Main Training Camp Comments and Discussion

Started by ModAdmin, May 06, 2023, 05:06:19 AM

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kkc60

it?s always interesting seeing guys like Beaulieu get brought in late. Solid numbers and size.

ModAdmin

Quick Hits | Training Camp - Day 7

Notes and quotes from Day 7 of Blue Bombers training camp...

SWEAT EQUITY PAYING OFF: Blue Bombers receiver Brendan O'Leary-Orange popped off the page a couple of times during camp on Saturday, using his speed and length to latch onto passes that would have gone over, or through, many others.

Now heading into his third year with the club, but still with just 15 games under his belt, the former fourth-round selection in the 2020 CFL Draft seems poised to take that proverbial next step in his career.

"I put a lot of work in during the offseason and I'm really excited to display it now," O'Leary-Orange told bluebombers.com after a windy morning session at WSF South. "At the same time, I'm trying to play smart and put the team first and my body first and take care of myself to get ready for the season."

O'Leary-Orange is an enticing target for quarterbacks, standing 6-4 and weighing 207, and sporting the speed to get open outside and to make the tough grab over the middle. He dressed for 12 games last year, seven of them starts and finished with 19 receptions for 233 yards and one touchdown, that score coming against Saskatchewan in the Banjo Bowl.

Over the winter he continued to work at his craft and while he missed the first couple of days of camp to make sure he could hit the ground running, his last few sessions have been solid. Here's Blue Bomber head coach Mike O'Shea on what he has seen in O'Leary-Orange since his arrival in 2021:

"Constant growth. And I think that's really important for Brendan. Physically, he's an imposing human being as a receiver - tall, thick, carries a lot of weight, but with a lot of speed. It's just a matter of time before he felt really comfortable with the playbook and everything they were going to ask him to do. That time was filled with hard work. He spent a lot of time with Kevin Bourgoin, the receivers coach, a lot of time on his own watching film and studying to make sure that he knew what he was supposed to do last year and it was good to see.

"He didn?t come in expecting it to be handed to him. There?s always that initial shock that you?re not the best any more. After that initial shock it went to work and realized there was a good amount of work to be done, as there is with a lot of guys.?

The seven starts last year and increased work load only fuelled O?Leary-Orange further. He wants more and knows to get that he has to earn it. That made this past offseason critical.

"I wanted to master the playbook a little bit more and lock into that," he said. "I wanted to become a better route runner and continue to develop my game in every aspect. I don't think you can ever not stop getting better and if you change that mentality you won't. I tried to take that approach with things and it definitely helped.

"Confidence-wise, (last year) was my first time playing in a couple of years. It just lets you know you that you can still do it and perform at the highest level. It also gave me confidence in that there was still so much room to grow. I had a limited role where I got a taste of it and it left me wanting more. It made me want to work even more and buy into the process. I?m excited to be here with such a good group of guys. I'm lucky, man."

A humble and soft-spoken man, O'Leary-Orange chuckled when asked to describe life in the Blue Bombers receivers room.

"There's a lot of big personalities in there, but I love it," he said with a smile. ?I love coming to work every day with guys like Kenny (Lawler), Woli (Drew Wolitarsky), Sheed (Rasheed Bailey), (Nic) Demski, Carlton (Agudosi), Dalton (Schoen)... it's such a mixed blend of guys and such good people. There's lot of alpha males, but no one is selfish and for a young guy like me it reminds me that this is the path I need to walk.

"If you want to be successful in this league you have to be humble, have a great attitude and just continue to try and get better every day. Working around a group like that makes it easier."

COMINGS/GOINGS:
The Blue Bombers added two players Saturday in WR Brendan Beaulieu (6-2, 215, Bemidji State) and RB Kevon Latulas (Missouri State) while releasing two receivers in Dominick Fiscelli and Michael Young Jr.

Beaulieu started 13 games last year for Bemidji State, leading the conference and finishing second in Division II with 82 receptions for 1,504 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns - all three school records. He also posted nine 100-yard receiving games and left the school as the program's career record holder in receiving yardage (3,725), receptions (215), touchdown receptions (38), 100-yard receiving games (17) and third in career touchdowns scored (39).

Latulas started five games last year at Missouri State and averaged 7.3-yards per carry and earned a spot on the MVFC Honor Roll.

FYI: QB Zach Collaros was not in attendance as he continues to deal with a personal matter... O'Shea on Demerio Houston, who is working at one corner spot opposite Desmond Lawrence with Winston Rose having missed the last couple of days of practice: "Smooth athlete, can cover, doesn't panic.You get put out on an island if you lose a step some guys, their mind starts to race and you lose what they've got with their natural ability. He's very confident, very calm out there... great demeanour for a spot that if you make a mistake it can cost points."... RB Johnny Augustine returned to work on Saturday. Jordan Salima of Truman State has been getting a lot of work with the 1s with Brady Oliviera still on the mend, along with RB/SB Greg McCrae... WR Drew Wolitarsky was back at his post on Saturday... LB Adam Bighill has not practised yet, with Shayne Gauthier in the middle with the defensive starters.

NEXT: Sunday's practice session runs from 8:30-11:30 a.m. at IG Field.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/05/20/quick-hits-training-camp-day-7-2/
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one." - John Wooden

ModAdmin

"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one." - John Wooden

NewBlue

When is the next round of cuts?  Will be some good players let go this time.

NewBlue

Are we all comfortable with a rookie QB#3 doing the shortyardage?  I wonder if we'll see Brown doing that duty to see the field a bit more?
If not, I read that Pigrome is a good runner - maybe we see him in that Strev role?  I like JJ's size, but know nothing about his abilities.  He's the baby of the bunch too, so hopefully he can stick around on PR.

Jesse

Quote from: NewBlue on May 21, 2023, 02:54:48 PM
Are we all comfortable with a rookie QB#3 doing the shortyardage?  I wonder if we'll see Brown doing that duty to see the field a bit more?
If not, I read that Pigrome is a good runner - maybe we see him in that Strev role?  I like JJ's size, but know nothing about his abilities.  He's the baby of the bunch too, so hopefully he can stick around on PR.

That seems to be what the club wants. Back-up QB and short yardage are seen as two different positions.
My wife is amazing!

Waffler

Quote from: NewBlue on May 21, 2023, 02:54:48 PM
Are we all comfortable with a rookie QB#3 doing the shortyardage?  I wonder if we'll see Brown doing that duty to see the field a bit more?
If not, I read that Pigrome is a good runner - maybe we see him in that Strev role?  I like JJ's size, but know nothing about his abilities.  He's the baby of the bunch too, so hopefully he can stick around on PR.

Pigrome seems smaller to me than listed at 5'10" but he can really move and seems elusive in the open field. Would be a great option to bounce outside. Brown is the second smallest of the backups and I doubt he would be doing the short yardage.  I guess the exhibition games will tell us what the coaches are thinking.
Buried in the essentially random digits of pi, you can find your eight-digit birthdate. (Is that a wink from God or just a lot of digits?) - David G. Myers
__________________________________________________
Everything seems stupid when it fails.  - Fyodor Dostoevsky

bwiser

Quote from: Waffler on May 21, 2023, 09:34:34 PM
Pigrome seems smaller to me than listed at 5'10" but he can really move and seems elusive in the open field. Would be a great option to bounce outside. Brown is the second smallest of the backups and I doubt he would be doing the short yardage.  I guess the exhibition games will tell us what the coaches are thinking.
I am not sure Prokop could still be in the Bombers future. I believe he can rejoin the Bombers after the USFL season is over.

bwiser

The USFL final is July 1st so there would still be 3/4 of the CFL season to be played. Maybe we will see a few USFL refugees playing in the CFL later this season.

ModAdmin

Quick Hits | Training Camp - Day 8

Notes and quotes from Sunday, May 21st - Day 8 of Blue Bombers training camp?.

ZACH'S BACK: Zach Collaros returned to practice on Sunday after missing the last two days. He had returned home to Stuebenville after the passing of his grandmother Frankie Zanetos Collaros. She was 93.

"Big Bombers fan and one of my biggest fans for my entire life," Collaros said after practice. "It was definitely tough. She was looking forward to the season. A saint of a woman. I'm fortunate that Osh (head coach Mike O'Shea) and everybody was so understanding to allow me to be home with my family."

Dru Brown had been working as QB1 in the absence of Collaros, with Tyrrell Pigrome and Josh Harris also getting more reps behind centre.

"When he got those reps he really took command," said O'Shea of Brown. "He was running practice that day, which was good to see."

FIRST TAKE: The Blue Bombers are now officially one week into training camp and here is Coach O'Shea's big-picture assessment of what he's seen.

"So far the guys have been pretty disciplined," he said. "Pretty clean in that regard... the chest and triceps aren't super sore from doing push-ups all the time (a requirement after an offside or prodecure penalty), so that's a good thing. "There's a natural progression in camp where guys get to the point where they're a little tired. We hit that and backed off a little bit, as planned. A lot of the guys showed up in pretty darn good shape and seem to be happy about being on the field playing football. It's been a relatively normal camp."

FYI:
The list of players who did not practice Sunday - a day bolstered by new season-ticket members watching - including Mike Miller, Winston Rose, Jackson Jeffcoat, Brady Oliveira, Adam Bighill, Tui Eli, Drew Wolitarsky, Greg McCrae and Jonathan Rosery. The absences of Oliveira, McCrae and Rosery partly explains why the club has added two running backs in the last week in Kevon Latulas and Jordan Salima.

"Everything has a domino, right?" O'Shea said. "Any time a guy goes down the other guys start getting more reps and then we put them into a position where they get tired too quick and there's more risk of injury. People should understand that - we bring guys in, there's a group of guys on a list that our scouting department puts together that we want to see and for the most part all these guys are part of that list, or guys we've been in contact with. All these guys that come in can play and when players get injured it opens up opportunities for other people. You certainly don't want to keep taking bodies out of the system without replenishing them because the guys that in there grinding it out, you're putting them at risk, too."

O'Shea didn't seem concerned about Oliveira, stating, "He'll be out as long as he needs. It's a long season, so (missing) this part, we're OK with." Asked a similar status question about Rose, he added, "he'll be ready when he's ready."

NEXT:
The Blue Bombers practice Monday at IG Field from 8:30-11:40 a.m. All practices are open to the public.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/05/21/quick-hits-training-camp-day-8/
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one." - John Wooden

ModAdmin

"All the potential we have here, it really is exciting"

The first week of Winnipeg Blue Bombers training camp has been a bit like settling in to watch a movie you've seen before. Make that, three-four times before.

A team with championship aspirations that returns so much of its roster from a squad that went 15-3 last year and is chasing a fourth Grey Cup appearance and third championship over four years wasn't going to head to camp with a pile of riveting positional battles or a swack of new faces as part of a roster or coaching staff makeover.

So, 'continuity' is a common term tossed around on Chancellor Matheson Road these days and it will be through the two preseason games - including the first one this Saturday in Edmonton against the Elks - leading up to the season opener at home versus the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on June 9th.

"Continuity means we're speaking the same language, not just the terminology with the offence, but understanding what our expectations are and how we want to approach every single day, whether it's the meetings or on the field," said quarterback Zach Collaros after practice on Sunday. "It's the language in the organization.

"It helps with the overall timing of things. Even with Kenny (Lawler) being gone for a year, it didn't take much to get back into a rhythm with him because he runs such precise routes and has such great body language.

"I'm just really excited for the season. We have a lot we can accomplish in this camp and need to get better at. We'll do that, but I can't wait until the 9th."

One week into camp, here's what we've learned, what we've had confirmed and what is still to be determined...

Read the rest of All the Potential... here!
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one." - John Wooden

pdirks67

https://3downnation.com/2023/05/22/winnipeg-blue-bombers-sign-versatile-rec-amare-jones-release-one/

Tavaris Harrison has been released.

"The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have signed American receiver Amare Jones and released American receiver Tavaris Harrison.

The five-foot-eleven, 195-pound target caught 60 passes for 834 yards and six touchdowns over two season at Georgia Southern University. He also ran the ball 42 times for 194 yards and completed four-of-eight pass attempts for 45 yards and one interception.

Jones started his collegiate career at Tulane where he contributed as a running back, receiver, and return specialist. In 2019, he finished the season with 1,611 all-purpose yards, which ranked No. 5 in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and No. 22 in all of Division I NCAA football.

Harrison dressed for five regular season games with the team in 2022, though he did not register a statistic. He caught a 32-yard touchdown pass during last year?s preseason.

The six-foot-three, 190-pound target caught 80 passes for 1,279 yards and three touchdowns over four seasons at Florida Atlantic University."

ModAdmin

Blue Bombers transactions - May 22, 2023

WINNIPEG, MB., May 22, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the following transactions:

Added to roster:

American wide receiver Amare Jones (5-11, 195, Georgia Southern, August 29, 2000 in Frisco, TX)

Released from roster:

American wide receiver Tavaris Harrison
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one." - John Wooden

Blue In BC

#118
Holdovers from previous seasons PR's have a tough time sticking against newbies and other previous holdovers IMO.

While press clippings of rookie receivers always looks impressive, you never know which will make enough impression to survive final cuts. My general thought was that he was in tough already being behind Agudosi and McCrae as holdovers. Lots of receivers in camp and some good ones will be released as we progress.

Interesting that we keep adding new receivers to get a look at. I think to some degree that is due to some players being a little nicked and also wanting to reduce workloads on veterans. This is the best projected starting roster of receivers we had in many season.

We might get some indication of players ( PR ) that could be retained by who plays pre-season game 1 and how well they show. Few if any will play in game 2.

2019 Grey Cup Champions

kkc60

the churn at receiver continues. I?m sure there?s a shot some of these guys get a PR spot or maybe even another TC spot later this season or next, there?s only so many position openings and only so many snaps to go around. Harrison spent most of last season here, so what he brought is pretty known among the staff.