Roberts traded for a guy who doesn't like football. 2-7 remains everybody's fault but the coach's.

One of the greatest players in the history of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, a guy who was only 13 yards shy of becoming just the fifth player in CFL history to rush for 10,000 yards in a career, has been traded to B.C. for a guy who missed a practice this season because he was gardening.

Well, he sure won't like the gardening weather in September in the 'Peg.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have traded runningback Charles Roberts to the B.C. Lions in exchange for occasional runningback Joe Smith. Smith was the 2007 CFL rushing champion, but he's had a horrible 2008 campaign. H's been slowed by a rotator cuff injury and has told the media in Vancouver that he really doesn't like football all that much. It's sort of, something he does.

Smith lost favour with Wally Buono this season when he missed a practice and told reporters — and his coach — he was working in his garden. Guess he lost all track of time. 

The Lions have been trying to move Smith for weeks and on Monday they found the sucker born every minute.

In the meantime, Roberts leads Smith in every rushing category except fumbles.

Of course, in fairness, Smith won't get the ball much in Winnipeg anyway. On a team that doesn't run-block very well, Smith won't have to carry the load. Last week, Roberts got the ball only 13 times against the best defence in the CFL. There were no holes, so the run was once again abandoned. Charlie finished with 48 yards as Saskatchewan beat Winnipeg 19-6 in one of the worst CFL games ever played. When a team doesn't bother with a running game, the defence knows it's going to pass. The Riders knew exactly what Kevin Glenn was going to do last Sunday and it certainly showed.

So in order to make a change, head coach Doug Berry and GM Brendan Taman dealt away the Bombers' history and tradition. It happens in sport, but Charles Roberts should have retired a Blue Bomber. He should have at least reached 10,000 yards as a Blue Bomber. This is a team that has lost all sense of its own history.

At 2-7 Winnipeg still has a shot at the playoffs. That's a sad commentary on the CFL, not the Bombers.

So what the heck. Maybe, by bringing in Joe Smith, it might force Berry and his genius coaching staff to run the football. Couldn't hurt.