Sep
New Bomber QB might play in Banjo Bowl
Courtesy Winnipeg Free Press:
CASEY BRAMLET called an old teammate from Wyoming the other night, dialing up Brock Ralph for the 4-1-1 on Winnipeg, the Blue Bombers and what kind of opportunity awaited him should he venture north to the CFL.
What he may not have known –
at least until his arrival Wednesday
afternoon — is any time a new
quarterback arrives in town it sparks
debate, it draws cameras and reporters
to the scene and makes the incumbents
nervous.
Most of all, in Bomberland it always
prompts this question: has the organization
found the man who can help
end an 18-year Grey Cup drought?
“You don’t bounce around as many
NFL teams as he has without somebody
thinking, ‘Hey, there’s a skill
set there that we need to see,’” said
Bomber head coach Mike Kelly of
the newest pivot. “And, obviously, he
played very well in (NFL) Europe
and was MVP of the World Bowl. We
want to take a look at some people as
we’re going down the stretch here and
we felt that he fit some of the criteria
we were looking for. And so, we get
him in here and take a look. Nothing
is better than seeing a guy first-hand,
rather than watching film.”
Bramlet’s arrival comes after a
Labour Day Classic loss to Saskatchewan
in which starter Michael Bishop
threw for a season-high 329 yards and
one score, but was also intercepted
three times. It also comes a day after
Stefan LeFors had his non-throwing
shoulder examined and was very limited
in practice amid speculation he
may have his season shut down and be
placed on the nine-game injured list.
“I’m excited to be up here,” said
Bramlet. “I know a couple guys on
the team… Brock Ralph and I played
with coach (Manny) Matsakis before
and so when they called I jumped at
the opportunity to learn the game and
see what happens. I’m more of a passing
quarterback. I like to get out and
throw the ball and that’s another good
reason why I think the CFL could be
a good fit for me. I’m excited to come
out and show them what I can do.”
A three-year starter at Wyoming,
Bramlet holds a handful of school career
passing records. He’ll spend the
next few days cramming about the
CFL and the Bomber offence and, depending
on LeFors’ immediate status,
may even be in uniform on Sunday for
the Banjo Bowl rematch against the
Roughriders.
“I’m coming in right now and just
doing everything I can to get an opportunity,”
said Bramlet, 28. “And if
they give me a chance I’ll do everything
I can to take that opportunity.
But if not I’m here to learn the game
and improve as a quarterback.
“I’m not a guy that’s going to come
in
and try to cause controversy. But
I’m going to come in and do everything
I can to be as good a player as
I
can so that if they do call on me I’ll
be ready.”
Meanwhile, LeFors confirmed Wednesday
after practice that he did have
an
MRI on his right shoulder earlier
this week. The club is still waiting for
the results, but LeFors said he was
still experiencing some pain which
first appeared after the season-opening
loss in Edmonton.
“I just woke up the day after and it
felt funny,” LeFors said. “I just thought
it
was one of those things were something
went wrong and that it would
go away. But it just continued to stay
the same. The Hamilton hit (where
he was lit up by Tiger-Cat linebacker
Otis Floyd) may have worsened it. We
rehabbed it. We’ve taken all the steps
we could have taken and it’s not getting
any better so we’re going to keep
working on it and see what this MRI
says and go from there.
“If it’s something that needs to be
fixed… obviously, I want it to be fixed.
I don’t want to keep going on with
pain in my shoulder. If it affects my
everyday life I need to get it fixed and
move on and if that means I’m done
for the season, I’m done.”
ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca
The straight goods on Bramlet
On Wednesday we gave you the SI.com scouting report on Bramlet prior
to the 2004 draft (he was selected in the seventh round by Cincinnati). Today,
an insider’s view: Brock Ralph played four years with Bramlet at Wyoming
before the two took different routes to pro football. Ralph came to the
CFL, Bramlet bounced around NFL Europa and a number of NFL teams.
Brock’s take:
“He’s a big, tall, strong quarterback. He moves pretty good for a 6-4
guy. He’s got long limbs, long arms… that’s one of his strengths, his arm
strength. He can really whip that thing, he’s got a great deep ball which
suits the big field. He’s smart quarterback who makes good decisions and
reads well. I haven’t seen him for a couple of years so I’m interested to see
how he’s grown and I’m sure he’s improved.
“He’s always been a guy who had the raw tools to play at the next level
and that’s why he’s continued to play all this time. We’ll see how he adapts
to this game and how long it takes him to figure out the differences here. I
was trying to get him up to Hamilton two or three years ago (when Ralph
was with the Ticats) but he wasn’t ready to do that. I got an unexpected
phone call the other day and I guess he thought the time had come.”
