Berry prepares for Alouettes
Mon, June 12, 2006
There will be some jockeying for position this week, but the toughest decisions are already in the rearview mirror.
Doug Berry handed out the pink slips and now it's time to focus on his first CFL regular season game as the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, which comes this Friday at Molson Percival Stadium against the Montreal Alouettes.
"The competition faze is technically over," said Berry. "Something may happen in a game or after a game and you'll say 'maybe we need to re-evaluate or re-assess' but as of right now, the guys we're going to practise with this week are going to play."
Running back Henri Childs beat out former NFLer Onterrio Smith for a roster spot, but will have an MRI today to get a better diagnosis of the knee injury he suffered in Thursday's 30-15 pre-season loss to the Alouettes. It's believed Childs could be out from two-to-three weeks.
Ron Ockimey and Donnavan Carter must sort out who starts at safety and linebacker, but essentially the starters on both sides of the ball have been determined.
There could still be a couple of players who were cut on Saturday that suit up on Friday. The 46-man roster must be pared down to the 42 individuals who will travel to la belle province.
NEEDS POLISH
When asked what part of his team needs the most polish before Friday, Berry gave a clear and concise answer.
"We've been moving guys around so much on the offensive line and those guys have not had a chance to interact with each other," he said. "That's one area we need to identify who the five starters are and let them start playing together."
The starting offensive line will be non-imports Obby Khan, Matt Sheridan, Mike Abou-Mechrek, Val St. Germain and import Dan Goodspeed.
Albert Johnson III, who has done an excellent job in his second go-around with the Blue and Gold, is expected to open the season as the designated import returner but should also see some time at receiver.
General manager Brendan Taman said the roster is much improved to the one that finished the disastrous 2005 campaign.
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More work for Blue
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are about to embark on a new season under a new head coach in a new division this week, but they are still nervous about several areas of the reworked club.
In fact, the Bombers will not finalize the roster that will take on the Alouettes in Montreal on Friday until Wednesday.
"For the most part, we think we're there," Bombers GM Brendan Taman said yesterday. "But there are still some uncertainties in some positions. The safety spot is an issue and so is the punting game."
Not exactly a ringing endorsement as the Bombers prepare to take on Montreal, Toronto and Hamilton in their new surroundings in the East.
OUTBID
Taman got outbid for the services of safety Richard Karikari by Montreal and lost Mike Crumb to retirement on the eve of training camp. New head coach Doug Berry is still experimenting with safeties, although converted import linebacker Ron Ockimey has the edge over rookie Ian Logan. Yet, Taman did not rule out attempting to acquire a proven CFL safety.
"But we're not desperate," he said.
After losing Jon Ryan, the CFL's best punter last season, to the NFL, the Bombers tried to bring in Duncan O'Mahony to challenge placekicker Troy Westwood for the punting chores. They are still waiting to hear from O'Mahony. Taman then brought in an American punter, Brian Claybourn, to battle Westwood -- with unsatisfactory results.
"Neither one looks like an all-star," Taman said.
Although the outside linebacker positions will also seem worrisome as long as Kyries Hebert remains suspended, Taman seemed unconcerned. In fact, he sung sweet praises of Ike Charlton, and Donnavan Carter is a proven veteran.
But, by far, the most dramatic upgrade has been in the secondary. You know, the one that surrendered the most yards passing in CFL history last season. Proven CFL veterans Anthony Malbrough and Kelly Malveaux are expected to start at the halfback spots that had been so troublesome last season, and cornerback Omar Evans looks to be in all-star form. Stanford Samuels has also taken an edge over veteran cornerback William Fields, who remains on the roster.
"Last year, they were tagged with being so bad that they couldn't function but I never thought that we were really that bad," Taman said. "There were other reasons for all that yardage. But yeah, I believe we've improved drastically there."
The defensive line might miss the leadership of retired defensive tackle Joe Fleming but Ron Warner has returned from the NFL and that front four could become the best in the CFL.
Offensively, the O-line is supposed to be better, yet Berry bemoaned its poor pass-blocking in Thursday's pre-season match in Montreal. And without proper pass protection in the new-look Winnipeg offence, it won't matter much who is at the controls. Which, of course, brings us to Kevin Glenn. In the CFL, battles are won and lost based on the performance of the team's offensive leader. Although Glenn had good stats last year, the Bombers were only 5-13. And he seems to have hung on to his starting job by process of elimination rather than stimulation.
"Kevin Glenn's fine," Taman assured. "I thought he actually played quite well the other night in Montreal."
Although Taman will be scouring the lists of other teams' castoffs, he is not seeking another quarterback.
"Right now, we're pretty good with what we have," Taman said, looking at the big picture.
But open the campaign 0-4 and that will change in great haste.
