Blue’s Bishop, Argos’ Belli wage nasty personal war

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/09/2009 (5848 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG Blue Bombers quarterback Michael Bishop and Argos defensive tackle Adriano Belli had a number of confrontations after the play during Saturday’s game.

"He said he was going to punch me but I didn’t believe him," said Bishop, who went facemask-to-facemask with the much larger Belli and later aimed a punch at the Toronto player’s groin. "He likes to come up and touch your butt after a play. Once is fine. But after, three or four or five, that’s enough. I had to say something. It could be worse. He’s done a lot worse than the butt touch. Belli likes to try and get in your head."

Bombers coach Mike Kelly said that he’d be talking to the league office about some of Toronto’s antics.

"They’ve got a handful of players that need to be addressed but that’s not for me to worry about," said Kelly. "I worry about the safety of my players and the purity of this league and this game. There are some things that some of their players do that is unacceptable in any realm of sport. I’m sure we’ll talk to the league. We’ll have discussions."

Playoffs possible

THE Bombers moved to 4-8 with Saturday night’s 29-24 win over the Toronto Argonauts and veteran tackle Doug Brown said the win was critical if the Bombers hope to make a run to the post-season.

"This was make it or break it. This is the beginning of a long stretch of games that will determine how long our season is," said Brown.

Amey explosive

RECEIVER Otis Amey spent five weeks on the practice roster with the Blue Bombers before getting into his first action on Saturday night and exploding for 118 yards on six catches.

"I had to be patient and wait until I got my turn. There has been a lot of transition here with people moving in and out," said Amey. "Luckily, they threw me the ball early and I was able to make a catch and get the quarterback to come back to me."

Work rewarded

RECEIVER Adarius Bowman had five catches for 88 yards and one touchdown on Saturday night and he credited the week of practise for his team’s success.

"We got together this week and worked hard and were on the same page," said Bowman. "Guys stayed late after practice to watch film and to try to get ready for this game. There were new guys here that had to learn the offence and they did. We stumbled early in the game and we got better as things went on."

Bowman believes there may be good things ahead for the Bombers.

"I can’t bite my tongue. I think this is the start of a turnaround for us," said the former Saskatchewan Roughriders wideout. "The chemistry in here between the offence and the defence, it got better this week. We’re enjoying this feeling. We’re loving this right now and we’re going to go in and start getting ready for next week."

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Defence gets a break

BOMBERS linebacker Ike Charlton said the offence provided his unit with what it needed.

"The offence went down the field and put points on the board. We feel that when that happens we can win games. The offence kept us out of our side of the field and we were able to do what we do and close this game out. It was fun. To get rest and enjoy the course of the game and play like a full unit. We made plays and we feed off that. It’s huge for us."

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca