Main Training Camp Comments and Discussion

[gobombersgo]

He is there in partial uniform. I heard them call him over to be part of a drill but not as a player. He looks perfectly fine. Throws and runs without discomfort. He does stuff on the sideline too on his own. Does not appear to be rehabbing. Probably being rested is my guess.

"guest coach" is a good description too.

He did some long snapping when they needed a third guy.

[pdirks67]

Love to continue to know how Wade is doing?

I was at yesterday's practice. Wade was getting reps in the middle, but it's so hard to tell if he's actually doing what he's supposed to be doing from up in the stands. He looks and moves like an athletic stud, but does he have the instincts to be in the right place, and the kind of aggressiveness (Desire? Motivation? Competitiveness?) to be a great LB like Bighill?

I guess that's the thing with all these guys - showing athleticism in training camp may have little to do with game performance. Bighill certainly doesn't look like an athletic freak, but he's got the instincts, the heart, and leadership to be a great LB. It's nice to have a great 40 time, but if you process things a half-second slower and your first move is to the wrong spot, you're not going to be much of a player. I'm really looking forward to what Wade can do in a preseason game!

[ModAdmin]

Quick Hits | Training Camp - Day 5

Notes and quotes from Day 5 of Blue Bombers training camp...

TO HELL AND BACK: Blue Bombers cornerback Demerio Houston was in the midst of a breakout campaign last summer - he had dressed for 11 games, including nine straight starts - when his season went up in smoke in a home win over the Calgary Stampeders.

Naturally, then, there is a certain amount of joy he's getting from simply being back on the field with his teammates and competing for starting work in a crowded secondary.

"Man, it feels amazing, especially missing the rest of last season and then having to go into the offseason building my body back up. It's just amazing to be back healthy and back on the field," said Houston after practice on Thursday. "I felt like I was playing at a very high level and that I had earned the trust of my coaches and teammates that I was in the right position to make plays and help my team win.

The injury was a major setback. It could have been an injury that ended my career or maybe caused me to miss this camp. The training staff and my trainers back home definitely helped me prepare myself to help me be 100 percent for camp."

Houston worked his backside off to try and get healthy again, and had hoped to be an option for the club for the Grey Cup. Watching that defeat - after not dressing for the 2021 championship - was a difficult moment. But he vowed to be a good teammate during his recovery and right up to the final game of 2022.

"I just had to make sure I was staying focussed and engaged with the team," he said. "I just wanted to make sure I would be ready to go back into the rotation if they needed me. It was hard, especially when you're not seeing yourself on the screen... it can be hard to watch others."

Houston's ability to play all spots in the secondary is one of his best strengths, as is his familiarity with the defence.

"He's in the mix," Blue Bombers head coach Mike O'Shea said of Houston. "Last year with all sorts of things going on we ended up with a lot of guys that you feel real good about in terms of putting them out there and then communicating and fitting with the group and getting the job done. We're fortunate there to have the number of players we have that we feel that good about. He's certainly one of them."

FYI: Veteran defensive tackle Jake Thomas arrived midway through Thursday's session and spent the next 10 minutes hugging it out with teammates and coaches.

O'Shea on DB Evan Holm, who appeared in nine games last year - four of them starts: "As good feet as you'll ever see on a DB. Fast. Athlete. Quick. But his feet are great."

Not practising Thursday were: LBs Adam Bighill and Jesse Briggs, DE Jackson Jeffcoat, RBs Brady Oliveira, Johnny Augustine and Jonathan Rosery.

Safety Brandon Alexander told reporters Thursday he had added 15 pounds. Asked what he's seen from him, O'Shea said:

"The usual. He flies around, he's moving people in the right spots. Obviously we can't hit in camps, so you can't see that great part from him. But he's always the leader." Alexander should also benefit from a full offseason of recovery after making his first start last year in September following offseason surgery.

"With those types of injuries, for sure, there's a point where you feel really good and you know you can play," said O'Shea. "And then another little while later you go, 'Oh, that's what feeling good is.'  Then after a year what you thought feeling good was and being able to play at six months (after surgery), that year goes by and now it's this is what feeling good is. Guys like him can play at a certain stage and then after a year it's quite noticeable how much better they feel."

PIVOTAL REPORT: Towson State QB Tyrrell Pigrome had a good session Thursday. He's in the battle for the No. 3 QB job behind Zach Collaros and Dru Brown with another rookie, Josh Jones of UNC-Pembrooke.

And here's the head coach on Pigrome: "Super athletic. Really, really athletic. When you watch him run it?s just effortless. He's gliding around. He can throw a heavy ball. He just has to get some experience, see more plays, get more reps... those kind of things. It's really hard to evaluate guys this early, especially at that position."

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/05/18/quick-hits-training-camp-day-5-2/

[ModAdmin]

"The best ability is availability and if you need someone, no matter what it is, I'm your guy."

Matt Cole began his professional career as a receiver and now calls himself a defensive back. He returns kicks and would absolutely insist his name be atop the sign-up list for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers special-teams units.

And so, safe to say if given the chance he'd also to play just about every position on the depth chart. Heck, he'd even likely raise his hand if there was a call for volunteers to paint the lines at IG Field. Canadian Football League training camps are all about opportunity, after all, and the 26-year-old Chicago product is going to make **** sure he empties his tank during this grind.

"It's been sensational so far," began Cole in a chat with bluebombers.com following Day 5 of Blue Bombers training camp. "Playing up here in the Canadian Football League I know there are a lot of different rules and changes I need to get acclimated to, a new learning curve, but I'm slowly getting there. I think I'm improving one day at a time.

"It is a grind. It really is. It's a marathon. I've only been a professional for two years, but I know that at the end of the day it's football, and all you can do is go out there and try and be the best player and the best teammate you can be."

A star during his days with the McKendree Bearcats, a Division II school in Lebanon, Illinois, Cole was first signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Since then, he's had looks from the San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets and Giants, Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, and Washington Commanders. The Blue Bombers touched base with his agent in March and when he wasn't offered an NFL mini-camp invite by May, he jumped at the chance to come north.

A receiver/returner during his college days - he was the Great Lakes Valley Conference Special Teams Player of the Year and a first-team All-GVLC as a receiver in his senior year - Cole's transformation into a defensive back essentially began as a whim.....

More on Matt Cole and his multi-skills here!

[Blue In BC]

We're down to one rookie import DB. Cole is a 2nd year player along with Holm and Parker competing for roster spots.

Cole has some versatility which is interesting but we have more talent than we can fit into a CFL roster.  Reports are that he would be a good ST player as well.

Our secondary is going to be very good. Who lines up where may come down who is the most healthy at the end of TC. A few nicks and bruises may alter the depth chart a bit in the early going.

Are any of the imports getting looks as SAM candidates to back up Darby?  Kramdi looked good as a Canadian back up briefly in 2022. Not sure if he's 100% after his injury?

[Jesse]

As waffler posted Biggie shows no signs of injury. It certainly looks like he is just getting the start of TC off. And I would expect he receives the load mgmt treatment throughout the year.

This also gives the coaching staff a good look at Barrington Wade, and at the same time gives him the reps needed to speed up the learning process.

Apparently Bighill and Brady are hurt. MOS made a comment of them not being out "long term" but that "they'll be ready when they're ready".

There's no way Bighill wouldn't be practicing at all if he wasn't injured.

[pjrocksmb]

Alexander up 15 lbs, he will bring some big hits.  What a beast.

[ModAdmin]

Quick Hits | Training Camp - Day 6

Notes and quotes from Day 6 of Blue Bombers training camp...

ARRIVALS/DEPARTURES: Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros was not at practice on Friday, the club issuing a statement indicating he was 'excused from practice for family reasons. Expected back in a couple days.'

"As many as he needs," added head coach Mike O'Shea when asked how many days Collaros might be gone.

As a result, Dru Brown worked with the starters during practice, with the other two QBs in camp challenging for the third-string gig - Tyrrell Pigrome of Towson State and Josh Jones of UNC-Pembrookie - also getting more snaps.

Veteran defensive tackle Jake Thomas, meanwhile, was in gear and practised a bit as he eases back into action after missing the first few days following the birth of his new daughter.

"I don't think there?s any other choice. We wouldn't do it any other way," said Mike O'Shea of the decision to give Thomas a few extra days before coming to camp. "That is such a big event compared to a couple practices. I would hope people would trust us enough to make that decision. If they do it the other way we usually give them a bit of crap... 'Why didn't you tell us? You should be doing this. You shouldn't be here.'"

Thomas had been in constant contact with coaches and players during his absence.

"The interesting thing is he's been texting with guys and watching film and asking questions and critiquing and doing stuff that 'GM Jake' does," said O?Shea. "He should have been paying more attention at home than watching film, too."

HIGH PRAISE: Linebacker Kyrie Wilson, who was placed on the six-game injured list on the weekend as he recovers from an Achilles injury suffered last year, continues to have a huge fan in O'Shea.

"The smart thing is to give him as much time as he needs," O'Shea said. "I'm assuming he'll be six weeks. We'll see."

Wilson was having a sensational start to 2022 when he suffered the injury, having registered 17 defensive tackles, one on special teams with one sack and one pass knockdown in four games. He also has a knack for stepping up his performance in big games - like the 2019 and 2021 Grey Cup wins.

"Over the last bunch of years, when he's been out there you see a level of play that is very, very good and rising," O'Shea said of Wilson.

"So, I don't confuse the issue and talk about the last bunch of years and all the setbacks he might have had. I look at the positives and say when he's out there he does things a lot of guys can't do.

"Besides being an excellent teammate and a smart football player he's very athletically gifted. You just want him out there for a longer period and I don't think rushing anybody back from injury and then having him go back on IR (injured reserve) doesn't make any sense. We'll see how long it takes, but we'd rather have him out there when he feels really, really good."

FYI: LB Barrington Wade continues to open eyes during camp, especially with his speed, his length and his quick study of the Canadian game.

"He's very fast and he runs hard," O'Shea said. "Sometimes - in rookie camp, especially - guys stop their feet because they start thinking about what just happened and they slow down. With Barrington, he ran to the ball hard every single play. You saw what he today he chased down Nik (Demski), went for the ball and had a lot success with it. That kind of stuff stands out. The idea of special teams... obviously he's listening because you let them know how important it is. It's nice to know he heard it."

O'Shea said he has no timeframe on when LB Adam Bighill and RB Brady Oliveira might be on the field. "I don't really put my expectations on it. They're going to be ready when they're ready. And even when they're ready we'll probably go for another day."

Neither one, O'Shea said, is 'long term.?'... With WR Drew Wolitarsky one of the players taking a breather today, draft pick Jeremy Murphy was working in his place with the 1s.

Good piece here from Don Landry of CFL.ca on Melissa Greico, who is with the Blue Bombers as a participant in the CFL?s Women In Football Program presented by KPMG.

https://www.cfl.ca/2023/05/19/landry-grieco-comes-full-circle-at-bombers-camp/

DEEP CREW: There will be arguments from other teams across the league, but the Blue Bombers receiving corps is arguably the deepest and most talented in the land. Asked after practice Friday how the corps looks, O'Shea said: "Thin right now, just because of guys getting nicked up. We pushed them pretty hard these first bunch of days. It's sort of par for the course. A couple guys need a bit more time to rest and they'll be back.

"There?s a lot of playmakers out there. A lot of guys who can find the end zone - and they can do it different ways, too. We've got enough versatility across the board, guys that do different things. They're complimentary. The group of them compliment each other very well in terms of what their skill sets are and what they bring. I would say they're all high-football IQ, they all care deeply about making sure that the offence is running well and they're doing their part for each other."

THIS JUST IN: The CFL announced Friday its first-ever live streaming platforms: CFL Preseason Live and CFL+. The details are here:

https://www.cfl.ca/2023/05/19/watch-free-and-online-welcome-to-cfl-preseason-live-and-cfl/

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/05/19/quick-hits-training-camp-day-6-2/

[ModAdmin]

"He's as advertised. Fast. Pretty good instincts."

Jake Thomas stood in front of the camera and grinned, chuckled and then cracked wise - just as he has done a hundred times before in a long Canadian Football League career that dates back a decade now. He even joked that there was $20 coming for a compliment passed along about the consistency of his game over the last few seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

A few minutes later, Jake Kelly - the club's second round selection, 15th overall, in this year?s CFL Draft - pulled off his helmet for an interview, and yours truly was instantly struck with how young he looks.

"I don't think that kid shaves yet, which is fine," said Blue Bombers head coach Mike O'Shea of Kelly with a laugh. "It will save (Brad) Fotty (Head Equipment manager) some razors."

This is the story of two players at opposite stages of their careers, one soaking up every nanosecond as he heads into a second decade in the trenches; the other doing the same while embarking on what he hopes will also be a long stay in the professional ranks.

This is the story of a grizzled vet and the fresh-faced rookie. This is the story of the Two Jakes...

And here is that story on the Two Jakes...

[pjrocksmb]

Wilson will heal up and by the fall he will be in full beast mode

[bwiser]

Wilson will heal up and by the fall he will be in full beast mode

I sure hope you are right. We all hope he gets healthy and returns to form

[ModAdmin]

Blue Bombers transactions - May 20, 2023

WINNIPEG, MB., May 20, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the following transactions:

Added to roster:

American wide receiver Brandan Beaulieu (6-2, 215,  Bemidji State, March 27, 1999 in Cottage Grove, MN)
American running back Kevon Latulas (6-0, 200, Missouri State, March 15, 2000 in Port Arthur, TX)

Released from roster:

American wide receiver Dominick Fiscelli
American wide receiver Michael Young Jr

[pdirks67]

Blue Bombers transactions - May 20, 2023

WINNIPEG, MB., May 20, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the following transactions:

Added to roster:

American wide receiver Brandan Beaulieu (6-2, 215,  Bemidji State, March 27, 1999 in Cottage Grove, MN)
American running back Kevon Latulas (6-0, 200, Missouri State, March 15, 2000 in Port Arthur, TX)

Released from roster:

American wide receiver Dominick Fiscelli
American wide receiver Michael Young Jr

I thought that both Fiscelli and Young looked pretty good out there at camp. Good hands, good routes. But they were both in very tough, even to make the practice roster.

[Blue In BC]

I thought that both Fiscelli and Young looked pretty good out there at camp. Good hands, good routes. But they were both in very tough, even to make the practice roster.

Bombers are very deep at the receiver position. We still had 5 rookie imports in the fight. Now back to 6 with Beaulieu.

Interesting that another import RB was brought in to off set all our Canadian REB's that are nicked at the moment.

[pjrocksmb]

I sure hope you are right. We all hope he gets healthy and returns to form

Will be #1d if he does