Blue patching hole in D-line

Injury opens a door, rookie appears set to walk through

By: Adam Wazny Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Wednesday, Jul. 14, 2010

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/07/2010 (5865 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have a big hole in the middle of the defensive line, which is where Moton Hopkins fits in.

A serious knee injury to starting defensive tackle Dorian Smith (out 4-6 weeks) has opened the door for the first-year import to make the jump from the reserve list to the 42-man roster when the Bombers take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Friday. The coaching staff has taken a look at both Hopkins and second-year DT Don Oramasionwu to partner up with Doug Brown in the middle of the line at practice this week, and appear to be leaning towards starting the rookie.

Tulsa standout Moton Hopkins (95) has had to make some adjustments to the Canadian game but can’t wait to play.

Hopkins impressed the Bombers brain trust in the team’s final pre-season game against the Tabbies, but has had to wait for an opportunity to get into the lineup the last two games. Now that the opportunity has arrived, he feels he’s ready.

"I’ve had a chance to watch the more experienced guys like Doug, and Dorian and Don-O over the last two weeks when I wasn’t practising as much, how they study film and stuff like that, so that’s helped me out," he said. "I’m just excited to go out and play again."

Barring unforeseen circumstance, the 6-foot-2, 277-pound lineman will make his professional football debut at Ivor Wynne Stadium, a defining moment in his life that has admittedly humbled the articulate 23-year-old. Graduating in 2009 after a stellar four-year career at Tulsa, Hopkins didn’t get a sniff of any post-collegiate football work, resigning his time to working out and waiting by the phone back home in Texas — in hopes that one day things would work out.

Stressful times. Heck, even for this season, the Bombers didn’t come calling until last month when camps were already underway.

But there was another hurdle. Once he arrived in Manitoba, Hopkins had to learn a whole new position.

Once a defensive end with the Hurricanes, Hopkins is now a defensive tackle with the Bombers.

The position switch came at the same time he had to familiarize himself with a whole new brand of football, too, and like most import linemen will tell you, having a yard off the ball takes some getting used to.

"At first I was… I don’t want to say worried or nervous… but I was cautious about how it worked at the line," Hopkins said. "You don’t know how it’s going to be, right? It did mess up my timing a bit, and I had to figure out my footwork again, but when practice as much as we do, you get used to it.

"But yeah, when I first lined up, it was a big adjustment."

Moving a talent like Hopkins inside from the rush-end spot isn’t a new thing in the three-down league.

Players along the line are universally big, but typically defensive ends from American colleges have the speed and stamina needed to make a difference on the bigger CFL field.

Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice says the speed of the game is a real eye-opener for American D-linemen.

"It’s the conditioning," he said. "For those inside big guys, it’s getting out there and all of a sudden a play is run every 20 seconds. The conditioning aspect is the toughest thing for them to get used to."

Whatever the adjustment, Hopkins is just grateful for the opportunity to suit up. He’s even taken some time away from the field to think about the path he took to get here; how this next chapter of his football life takes place in Canada.

"It’s crazy… it’s a blessing," he said. "To get a chance to play again, in a place where the city really cares about the team… every day means a little more to me. Not that I wasn’t happy before — I was — it’s just when you sit out a year and you don’t get the chance to play, you enjoy every moment when you are playing."

When (or how much) Hopkins gets to play remains to be seen. The Bombers have a pair of different packages planned for Friday (one with Hopkins, one with Oramasionwu), as they look to beat the Ticats for the second time in three weeks.

Game time Friday is 6 p.m. (TSN, CJOB).

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca

Weekly awards

Besides Buck Pierce’s offensive player hardware, other players picking up weekly awards include Saskatchewan DE Brent Hawkins (defensive player), Toronto KR Chad Owens (special teams) and Montreal S Étienne Boulay (top Canadian).

Injury update

S Ian Logan (knee) and DT Dorian Smith (knee) are out. DB Alex Suber (hamstring) is probably out. SB Aaron Hargreaves didn’t work out Tuesday, but the coaches say he’ll be fine.

Quotable

"I’m calling him ‘Smooth Dude’ all week. I want (him) to be the smoothest dude out there; nice and slow so he sees it." — Bombers coach Paul LaPolice on RB Fred Reid. The club feels the struggling Reid needs to be more patient and wait for the holes to open up.