Bombers work out newest hopefuls

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This article was published 27/04/2017 (3435 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Every year in the Canadian Football League there is a significant amount of roster turnover. With lineups constantly in flux heading into a new season, front offices from all nine teams across the league are well equipped to adjust and plan for the inevitable.

In some cases the CFL acts as a stepping stone for American-born players — and Canadians, albeit much fewer — with the hope a strong impression north of the border will lead to interest from the NFL. That’s what happened with Winnipeg Blue Bombers full-time kick returner and part-time receiver Quincy McDuffie. McDuffie tied a single-season CFL record by returning two kickoffs for touchdowns in 2016 and has since signed a contract with the Dallas Cowboys.

Most often, a change in personnel is as simple as one player being an upgrade over another. That’s a fact in all professional sports, but particularly in football, where the average career spans fewer than five years. Rarely, though, do you get what the Bombers encountered earlier this month when receiver Ryan Smith, a key part of the offence last season, announced his retirement from football at the age of 25.

Smith’s sudden retirement came as a surprise to the Bombers, who certainly had him repeating as a key fixture in their air attack this year. Such is life in the CFL, where finding a replacement at any position is often only a phone call away, with dedicated scouting staffs working year-round to combat the collateral damage of the unpredictable.

The Bombers also feel they are deep enough at receiver, a confidence likely boosted by the signing of Kenny Stafford in free agency.

“If Ryan Smith isn’t playing for us we’ve got… there can be the possibility of four of the five receivers out there having CFL experience,” Bombers offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice said between workouts on Day 2 of spring mini-camp Thursday at Investors Group Field. “I don’t think it’s that big of deal.”

LaPolice has coached in the CFL for 14 seasons, with much of that time being spent as an OC, but it’s not the first time he has needed to rework his offence. What will be challenging, however, is finding that kind of built-in chemistry that came with Smith but has since vanished as he pursues a different career path. The same can be said for McDuffie, who, like Smith, showed flashes in just one season wearing blue and gold and presumably would have been even better in his second year under LaPolice’s system.

As for the search to replace Smith and McDuffie, well, that’s already begun.

In addition to the number of veterans from last season that will look to upgrade from backup roles to starter, there are also 11 receivers at mini-camp trying to prove they, too, are deserving of an opportunity. LaPolice wouldn’t tip his hat as to who has stood out through two days, but he did provide a brief checklist when determining those who are worthy of consideration for an invite to rookie camp May 24.

“We do appreciate guys with listening skills,” LaPolice said. “If a guy can’t handle what we put in and do what we ask… it’s hard for a guy that doesn’t have the football IQ to execute those things. When you do get your opportunities, you’ve got to be consistent and make your plays.”

In order to make a favourable impression, it will be as much about being able to adapt to the intricacies of the CFL game as it will be about flexing athletic talents.

With a bigger field and the ability to get a running start before the line of scrimmage — commonly referred to as “the waggle” — what may appear to be advantages for a receiver often can be a daunting adjustment for those who’ve never seen it before.

Buck Pierce, the Bombers quarterbacks coach who played nine seasons in the CFL with the Bombers and B.C. Lions, has seen first-hand the struggles Americans have when they first arrive to a CFL tryout. This camp is no different, he said, but what’s most telling is not whether someone messes up — he expects as much by now — but how quickly that player can rebound from a mistake.

“For a lot of guys that aren’t familiar with the CFL, there’s a learning curve,” Pierce said. “But are they making the same mistakes two or three days down the road?”

Pierce added: “You want guys that are able to run but you also want guys that are able to understand and process information and can take stuff from the classroom onto the field. Being a quarterback, seeing guys, you want guys who are going to make plays for you and show great effort. I think that’s what all the coaches are looking at right now.”

Ryan Lankford smiles when asked about his first taste of playing in the CFL, because the discomfort that comes with the transition is a feeling he knows all too well.

When he arrived for his first CFL camp with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2015, it took some time before he felt comfortable. Lankford, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., who played his college ball at the University of Illinois, said once he figured it out it became second nature.

With that behind him now, he feels a sense of relief and he considers his experience in the CFL, which includes nine games with the Riders last season, as an edge over his competition. He also knows that will get him only so far.

“I could have the best camp of my entire life but if I don’t do everything that I need to do, in my power, to show them that I can perform, then I won’t be on the field,” he said. “So it’s more than just having just the experience.”

Lankford said he was aware of Smith’s departure and, though he understands it may benefit his chances of earning a spot, he can’t be worried about who will be returning this summer. He’s played football long enough to know players come and go, but if you plan to stay it will take more than just a change in numbers to secure a spot.

“It doesn’t hurt to know there’s an open receiver spot for the taking but I think you have to always assume there’s an open spot,” he said. “You just have to be the guy to get it.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @jeffkhamilton