One small step for Buck…

...but it may be a giant leap for him to play this weekend

By: Adam Wazny Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010

Listen to the player, and you get the sense there's a chance he'll return to the huddle this weekend.

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Listen to the player, and you get the sense there's a chance he'll return to the huddle this weekend.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/08/2010 (5540 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Listen to the player, and you get the sense there’s a chance he’ll return to the huddle this weekend.

Listen to the head coach, though, and the possibility of that return starts to shrink.

Wearing his helmet, shoulder pads, and a brace on his right knee, starting quarterback Buck Pierce rejoined his Winnipeg Blue Bomber teammates at Canad Inns Stadium Tuesday morning. It was the first in-pads workout for the 28-year-old since going down with a knee strain during a loss against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Week 3.

KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Quarterback Buck Pierce threw well enough at Tuesday's practice, but it's his mobility that's the big question mark. — KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Quarterback Buck Pierce threw well enough at Tuesday's practice, but it's his mobility that's the big question mark.

Pierce participated in a handful of drills, getting his chance to run a few offensive sets in front of the watchful eyes of players, coaches, training staff and anyone else inside the Polo Park stadium. After the workout, the veteran quarterback was careful with his words regarding the progress his knee has made.

"You just have to get comfortable with it again," Pierce told reporters. "It’s not going to feel 100 per cent — that’s something I realize — but can I function with it at a high level and can I do the things that allow me to be a successful quarterback?

"You know, there’s steps…I think today was a big step."

Mobility

One small step for Pierce, yes, but is his return to the field in a knee brace with worry about his mobility enough to persuade the coaching staff (not to mention the trainers) to allow him to participate Saturday?

"If he is healthy and ready to go, we’ll put him in and let him play," head coach Paul LaPolice said, not willing to officially name his starter — Pierce or Steven Jyles — until later in the week.

How much action Pierce gets today should indicate which way LaPolice is leaning, though. The Bombers (2-3) want to see how his right knee responds to Tuesday’s workout (swelling and soreness) before making any decision one way or another.

If the knee looks good, then Pierce will get a bigger chunk of the practice pie. If it’s swollen like a football, then the starting quarterback decision will be merely a formality.

"I trust the training staff and the coaches… they want to put me in the best situation possible," Pierce said.

The former B.C. Lions pivot threw the ball well Tuesday, the coach said, but the concern with Pierce is his ability to escape the pass rush. As his 192 yards rushing in two-and-a-half games suggests, a key element to Pierce’s game is his ability to run with the football. If he can’t do that, though, he may be exposed to an unnecessary pounding — which is the last thing a hobbled quarterback needs.

KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Steven Jyles looks like a lock to get his third straight start, and given he’s proven himself a respectable back-up, if not a candidate to be the starter, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. — KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Steven Jyles looks like a lock to get his third straight start, and given he’s proven himself a respectable back-up, if not a candidate to be the starter, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

"He has to be able to get out of the pocket," LaPolice said. "He can easily get the ball out of his hand quickly, you can adjust what you try to do with him, if that’s the best thing, but if he can’t avoid contact and run away, you don’t want him to get hit. That’s my biggest concern."

That concern is magnified when you consider the opponent. Hamilton (1-4) has one of the best defensive fronts in the CFL, a group that can not only get after the quarterback but chase him down once he escapes the pocket. LaPolice says the team can scheme against that by moving the launch point around and having Pierce roll out of the pocket slightly to buy an extra moment or two, but that plan is contingent on whether he can function well enough to get to that stage.

Lost in the Pierce-watch Tuesday was Jyles, who continues to go about his business like he is about to make his third straight start. He says he expects to get the call, basing that on the workout scripts — an outline of which QB gets to lead what group through a variety of plays — the quarterbacks get before practice each morning.

"When I got the scripts (Tuesday) morning, they had ‘SJ’ all over the first unit, so I’m guessing I’m getting the green light again this weekend," said Jyles, who is 40-of-65 for 580 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions in two games as the Bombers starter. "Like I’ve always said, though, even if Buck feels better closer to the weekend and they decide to go with him, I’m still prepared to play.

"Things might change later this week, but that doesn’t change for me."

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca

Today’s Bomber Report C3