Are Bombers foolish to risk Reid on returns?

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/08/2009 (6226 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mike Kelly was set to board a plane for Philadelphia Sunday and take a few days off to rest and relax with his daughters.

If anyone deserves a break it’s Kelly, as the first stretch of his debut season as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach has been at times trying and at others complete torture.

At 3-5 and coming off a safety-valve win over the B.C. Lions that released a whoosh of pressure, Kelly can have a few days to chill with his children, but it’s clear the work is far from done.

But first, his kids.

"I’ve got to buy them school supplies. I’m spending the next couple of days shopping for girls’ clothes," laughed Kelly, sitting at Winnipeg airport awaiting his flight home.

One key area where some shopping is required for the Bombers is the kick-return game. The Blue are risking their most valuable offensive player every time they run Fred Reid out on to the field in a special-teams situation.

Using Reid to return kicks is a disaster waiting to happen. Reid leads the CFL in combined yards with 1,390, yards from scrimmage with 892, rushing yards with 795 and is third in the league with 498 kickoff return yards.

Kelly doesn’t see it that way at all.

"I don’t hold my breath when we send Fred out there," answered Kelly. "For one, he’s awfully good at it. Because of the limited roster size in our league, players have to be multi-dimensional. One of the things we discuss all the time in our meetings is what else can a player do? It’s not uncommon for a player of Fred’s stature to do more than one thing."

Sure, Reid is an effective kick returner, but this is one of the most dangerous tasks in football and he’s exposed to injury every time fields a kick.

If Reid, who has been Winnipeg’s only consistent offensive weapon this season, goes down with injury, the Bombers are up a certain creek without a paddle.

Again, Kelly begs to differ.

"We’ve got all the confidence in the world in Yvenson Bernard and if Fred needs a rest we’re happy to send YB in there for a few plays," said Kelly. Bernard rushed for 112 yards on 11 carries against the Lions while Reid picked up a club record 260 on 26 rushes. "Sure, we’d be happy to have a guy come in that could return kicks, but people seem to think that’s easier to do in this league than it is. You can’t just plug someone in there."

Kelly had little to add on the status of defensive end Fred Perry, who broke his arm against B.C.

"All I know is they were able to reset the arm without having to put in a steel rod or anything like that," said Kelly. "We all know what Fred brings to the table but we’ve got some versatility in a few players so there’s no panic. Riall Johnson can step right in there and play that spot and we originally brought Dorian Smith in as a defensive end. And Don Oramasionwu has done an excellent job in the interior. We’ll be OK there."

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

I know what you did this summer

Here’s a look at how some of the Blue Bombers will spend their bye-week vacation.

Doug Brown — "I’m staying in Vancouver for a few days to visit with my family. See my parents. Then I’m heading back to Winnipeg and grabbing my ‘doo and heading to the lake."

John Oosterhuis — "I’m re-doing my kitchen. I hired a guy to do the work and I’m helping him. I’m the labour. So I’ll be hauling garbage and materials for the week."

Don Oramasionwu — "This a chance for me to get back in the gym and do some lifting that I haven’t been able to do when we practise every day."

Lenny Walls — "I’m going home to hang out with my people. Eat some good food and relax. Do a whole lot of nothing."

Barrin Simpson — "I’m heading home to Texas to see my family. My daughter is starting school and I’ll get to be home for that."

Obby Khan — "I’m going up to Simon Fraser to see the guys there. That’s where I played my college football. We’re going to buy the players lunch."