Pierce discards brace, throws football at practice

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/10/2010 (5835 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SINCE dislocating his right elbow, the following has been the normal routine for Buck Pierce at practice:

First, he checks out how the workout is going for the three young Winnipeg Blue Bomber quarterbacks on the field. Occasionally, he’ll offer some advice. After chit-chatting with a few coaches and players, Pierce moseys over to the home bench area for more conversation and some treatment on the right elbow. Two hours later, practice is over.

Doesn’t sound too exciting, does it?

Thursday, things were different.

Under the watchful eye of Bomber athletic therapist Alain Couture, the quarterback was on the field tossing a replica football (a lighter version than the standard CFL pigskin) with lineman Glenn January, just to test out how far the recovery process has come along. Pierce has no plans for a football version of Kirk Gibson coming off the bench to win the game, no visions of saving the Bombers’ 3-10 season. He just wanted to throw again.

“I probably did a little bit more than they wanted me to do, but I saw some cameras out here…,” he laughed after his brief workout. “No, I’m being smart with it. I wouldn’t do anything that the trainers say not to do.”

Thirty-two days. That’s the amount of time between Pierce dislocating his right elbow (and fracturing a bone near the joint) on a freak play in the 27-23 loss to Saskatchewan in the Labour Day Classic and throwing with that same arm once again. The clunky brace he sported in the weeks following the injury is now gone (he wears it sparingly), and thanks to an aggressive rehab program designed to get him back to full strength by Christmas, Pierce is excited about how quickly the arm has responded.

“I would definitely say it’s ahead of schedule,” he said. “We’re still waiting for the fracture to heal but the range of motion has come back quicker than expected.”

“It’s still painful, the ligaments haven’t healed yet,” the 28-year-old added. “The range of motion… it’s getting better. The rehab is painful but it’s necessary to get me to where I am.”

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As Pierce mentioned, the range of motion in the elbow is a noticeable problem. Still, Pierce — who threw for 1,080 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions in his five starts (1-4 record) in 2010 — is optimistic he’ll be healthy enough to show the Bombers he can be the No. 1 quarterback in 2011.

Head coach Paul LaPolice wasn’t surprised to see the veteran throwing Thursday, but indicated Pierce’s timetable remains lengthy. Ten weeks, that’s what medical professionals have told him, he said.

Pierce’s own timetable?

“Get back as soon as possible,” he said. “Show the organization that my arm will be able to perform at a high level and come back strong — if not stronger. It’s very exciting for me right now.”

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca