LaPo doles out some praise, ‘but we need to get a lot better’

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This article was published 28/07/2012 (4817 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THERE was no celebration at the Winnipeg Blue Bombers office Friday morning after the club registered its first win of the 2012 CFL regular season the night before.

After viewing film of the 23-22 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos at Canad Inns Stadium Thursday night, Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice said he felt a bit fortunate.

“There’s certainly a lot of work to be done,” LaPolice told reporters Friday. “It’s a game of inches. You’re so close to them holding the ball and kicking a (game-winning) field goal.

“But our players played and fought hard all game. I thought they played physical, I thought we responded to things. But certainly, as I told the players, we need to get a lot better. And we’ve got one week to prepare to get to two wins.”

The Bombers (1-4) play the Montreal Alouettes (2-2) next Friday at Canad Inns Stadium.

A fumble by Edmonton QB Steven Jyles deep in Bombers territory with under a minute to play Thursday night extinguished what looked like an excellent chance for the Eskimos to kick a game-winning field goal.

LaPolice said he remained troubled by some botched assignments in his secondary that led to the two Edmonton touchdowns and by what he called some “inexcusable” errors on special teams on a night when the Bombers had one of their own punts blocked — although they recovered it — and stood around watching while the Eskimos recovered one of their own punts.

“I don’t know how some of those things happen,” LaPolice said. “We’ve got to keep coaching them, but I think they’re a talented crew.”

For the first time this season, the Bombers reported no serious injuries in the game, but the news on the injury front still wasn’t great.

LaPolice said only linebacker Marcellus Bowman, out since early in training camp, is likely to return from the injury list next week.

The coach had Henoc Muamba starting in Bowman’s weak-side linebacker spot Thursday night and said Friday he felt Muamba did a good job.

But LaPolice said he will not hesitate to insert Bowman into the lineup this week if he’s healthy, even though he hasn’t taken any meaningful practice reps with the team since early June.

LaPolice said be wasn’t sure about injured tackle Andre Douglas’s immediate prognosis, but indicated defensive back Alex Suber, safety Ian Logan, SAM linebacker Brandon Stewart and defensive tackle Brandon Collier likely won’t play next Friday.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca