Greenberg living the dream

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This article was published 29/05/2019 (2322 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You could say Zach Greenberg had been working a lifetime for a moment like this. On Wednesday afternoon, he stood on a sunlit IG Field and soaked it all up after a training-camp practice with a vintage Blue Bombers ball cap perched on his head.

“I guess for me, I’m looking at this as the greatest opportunity ever,” said Greenberg, a 22-year-old local product who signed with Winnipeg after a four-year career as a long-snapper at the University of Minnesota Crookston, an NCAA Division II school.

“The Blue Bombers are my childhood team. I grew up in the stands at Canad Inns Stadium and even here (at IGF) once they moved. This is kinda surreal for me. It really hasn’t set in for me yet. I feel like when I come out of the tunnel on game day, that’s when it’s really going to hit me that I’m a Blue Bomber.”

On Sunday, an early morning call from Blue Bombers general manager Kyle Walters summoned Greenberg to IGF.

The 5-11, 215-pound Grant Park High School grad views his presence in camp as the beginning of an apprenticeship, where he can learn from an elite kicker such as Justin Medlock and veteran long-snapper Chad Rempel, who is still going strong as a 38-year-old. Greenberg hopes to add 10 pounds but feels his current size is conducive to the position.

“I feel like they’re looking to the future, and it’s one of the reasons they brought me in,” said Greenberg, who went to Crookston as a defensive end but was soon specializing as a long-snapper for the Golden Eagles.

“Now it’s more of a designated position and I thought, ‘Well, I’m probably not going to live out my dream playing defensive line or linebacker or anything else. But long-snapper is somewhere I can go live out my dream and play football.’ “

Greenberg had sent film to all nine CFL teams and was prepared to wait patiently for a chance, whether it was this season or next.

IS HARRIS READY? Veteran Winnipeg Andrew Harris has been on a reduced workload in training camp, but was operating at full speed Wednesday. Head coach Mike O’Shea would not commit to playing his star running back against Edmonton.

“I think he’s ready to go, I’ll say that,” O’Shea quipped.

Meanwhile, No. 1 quarterback Matt Nichols is healthy but his playing status for Friday is uncertain.

WATCHING ONLINE: For fans not attending Friday’s pre-season game, the Blue Bombers have decided to live-stream the action on bluebombers.com with commentary from CJOB’s Bob Irving and Doug Brown.

No national coverage has been scheduled by TSN.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14