Leggett unlikely to play for Bombers Thursday

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This article was published 25/07/2017 (2995 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Maurice Leggett wore a sweatshirt under his jersey at Tuesday’s practice, with a ball cap tucked inside the hoodie.

The casual wear meant the Winnipeg Blue Bombers linebacker was not a full participant in the workout and was a key sign he’s unlikely to play when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers welcome the Montreal Alouettes to Investors Group Field Thursday.

On Monday, head coach Mike O’Shea said if Leggett — who was a surprise scratch ahead of last week’s game against the Lions with an undisclosed lower-body injury — wasn’t able to practice this week, he wouldn’t use him against the Alouettes.

But with only a team walk-through left before kickoff, O’Shea has softened his stance, unwilling to rule him out.

“I think he’s closer,” he said, adding Leggett’s injury wasn’t related to the lower-body injury he suffered earlier in the year that forced him to miss most of training camp.

“We’ll see what he’s like tomorrow morning. He’s a vet and you got to give him the benefit of the doubt.”

What’s more likely is O’Shea is simply unwilling to tip his hand on roster moves before he has to. Per league rules, teams must release their lineup only one day ahead of the game.

But when asked how difficult a task it would be for Leggett to take part in a game despite not testing it out first in practice, O’Shea admitted it would be a challenge.

“It would be difficult for anybody,” the coach said.

“But the more experience you have, the easier it is — and he’s got a fair bit of experience. We’ll check with him again (Wednesday).”

If Leggett can’t go, the Bombers are expected to turn to Brandon Alexander as his replacement for a second week.

Alexander played well in relief, especially at the strong-side linebacker spot that is among the toughest positions on the defence to play.

“He’s got a ton of energy, he loves the game and he works hard not only in practice but in the meeting rooms,” O’Shea said of Alexander. “He’s a nice addition.”

Aside from Alexander, two other rookies in Roc Carmichael at halfback and Brian Walker at cornerback will be responsible for covering the field-side of the Bombers’ secondary.

With Kyle Knox also in for Ian Wild (wrist), it will be a second straight week the Bombers roll with a defence that has four first-year players in their pass-coverage.

Last week, that configuration struggled and the Bombers allowed 404 yards through the air to the B.C. Lions. They will face another tough task this week against Alouettes’ quarterback Darian Durant.

“Ever since we’ve been in camp, the coaches have done a great job rotating us in so we all know the plays just in case someone goes down,” reasoned Knox about the number of moving pieces.

“The one thing I do think we all need to get better at is our chemistry so we can be the dominant defence that we are.”

“All in all I think everyone is capable of playing this job at a high level, so I think the belief in knowing that people can do the job is there,” said veteran corner Chris Randle.

“Knowing that we have the skillset to do it, knowing that we understand the systems is there.

“Now it’s just about playing off each other, reading certain coverages and certain alignments and those guys getting used to the little nuances in the CFL,” Randle added.

“We need to build off that and that takes time. As far as guys being in position, being capable, I feel like we have that now and that’s why we’re confident in what we have.”

Defensive back/punt returner Kevin Fogg is also close to a return and could be in the lineup Thursday.

O’Shea said his progress has gone well and he’d be a game-time decision.

Fogg provides some much-needed depth at halfback and corner, having started in both of those positions last year.

“He certainly looks better than he did last week and he looks better today than he did yesterday,” O’Shea said.

“How that roster shakes down from here, we’ll figure that out.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

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