Doleful kicker emerges from foxhole

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This article was published 05/10/2015 (3746 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG Blue Bombers place-kicker Lirim Hajrullahu finally resurfaced Sunday afternoon.

Hajrullahu — who missed four field-goal attempts and a convert in a 24-23 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos Saturday and ducked the media afterward — popped back up via his personal Twitter account.

Hajrullahu posted the following message in a series of four tweets:

1/4 I know it’s my obligation as a player of the Blue Bombers Org. to make myself available to the media & although this is a team game

— Lirim Hajrullahu (@Lirim_70) October 4, 2015

2/4 Yesterday I did not do my job. It was one of the hardest days I’ve ever experienced because

— Lirim Hajrullahu (@Lirim_70) October 4, 2015

3/4 my teammates were putting me in positions to succeed and I failed.. But I love this team and I loved how they never gave up on me.

— Lirim Hajrullahu (@Lirim_70) October 4, 2015

4/4 I will continue to do everything I can to help us be the reason why we win games. Thank you to everyone for their overwhelming support!

— Lirim Hajrullahu (@Lirim_70) October 4, 2015

***

The Bombers have known for weeks Saturday’s game in Vancouver against the B.C. Lions was going to have critical playoff implications.

What they didn’t know, until the Lions beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders Saturday night, is it will also be virtually a do-or-die game for their squad.

B.C.’s win improved its record to 5-8 and vaulted them into sole possession of third place in the west, two points ahead of the Bombers, who fell to 4-10 with the loss to Edmonton.

Making matters worse for Winnipeg, the Lions have a game in hand, which means a win over the Bombers Saturday would put B.C. four points ahead of Winnipeg, plus they’d also have one more regular-season game to play.

While a loss in Vancouver wouldn’t mathematically eliminate the Bombers — they still have three games to play after this week — their chances of turning this season around would be reduced to slim and virtually none.

* * *

Bombers returner Troy Stoudermire — while still maddeningly inconsistent — had a big impact on the proceedings Saturday for the second game in a row.

Stoudermire’s 78-yard punt-return touchdown in the first half came just a week after he had an interception and a 40-yard punt return that set up a late TD against Calgary.

It’s exactly the kind of big plays the Bombers were hoping they’d get this season from Stoudermire — a former NCAA standout who by his own admission had been struggling this season until the last few weeks.

But for all the good things he’s done in recent weeks, Stoudermire also fumbled the opening kickoff Saturday, leading to an early Eskimos’ field goal and putting the Bombers in the hole before the game had barely begun.

Add it up — the punt-return TD, the fumbled kickoff and yet another loss — and Stoudermire wasn’t exactly celebrating in the locker-room.

"It felt good to break one, but I’d much rather have come out with the win," said Stoudermire.

That opening kickoff? "The wind carried it a bit, I misjudged the ball and it hit my facemask."

— Paul Wiecek