Whoever is flinging the pigskin for the Bombers on Friday night won't have the team's No. 1 receiver and No. 1 running back at his disposal.

Wide receiver Darvin Adams will be out “more than a couple weeks” with what is believed to be a back injury sustained on Sunday in Hamilton, while top tailback Paris Cotton will be sidelined indefinitely with a broken arm suffered against the Tabbies.

The good news for the Blue and Gold is slotback Nick Moore should be available for Friday's tilt along with defensive linemen Bryant Turner and Greg Peach. Defensive end Thaddeus Gibson won't be ready to play. Defensive tackle Zach Anderson, who left Sunday's game with an apparent back problem, will be good to go, O'Shea said.

Running back Da'Rel Scott, who has been with the team since the start of training camp, will get the opportunity during Wednesday's practice to be Cotton's replacement at running back. The Bombers play with a two-back tailback set, so Cameron Marshall will continue to haul the rock as well.

“Da'Rel is in between a Cam and a Paris, so he does offer a different dimension, too,” O'Shea said. “We liked him in Florida, he's been extremely patient through camp, he suffered an injury at the end of camp, he's worked through that, he's been healthy and ready to go, and he'll get a chance (Wednesday) to show us that he's kept up with everything playbook-wise and that he's in shape.”

SACK ATTACK

The Bombers have allowed 23 sacks through seven games.

Last year at this time, en route to surrendering a franchise record 71 sacks, the Blue and Gold had given up – you guessed it – 23 sacks.

Despite this, O'Shea said Tuesday his team's pass protection has improved this season.

“There's progress,” O'Shea said. “This last game was a tough game.”

O'Shea has always said there are many factors that go into surrendering a sack, but he won't divulge what Winnipeg's biggest problem is.

“When we go through the film, we talk to the players directly,” he said. “There will never be a time where I'm going to tell you what players I talk to and what I say.”

The head coach did admit the problems do not lie at the feet of offensive co-ordinator Marcel Bellefeuille.

“We run the same protection scheme as everybody else in the league,” O'Shea said.

STAYING FRESH

Even though the Bombers on Friday night will be starting a quarterback who has either one or zero CFL starts under his belt, they are still going with just one practice this week.

The players will hit the field in Wednesday's projected smothering heat and humidity for an hour and 15 minutes. It worked two weeks ago during a short week, as the Bombers beat the B.C. Lions 23-13 after having only four days between games. That snapped the team's eight game losing streak on short weeks.

“These guys understand their playbook. We don't have to do a lot of that,” O'Shea said. “We just have to make sure the players are fresh. They had meetings today, and they have to learn through the book and through film. The formula worked last time, and we'll make it work this time.”