-8.6°C Not observed 
WINNIPEG - Buck Pierce was trying to stay positive about his football future, even as he wore a brace on his dislocated elbow.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback met with the media Wednesday after suffering the injury late in Sunday's 27-23 loss to Saskatchewan.
"I’ve had a lot of things happen to me in my career that are out of my control and I’ve learned that you can either take it a few different ways," said Pierce, whose career has been marred by injuries.
"You can take it as a negative and beat yourself up about it and listen to everybody tell you that you can’t do it anymore, but I choose to take the other road and stay positive and it’s led me to where I am today.
"I think I’m a better person for that and I’ll continue to stay positive and continue to stay around the team and help us improve in any way that I can."
The six-year CFL veteran hasn’t ruled out a return to the field this season.
"I think it’s too early to tell," Pierce said. “There’s still a lot of football left.
"I’m looking at the Grey Cup date still so that gives me quite a bit of time still (to heal)."
Pierce, 28, added that doctors found a bone chip from the humerus and more tests will be done to see if there’s other damage and whether he needs surgery.
The injury happened when Pierce fell and his throwing elbow banged against a Saskatchewan player's helmet.
"It was a fluke thing and very unfortunate that it happened," Pierce said.
Steven Jyles will start in his place when the 2-7 Bombers host 6-3 Saskatchewan in a soldout rematch Sunday in Winnipeg.
"My heart goes out for (Pierce) because he cares about the club, he cares about the community, he cares about competing and the players respond to him," Winnipeg head coach Paul LaPolice said. "It’s just unfortunate for him because he’s a quality kid and a great pro."
LaPolice said the recovery time of such an injury is usually at least six or seven weeks.
"We can put him on the injured (list) for a week or two, we can put him on nine-games (injured list)," LaPolice said. "We’ll make that decision at the end of the week with (GM Joe) Mack."
If Pierce goes on the nine-game list, his salary won’t count against the cap. Teams can also remove one player off the nine-game list early in each half of the season.
It's the second time this season Pierce has been injured, and fourth time over the past two years.
The injuries have been to four different areas of his body.
Pierce sprained his right knee earlier this season and missed a total of four games. He's started five games and only finished two with one win.
Last year with the B.C. Lions, he played 12 games. He suffered a concussion after the first seven games of the season, returned for five and then an injury to his non-throwing shoulder in October ended his season.
In his last 27 starts, he's left the game 10 times because of injury.
He was released by the Lions in March and signed by Winnipeg the following month after the CFL team checked out his health and decided to take a chance on him.
Jyles called Pierce’s injury a "freak accident."
"I feel sorry for him because that’s something you can’t control," said Jyles, a fifth-year backup in the league.
Yet he can’t help but look forward to moving into the starting role on a more permanent basis.
"I’m not coming fresh off the bench," said Jyles, who’s completed 92 of 147 pass attempts for 1,309 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions this season.
"I got to play a couple games and get a little chemistry with the guys. Going into the starting role is pretty much just playing football like I’ve been doing for the previous weeks."
Jyles has also fumbled five times and lost three of those.
Receiver Terrence Edwards said they’re lucky to have Jyles and he hopes Pierce’s injury inspires the team.
"When one of your brothers goes down, you try to pick it up," Edwards said.
"Everybody’s got to pick their game up. I think Jyles is going to come in and pick his game up and we’re going to rally around Jyles and get some of these wins for Buck."
The Bombers are also seeking to add a well-known face to their offence.
Assistant GM Ross Hodgkinson said he talked on the phone Wednesday with Canadian running back Jesse Lumsden.
The former first-round draft pick of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats hasn't played since injuring his shoulder in the first game of the 2009 season while with the Edmonton Eskimos.
Hodgkinson said Lumsden wants to hit the field again and talks will continue once Lumsden returns to Ontario on Thursday and deals with some personal commitments.
No offer has been made to Lumsden, who competed in bobsled at the 2010 Olympics.
"Based on his injury history with his shoulder, that has to be resolved," Hodgkinson said.
"Whether he’s in shape to play football, that has to be resolved. Whether we can come to a contractual agreement, that has to be resolved."
Notes – The Bombers added running back Chris Garrett to the practice roster Wednesday. The five-foot-eight, 185-pound Ohio State product is known for his kickoff returns.
