Miked Pierce will keep !@#$ to a minimum

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/06/2011 (5256 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE swear jar could provide a big payoff late Thursday night.

The CFL and TSN announced members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts will be miked up during Thursday’s pre-season game at Canad Inns Stadium (7 p.m.). Head coach Paul LaPolice, along with quarterbacks Buck Pierce and Joey Elliott, will participate on the Bombers’ side, as the league and its broadcast partner hope to provide fans with a unique perspective from the sidelines and inside the huddle.

Of course, there’s a chance for things to go wrong. It is a live game, remember, and on occasion, players and coaches have been known to let an expletive fly from time to time.

“You get those competitive juices flowing, you might say a few things you might regret,” Pierce said. “I know that I’ll have my grandma and my mom watching at home, so I’ll try to keep (the swearing) to a minimum. “I think they’ve heard them all before, though.”

LaPolice will also try to not get too caught up in the moment.

“I’ll be smart with my language — I hope,” he said.

Does that mean the CFL officials will have an easy time of it Thursday?

“Depends. I’ll get on them, I just won’t swear,” he said.

CFL NIGHT IN AMERICA: The NFL Network will show two CFL games per week this season, the leagues announced.

Last season, the NFL Network carried 14 CFL games, so the added exposure and face time on an American football provider this time around is a nice coup for the Canadian league.

The schedule for the first 10 games was unveiled Tuesday. Saskatchewan leads in appearances with four showings through the first five weeks.

Winnipeg only cracks the lineup one time, the July 28 home game against the B.C. Lions.

QB WATCH: The Bombers will show the home fans at least three of the four QBs in camp Thursday, with fourth-stringer Justin Goltz potentially the odd man out.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Goltz’s days are numbered inside the Blue and Gold complex. LaPolice said he’d like to keep four quarterbacks around — hello, practice roster — and says the final determination will be on the players.

“What you’re going to try to do is keep the best possible players around, and if you have to sacrifice at other spots you’ll do that,” he said.

LaPolice said Pierce’s injury history has little to do with the idea of keeping Goltz around, adding he’d keep an extra receiver or two if he thought it would be beneficial to the club’s success.

LEMON TIME: Injuries to the pivot depth mean the Argos are expected to let Cleo Lemon handle most of the quarterbacking duties in Winnipeg Thursday.

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QB Dalton Bell, who was expected to challenge Lemon for the No. 1 spot this season, is on the shelf with a groin injury. He suffered the injury in the first pre-season game against Hamilton and is not expected to make the trip to Manitoba.

Also not coming to Winnipeg: Former Bomber QB Steven Jyles.

Jyles, traded to the Argos for the fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft (which turned out to be WR Jade Etienne), is not throwing anymore in camp, as his surgically repaired shoulder continues to give him discomfort.

Whispers out of Toronto are that the Argos may put Jyles on the nine-game injury reserve list, just to eliminate the desire to rush him back into action.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca