before suggesting he has no axe to grind against the Bombers. "They did what they did. That’s this business. That’s what happens. You can’t take it personal. Those were his (Kelly’s) decisions. You can’t worry about what you can’t control."

Kelly understands why outsiders would believe Glenn would like a win to prove the coach wrong and why Kelly would use a win to say he was right all along.

"I can appreciate (the irony), but this is my seventh season in this league and with eight teams, sooner or later you’re going to be playing against somebody that has been on your team at one time or another," said Kelly. "I don’t want to play that up to be anything bigger than what it is… We’ve moved on and we’ve gotten ourselves in the position where both teams have a chance now. That’s all either team could have asked for at the beginning of the season. Here we are and I guess there’s irony to it, but I’m more worried about us than I am about them."

Bombers defensive tackle Doug Brown says there’s a way to make things difficult on Glenn. Hit him.

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"Was I friends with Kevin? I would say we were teammates and acquaintances and I respected his abilities. But we weren’t hanging out in Tim Hortons talking about his future franchise plans in Detroit," said Brown, referring to Glenn’s partnership role in a Hortons outlet. "Michael Bishop is the first quarterback I’ve genuinely liked. I have a hard time with quarterbacks because they don’t like to get hit and they whine when they do get hit…Kevin doesn’t like to get hit. He admitted it on my radio show one time and I’ve never let him forget it.

"The way to beat Kevin is to get in his face and hit him. If you can’t, he’s going to tear you apart," Brown added.

Bombers receiver Terrence Edwards enjoyed back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with Glenn and says no matter what the QB says, payback will be sought on Sunday.

"(Glenn) can knock us out of the playoffs. He’s not going to say it. That’s not the kind of guy he is. But he’d love to stick it to us," said Edwards. "He’s my friend and he’ll be my friend after but I hope this is one of those games where he throws 10 picks and gets sacked 20 times."

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca