Each week a Blue Bombers player will answer questions from fans. This week, running back Yvenson Bernard steps up to answer your questions.

Yvenson,

Happy holidays YB, where are you right now?

I am in Seattle.

What have you been up to since the season ended?

I haven’t done much, just relaxing and traveling a bit and letting my mind and body rest.

You’ve had some time to reflect on your first season in the CFL, What was your overall impression of the Blue Bomber season?

I think as a whole we did good, but the most important thing I think our team had was chemistry, even though we struggled a bit, we had lots of team chemistry. We stuck together when things were rock bottom, so I think if we can lead that chemistry into next season things can be very lethal.

How do you like the Canadian game compared to the NFL?

I like the Canadian game better because of the pace of the game, it’s very exciting and non stop action, compared to the NFL game I think it’s a little more aggressive and more of a chess match strategy.

Yvenson, this season was one of the wackiest in Bomber history but being a rookie here you haven’t seen anything else, how different was this season as a player?

I mean as a player it really didn’t seem as wacky as people made it out to be but I guess Ill have next season to compare our so called wacky season.                         

You and Fred Reid seem to be quite the duo in the backfield, how well do you get along with him off the field?

We get along really well, he taught me a lot of little things about the CFL game and what to expect from the different teams defences. I really enjoyed watching Fred do what he did this year especially against the BC Lions in August.

Do you feel ready to take over the #1 running back spot if that opportunity came up?

Of course I would never let a chance like that slip away, it’s every football players dream to be the number one guy at their position. But being a duo last year was really fun because Fred and I had such different running styles and sometimes I think it made it difficult for some defences.

Yvenson, you had an amazing career at Oregon State, talk a bit about that whole experience.

WOW! I don’t know where to start, it was an amazing time in my life. The city of Corvallis where Oregon State’s campus lies is just a terrific college town. The fans are all about their football and with that I experienced some of the best moments in life on and off the field. I met some terrific individuals along the way. Let me remind you Corvallis population is 54,000 with the students there, so summer’s were brutal, it was like a ghost town.

Did having other former Beavers on the team help in your acclimation to Winnipeg and the CFL?

Yes! It was great to be with Derrick, Dorian and Serna because I practically played three years in college with those guys and hopefully we can get some more Beavers to the Winnipeg organization.

I know Mike Riley had spoken to you and other players about his time in Winnipeg but did you know before you arrived the amount of affection and respect Winnipeg fans have for Mike Riley?

 No, I didn’t know that people were such fans of coach Mike Riley but seeing how the fans just love him make me feel even happier that I got to play for such a amazing coach and person.

Yvenson, you played in the Emerald Bowl in your senior season. Months prior to it, you missed out on the Civil War game Vs. The Oregon ducks, due to having arthroscopic Knee surgery. What was it like having to miss a rivalry game of such importance? Then bouncing back in the Emerald Bowl, having 38 attempts for 177 yards and being named Offensive MVP, How important was that game/performance to you?

Missing the civil war was pretty tough especially since I was a senior and knowing the game had a lot at stake but thankfully my team played an awesome game which allowed us to move on to a bowl game that was played a month later, allowing me to heal up in time to play in the bowl game. The bowl game itself was huge for me, because I wanted to play in my last game as a Beaver and finish my season strong. I also wanted to show my teammates and coaches that I wasn’t going to let them down in such a huge game and after the performance my teammates were telling me that I ended my college career as the 6th all time rusher in the Pac 10, so that was icing on the cake.

You also had three 1,000 yard seasons in NCAA, how difficult is it to stay focused during the off-season while in College?

It really wasn’t hard because we didn’t have much of an offseason. The longest time that I went in college not doing something that contains football was like a month. College football takes up a lot of your time.

Does having the Riley “stamp of approval” add more pressure to performing well here than there would be if you had never played for him or played elsewhere?

 Yes it seems to be that coach Riley is quite the peoples champ. Everytime I meet someone they always ask me “how was it playing for him in college” and I tell them I couldn’t have played for a better coach he’s such a players coach, a lot like coach Kelly.

I always wanted to know what the Bombers eat for pre game meals. Also, what kind of housing do the players get for their short stay in Winnipeg?

 Normally it’s pasta and chicken and for a Noon game it’s either cereal or French toast with fruit. Well some players have home’s in Winnipeg but for me I lived downtown in a fully furnished apartment that I rent month to month.

Yvenson what did you think of the offence this year?

 We were just a bunch of new guys trying to learn an entire new scheme and as the first year I think we did alright.

If you were getting the ball on second-and-long, what play would you prefer, screen or draw?

That’s a tough one; it all depends on how aggressive the defensive line was throughout the game.

Fans often wonder what players do on the road, talk a bit about a road trip for you. If you guys win, do you go celebrate?

Lol well yes, winning makes the road trips really fun. I normally don’t go out much on road trips due to being really cheap and not wanting to spend my per diem. But I enjoyed being in those cities as a site watcher.

What was your favorite road trip this past season?

I really enjoyed Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. Those are three amazing cities that I always tell my family and friends about.

Getting back to this CFL season, do you have one moment or game where it kind of hit you that you were in the CFL and how rules are different up in Canada?

Actually the rules never directly affected me but the three downs sometimes threw me off, sometimes early in the seaso I would say in my head “ don’t we have one more down”?

How much did you know about the CFL before you came up here?

I didn’t know much, but I had two friends that played in the CFL last year, one of them being Alexis Serna so I would ask him and my other buddy about the rules and regulations.

So we’ll see you next year?

Yes, indeed!

Send your questions for the next Q and A (first week of January) with Bomber's quarterback Michael Bishop to bbombers@bluebombers.com Subject: Question for Michael.