Bishop parachutes in, halts Bomber freefall

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This article was published 02/08/2009 (5916 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO — Michael Bishop will be the first to admit he doesn’t author classics or paint football masterpieces.

What he has done, however, is perfect a knack for parachuting into a new team and guiding them to a victory — however ugly the details may seem to some — on very short notice.

He did it last year to the Bombers on Labour Day and in the Banjo Bowl upon his arrival in Saskatchewan and repeated the script Saturday in Toronto, guiding the Bomb Squad to a 13-12 victory over his old squad, the Argonauts.

“There is no secret,” shrugged Bishop afterward. “I just come in, make enough plays and then at the end of the game look at the scoreboard and hope you’re ahead. Regardless of how it looks or how it happens, it’s good to come in and get it done.”

Bishop finished the day 16 of 30 for 213 yards with one interception, but also hit Terrence Edwards for a 22-yard score — Winnipeg’s first in over two games — and provided the Bombers with some semblance of a passing attack. In fact, on one drive alone he completed three passes of 20 yards or more — all to Edwards — and that’s a ‘feat’ the offence had managed only once in four previous games.

Not bad for a guy working on just four days and after getting a crash-course in the Bomber offence. A playbook that normally features 115 formations was whittled down to 82 for Saturday and was cut even further after head coach Mike Kelly and Bishop agreed on some things he didn’t like to run or didn’t fit his skill set.

As well, while Bishop kept himself in shape by playing indoor football periodically and running and throwing, his game shape wasn’t at its peak.

“Getting into a game is a completely different thing because it goes at 100 miles an hour and fatigue set in quick,” Bishop admitted. “It felt like my hip was tightening up and then my hamstrings got tight and every time I went up to centre I felt the stiffness. But it’s just a matter of me taking care of myself and going back to Winnipeg and stretching out and getting my legs in shape.”

It wasn’t all perfect for Bishop on Saturday — the offence managed just one first down by penalty and generated just five yards total offence in the third quarter, for example — but consider this: A week ago he was at home in Texas just hanging out with family and friends.

“Last Saturday? I think I slept in last Saturday and didn’t get up until about 2 o’clock in the afternoon and then went over to my sister’s house to eat,” Bishop said. “You never know what life might throw at you. Other players may have been at home waiting on a phone call, but I was enjoying time at home and enjoying being around family. And then I got a call about another opportunity and another door opened.

“To me, now in my career, it’s more about the opportunity. There’s more to life than football right now but I’m blessed to be in a situation where I can play.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca