Must-heal mode for must-win Bombers

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This article was published 05/11/2009 (5810 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

IT’S an old adage in the CFL when the calendar flips to November and with the playoffs on the horizon: At this time of year, if you’re breathing, you’re healthy.

And so it went as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers returned to the practice field on Wednesday in advance of this weekend’s massive win-or-go-home tilt with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. A handful of players were limited in their work day because of an assortment of hurts while Jovon Johnson and Jonathan Hefney both took a pass on the proceedings.

Just try, however, telling any one of the walking wounded they’ll have to take a knee on the weekend.

"There’s no way I am going to miss this one," said receiver Adarius Bowman, who played spectator last weekend with a sore knee. "I don’t care if my leg fell out. I’d play with only one arm because this one is so important.

"It was the hardest thing being here watching (the loss in Montreal) on TV. All I can say now is I’m ready. I’m double-ready than all these guys in here. I don’t mean to take anything away from them, but I am s-o-o-o-o ready to get at this."

Bowman was sporting a brace on his knee at practice, but said he’ll dump the extra hinge support come Sunday. Johnson, who’ll likely be named the Bombers’ Most Outstanding Player when the results are released on Wednesday, declared after the proceedings that he’ll likely return to the practice field Thursday or Friday.

And there’s absolutely no chance in Hades he’ll miss Sunday.

"I’m good. Come Sunday I’ll be playing," said Johnson. "I wouldn’t miss one for anything in the world. These games… this is why you play. And what better team to have it against for us than Hamilton? It’s been now or never for awhile and we responded for five weeks and then last week we let everybody down again. I think we’ll respond again this week."

Head coach Mike Kelly declared all of his troops healthy and good to go for Sunday, including Michael Bishop. The Bomber starting QB was a full-go at practice on Wednesday, but refused interview requests afterward and headed straight to the trainer’s room.

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"It’s like an infirmary there in the morning when you go in," said Kelly. "But all of them seem to be on track to be ready to go on Sunday and there’s a pretty good adrenaline rush that’s starting to build up, too, and that always makes injuries go away a little quicker."

Bombers special-teams leader Shawn Gallant, meanwhile, is looking for anybody or anything that could make the knee injury he suffered in the Montreal loss heal a little quicker. After all, the 33-year-old veteran had his whole career flash before his eyes after hobbling to the sidelines last Sunday after a player stepped on the back of his knee.

"I thought I was done for the year. I thought maybe my career was done," said Gallant. "To be honest, I’ve torn my ACL before, did my meniscus and this hurt worse than anything I’ve ever had before. But the next day it felt a little bit better and now I’m just hoping.

"Really, what it comes down to right now is I’m hoping for a miracle. This game is big… it’d be hard to miss. I’ll try anything right now. If somebody has a magic potion or something I could take, I’m game for it."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca