Receivers catch the blame

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/10/2010 (5788 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Frustrated with the drops and lacklustre play from two veteran receivers, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers finally ran out of patience Wednesday.

The Bombers made not one but two moves in the pass-catching department, releasing import wide receiver Adarius Bowman and benching non-import slotback Brock Ralph. Both players, starters at the beginning of the season, were counted on to put up big numbers in the newfangled Blue and Gold attack but with just three games left on the schedule, neither had approached those expectations.

Let’s start with Bowman, whose talent and frame (6-foot-3, 223-pounds) had many around the club penciling him in for at least 1,000 yards. That production dropped as the balls fell to the turf, however, and his dismissal from the Blue and Gold cemented itself by way of his hands.

Despite all the physical tools, too many bobbled passes ultimately did Bowman in and the club — sensing growing unrest with his play — could no longer afford to hold the line with the 25-year-old enigma.

“Adarius… athletically, he is a tremendous receiver and I guarantee he’ll probably be in a camp next year with a team,” Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice said. “If he could play at a consistently high level, he wouldn’t be (in the CFL), he’d be playing in the NFL.

“In two-down football, you have to catch the football.”

Bowman was a healthy scratch for the last three games, finishing with 50 catches for 691 yards and three touchdowns. In his two seasons in Winnipeg, the Oklahoma State-product hauled in 105 balls for 1,616 yards and nine touchdowns.

The benching — and subsequent inability to trade the player to another CFL outpost — made for an uncomfortable situation around the club. Bowman wasn’t a distraction, the coach noted, but having him around post-benching just wasn’t an ideal situation for both parties.

“He handled it as best he could,” LaPolice said, adding that the emergence of rookie Greg Carr was a big factor in the decision. “But it was wearing on him that he wasn’t playing anymore. You can tell he wasn’t as focused as you need to be to be on the reserve (list). He was still getting paid… you have to be ready to go.”

Bowman’s release comes after the trade deadline, so while the receiver can still sign with another club, he won’t be able to play this season. LaPolice did confirm the Bombers did try to work out a trade but couldn’t find any takers before the deadline last week.

Bowman was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

Ralph, 30, was replaced by rookie Cory Watson in the slot position Wednesday, and his future with the Bombers looks equally bleak. LaPolice wouldn’t confirm if the benching was permanent, or if Ralph wouldn’t be in the lineup with the club takes on the Argos Saturday, but did say the coaches are looking to find a little more consistency from that spot.

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“We want to see how we can get more production out of there and at times, we’ve struggled being on the same page,” the coach said. “We have to look what’s best for the team and evaluate… it’s been 15 weeks in here.”

The final straw for LaPolice came in the 22-19 loss to Montreal Sunday, when Ralph couldn’t find the ball in the air which resulted in an Alouettes interception. The eight-year veteran also slipped on another Montreal pick, leading the coach to wonder just how much trust his quarterbacks had in the Alberta native moving forward.

“When Khari Jones played here, he didn’t care about the consequences — he was going to find Milt Stegall,” LaPolice said. “Greg Carr in three weeks, (the quarterbacks) have a huge trust factor in him. He hasn’t been here that long, but they know he’ll be in the right spot and he’ll catch the ball if they put it anywhere near him. That’s why he’s getting more footballs.”

Ralph has 31 catches for 394 yards this season. He declined to speak to the media Wednesday.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca