Couture ready to return to action

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This article was published 05/10/2022 (1120 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Michael Couture is back to feeling 100 per cent after breaking his left arm in Week 2.

Despite that, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers aren’t handing back his starting job at centre just yet.

Couture dressed for the past two games, but watched from the sidelines as Chris Kolankowski continued to man the middle of the offensive line and snap the ball to Zach Collaros.

“I feel like they’ve given me a good opportunity to knock a bunch of rust off because it’s been so long,” Couture told the Free Press after Wednesday’s practice at IG Field.

“They weren’t even letting me run for a long time. They just wanted to let the arm heal. These last couple of weeks have been great for me to kind of get back into the groove of things. So, I do feel ready to go.”

Couture, a 28-year-old from Burnaby, B.C., and Kolankowski both took turns taking practice reps with the starters on Wednesday.

“Chris and I are really tight. We help each other out with everything. It’s not like we’re going against each other, so, it’s been good,” Couture said.

Kolankowski has been a nice surprise for the Bombers. The 30-year-old from Etobicoke, Ont., was a bit of a question mark as he had zero starts in his first four seasons. Kolankowski, who was out of the league in 2019 and had to drive to Cincinnati, Ohio., for the Bombers to take a look at him at a free agent camp, has made the most of his opportunity.

“Chris has played real well. And we have the benefit of having two guys that can play centre and play really well. We’ll keep on looking at it on a weekly basis and keep giving guys reps and move guys around. That’s what we do,” said head coach Mike O’Shea.

Couture was chosen in the second round, 10th overall, by the Bombers in the 2016 CFL Draft. Prior to this season, Couture, who officially took over at centre in 2019 after Matthias Goossen retired, hadn’t missed a game. It’s why the injury this season has been such a big adjustment for him.

“It was very difficult. There were lots of ups and downs with the whole thing,” said Couture.

“Some weeks I’d be in a really good mindset about it. Other weeks I’d be like ‘Damn, I can’t wait to get back.’ So, it’s just taking everything in stride. I’m just happy to be back playing.”

The Bombers have given up the second-fewest sacks in the league this season (25) and boast the CFL’s second-best rushing attack with a 119.2 yards per game average.

They host the Edmonton Elks (4-11) on Saturday.

Bailey honours victim of gun violence

Bombers receiver Rasheed Bailey played with a heavy heart in last Friday’s 31-13 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Last week, there was a shooting near the football field at Bailey’s former high school, Roxborough High School, in his hometown of Philadelphia, Pa. A group of gunmen ambushed five teenage boys after a junior varsity football scrimmage. Four of the boys were wounded and 14-year-old Nicholas Elizalde was killed.

Bailey, who caught a 36-yard touchdown in the first quarter against the Riders, reached out to Elizalde family and spoke with the victim’s grandmother.

“I told her I’m going to send that touchdown football and a jersey with my number but with their last name on it,” Bailey told the Free Press. “It means a lot to me and hopefully it can bring them some type of comfort.”

Bombers sign Ti-Cats’ former nominee for Most Outstanding Rookie

The Bombers continue to try to bolster their secondary as the club signed American defensive back Desmond Lawrence to the practice roster on Wednesday.

Lawrence spent the last year-and-a-half with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats before he was recently cut. In 15 CFL games, Lawrence registered 26 tackles, two interceptions and a sack. Last season, the University of North Carolina product was the Ti-Cats’ nominee for the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie Award.

Prior to the CFL, Lawrence spent some time in the NFL with the Detroit Lions, the Atlanta Legends of the AAF, and the XFL’s DC Defenders.

Collaros and Demski top performers of the month

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Zach Collaros and Nic Demski have been named CFL Top Performers of the Month for September.

Collaros completed 73 of 108 passes for 1,125 yards and 12 touchdowns in four games. He was twice named a Top Performer of the Week during the month of September, and this is his second nod as a Top Performer of the Month in 2022. Collaros leads the CFL in passing with 3,874 yards and in touchdowns with 32.

Demski registered 346 yards from scrimmage in four games in September, including 280 receiving and six touchdown catches. The receiver from Winnipeg now has 52 catches for 613 yards and nine touchdowns in 2022.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31

Taylor Allen
Reporter

Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.

Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.