Nov
Roberts won’t suit up Friday night against Als
Courtesy Winnipeg Sun:
Now you see him, now you don’t.
Injured Winnipeg tailback Charles (Blink) Roberts appeared in full gear at yesterday’s practice. But, after running a bit and a meeting with Blue Bombers head coach Doug Berry, Roberts departed.
“I had a conversation with Charles and I wanted him to understand where we’re coming from,” Berry said. “Charles is a very competitive person as you know. He wants to be able to play. He’s motivated by individual performance; he’s motivated for the team as well. He really was trying to do everything as humanly possible to be a significant factor for us this week.
“It’s more important, from my point of view, that he knows that, as much as we’d like to have him this week, we need him the week after. I think Charles just took a step back, assessed his situation … He knows his body better than any of us and he knows whether he’s able to come out and perform to the highest level that he’s capable of because Charlie doesn’t want to be at 80%. He’ll be able to demonstrate that he is who he is and be going at 100% (in the ensuing game). I had a premonition that I didn’t think he was going to be ready. Now he knows , too, that he is not going to be ready.”
Roberts, who is suffering a thigh bruise, left the facility without speaking to reporters. Running back Fred Reid will replace Roberts again when Winnipeg plays host to the Montreal Alouettes tomorrow night.
DEFENDING QB: Meanwhile, Berry defended quarterback Kevin Glenn, whose numbers have been sinking while the Bombers were dropping four of their last six outings.
“In some games, (quarterbacks) are unstoppable,” Berry said. “When they’re on fire, whatever a defence does, it doesn’t matter. Henry Burris, a couple of weeks ago when we played Calgary, was on fire that day … Kevin Glenn has been part of several of those games. When a quarterback is playing like that, it’s above the norm.
“When Kevin Glenn is average, I think that’s good. But when he’s on fire, we all go, ‘Wow! Is he unbelievable.’”
But it is impossible to maintain that over an 18-game season.
“The more that people do, the more you expect from them and sometimes that’s not justified,” Berry said. But overall, I’ve been really pleased with (Glenn) over the 17 games this season.
“There’s all kinds of things that factor in on a quarterback’s performance on a given day. He could be on the top of his game and we might drop seven passes. Hmm, does that sound familiar?”
PACK LONGJOHNS: Montreal Alouettes, take note, the Bombers practised in the shivering cold and snow yesterday.
“It’s 16 there (Montreal yesterday) and snowing here, that’s great,” Berry relished.
HASHMARKS: Bomber SB Milt Stegall won the Ed Kotowich Good Guy Award for combining football ability, team camaraderie and extraordinary effort in the community for a second time … Although DB Davin Bush (ankle) is healthy, he will not start in the secondary this week. If he plays, it would likely be as a dime back
