ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
TORONTO – The similarities are numerous between this year’s version of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and last season’s Toronto Argonauts. Like the Double Blue from a year ago, the Blue and Gold are a team coming off a disappointing campaign with few putting much hope that they can reclaim a playoff spot in the East. Despite the doubters, they shocked the CFL during the league’s opening weekend, knocking off a very capable Hamilton Tiger-Cats squad and, like the Argos, doing it on special teams and defence.
It is for that reason, among many others, that the Argos will not take their opponent lightly when they travel to Winnipeg for a Friday night match in an attempt to begin the season 2-0 for the first time since 1997.
“I don’t think any of our players or coaches take Winnipeg for granted,” veteran CB Byron Parker told argonauts.ca. “They had a couple of injuries last year – Buck Pierce went down and Steven Jyles got injured late in the season – so I don’t think anything they do this year is going to surprise anybody. When you have Terrence Edwards, Fred Reid, Javon Johnson and Pierce, that’s a pretty good corps.”
The leader of that corps is Pierce who is the Bombers’ meal ticket. Winnipeg’s trade of Steven Jyles to Toronto solidified Pierce as the number one pivot but his well documented injury history is always in the back of head coach Paul LaPolice’s mind.
Pierce poses a unique challenge for Parker and the Argos defence who are all too aware of what he can do but have seen limited game action with the former B.C. QB. Dating back to his days with the Lions, Pierce has only played in two complete regular season games against the Boatmen which has forced the Argos to base their preparation a bit more on film rather than past experience.
“I don’t think any of our players or coaches take Winnipeg for granted. They had a couple of injuries last year so I don’t think anything they do this year is going to surprise anybody.”
– Argos CB Byron Parker
“It’s always hard going up against a guy that you don’t have a lot of experience against, but he has been playing in the league for some time now so we know what he is capable of doing,” Parker said. “When you have someone like him that has the will to win and sacrifices his body at the most important position on the field, he is always a dangerous player.”
The Bombers’ signal caller will be going up against an Argos defence that will have a new signal caller of their own as second-year defender Ejiro Kuale steps in at middle linebacker in place of an injured Jason Pottinger. Pottinger injured himself last week in Calgary and it will be up to Kuale, Canadian Tristan Black and rookie Anthony Cannon to help fill the void by committee.
Pottinger’s injury allows veteran non-import Mike Bradwell to see his first action of 2011. Bradwell has healed from a hamstring problem that kept him on the sidelines for the majority of training camp.
The Argos were 3-0 last season versus the Bombers, outscoring Winnipeg by 25 points, and have won six of their last 10 at Canad Inns Stadium.
Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday night and fans can watch the game on TSN, listen on TSN Radio 1050 or follow the game live via Game Tracker on argonauts.ca.