Buck’s head pounding after hit

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/09/2012 (5058 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Blue Bombers quarterback Buck Pierce engineered two second-quarter scoring drives Saturday night after taking a devastating head shot, but there wasn’t enough Tylenol in the Winnipeg medicine cabinet to keep him in the game.

Complaining of headaches, he did not return in the second half.

The Bombers’ only points in the 29-10 loss to the Toronto Argonauts at Canad Inns Stadium came when Pierce was under centre. Now the No. 1 pivot’s health is a subject of concern once again.

Pierce was hammered high by Argos linebacker Brandon Isaac after delivering a pass on the second-last play of the first quarter. Isaac was flagged for roughing the passer and Pierce left the game to get stitches in his chin, but returned midway through the second quarter. He led consecutive drives producing a 20-yard Justin Palardy field goal and a 20-yard touchdown reception by Terrence Edwards, but that was the end of his day.

“Late in the second quarter he (Pierce) developed a headache. I think all of us would have developed a headache if we got drilled in the chin by a helmet,” said Bombers head coach Tim Burke. “So for precautionary purposes, we took him out of the game. Because you don’t know if that means it’s more severe than just a headache or not.

“We don’t know any more than that, other than he has a headache and he’ll be evaluated tonight, and tomorrow and probably the next day just to make sure everything’s okay.”

Pierce has left the game in 23 of 60 career CFL starts due to injury. He missed eight games this season with a foot injury and has suffered numerous concussions in his CFL playing career — at least five in his five years with the B.C. Lions.

After the game, Bombers left tackle Glenn January was visibly upset about the hit on Pierce.

“It makes you sick,” January said. “It becomes difficult when we do our job and there’s some shots taken after. What more can we do as offensive linemen to protect him?… Obviously it was an illegal hit.”

Burke said he didn’t think any Argos were targeting Pierce.

“I saw (Argos head coach) Scott Milanovich and Chris Jones, the defensive co-ordinator, just ripping that guy (Isaac) on the sidelines afterwards,” Burke said. “I don’t think he (Isaac) intentionally meant to. I saw the kid and he kept thinking it was a clean hit all the way, which questions how smart he is.”

Edwards said Pierce’s absence left a big hole in the offence.

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“You see what could happen when he’s in there. I don’t even know what happened to him, he couldn’t finish the game. You saw when he was in there, we moved the ball.”

Burke said it was frustrating to see Pierce knocked out of the game.

“I thought the way our offensive line has been playing, that they’ve kept the quarterback pretty clean for the most part,” Burke said.

Pierce completed eight of 13 passes for 120 yards.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPAshleyPrest