Bloodied, but not beaten

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/02/2009 (6435 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They took some shots and delivered one or two; drew some blood and needed more than a few stitches to close up some wounds. But say this about the Winnipeg Blue Bombers after Day 1 of the 2009 Canadian Football League free-agent market:

They are still standing, still jabbing and still as game to fight as ever — all this despite losing three starting Canadian offensive linemen in Alexandre Gauthier, Dominic Picard and Kyle Koch and, possibly, their top special-teams player from a year ago in Graeme Bell. To offset those departures the club made two trades to land linebacker Siddeeq Shabazz and cornerback James Johnson and dipped into the free-agent market to sign four new faces — O-linemen Glenn January and Steve Morley, punter Burke Dales and linebacker Shawn Gallant — in one of the most-dramatic one-day makeovers in the team’s history.

All this before the bell had even rung to start Round 2…

"We’re going to be a better football team, I promise you," said head coach Mike Kelly Monday afternoon. "There’s no panic here whatsoever. In the building here right now there’s a good feeling that after these dominoes continue to fall we’ve improved ourselves, that we’re getting better and we’re getting the type of players with the type of mindset we want. We’re following what our directive is: to get more athletic, get younger and be prudent with the salary management system. Those things are all in place.

"We’re addressing areas that we needed to address. I’m pleased right now."

The Bombers saw Gauthier (Hamilton) and Picard (Toronto) vamoose to East Division rivals while Koch landed in Edmonton. Bell, apparently after verbally agreeing to terms with the Bombers, was mulling over a more lucrative offer from the Eskimos that came in after the free-agent deadline and was still unsure of where he would sign.

Shabazz, a versatile linebacker/safety who loves to pop people in the mouth, was acquired from the Esks for defensive end Kai Ellis while Johnson was nabbed on Sunday from Saskatchewan in exchange for a late-round pick in 2011.

January, an import, and Morley — the first pick overall in the 2003 Canadian draft by Calgary — come over from Saskatchewan as free agents. Neither were starting at the end of ’08, but January did start 15 games for the Argos in 2007 while Morley still has huge upside.

Here’s Kelly’s take on some of the moves:

"ö On Morley and the apparent decline in his skills since he returned from stints with the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets:

"We like big bodies (he is 6-7, 322 and still just 27) who can lean on people. A change in scenery just might be what he needs. You don’t spend three years with the Packers and one with the Jets because you can’t play. He gives a lot of versatility."

"ö On Shabazz:

"He’s a very athletic inside linebacker who can also play free safety and in a pinch we could put him at SAM (strong side linebacker). His versatility will mean a great deal to us."

"ö On Johnson:

"He gives us some immediate credibility out there on the corner. He’s a little bit short, but we’ll put longer cleats on him or something. But he’s very skilled and reacts to the ball very well. A lot of times guys are playing defensive back because they can’t catch the ball very well. But he doesn’t do that. That’s evident by the number of picks he’s had in the playoffs in a three-year career here."

"ö On Dales (Kelly would not confirm his signing):

"Things are in the works right now. We are in very good conversations right now."

"ö On January:

"I talked with Glenn. He’s a very nice young man, good Texan and things look like they’re moving in a very positive direction. Hopefully the paperwork gets registered and we can talk about him a little more."

"ö On losing Gauthier, Picard and Koch and — indirectly — taking another poke at former GM Brendan Taman:

"Hey, you think I’m happy about it? No. But, we had to be prepared for it and we had to have an alternative plan and we did that. The way we need to operate in the future is we cannot allow three starters to get into free agency. You can’t do that. If you have good players you know you want to keep as they are approaching their option year, you need to start negotiating with them then, not wait until the last minute and say, ‘Oh, geez, it’s free agency time.’ That’s not a prudent way to do business and so we will be more proactive than reactive in the future."

The Bombers did chat with free-agent linebacker Ike Charlton on Monday and have apparently also come to terms with two import defensive backs, Ade Jimoh (6-1, 187, Utah State), who had NFL stints with Washington, Chicago and New England as well as former Eskimos corner Keyuo Craver (5-10, 195, Nebraska), who spent 2005-06 in Edmonton before heading to the Arena League.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

DAY 1 REWIND

Free Press football writer Ed Tait takes a look at the Bombers’ first day of 2009 free agency:

The Trades

"ö Sent a late-round draft pick in 2011 to Saskatchewan for import CB James Johnson.

Our take: A shrug of the shoulders. He’s smallish at 5-8, but does have eight interceptions in the last two years. Riders didn’t see him in their future and balked at a 10k bonus he was due on Sunday and paying him $80,000 this season.

"ö Sent DE Kai Ellis to Edmonton for LB/S Siddeeq Shabazz, both imports.

Our take: Thumbs up. Ellis was steady, but hardly flashy or dominant. If Shabazz lines up at SAM linebacker spot, he replaces Ike Charlton and gives the Bombers arguably the best linebacking corps in the CFL. He could also line up at safety, his natural position. Brings a nastiness and a bravado to the defence.

"ö "ö "ö

The Additions

"ö Signed import OT Glenn January, ex of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Our take: Treading water. Look, it’s not that January isn’t a good player — he started 15 games for the Argos in ’07 and had three NFL workouts before being shipped to the Riders in the Kerry Joseph trade. But he was hurt last year and, when he returned to the lineup, wasn’t a starter. And his addition means a ratio change.

"ö Signed OT Steve Morley, also ex of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Our take: Thumbs up. After losing Gauthier, Picard and Koch — three Canadian starters — this was a necessity. A former first-overall pick who has had the shine come off his star since bouncing around the NFL.

"ö Signed Canadian LB Shawn Gallant, the former Bomber who spent the last two years with Montreal.

Our take: Quiet applause. He’s been around, including ’05-06 in Winnipeg, and is 32. But he’s a special-teams leader who should help upgrade the Bombers kick coverage/return units.

"ö Signed Canadian punter Burke Dales, ex of the Calgary Stampeders (not confirmed by the Bombers yet).

Our take: Thumbs up. Do we really need to explain why the Bombers were so desperate to upgrade their punting, or were you not paying attention last season?

"ö "ö "ö

The Losses

"ö Left tackle Alexandre Gauthier signs with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Our take: Ouch. He’s Canadian. He’s consistent. And he’s durable. And now he’s in Black and Gold.

"ö Centre Dominic Picard signs with the Toronto Argonauts.

Our take: Ouch again. The Argos see him as their centre for years to come. Bombers had better have their fingers crossed Obby Khan returns to his old dominant self.

"ö Right guard Kyle Koch exits for Edmonton.

Our take: May sting more than you think. He started at right guard before being injured and is just 24. Now the Bombers depth O-linemen include Bobby Singh (33), Ryan Donnelly (30) and Matt O’Meara (26).

"ö Fullback Graeme Bell is close to signing with the Eskimos after agreeing to the Bomber offer, but is getting a late pitch from Alberta.

Our take: His loss would be like salt in an open wound. One of those under-rated jack-of-all-trades guys who is harder to replace than many think.

— Ed Tait