Healthy squad a good problem

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This article was published 31/08/2017 (2963 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

While health has been a major issue for some teams in the CFL this season — see: Edmonton Eskimos — the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have gone relatively unscathed through the first half of the 2017 campaign.

And they’re only getting healthier. With veteran receiver Weston Dressler set to come off the six-game injured list this week when the Bombers face the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the annual Labour Day Classic on Sunday at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, only two players remain unable to suit up. Linebacker Ian Wild is out with an injured wrist but is nearing a return, and defensive back Brian Walker will miss a second straight match with a lower-body injury that doesn’t seem to be all that serious.

While this may seem like a perfect scenario for the Blue and Gold, it’s created a problem — albeit a good one — in determining the roster. With Dressler back in that means someone must come out and early indications suggest receiver T.J. Thorpe could be the odd man out.

Thorpe, 24, has 33 receptions for 302 yards and is averaging 9.2 yards a reception. More than half of those yards — 179 — have come after the catch.

It’s a tough pill to swallow, but something Thorpe said is a necessary evil in professional sports, especially when you have so many players performing at a high level.

“We just have confidence in every guy on the field, we’ve all been playing well. If it’s me, OK, well I’ll get some time to heal up and if its not then I’ll be ready,” said Thorpe. “It’s just what it is, it’s just the nature of the beast. It’s different obviously here than America, there are a lot of different components that go into that. We let the coaches do the coaching… I just get paid and play.”

Bombers offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice wasn’t ready to announce his lineup for Sunday, but if the team’s practices this week were any indicator it appears he’ll once again go with two running backs, keeping Timothy Flanders in for another game with Andrew Harris.

“Usually the players declare the depth chart and that’s what we always tell our players — they declare the roster, not us,” said LaPolice.

“It’s good to have competition. There are a lot of players around. At the end of the week we’ll have tough decisions to make as to which direction to go.”

It’s not just the offence being affected, either. Defensive tackle Cory Johnson, who was a scratch last week, looks to miss a second straight contest. Though no decisions have been announced, Johnson remains focused on getting back into the game, whenever that may be.

“My main thing is trying to get better every week. I play good, I play hard but I make a lot of mistakes,” said Johnson.

“If somebody got to be down it’s easier to pull out that person making mistakes. I don’t know what it is, I just know I got to keep getting better. I don’t like it but I got to keep working.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton