Kevin Glenn says his mere presence is proof positive his injured left ankle won't be a factor in the East Division semifinal.

``It's fine,'' the Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback said Saturday. ``I wouldn't be on this trip if it wasn't.

``It's one of those things that has got better as the week went on and I'm ready to play Sunday. If I have to scramble, I'll be able to scramble. No worries.''

Glenn suffered a sprained left ankle last weekend in a 26-16 loss to the B.C. Lions, but was able to practise this week and will start for the Bombers versus the Toronto Argonauts in their first-round CFL playoff game at Rogers Centre (CBC, 1 p.m. ET).

When asked if he'll need a cortisone shot to play, Glenn quickly said he wouldn't, but then added: ``If I did, that would be between me and the doctors.''

The Bombers' chances of victory certainly are better with Glenn in the lineup. Earlier this year, he led Winnipeg to a 5-2 record before suffering a knee injury Aug. 4 in a 26-11 loss to Hamilton. Glenn required arthroscopic surgery and missed two starts _ both losses _ before returning to start in a 39-12 road loss to Saskatchewan.

But after that, Glenn led Winnipeg to wins in four of their next six games, putting the club in position to finish second in the East with a season-ending victory over B.C. However, the Bombers couldn't pull out the win after their starter went down.

With Glenn certainly not at 100 per cent, the Bombers are expected to rely heavily on the run game Sunday. And with good reason. Running back Charles Roberts was the CFL's leading rusher for the second straight year, running for 1,609 yards and earning the East nomination for the league's outstanding player award.

A solid rushing effort from Roberts would certainly help Glenn because it would often leave the Bombers in second-and-short situations. That would allow him to go to a short passing game which would certainly be a lot less stressful on his injured ankle than having to take a deep drop and push hard off his plant for a long pass downfield.

Roberts has enjoyed plenty of success against Toronto this year, running for over 100 yards in all three meetings. That helped Winnipeg win the three-game season series 2-1.

Roberts has run for 100 or more yards in seven of his 12 career appearances against the Argos, with the Bombers having won five of those games.

``I hope so,'' Roberts said when asked if Glenn's injury would mean more carries for him. ``I hope that we start from the run and kind of take the pressure off the receivers and let them relax.

``If we can take the pressure off the receivers and Kevin and make it that he doesn't have to make a lot of big plays in the game to test that ankle, then we should be all right.''

Toronto linebacker Chuck Winters, who will replace injured veteran Antonious Bonner (wrist) in the starting lineup, certainly expects to see a lot of Roberts on Sunday.

``They'll definitely try to run the ball,'' he said. ``The last time we played them (an 18-15 road win Aug. 25) they also went to the short passing game with quick throws and getting the ball to Roberts on screens.

``I expect them to hold true to that same form.''

Teammate Mike O'Shea said keeping Roberts from making big plays will be of paramount importance for the Argos.

``Anytime a play gets yards, it's usually due to two things: A missed tackle or a blown assignment,'' he said. ``If we tackle like the professionals we are and we limit our mistakes, we'll be fine.

``Charles Roberts has that ability ... to turn a very small mistake into a large gain. We need to play and execute at a very high level in order to stop him.''

Toronto's defence was the CFL's best this year in fewest points and passing yards allowed (18.5 and 225 per game, respectively. But the Argos gave up a league-high 135 yards rushing per game.

A big reason for that is Toronto's defensive formation. The Argos traditionally line up with a nose tackle, two ends, two middle linebackers, two outside linebackers and a secondary consisting of a safety, two defensive backs and two cornerbacks. It's a formation designed to prevent the big passing play and it certainly does that.

But teams can effectively run against it because with just three down linemen the Argos are undermanned up front. Even when a linebacker or two are brought up tight to fill the gaps, they're lined up against bigger, stronger offensive linemen, thus creating another mismatch.

That leaves linebackers and-or defensive backs to make the tackles, but often by that time the ball carrier has already gained five, six or seven yards, leaving an offence with plenty of viable options in order to get the first down.

``That's what they do,'' Glenn said. ``Everyone has an identity and that's their identity and who are the Winnipeg Blue Bombers or anybody else to tell them to change?

``Their defensive co-ordinator (Rich Stubler) does a great job with those guys. But everybody is vulnerable in certain situations and we're going to have to take advantage of what they give us.''