WINNIPEG — Running back Joe Smith doesn't know why he was traded from the B.C. Lions in exchange for Charles Roberts, he's just happy to be somewhere he's wanted.
Smith, who arrived in Winnipeg on Wednesday after team practice, was smiling and joking with his new team.
"My take on the situation (in B.C.), I have no clue, no clue whatsoever," said Smith, last year's CFL rushing leader who was recently benched in favour of rookie Stefan Logan.
"Everything happens for a reason so it's good that I'm here. I'm here in a place that wants me, so I'm happy."
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He even took a friendly swipe at Winnipeg's weather and its unofficial bird.
"I just love B.C. so now I get to come and see what Winterpeg is all about," he said with a grin. "I've been hearing nothing but mosquito talk, though."
Smith, who doesn't have a cell phone, had arrived at the Lions' practice on Tuesday when a teammate showed him a newspaper story saying he'd been traded to Winnipeg.
Before he had time to react, Lions player personnel co-ordinator Neal McEvoy took him upstairs and gave him the official news.
"You expected something to happen," said Smith, who also missed some time because of a rotator cuff injury.
After leading the league with 1,510 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns last season, the 29-year-old has 236 yards and three TDs in his third CFL season.
The six-foot-two, 224-pound power back promises to bring hard, physical play to the 2-7 Blue Bombers.
Whether he fills Roberts' small, talented shoes remains to be seen.
Roberts, 29, has spent his entire eight-year career with the Bombers, amassing a club-record 9,987 yards rushing that's fifth in CFL history. He's carried 111 times for 517 yards and four TDs this season.
The five-foot-six,177-pounder also won the CFL rushing title three times, and may have surpassed Smith last season but was injured for Winnipeg's last two games and notched 1,379 yards.
"Everywhere I go, I kind of do my own thing and I'll become, hopefully, a fan favourite," Smith said. "We'll see what happens."
While Bombers general manager Brendan Taman said one of the reasons for the trade was that head coach Doug Berry prefers bigger backs, Berry wasn't about to cast any criticism on Roberts.
In fact, he only heaped praise on Roberts, calling him an impact player who will be missed.
"Anything I say right now in defending the trade is going to be perceived as me saying something negative about Charles Roberts and I'm not in a position where I want to go in that route at all," Berry said.
"I fully appreciate all the things that he's done here. I hold him really dear. I would be proud to wear a Charles Roberts game jersey for the rest of my life if I was a Bomber fan.
"He's done fantastic things here and at some point, decisions have to be made in individuals' careers, and we made that decision to move in a different direction for this year."
Berry said Fred Reid will handle most of the running in Sunday's rematch with Saskatchewan, but Smith may play a little bit.
Winnipeg quarterback Kevin Glenn said he was shocked by the trade and will miss Roberts.
"Charlie has done a lot in this league and for this team," Glenn said.
"He's one of those guys that I'll always remember that I played with, and against, when I leave this game. He'll be a guy that I'll remember, probably, for the rest of my life."
However, he and his teammates will welcome Smith with open arms because that's what a team does, Glenn added.
"(Smith is) not new to the CFL and he's been successful," Glenn said. "We know he can play."
Notes: The Bombers signed former Hamilton quarterback Timmy Change on Wednesday, adding him to a QB list that includes Glenn, Ryan Dinwiddie and Bryan Randall... The club also released kicker Mark Myers.
