Bombers ready to test talents

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/06/2015 (3762 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s tough to get a read on anything substantial during a CFL training camp. Players jump off the page, then fade. Many pull up lame, many more gut the whole thing out like soldiers.

Most of all, there is always a constant revolving door of talent being auditioned at positions all over the field. And then there are those moments — Bryant Turner Jr. explains — when everything just perfectly clicks and one veteran giddily looks over to the other with eyebrows raised at all the possibilities.

“Me and Chris Randle were talking about finally getting to see everybody come together and see it on the field,” said Turner as the Bombers wrapped up final preparations for tonight’s pre-season finale against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. “We’ve had flashes at practice where we’ve looked really good, when everything is clicking. On defence you don’t want to give up big plays because it’s a game killer. And there were times where we’re not giving up anything out there, where the offence couldn’t complete a pass, where they couldn’t get a yard.

“And I gotta tell ya,” he added, his face breaking into a wide grin, “it felt absolutely great.

“We’ve had some moments like that and so we know what we’re capable of. Now we just want to make sure it is all true and this is a chance where we’ll get to test our talent against another team.”

But let’s pump the brakes a bit. Ask the guys on offence and they’ll pinpoint the moments during camp when they moved the ball up and down the field as if nobody was across the line of scrimmage. And during the pre-season, every team in the CFL is gushing about what lies ahead, dreaming of a Grey Cup parade and wondering which finger to size for one of those doorknob-sized championship rings.

But this franchise and the football fans in this town could use a ray of sunshine or three. And while warning bells can start clanging in the pre-season, so can the good vibes. The Bombers have been cautious about making any bold proclamations, but there’s a sense something decent is being built here and that this bunch could more resemble the squad that opened 2014 with five wins in its first six games… and not the team that won just two of the next 12 after that.

“At the end of the day it’s going to come down to wins and losses,” said QB Drew Willy. “That’s the way you are judged in professional sports. On paper, you would say we’re definitely a stronger team just by experience and the people we’ve added. But until you play the games, time will tell.

“We feel good on offence. I feel good throwing to the receivers we have, the offensive line has done a good job the whole camp and we have some explosive backs who have done some good things as well. There’s definitely been days out there where you’re like, ‘Man, if we put this thing together it could be pretty special.’

“And when a vet comes up to you that has been in the league for a long time and says, ‘This could be pretty good’ you take it for what it’s worth.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPEdTait