Backup Brohm will be ready

Just in case QB Willy not able to play vs. Ticats

By: Paul Wiecek Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Monday, Sep. 15, 2014

VANCOUVER -- In a weird CFL season that is chewing up starting quarterbacks and increasingly looking like the team with the best backup man will prevail, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers may be about to find out how theirs measures up.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/09/2014 (4034 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VANCOUVER — In a weird CFL season that is chewing up starting quarterbacks and increasingly looking like the team with the best backup man will prevail, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers may be about to find out how theirs measures up.

Even as injured starter Drew Willy was being examined by doctors in Winnipeg on Sunday, backup Brian Brohm was flying home to Louisville for a team bye week with the full knowledge he could be about to make his first career CFL start when he returns.

Injuries have already claimed starting QBs in B.C., Saskatchewan and Calgary and Winnipeg may about to join the carousel.

Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press
Initial reports indicate Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Drew Willy should be able to return this season. — Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press Initial reports indicate Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Drew Willy should be able to return this season.

But both Brohm and head coach Mike O’Shea insisted here Saturday night there was no reason to change their plans for the upcoming bye week following a 26-9 Bombers loss to the B.C. Lions in which Willy left the game with an injury to his right throwing shoulder.

“I’m going to head home. I’ll still do some football stuff and try to stay in shape and I will definitely study this film hard. And probably get back with coach as soon as we get back,” said Brohm, who had an uninspiring CFL debut, going just 6-for-13 for 33 yards in relief of Willy.

Willy had thrown all but one pass for the Bombers this season prior to going down Saturday night and Brohm never did find any traction on offence as his replacement.

How bad was it? Well, the Bombers mustered just 32 yards of net offence in the second half under Brohm and the club finished the night with a season-low 144 yards of net offence.

Brohm was predictably disappointed with his performance.

“It’s fun to get out there and play — there’s no doubt. But obviously there were some things I’d have liked to have done better,” said Brohm, a former University of Louisville standout.

“Being on the field felt good, but I need to play better.”

O’Shea said he thought his team made too many mistakes and didn’t do enough to help Brohm.

“You have to give him a smoother ride because we’re throwing him in there cold, right?”

O’Shea said after the game he didn’t yet know the extent of Willy’s injury, but sources told the Free Press an initial examination suggested the injury was not season-ending for the Bombers’ starting QB.

“We’ll get back to Winnipeg and have him evaluated by doctors. He’ll have whatever diagnostics he needs, I guess. And we’re going to figure it out from there,” said O’Shea.

Asked if he thought the injury was serious, O’Shea first replied, “No,” but then hedged. “I’m not a doctor.”

O’Shea said he did not anticipate making any changes to his team’s plans for the next week because of the injury to Willy. “No, I don’t think so. But it’s all speculation going forward because I don’t have a timeline on how long it’s going to take Drew to get back.

“We have capable backups. And (the team) needs to go home for the week. They need to rest. They need to get healthy. They need to physically and mentally unwind a little bit and come back ready to work. And they will.”

The loss to the Lions was the third in the row for the Bombers, and a club that opened the season at 5-1 has now lost five of their last six games and are last in the West Division at 6-6.

Willy was hurt late in the first half when he was taken down hard by Lions defensive lineman Khreem Smith as Willy scrambled to salvage a broken play.

He did not return and spent the second half watching without equipment from the Bombers sideline, his right arm hanging mostly motionless and tight to his body.