GAME DAY 3 JUICY STORYLINES

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/06/2010 (5648 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Today, noon / Ivor Wynne Stadium, Hamilton . TV: Shaw . RADIO: CJOB 680

1 WHO starts on the offensive line? Bodies have been shifted all

over the place, but now it’s time to settle on a starting five. Pencil

in Brendon LaBatte at left guard, Obby Khan at centre while Steve

Morley now looks to have been permanently switched from left

tackle to right guard. Kelly Butler seems a lock at right tackle, leaving

the left side–protecting Pierce and Jyles’ blind side–still vacant with

Glenn January injured. Import Andre Douglas is listed there for this

game, but Luke Fritz could get some turns there as well. What will be

interesting come cut-down day is what the team does with two talented

youngsters: Adam Bestard and Chris Greaves–will they return to

school or be kept around to be groomed?

2 IKE and Joe and…? Two of the three starting linebackers are

settled with Charlton and Lobendahn locks. But the weakside

job is still open and there are five main candidates:

Marty Bowman, Courtney Smith, SaMario Houston, Merrill

Johnson and Bernard Hicks. Johnson just arrived and is listed as a

middle, but may get a look at the weak-side. Ditto for Bernard Hicks,

who has been converted from defensive back and is likely more

suited to the strong-side spot.

3 WHICH Canadians stand up? Interesting to see Don Oramasionwu

left at home and the coaches apparently weighing his

ability to start alongside Doug Brown. We don’t see it happening

yet as there is no depth at Canadian defensive tackle.

But if Fritz can lock up a starting tackle spot it also gives the club

much more flexibility. It’s almost a given now that just one Canadian

— Brock Ralph — will start in the receiving corps.

BLUE

BOMBERS

(1-0 in pre-season)

TIGER-CATS

(0-1 in pre-season)

FYI

THE QB ROTATION:

. Buck Pierce and Steven Jyles, just like last week, are

expected to see one quarter and a series of work. But

Alex Brink could mop up beginning in the third quarter

and Adam DiMichele has been made no promises about

whether he’ll see the field.

WHO’S NOT HERE:

. Not making the trip for the Bombers are: CB LaVar

Glover; DB Clint Kent; DB Brandon Stewart, DB Jovon

Johnson; LB Nick Kordic; LB Joe Lobendahn; LB Ike

Charlton; LB Giancarlo Rapanaro; DE Phillip Hunt; DE

Odell Willis; DT Doug Brown; DT Don Oramasionwu;

OL Glenn January; OL John Hashem; OL Ryan Donnelly;

OL Carlton Medders; RB Fred Reid; FB Daryl Stephenson;

SB Jabari Arthur; SB Brock Ralph; WR David Ball.

Reading into that, it’s a good bet to say Glover, Kent,

Stewart, Lobendahn, Charlton, Hunt, Willis, Brown,

Oramasionwu, Donnelly, Reid, Stephenson and Ralph

— Donnelly and Ralph currently nursing hurts — have

made the team. Likely the same for Arthur, but he’s still

got a lot of rust to shake.

WHO’S ON THE BUBBLE:

. DT Dorian Smith: had a solid rookie season — eight

sacks in 16 games — but with Oramasionwu pushing

does it make him vulnerable? We think not.

. WR/returners Travis Shelton and Willie Foster: Shelton

has been hurt for most of camp and Foster didn’t do

much in the first preseason game. If they want to steal

away the kick-return chores from Jovon Johnson they’d

better stand up and get noticed against the Ticats.

. Yvenson Bernard: He’s getting pushed by Emmanuel

Marc, but Bernard also could have had huge numbers

last week — according to the coaches — if the QBs had

made the right zone read and handed him the ball. But

Bernard is younger than Marc and has more experience.

. The foot soldiers: outside of the 24 starters, there are a

whole pile of jobs available for the reserves/special teams

aces. It’s how guys like Shawn Gallant and Jon Oosterhuis

have carved out long careers. But they are always

being pushed by younger and cheaper talent.

D-DAYLOOMS

. All CFL teams must declare their 46-man rosters (excluding

nine-game and one-game injured) by of 2 p.m.

CT on Thursday, June 24.

THE REAL GAMES BEGIN…

. The CFL season opens July 1 with two Canada-Day

matchups — Montreal at Saskatchewan in a Grey-Cup

rematch followed by Toronto at Calgary. The Bombers

open at home against the Tiger-Cats a day later on July

2nd with B.C. playing host to Edmonton on July 4.

Jon Oosterhuis is getting pushed by younger prospects.

Buck

Pierce

Don

Oramasionwu

is a

candidate

to start

after an

excellent

training

camp.