Rookie Poblah the thinking man’s receiver

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/06/2011 (5573 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A small concern, depending on who you confer with, of course, has been the time missed by Bombers rookie receiver Kito Poblah this camp.

Absent from the entire rookie-camp party due to a contract negotiation, Poblah, the Bombers’ first-round pick in the supplemental draft, sat out most of last week — including the exhibition game in Montreal — with a bruised Achilles tendon.

Not exactly an ideal situation for a team and young player both interested in having the young player start for the team come July.

The 23-year-old was finally back on the field Saturday and says the time missed won’t hurt his ability to figure into Winnipeg’s plans for his pass-catching talents.

“I believe that practice isn’t just on the field — it’s also in your mind,” he said Saturday. “I practice in my mind all the time, so even when I’m not on the field I’m still thinking about what I have to do.”

That mindset was put to the test in front of the television set last Thursday.

Poblah watched his Bomber mates back in Winnipeg, observing the game not as a fan or a viewer with casual interest, but as a student.

“When I’m watching the game I’m really not watching the game, if you know what I mean,” he said. “I’m watching the DBs, so I don’t even know what’s going on with the quarterback. It’s always about the film study.”

JOB OPENING: The situation has gone from “undetermined” to “golden opportunity” for rookie non-import LB/LS John Surla.

The 23-year-old is now at the top of the depth chart for the Bombers, moving ahead of Chris Cvetkovic thanks to a calf injury to the veteran early in the Montreal game.

For the time being, he’s the only long snapper on the Bombers roster.

“Things really came together last week,” the Western Ontario product said. “I wasn’t supposed to travel with the team; I think they wanted to evaluate some other talent. Last week we had an O-lineman go down (with an injury) and they said I was coming on the trip.

“It’s my shot to show these coaches that I deserve to be on the field, I deserve to be on this roster, and I deserve to be a part of this organization.”

Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice expects Cvetkovic to be ready for the start of the regular season July 1 in Hamilton.

END OF DAYS: No update on who the front-runner is for Phillip Hunt’s old defensive end position.

Kenny Mainor, Jason Vega and Remond Willis all did some nice things in Montreal, LaPolice noted, but no determination will be made until the weekend.

“This week will be really important for them; this next game (exhibition versus Toronto on Thursday) will be really important for them,” the coach said.

SICK BAY: Top draft choice LB Henoc Muamba is listed as day-to-day with a sprained knee. “We don’t expect it to be anything serious,” LaPolice said.

The Bomber injury list includes OL Glenn January (groin), WR Scott McHenry (neck) and WR Aaron Hargreaves (ankle).

Centre Obby Khan, WR Damian Sherman and WR Greg Carr all returned to practice Saturday.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca