Lumsden dekes; Blue still hope to nab him

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This article was published 14/09/2010 (5536 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE Winnipeg Blue Bombers may have competition in their pursuit of Canadian running back Jesse Lumsden.

Bombers assistant GM Ross Hodgkinson was in contact with the free-agent ball carrier again on Monday in the hopes of having him in their colours as soon as Wednesday when the squad returns to practice.

But late Monday afternoon, Lumsden offered up this twist via Twitter after reports began circulating that he was en route to the Bombers: “Hey folks there is some confusion out there… I have not signed anywhere yet. Over the last 72 hours I have been in contact with a few teams.”

It’s believed the Bombers were the only team interested in the oft-injured Lumsden as recently as the weekend.

Asked Monday for an update on negotiations with Lumsden, Hodgkinson said: “I’d say he wants to play football and based on his Twitter he is exploring all options. We hopefully remain as one of those options.”

INJURY UPDATE: Correcting an error in Monday’s paper, it was Bomber safety Brady Browne who was wearing a walking boot on his right foot, not Ian Logan. Browne is likely out; Logan should be good to go against the Argos. Newcomer James Green, who has been a solid pick-up, will back up Logan.

NO GARDEN VARIETY ‘W’: Here’s why Sunday’s Banjo Bowl can make such a huge difference in the collective psyche of the Bombers:

“When you go through a five-game losing streak you always go, ‘What are we doing wrong? Am I doing this enough?’,” said head coach Paul LaPolice. “But after consecutive losses (a win) confirms your process and that you’re doing things the right way and in the things you believe in because sometimes it’s hard to keep the faith. Sometimes you think, ‘What could we do differently?’ Even the day before the game I’m going, ‘Do we have enough of this in? Do we have too many plays in? Do we have enough plays in? Do we have enough special plays?'”

JUICY NUMBERS: Bomber QB Steven Jyles may not have thrown for huge yardage in the win over the Riders — 169 yards while completing 19 of 23 passes — but he did hook up with Chris Davis for a 40-yard TD and had a turnover-free contest.

As a result, he boosted his QB-efficiency rating to 105.5 — second-best to Montreal’s Anthony Calvillo at 111.7.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca