Family support boosts undrafted receiver at first pro camp

There are few certainties this time of year, especially for someone like Nick Adair.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ rookie receiver is trying to defy the long odds of making the team as an undrafted free agent this spring, but standing out in a hotly contested position battle full of veterans can prove difficult for a first-year player.

There are only so many balls to go around, and trying to absorb a professional playbook can, in his words, feel like drinking water out of a firehose.

“The amount we’ve installed to this point is probably three or four times the size of my university playbook already, and we’re only a week into camp,” Adair said Saturday.

Amid all the uncertainty, one thing Adair has been able to count on is the support from his family.

His parents, Lara and Tom, along with older brother Jake, have been to every practice since the Bombers opened rookie camp last week. Rain or shine, they’ve been in the stands watching on as Adair puts his studies into action.

“It’s been a dream of his, and we’ve always supported both our kids in all their athletics and go to all their stuff,” Lara said.

It’s not unusual for a family to be around for a couple of days during camp. However, it is rare for one to spend nearly two weeks, which is what it will be once the Adairs fly back home to Kingston, Ont. on Sunday.

“It’s been huge, to be honest with you,” said Adair. “I approached it in a way where it’s like, football is physical, and there are a lot of elements, and there are a lot of things you can’t control at the CFL level. So, I kind of just said, ‘Listen, obviously I hope not, but it could be my only camp.’”

“It means a ton, having them here, close. Obviously, it’s a bit of a step up, stressful environment, other stuff like that, so having them here to support has been huge.”

“It’s been a dream of his, and we’ve always supported both our kids in all their athletics and go to all their stuff.”–Lara

The 6-2, 200-pound receiver is a blank canvas, even more so than most first-year pass-catchers. Adair, who was one of the top-ranked junior golfers in the country at 15, didn’t put on a helmet until his Grade 12 season at Frontenac Secondary School.

Without any prior knowledge about the game — Lara was a competitive skier and swimmer, while Tom played basketball — all Adair had to go on was his athleticism, which shone every week. In eight games, he scored 12 touchdowns while averaging nearly 100 receiving yards per contest.

He was peppered with offers from university programs across the country and chose McMaster, where he flew under the radar for four seasons but caught 32 passes for 456 yards and one touchdown in six games last year.

Pundits figured the 23-year-old would be selected somewhere in the last two rounds of the draft, but that never came to fruition. The next morning, the Bombers rang his line with an invitation to camp.

“It’s always been a conversation,” Jake said about Adair wanting to reach the pro level. “I mean, he’s been super good at sports his whole life. But I think it really started to become reality when he started preparing for the (regional) combine. So he was pretty serious about that, and he did quite well, put up some good numbers.

“And then that’s kind of when things kind of turned from something you talk about, to something that might be reality.”

Adair credits the role that a supportive family has played in reaching this stage in his career. He’s always had a special connection with his dad, in particular.

“I approached it in a way where it’s like, football is physical, and there are a lot of elements, and there are a lot of things you can’t control at the CFL level. So, I kind of just said, ‘Listen, obviously I hope not, but it could be my only camp.’”–Brandon

“It’s honestly tough for me to talk about. He’s been more than a dad, kind of just like a best friend to me. I really look up to him… anybody that’s going to meet my dad for the first time, I just say, ‘There’s really no reason to stress because he’s everybody’s best friend.’ He takes an interest in whatever you’re interested in, and he just truly leaves a lasting impression on anybody,” he said.

“I really feel like he’s just been such a role model to me, and no matter what I’m doing — it was golf initially, and now it’s football — he’s just been there, by my side, supporting me.”

Tom gets emotional when he hears those words.

“Kind of makes me choke up a little bit, really. As parents and brothers, and family, you do what you can and support your kids in whatever they choose to pursue. We try to be good role models,” he said.

Something Tom has stressed to his kids during their time in sports is controlling what they can control. Those are words Adair has repeated to himself over since camp began.

“Things happen to your life, and you never get a chance to decide what those are, but you do get a chance to react and to choose how you react to whatever happens,” Tom added. “So he’s in a position now where he’s been selected to be part of this elite group of people, and there’s a certain amount that he could control when he’s here — that’s your attitude toward how you’re performing, and your attitude toward the situation you’re in.”

As Adair prepared for this first professional opportunity earlier this month, his parents left him with a simple message:

“Do your best,” mom said.

“And enjoy it,” dad added.

“Just go and make the most of every chance you get, and I think that’s what he’s trying to do.”

Injury update

Running back Peyton Logan was added to the one-game injured list on Friday. He will miss the Bombers’ season-opening contest against the B.C. Lions on June 12.

Logan, acquired through free agency this off-season, left Wednesday’s practice with an apparent lower-body injury and has not practised since. It’s set up more opportunities for rookie Matthew Peterson, who was picked up in a trade on CFL Draft day.

Also on the injury front, offensive tackle Eric Lofton, defensive tackle Jake Thomas, defensive back Jamal Parker Jr. and defensive back Josh Hagerty did not practise Saturday. It marked the fourth practice in a row for Lofton and the second in three days for Parker Jr.

Meanwhile, rookie defensive end Kemari Munier-Bailey returned to full participation for the first time since the opening day of rookie camp.

The club added three Americans on Saturday: defensive end Phillip Webb, offensive lineman Tyler Elsbury and offensive lineman Brayden Keim. Winnipeg also released a pair of Americans in offensive lineman Chris Walker and offensive lineman Matt Kickel.

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca