Receivers are drop-dead bad

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/07/2011 (5225 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The timing couldn’t be better.

On a hot day, like the one the Winnipeg Blue Bombers experienced on the sizzling synthetic and rubberized field at Canad Inns Stadium on Tuesday, head coach Paul LaPolice offered his remedy for the scorching case of the dropsies his receivers have dealt with through the first three games.

It’s called ‘freeze ball’ — a solution to help the Bombers pass catchers stay true to their job descriptions.

“You just overlook the ball into your hands,” LaPolice explained after practice Tuesday. “And it’s not about the size of your hands or your athletic ability, it’s whether you look the ball into your hands every time and be consistent with it.

“That’s what those guys get paid to do.”

Sounds like a simple antidote. Watch the ball into your hands even after your fingers and palms have come into contact with the pigskin.

Freeze the ball. Cool. Will it work? It better, because the numbers are starting to add up and they’re starting to have a major negative impact on the offence. After the four drops in Hamilton, Winnipeg receivers let four more fall through their fingers against Toronto. Those games ended in victories, so not much was made of them. Wins tend to overshadow minor glitches.

At least three more drops by the receiving corps in Thursday’s loss to Calgary — including a key clank off the trusted hands of SB Terrence Edwards deep in Stamps territory, right before the Terence Jeffers-Harris fumble and subsequent injury to QB Joey Elliott — has pushed the issue to the front burner and provided another excuse as to why the Winnipeg air attack is trending low in most statistical categories.

Team passing yards: 552

Passing yards per game: 184

Passes completed: 52

All dead last in the league.

The drops have also brought back some unwanted memories of Adarius Bowman and Brock Ralph — the poster boys for greasy fingers in these parts.

The coach has already put out a plea to his players.

“It’s something we’ve addressed with the receivers this week: ‘You have to help us. Every ball is not going to be perfect and you have to make plays,'” LaPolice said. “Their job is to make plays.”

Jeffers-Harris knows what his job is.

The second-year receiver holds a key place in the offence. Not only is he one of the lead blockers at the line for running back Fred Reid, he’s also a primary target for the Bomber quarterbacks in a tough area of the field. He patrols the middle, settling in a spot underneath the coverage to welcome the ball and brace for the hit — the two often arriving simultaneously.

These days, though, he’s having a hard time squeezing the ball. He’s dropped a few passes, more than he’d like.

“Mediocre,” Jeffers-Harris said of his play heading into Saturday’s game with Toronto. “I still feel like I have a lot to prove and a lot to do. My best game is still ahead of me.

“Just catch the ball — that’s my favourite thing to do.”

Jeffers-Harris, who has 13 catches for 124 yards, wouldn’t cop to any frustration with his hands or any added personal pressure building with every first down pass wasted on the turf. After missing one, he moves on to the next one, he said, believing he just needs to ratchet up his own focus to turn things around.

When asked how many drops he has this year, he doesn’t blink.

“Too many,” he said. “One is too many.”

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca