Who’ll fill bill should Fred falter?

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/06/2011 (5565 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tailbacks vying for a roster spot with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers know this much: The competition for the No. 2 option is wide open.

Anyone who knows anything about the Bombers knows Fred Reid, barring injury, is the starter coming into the season. His standing with the club is an automatic, a perfect example of what happens when you lead the CFL in rushing (1,396 yards) the previous campaign.

With Reid home and cooled as the main man, the focus shifts to the support staff, specifically the guy who will come in to spell Reid when he’s either exhausted his legs or is struggling to find a rhythm.

Alex Henderson, a 5-foot-10, 200-pound back out of Northern Arizona, appears to be running in the inside lane these days, after his nice six-carry, 81-yard performance in Montreal Thursday night. The bulk of that mileage came on a 64-yard break in the second quarter that ended on the Alouettes’ three.

One play later, he finished his thought.

“I feel like I did pretty good in Montreal; you can always be better,” Henderson said after a low-energy team workout at Canad Inns Stadium on Saturday.

“My main goal is to always win the game, no matter what the game is. I felt like we were in a position to win and we needed a big play. I was hoping to get the ball, actually. I’m glad I had a chance. Hopefully, I can carry that over to this week and into the next game.”

For what it’s worth, head coach Paul LaPolice called Henderson a “solid, all-around back.”

There are worse things to be called at this point of training camp. In another corner, we have Chris Garrett, a 5-foot-8, 185-pound dynamo who joined the team prior to the Banjo Bowl last year. The 24-year-old is able to return kicks and has half a CFL season under his belt already, and those two factors make him a very attractive option for the club.

Is there a worry that he might be too small? Perhaps, but if everyone is going to proclaim every tiny speedster who shows up in Winnipeg as the next Charles Roberts, then maybe Garrett can approach the comparison and be as special as Charlie was.

Of course, that’s a big maybe.

Then there’s Carl Volny.

The fifth-round selection in the CFL college draft (32nd overall) has been a nice surprise for the coaching staff. Put together like Henderson physically, the Central Michigan product has drawn praise from the coaching staff a few times for his ability to take direction and apply that knowledge to future situations.

“The thing I’m most impressed with,” LaPolice says, “the kid doesn’t make mistakes.”

The best part about Volny: his passport. For a team undergoing a massive redesign to its Canadian landscape, the Montreal-born Volny could find himself in the mix as he gets settled into his new pro football surroundings.

Remember: Stampeders RB Jon Cornish hung around Calgary for three seasons before breaking through in a big way last year.

So there you have it. Three solid options to carry Reid’s bag this summer.

Regardless of how things shake down at practice or in Thursday’s home exhibition tilt with Toronto, perhaps Henderson put it best when assessing the backfield battlefield in Bomberland for this coming week:

“The intensity is going to be up — for sure,” he said. “I think you’re going to see guys (understanding) that they need to make a big impression this week to have a chance to stick around. Everyone is going to be very focused (today).”

Camp continues at Canad Inns Stadium today at 11 a.m.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca