Bombers heavy hitter comes back lighter

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This article was published 04/06/2018 (2706 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Drake Nevis is leaner but didn’t need to get any meaner.

The Bombers defensive tackler says he wasn’t completely satisfied with his 2017 CFL campaign, his first in Winnipeg, despite being credited with 22 defensive tackles and one sack while playing in chunks of 14 games.

Any upgrade in his performance this season will be due in large part to showing up for training camp with a trimmer physique, the New Orleans product said following the team’s 2½-hour practice Monday at Investors Group Field.

And he plans to surrender neither power nor the will to punish.

Playing close to 312 pounds a year ago, Nevis is now in a position to say, without fear of mockery from his teammates, that he’s south of 300 after these exhausting dog days on the field.

“I want to return to dominant form and stay focused on all areas — mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally. I feel so much better, lighter, quicker, smarter,” said the former third-round NFL pick (2011) of the Indianapolis Colts. “It takes a lot of stress off your knees to have a lot more explosiveness and endurance. The lighter frame is better.

“It’s about playing fast. When a run is called, you react to the run. When a pass is called, you react to the pass. Just flying around and taking care of business.”

Head coach Mike O’Shea seemed genuinely shocked when told of Nevis’s weight loss. But the accelerated bursts off the line were easy to spot last Friday night, he said.

“When he gets into a game situation where he can just unleash power… it’s pretty impressive. He had a lot of clips on the tape that were extremely physical, so he does look very good,” O’Shea said. “Whatever it was that he did (in the off-season), I think he’s moving quite well. I think he knows he’s moving better than he did last year, and we certainly liked him last year in terms of his ability to really pound on people.

“It’s nice to see he’s got a little bit more jump, a little more quickness. But we’ve always liked the way Drake can play, that physical style of game.”

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CFL trainings camps come with no shortage of excessive praise of personnel or lofty expectations weeks before the genuine season begins.

But listening Monday to Taylor Loffler, Winnipeg’s two-time all-star safety, the sincerity in his words is near impossible to disregard.

“It’s something I’ve already said to the guys in the locker room. From when I was playing football as a kid all the way to now, this is the best group of guys I’ve ever been around,” said the Regina product, who led the club with 75 defensive tackles a year ago. “Being able to have those relationships in the locker room, it definitely shows on the field.

“We’ve all sort of come together the lasts few years and now we’re able to make that final push.”

The Bombers finished 12-6 a year ago, the identical record as the Edmonton Eskimos. But the Eskimos outgunned the Bombers 39-32 in the West Division semifinal.

Loffler, the rover in the defensive secondary with a penchant for delivering some bone-crushing hits, said the work getting done at training camp has only reinforced his belief the squad can deliver a winning formula in 2018.

“Everyone is really flying around. It’s looking really good,” he said. “We are well ahead of where we were this time last year. We just need to fix up some little things, but there’s a lot of excitement right now.”

Two years ago, he snared four interceptions but nabbed only one errant pass in 2017. Loffler said his aim is to be more of a ball hawk in the coming months.

“Knowing where to go and improving those pre-snap reads will help me be in better positions to get more hands on the ball,” he said. “There’s always little things to help me get back to being around the ball a little more.”

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Making a highlight-reel play in the pre-season won’t guarantee you a longer look in pro football. Just ask veteran defensive back Steven Clarke.

The Bombers cut the Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., product Monday morning, just days after he hauled in an interception in the victory over Edmonton.

The 27-year-old joined the Bombers this off-season after four seasons with the B.C. Lions, where he played in 25 games and recorded 73 tackles, two sacks and an interception.

Several young DBs — such as Marcus Sayles, Tyneil Cooper and Mohammed Seisay — have made a big impression at camp, making Clarke expendable.

“We wanted to give these other guys a bigger opportunity. And when you have a veteran player in front of them and you’ve got the urge to play him for a half and the next game, you’re really limiting the number of reps you get to see the young guys,” O’Shea said.

“There are some guys in training camp that have made some pretty impressive plays that are getting healthy now that we really want to take a harder look at.”

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Former all-star receiver Robert Gordon and longtime executive Bob Miles are being inducted into the Blue Bombers Hall of Fame.

Gordon, affectionately known to his teammates and CFL fans as “Flash” or “Bobby Gorgeous” during his days with the Bombers, spent six seasons in Winnipeg (1999-2004) and finished his career ranked 11th on the club’s all-time receiving yardage list with 4,474 yards on 288 receptions, while registering 20 touchdowns. He led the squad with 89 receptions for 1,395 yards and seven touchdowns in 2000 — all career bests — while being named an East Division all-star. Gordon, who did some television work and made appearances in five feature films, now works as a talent scout for World Wrestling Entertainment.

“Congratulations to him,” said O’Shea, a former linebacker in Hamilton and Toronto who played against Gordon. “Obviously, he’s a very talented, accomplished receiver. He always had a lot going on and I don’t think it ever affected the way he played. He played hard. He was a good player, it’s well deserved.”

Miles enters the hall in the builders category. He joined the Winnipeg Football Club board in 1992 and began his time with the executives in 1996. Miles was elected club president in 1999 and played an integral role in the organization attaining financial stability after years of struggles.

The 2018 class will be honoured at the Hall of Fame Legacy Gala Dinner on Oct. 9, as well as at the annual Hall of Fame Game on Oct. 13, when Winnipeg host the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Investors Group Field.

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell