What’s good, bad and ugly

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/06/2009 (6162 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

First impressions are key in life and even more so in pro sport. A career can end on Day 1 if a coach doesn’t like the way a receiver runs a route or the look of a quarterback’s throwing motion. It’s just life in the big tent. Be ready to go 10 minutes early and still have the motor running five minutes after the last whistle.

Blue Bombers coach Mike Kelly kicked off his first rookie camp as the top dog in Bomberland on Wednesday, running about 30 players through their paces and he’ll put the same group through two-a-days Thursday and Friday.

All players must report for medicals on Saturday and main camp opens up Sunday morning.

Here’s a look at what we saw, liked, disliked and had us scratching our heads after the first of what will feel like 10,000 workouts before the season ends some time this fall.

“ö He’s the man: No matter what coach Kelly or anyone else has to say about the quarterback position, Stefan LeFors is the No. 1 man until he stumbles big-time. LeFors looked the most consistent of the five quarterbacks working out on Wednesday. The slight lefty has a capable arm, moves well and was quick to pick up his reads. Bottom line, after a winter of speculation, LeFors looked promising. But as one observer commented, “If he can’t look good against the rookies, who can he look good against?”

“ö The cannon and the barrel: Quarterback Darrell Hackney comes in at 6-feet and 248 pounds but along with his girth comes a very live arm. “No, that’s not an Adonis body. I’m not sure what kind of body that is,” said Kelly, when asked about Hackney. “But he can let the ball out of his hand pretty well. The wind is different without the Arena over there. But it didn’t seem to bother him. He can put the ball out there.”

“ö Who we liked: Running back Lavarus Giles was flying out there and could press for some playing time. Defensive back Darrius Battles made a number of plays and caught Kelly’s eye, “He’s a hustler,” said the coach. Finally, we liked receiver Chris Jackson who looks wide but has some speed and went up and caught a few balls.

“ö The screamers: Kelly tested out his pipes on a number of occasions and on one exchange blasted a rookie receiver who looked a little winded. “I don’t want to hear any (expletive deleted) about you being tired. There’s no one to put in for you.”

“ö The screamers 2: Defensive co-ordinator Mark Nelson gives Kelly a run for his money when it comes to decibel level but is a clear-cut winner when it comes to pitch. Think Nick Nolte in 48 Hours. Come to think of it, with his blond good looks, Nelson could take a run at a gig in Hollywood.

“ö Hats, babies, jerseys: Close to 100 fans were scattered throughout the stands at Canad Inns Stadium on Wednesday and folks were breaking in new jerseys, testing out caps or, in the case of a number of youngsters, getting their very first taste of the Blue and Gold.

“ö Mr. Williams, to you: Hey, you can try calling him Tyrone if you like but after getting a look at veteran defensive tackle Tyrone Williams, we’ll stick to Mister or Sir. At 6-foot-4, 298 pounds, you know he’s a big dude but when the veteran showed up on the sidelines in streetwear, well, he’s just plain impressive. Talk about pipes. This is the best gun show in camp. Guaranteed.

“ö Yikes: Punter Bradley Pierson was the only kicker on the field and he certainly didn’t have veteran Dan Giancola or incumbent Alexis Serna shaking in their respective boots. Pierson struggled mightily and for his sake we hope it was just nerves. No shanks, but in close to 20 kicks we only counted three legit punts. That won’t get it done. Here we go again, you say? Maybe.

“ö More media wars: The Bombers have a new policy regarding the filming of workouts. Cameras are only allowed to run during the first 15 minutes of practice.

Two cameras operators arrived late and after setting up were told to shut down. The policy is laid out in the club’s training camp media guide but those weren’t handed out until the media arrived. Words were exchanged between a camera guy and Bombers director of player personnel John Murphy. One media type quipped that he’d never seen anything like this in his 23 years covering the team. Murphy replied, “How many Grey Cups have you won in that time?” Two is the answer.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca