June 5, 2016

It’s about the work. It’s always about the work in football, where every rep is counted, recorded and watched over and over again.

But training camp is also primarily about trying to find answers and putting players in the right spots. It’s also about the monotony, where one drill can bleed into another and the days of the week become a blurry mess.

That changes now, with the first preseason game on the horizon this Wednesday at Investors Group Field against the Montreal Alouettes, and the club is a full week into practices.

Asked Sunday what he’s learned about his team a week into camp, head coach Mike O’Shea quickly credited their resiliency.

“The best thing is, they just keep going,” he said. “They really enjoy being out there. We had three or four practices in some decent rain and the tempo was always high paced. The workload was always met with excitement. You didn’t hear a lot of complaining at all. You didn’t hear guys talking about being sore or stiff or it being wet outside. They just kept on going and going and going and going.

“We’ve got a group of guys I believe are talented, but a group of guys who really love to play the game.”

With the Bombers now through rookie camp and a week of main camp, here are five things we’ve learned about this crew, in no particular order:

ONE TEAM’S CAST-OFFS ARE ANOTHER’S TREASURE

Two of the most consistent performers early on in camp have been ex-Saskatchewan Roughrider receivers Weston Dressler and Ryan Smith. The diminutive duo brings a monk-like dedication to their craft, repeatedly make tough catches in traffic and have that veteran savvy to find seams in a defence that comes only with experience.

And they’ve both already started to develop that receiver/quarterback kinship with Drew Willy that is critical to any offence.

“He’s got to get used to my body language again as a route-runner and having worked with him before it doesn’t take as long,” said Dressler of his rapport with Willy. “You see it a few times and you start to get into that rhythm of him seeing when I’m about to break in or out, or whatever the play might be. It definitely helps to have that experience together and I feel like we’ve had that timing down pretty good since the start of camp.”

Dressler and Smith were cast adrift by the new Chris Jones regime in Saskatchewan for financial/age/size reasons, but they could be a boon for Paul LaPolice’s Bomber attack. Remember, too, that both Dressler (70 receptions for 941 yards and six touchdowns) and Smith (59-991-7) were still productive last year in Saskatchewan, despite the Roughriders running through four different starting QBs because of injuries.

MORE DEPTH MEANS TOUGHER DECISIONS

There were a handful of starting jobs with vacancies as the curtain lifted on camp, particularly at defensive halfback, defensive end, kick returner, receiver and along the offensive line. But as camp has progressed, different players have taken turns staking a claim to those jobs. That can be a good thing, but the club still needs someone to step up soon, especially in Wednesday’s preseason game.

Here’s a brief recap of some of those positional battles:

Kevin Fogg was working with the starting defence at halfback (Demond Washington’s old spot) on Sunday, but Julian Posey is also pushing there.

Kevin Fogg was working with the starting defence at halfback (Demond Washington’s old spot) on Sunday, but Julian Posey is also pushing there. The swack of injuries at defensive end means Shayon Green – who has remained healthy – is getting more work. But Emmanuel Dieke returned from injury yesterday and Adrian Hubbard, Sam Scott (both currently injured) and newcomer Andrew Robinson remain in the mix.

Jace Davis really popped off the page at the one receiver position, but has been dinged the last couple of days. The Bombers could implement another import receiver at either slot or wideout in LaPolice’s multi-dimensional offence.

The Bombers will likely play two Americans along the offensive line, with Stanley Bryant a lock at right tackle and the other coming at either left guard or right tackle. Jace Daniels has looked comfortable at left guard while Travis Bond and Jermarcus Hardrick are very large men who are also very much in the mix.

The kick returner gig is down to Quincy McDuffie, Justin Veltung or Carlos Anderson, and a decision may not be made until the final touch of the preseason.

OPTIONS UP FRONT

The alarm bells were clanging when Paddy Neufeld missed a chunk of time in camp due to injury, but if he’s healthy he’s a good bet to be the starting right tackle. But with both Canadian and American depth across the board here – and it’s been a while since Bomber fans could say that – there is less a sense of desperation at rushing prospects into a starting role, but instead finding the five best to blast holes up front and keep Willy & Co. off their backs.

THESE KIDS GOT GAME

Just about every member of the Bombers’ 2016 draft class, along with John Rush – voted the top defender in the CIS last year after being passed over in his draft year – has taken turns flashing something during camp.

Defensive end Trent Corney has had some real ‘wow’ moments in one-on-one drills during camp; OL Michael Couture has already shown his toughness and versatility; DB Taylor Loffler has quickly adapted to the pro game; LBs Shayne Gauthier (currently nicked up) and Frank Renaud are getting solid reviews from O’Shea; Zach Intzandt is the prototypical project player for the O-line, DL Rupert Butcher was singled out for showing vast improvement already while receiver Alex Vitt (also injured) had his moments early, too.

Now, while not every player is going to stick around, that’s the kind of haul every team is seeking when it starts calling out names on draft night.

AND, FINALLY, TRENT CORNEY IS A BLAST…

If you haven’t already, check out Trent Corney’s Rookie Journal entries here.

Whether he’s talking about ‘linebacker neck’, his desire to watch ‘Jungle Book’, that time at Virgina when he stuffed his face full of chicken breasts or his desire to make an impact on special teams, the guy is an energetic, magnetic personality. Some may roll their eyes at his thoughts, but as teams often attempt to turn their players into robots, Corney’s playful goofiness – he is a self-described ‘meathead’ – is a welcome change.

“I want to be running down on punt with veins popping out on my biceps, triceps, quadriceps… veins popping out everywhere. I want it to be so people say, ‘Wow! Look at this guy.’ I want to run down there and maybe after I make a tackle I’ll do a backflip or something.”

Trent Corney

BOMBER CAMP REPORT – DAY 8

COMINGS/GOINGS:

The Bombers added three and dropped two on Sunday.

Coming aboard were:

Import receiver Fred Williams (6-0, 190, St Cloud State): Spent the past two seasons on the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice roster after two years in the Arena Football League.

Import defensive end Andrew Robinson (6-1, 230, Wisconsin-Platteville) posted 43 tackles, 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and three blocked punts in his senior year, earning himself the Defensive Player of the Year honour in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He was named to the First-Team All WIAC in three of his four seasons with the Pioneers.

Import defensive lineman Emmanuel Dieke (6-6, 280, Georgia Tech) was with the Bombers earlier in training camp before suffering an injury. He has had NFL stints with the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins and can play both end and tackle.

Released were linebacker Duron Singleton and defensive back Vernon Kearney.

JUGGLING ACT:

Bombers coach Mike O’Shea likes the overall talent and depth at camp, but the swack of injuries – particularly at D-line – prompted the addition of Robinson.

“We certainly like the depth and the talent, but as with any training camp when you get a couple of injuries at the same position group you need to bring guys in,” he said. “We’ve brought in Fred Williams and Andrew Robinson to just alleviate some of the stress at the position groups.

“What invariably happens and what guys don’t realize is when they go down it stresses the next guy behind him. The guy behind him loves it because he’s getting more reps. But because he’s getting more reps they’ll get worn out, too. It’s a bit of a juggling act.”

OUCH UPDATE:

DE Louie Richardson and SB Weston Dressler were both spectators on Sunday. Richardson (lower-body) might still be good to go Wednesday against Montreal while O’Shea reference to Dressler’s absence as a ‘vet day.’

Still on the shelf are CB Johnny Adams, LB Shayne Gauthier, LB Sam Hurl, DE Sam Scott, DE Adrian Hubbard, OL Aundray Walker and WR/SB Jace Davis.

Meanwhile, LB Kyle Knox returned to work, further compounding the tough decisions O’Shea and his staff are going to have at the linebacker position.

“We’re petitioning the league to expand the roster by six,” said O’Shea with a sly grin. “We’ve got a lot of good linebackers. I’m very excited about that group. You’d love to keep them all, we really would. Each one of those guys, to a man, can make plays and make your team better.”

ENERGY:

Jermarcus Hardrick started games with both Saskatchewan and the B.C. Lions last season and is pushing to find regular work along the Bomber O-line this year. And if first impressions count, he’s winning over the club’s brass.

“He’s downfield 20 yards on every run play, every pass once the ball is thrown he’s downfield 20 yards running,” began O’Shea when asked about Hardrick. “He’s the first guy to pick up any receiver that’s down, he’s the first guy to run up and congratulate guys when they win a one-on-one on the O-line. He brings a lot of energy. He’s got a ton of grit. It’s important to him. He likes to finish plays and he’s got that type of intensity and mentality that you want out of an O-lineman.

“We’ll play the exhibition game and see if he can bring that all game, which I think he can. He’s a high-energy guy. There’s so much to like about Jemarcus.”

THUMBS UP TO…:

O’Shea on Khalil Bass, who made such a solid contribution last year after bouncing around the game looking for a home:

“He’s got a year of seasoning. We talked about it before, Khalil Bass was out of football for a number of years but just kept persevering, always trying to get that opportunity. And he made good with the one he got. I expect him to be better. He’s still hungry, he still takes notes. He’s very attentive at meetings and is still very serious about the game of football. It’s not like he’s thinking he’s arrived. He cherishes this because he knows what he went through to get there.”