Blue Bomber notebook

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/08/2012 (4982 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

IF you’re standing up while reading this, then sit down, and if you’re already sitting down then grab on to the edge of the table: The Bombers have some good injury news to report.

Believe it or not the club expects to have both starting safety Ian Logan and starting defensive halfback Alex Suber back in lineup when they host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats this week.

Logan has been dealing with a quad injury suffered versus Toronto July 18. Suber, meanwhile has been nursing a hamstring injury since the July 6 game in Montreal. Barring any setbacks, both should be in the Winnipeg secondary Thursday night.

“It’s been tough to watch,” Logan said. “We’re a young team to begin with, and when you lose your veterans to injury, you can’t just plug in guys and expect (them) to know what they’re doing. It’s been a difficult stretch for us.”

Logan was hurt on an innocent-looking tackle in the 25-22 loss to the Argos. He appeared to jam his hip during the collision, but said his quad started to tighten up as he was chasing down the play.

“I had one more step to take and then it just seized on me,” he said.

Logan’s return takes the pressure off the coaching staff to figure out a Plan C for safety. With backup Brady Browne (Plan B) out for the year with a torn Achilles, the club was considering inserting rookie Canadian Dan West or import cornerback Jovon Johnson in the spot.

“It allows us to be more of a roster like we’re used to, and Ian’s been a CFL all-star,” head coach Paul LaPolice said. “Those are good things. We hope he’s fine.”

The additions of both defensive backs should be a shot in the arm for a Bombers back-end that has struggled. Winnipeg has given up 1,998 yards passing in six games (333 yards passing per game) and has allowed an average 419 yards total offence per contest. Those numbers bring up the rear in the CFL.

With quarterback Henry Burris coming to town Thursday, knowing the secondary will be at full strength is the best news the Bombers have had in a while.

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THE Bombers said they had no interest in former Argos running back Cory Boyd.

Boyd, one of the top backs in the CFL the last two seasons and a player who was leading the league in rushing this year (447 yards), was released by Toronto early Sunday afternoon.

Speculation is rampant as to why the Argos made the move: Bad attitude, off-field issues, money and the team’s message that Boyd was just not a good fit in the offence (hard to swallow that one, the guy leads the league in rushing) were all floated out across the league Sunday.

Boyd landed on his feet in Edmonton, according to various news reports. A handful of CFL clubs indicated lukewarm interest Sunday in picking him up, so it was hard to imagine a player like Boyd staying on the shelf long.

As for where the Bombers stood on Boyd, LaPolice had this to say: “At this point, we’re worried about our guys. I’ll talk to (general manager) Joe Mack about it, but I wouldn’t think so.”

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FULL-TIME defensive back/part-time linebacker Jonathan Hefney was not at practice Sunday, as he was granted a couple of extra days of bye week time to deal with a personal matter.

He’s expected to be on the field this morning, LaPolice told reporters Sunday.

For those wondering, the Bombers did fine the three players (Henoc Muamba, Jason Vega, Alex Suber) who missed Saturday’s light workout. Hefney will be fined, too, the coach said, adding he understands that a player’s best laid plans to get back to Winnipeg on time are at the mercy of the airlines and Mother Nature.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @wazoowazny

Gilmore hurt

Another player went down in practice Sunday. Rookie import defensive lineman JT Gilmore suffered a calf pull and had to be helped off the field. He probably wasn’t going to play against Hamilton, anyway, as he was just filling in for Bryant Turner last time out. Turner (and his team-leading five sacks) will play Thursday.

Right tackle watch

With rookie Jordan Taormina watching, Shannon Boatman continued to get the majority of the reps with the starting offensive line Sunday, but no decision has been made on that position. “Boatman’s got to show up more than just one or two days of practice,” head coach Paul LaPolice said. Boatman hasn’t played a CFL game since 2010.