The 64,000 Buck question…

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/07/2010 (5635 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was a good 30 minutes after the final buzzer and long after the emotional high-fives, back slapping and primal screams that often dominate any football locker-room immediately following a victory.

And, truth be told, by about 11 p.m. last Friday night the Winnipeg Blue Bomber locker-room had thinned out for all but a few stragglers as most headed out into the night to celebrate a season-opening 49-29 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats that still has this town abuzz three days later.

Funny, then, to see quarterback Buck Pierce — the man whose fingerprints were all over the win — still standing in front of his cubicle, still wearing his football pants, the eye-black grease still smeared all over his cheeks and a size-large smile dominating his mug.

The likable 28-year-old product of Hutchinson, Kan., said all the right things about the result, early as it is in the season, being important for the new coaching staff, for the players who had survived 2009 and for the fans who paid to witness it. And then he offered up a statement and a wink that revealed just a hint of the raging inferno burning in his gut:

"I’m happy for me, too."

Yeah, you could say that.

Remember, Pierce was an unemployed quarterback as recently as April. He was damaged goods to some, too big a risk to others — even with a 21-12-1 record during his days with the B.C. Lions. Fact is, if Stefan LeFors had not pulled the plug on his return to the Bombers Pierce likely wouldn’t have even been on the radar screen here.

But there he was Friday night throwing for just under 300 yards and two touchdowns to Terrence Edwards while rushing for an additional 89 yards and another score. He slid when he was supposed to and got rid of the ball before taking some of the hellacious hits that had been as big a trademark of his game as his grittiness.

Just as important, Pierce & Co. answered some of their own doubts about themselves.

"You hope to perform like that, you hope you can react to situations like we did," said Pierce.

"The coaches did a great job preparing us for all situations, too. But, in the end, it’s still about going out there and executing. And you really don’t know until you live it. Now we can say this is a locker-room that is going to stand up for each other and want to work for each other."

Now as the Bombers ready for their second consecutive home game — the Toronto Argonauts are here this Friday — here is a brief look back and a peek ahead at the week to come…

In The Rear-View Mirror

Three things that stood out in Week 1:

— Pierce — QB play is such a critical part of any offence and what the new Bomber pivot gave the Bombers can’t be understated.

His passing was accurate, he looked comfortable running head coach Paul LaPolice’s offence and he also added an intriguing dimension — his 89 yards rushing was the most by a Bombers QB since Matt Dunigan carried 11 times for 91 yards in a 53-11 win over Edmonton on August 13, 1993. For the record, that’s 17 years and 300 games ago.

— A defensive gem — Winnipeg surrendered 29 points, but two scores and 16 points total, came with the special teams on the field and courtesy two Marcus Thigpen kick-return TDs. Hamilton’s net offence was -2 yards at halftime and just 205 by game’s end. The Bombers finished with six sacks — two each by Phillip Hunt and Joe Lobendahn — picked off Kevin Glenn once and limited the Ticats to just 197 yards passing.

— Offensive balance — The Bombers racked up 502 yards offence — 291 through the air, 211 along the ground — as Pierce connected with six different receivers and Fred Reid rushed for 98 while controlling the ball for 34 minutes and one second, more than in all but one game last year (Winnipeg’s dominant, ground-control win over B.C. last August that featured Reid’s 260-yard record).

Looking Forward

Three things to monitor looking forward to Week 2:

— The special teams

— Giving up one kick-return score is inexcusable. But surrendering two is almost unfathomable. The Bombers will make the necessary personnel and Xs and Os adjustments, but an effort like that also screams out for the return of Derrick Doggett, the linebacker/special teams dynamo who finished second on the squad last year with 27 tackles.

— Injuries — The Bombers appear to have lost defensive back Keyuo Craver to injury — he’ll be evaluated further in the next couple of days — but are scheduled to have Clint Kent return from the one-game injured list. In any case, starting defensive halfbacks Brandon Stewart and Alex Suber were solid in their first appearance together. Also, running back Fred Reid finished the game nicked up, but should be good to go against the Argos.

— Focus, Focus — LaPolice won’t let his troops even mutter the words "Grey Cup" so you can bet he’ll be working to ensure his squad doesn’t get all fat and sassy following just one victory. Worth noting, though, is this: the Bombers haven’t opened a season 2-0 since 2003.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

ED TAIT IN THE HUDDLE C3