Blue train in rain, energy level stays high

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/06/2016 (3401 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Rain showers and chilly weather make it feel more like early April than early June, but don’t think crummy weather puts a damper on Winnipeg Blue Bombers training camp.

Sure, the wet weather is allowing for a few more dropped balls than head coach Mike O’Shea would like to see, but the competition hasn’t dropped off.

“I don’t think it’s changed anything so far,” O’Shea said. “I like the energy they brought. They’ve done a fairly good job of executing. Has there been the odd ball that’s slipped through a receiver’s hands? Yeah, but the focus afterward is very good and you see those guys catching the next one.

“I don’t think it’s had any ill effects on us.”

Looking at the big picture after Day 4 of training camp, O’Shea said he won’t fully know where his team stands until he sees game action in a week’s time.

“There’s still so many pieces that need to be verified,” he said. “My gut tells me we got a good team, and you’d like to just see it play out that way in exhibition. But the way they’re practicing, the types of guys we have here, just the attitude around the last couple of days, it’s been very, very good.

“It feels good, but as a coach you always want a little more proof on film.”

O’Shea said he wants his offence, particularly, to be relentless in its pursuit and explosive, always trying to get extra yards and always looking to score.

“I think right now I see them as a very hard-working bunch,” he said. “They seem to have the ability to go and go and go, you don’t have to push them. You see them working hard every rep. That identity will be developed over time.”

Meanwhile, O’Shea said his contingent of rookie imports has grown more comfortable with the Canadian game.

“I think they’ve settled in in terms of each guy having settled into the nuances of the Canadian game,” he said. “That’s nice to see. It allows them to be more effective. Everybody wants to be effective.”

Who stood out? Veteran DT Jake Thomas looked impressive all morning, putting a slick spin move on a helpless offensive lineman, drawing praise from his fellow defensive lineman. Thomas looked fired up all morning, perhaps, in part, to battle the 13 C chill.

Infirmary update: DB Johnny Adams (lower body) and OL Patrick Neufeld (upper body) missed a second day of training camp and O’Shea said they’ll miss more time going forward. He said they’ll likely return before the end of camp, with Neufeld the closer of the two. WR Darvin Adams made a big catch and took a bigger fall after doing so, smacking his head off the turf just after the start of the second practice session. No update was given, but he didn’t take another rep on the day.

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Quotable: “Yeah, we’ve got more than five guys who can play, easily. We got a lot of good linebackers right now. We feel very comfortable with any number of them playing for us. The hope is we can get a bunch of different looks on the field and keep everyone fresh through training camp,” said O’Shea, answering a question about a possible linebacker rotation.

Thursday’s schedule: The Bombers are back at it this morning with another two-a-day session and an 8:30 a.m. start at IGF.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.