The Winnipeg Blue Bombers appeared to get a boost at practice on Sunday with the return of star running back Brady Oliveira, but it remains unclear how likely he is to play this week.
“This is my first day out here practicing. We’ll see how the week goes with me, increasing the workload, and we’ll see what happens,” Oliveira told the media.
“I’m in the best hands here. I’ve got full trust in (head athletic therapist Al Couture) and his staff, and working a ton with (strength & conditioning coordinator Brayden Miller) in the weight room. I trust them. When you have a good support staff around you and a team around you, when you get back on the field, you can play confident.”
Oliveira has missed the last two games with a shoulder injury suffered on the opening possession of Winnipeg’s 34-20 win over the B.C. Lions in Week 2. The 27-year-old rushed twice for 49 yards on the drive, which ended with a Nic Demski touchdown, before exiting the field.
In typical Winnipeg fashion, the star ball-carrier refused to discuss the nature of his injury or even which play during the drive it came on.
“We don’t really talk about injuries around here, so I’ll leave it at that,” he stated.
“I kept going. It could have happened on the first play, second play, third play, fourth play of that first series, but I kept going.”
Last season, Oliveira was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player after rushing for 1,353 yards and three touchdowns. He also made 57 receptions for 476 yards and another score, becoming the fourth player to win both M.O.P. and Most Outstanding Canadian in the same year.
While the Bombers have managed to stay stable on the ground with the combination of rookies Matthew Peterson and Quinton Cooley, Oliveira’s impressive production hasn’t been easily replaced. Nevertheless, head coach Mike O’Shea was no clearer about the timeline for his homegrown star’s return.
“I rely on Al and his staff, and the player and the interactions they have, the communication back to me about how the player’s feeling, and we keep track to make sure he’s doing good,” he said of the process. “Usually a day after a practice, the morning after, that’s when they’re checking in and sort of reestablishing where they’re at, and then we just wait and see. Once again, everything’s sort of done at the end of Day 3 when we make final decisions on the roster.”
One thing that won’t be a factor in the decision on whether to play Oliveira is the schedule. The Bombers visit the Calgary Stampeders on Thursday, July 3 before going on a bye week, not playing again for 15 days.
While the temptation may be there to rest Oliveira another game and maximize his recovery time, O’Shea insists that isn’t how they handle business.
“We’ve always worked with the idea that if they’re good to go, they’re good to go. I can’t remember a time where we — and just because I can’t remember doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened — but where we’ve said, ‘Wow, the bye week is coming on. Why not another week?'” he said.
“Al and his medical staff are so good at what they do, if they’re cleared to play, they are cleared to play.”
However, one thing that may factor into the decision for Oliveira is the team’s record. A 27-14 win over B.C. in Week 3 and a 36-23 victory against Edmonton in Week 4 have given him the peace of mind to take his time, knowing that the team’s undefeated record remains unblemished.
“I know I’m a big contributor to this team and to this offence, and I know that they need me out there, but to see them go out there and just play total complimentary football — offence, defence, special teams, everyone just coming together, playing together, and winning every single week — definitely made me feel good,” he said. “I think it allowed me to say, okay, you can take your time with this injury and come back when you feel ready.”
The Bombers (3-0) will have until kickoff at 9:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday to make their final decision.
