This Buck won’t stop here

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This article was published 14/07/2010 (5875 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Buck PIERCE is on a pretty impressive run here, wouldn’t you say?

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback, the on-field leader who was anointed as the Gibson’s Finest offensive player of the week Tuesday for his work (366-yards passing and three touchdowns) in the Bombers’ 36-34 loss to Toronto last Friday, leads his team in one category many in these parts hoped he wouldn’t.

With 192 yards on just 13 carries (good for a league-leading 14.8 yards per handle), the 28-year-old out of New Mexico State is 67 yards ahead of feature tailback Fred Reid. In fact, Pierce is ranked fifth in the CFL in the rushing category, ahead of notable water-bugs like Montreal’s Avon Cobourne and Hamilton’s DeAndra Cobb.

After setting career game marks for yards on the ground (he followed up his 89-yard effort in Week 1 with 103 yards against the Argos), just how much gas does Pierce have in those legs of his?

"Not a whole lot more," he laughed Tuesday afternoon, once the club finished up practice at a blustery Rods Field. "You never really game plan for that stuff. If there’s a chance to score, then I’m going to try to score. I don’t want to take any extra hits.

"That’s the way I’ve always been. I’m sure teams will game plan for that a little bit more now."

Not surprising, given the mileage accumulated to this point, Pierce says he’s actually felt a little tired after games. Go back to Friday’s 43-yard scamper into the corner of the end zone, where he showed some impressive speed in outracing the Toronto defence to the pylon.

The lungs were burning after that sprint.

"If I hadn’t scored on that one … if I had to call another play, I would have been in trouble," he said.

Now if memory serves, there was a lot of concern and hand-wringing over bringing the former B.C. Lions pivot to River City based on the correlation between his health and his playing style. He’s not the biggest guy (6-foot-1, 210 pounds), but he approaches the game with the stick stuck in the highest gear, never once thinking about down-shifting for a little more control in the tighter spots.

"What else am I supposed to do; stand back there and be a robot?" Pierce asked. "That’s not me. If I’m able to run to keep the chains moving and put ourselves in a good situation, that’s what I’m going to do."

And there lies the riddle for the Blue and Gold these days: The coaching staff would rather not have their No. 1 pivot risking his well-being outside the pocket but at the same time, the reason for the optimism around the club’s fortunes this season are due to Pierce and the way he plays the game.

Scrambling out of the pocket for a first down or taking on a defender or three at the goal line — those are the things Winnipeg fans (a group excited for a quarterback to rally behind, not rally against) have already fallen for early in this relationship.

So, along the lines of Pierce’s earlier question, what are the Bombers supposed to do? said head coach Paul LaPolice can’t tether his pivot to centre Obby Khan’s right leg, nor can he tell Pierce to give himself up in the heat of the action. And from the fan’s perspective, can’t imagine the cup-stackers in the crowd would be pleased to see the quarterback launch into a slide nine-yards into a run when the first down marker calls for the full ten.

"Sometimes he scrambles when he has an open check-down (receiver), and that’s we talked about," LaPolice said. "Make sure you can see all your check downs, because they get paid to run with it. (You) get paid to throw it."

In 17 games (12 starts) last season, Pierce ran for 276 yards — a mark he’ll shatter if he keeps going on this clip. His coach, understanding the predicament he faces, tried to put a positive spin on having a head-strong quarterback with a well-known injury history (including concussions) leading his team in rushing:

"He creates plays with his legs, and you always want a quarterback who can create things like that."

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca

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