Crunch time at training camp

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This article was published 07/06/2018 (2651 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

And that’s certainly something to celebrate for those competing for work with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Training camp is nearly complete, with a final walk-through today at Investors Group Field followed by Friday’s pre-season finale in British Columbia. Final cuts will come on the weekend, and the team will then gear up for the start of the regular season when they return to practice Monday.

“You can definitely feel the different type of energy throughout the camp,” second-year import defensive back Brandon Alexander said following Wednesday’s workout. “You get to those last couple of days before the season starts, you know that it’s here, it’s time to turn it back up and get really excited for it.”

The Bombers’ most outstanding rookie in 2017 is looking to build off his impressive CFL debut that included 52 tackles, one interception, one touchdown and two forced fumbles. He said this year’s camp has been noticeably different from his first one on a personal level.

“It definitely is. Just because when you’re first coming in, you’ve never seen the waggle before. Everything is just going so fast. Then, you come back the next year, you look at it as you’ve seen it already. The game really starts to slow down,” Alexander said.

He isn’t taking anything for granted while competing for a starting cornerback spot, knowing much could still turn on what happens in the final exhibition game against the Lions.

“You never know until the roster is set. I would never be satisfied or content with where I’m at, at this point. And who knows where I’ll be at on Saturday or Sunday,” Alexander said. “I just come out here and bring my lunch pail and I just come out here and work hard every day That’s all you can ask for. You have to leave your mark on every play, every game, every practice.”

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Johnny Augustine is willing to take on whatever role is necessary to stick with the Bombers.

The undrafted 24-year-old Canadian running back knows he faces long odds in cracking the roster in that position, despite an impressive pre-season debut that included a game-high 81 yards on eight carries and a touchdown last week against the Edmonton Eskimos.

All-star starter Andrew Harris, along with international back Timothy Flanders and Winnipegger Kienan LaFrance, are all ahead of the University of Guelph Gryphons grad on the depth chart. That means his most likely entry point would come on special teams.

“Being a Canadian running back, I understand that special teams is where you make a name for yourself and get that opportunity. My goal, my dream, is still to be a starter like Andrew Harris,” Augustine said. “(Tuesday), he talked to us younger guys, mentioning all the adversity he’s gone through, too. Everyone has a story. Just hearing him makes me realize that everyone, even the stars, started somewhere. Just listening to the guys made me realize that even if I’m gonna start from the bottom, just eventually appreciate where I’m at. And I’m going to appreciate special teams and eventually I’ll get a chance at the running back spot.”

As for his strong debut, Augustine said he’s already put it out of his mind.

“Right now, I’m out here trying to get a job. There’s no time for a break right now,” he said. “Every day’s an audition during training camp and pre-season.”

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Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea is expecting to see a Lions squad heavy on experience Friday night. Meanwhile, he’s likely to dress a rather fresh-faced roster to help finalize the many player decisions that remain.

“Yeah, that’s the trick when your second pre-season game is an away game. How many guys are you taking? You really want to give the reps to the guys you don’t know as much about, that you don’t have as good an opinion on,” O’Shea said. “You want to verify what you’ve been seeing in camp or hopefully have guys stand out a little more and make more plays in a game setting. In this situation, we’re trying to play as many young guys as we can.”

O’Shea also reflected Wednesday on how training camp has changed since he was a player.

“I think they’re going through the same level of fatigue and soreness. I wouldn’t really discount that. The fact is that we went padded doubles for the entire camp,” O’Shea said. “We had camps where we were in pads and we fully tackled, with much smaller rosters. But I would never say that these guys aren’t sore or tired or even drained. We meet a lot, we’re out on the field a lot, we put a lot in. We expect a lot out of them. It is the rigours of camp.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

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