Blue camp feels like destiny

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/06/2009 (6149 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brady BROWNE is a big believer in fate, that notion that certain things happen for a reason.

It may sound quaint. It may be a bit ‘out there’ but Browne is convinced he’s here at the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ rookie camp because it was simply meant to be.

Couple in the fact that as he takes his turns at safety and glances towards the line of scrimmage he sees an old teammate from the University of Manitoba in defensive tackle Donald Oramasionwu and, well, the stars must just be aligning right for the likable Maple Ridge, B.C., product.

"How do you pronounce Don’s last name? I just call him ‘Donny O’ or ‘Donny Alphabet’," began Browne Thursday. "The last time I played with him, our last game, was when we won the Vanier (2007). It’s pretty surreal when I’m back there and I see him lining up in front of me like two years ago. It’s a nice feeling.

"You have to understand something, when I came out of the combine last year I really wanted to be drafted by the Bombers because when I was with the Bisons I always pictured myself playing with them. It didn’t happen, but it was good to go back home to B.C. (the Lions drafted him 38th overall in 2008).

"And then when I signed with Saskatchewan this winter it was like, ‘OK, I’m getting closer’ and then I get a phone call after the trade (he was part of the Dan Goodspeed deal) and they say, ‘You’re a Winnipeg Blue Bomber.’ All I could think of was, ‘This is perfect.’ It took a year, but the wait was definitely worth it and I’m loving every minute of it."

This, in a nutshell, is Browne. He greets you with a robust handshake that threatens to pull your arm from its socket. And his enthusiasm, both on the field and off, is so overflowing you swear he’s on a Red Bull-only diet.

Then there’s Oramasionwu, the quiet, hulking defensive tackle product born and bred and football-trained here at Kelvin High School and the U of M.

But make no mistake, Oramasionwu is just as eager to crack the Bombers’ roster as Browne, he just doesn’t express it in 300-word sentences and at 78 r.p.m.

"I’m a big-time Bomber fan," explains Oramasionwu, a fifth-round selection by the Bombers in 2008, who attended camp a year ago before returning to school.

"I came to a bunch of Bomber games growing up with my dad… some of these guys I’ve been watching for awhile, like Doug Brown. It’s a treat to have a guy like him and learn from him in camp.

"Last year there was a lot of that ‘pinch me’ feeling. I remember last year after rookie camp it was like, ‘Oh man… I’m actually practising with these guys,’ but it wore off after the first couple of practices.

"This year I know those guys so I just want to go out there and get the job done. Now it’s just me. Now I’m not like a little kid with the deer-in-the-headlights look anymore. This is where I want to be and this is what I want to do.

"I’m excited. I’m trying not to let these guys down. They have such high expectations for me and so I’m just trying to live up to them as best I can and learn from (D-line) coach Harris. I’m in the best situation I can be."

Eager

That’s the interesting sidebar to this little tale — Oramasionwu, the son of Nigerian immigrants who calls himself part-Nigerian, and Browne, a B.C. kid who went to school here, consider themselves local. Both diehard Bomber fans, both eager to wear Blue and Gold.

"I just made so many friends when I was here," said Browne. "Winnipeg was my home for five years. When you live here and win a national championship here and you make so many friends away from football… I just want to be in this kind of football-type community.

"And to top that off being here with Donny O now… our lockers are right beside each other in the locker-room. We trained here in the off-season because I was here and we’re also rooming together at the hotel. It’s like we’re on the road again. I can’t ask for a better situation right now. The only thing better would be for both of us to make this team."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Local boys make good?

HERE’S head coach Mike Kelly’s take on the two Bison products on the field in rookie camp (Winnipeg product Neil Ternovatsky reports with the vets on Sunday):

On Oramasionwu:

"I’ve done research on him and gotten opinions on him from as many people as I can. It’s hard to find anybody who has a bad thing to say about the guy. I’m looking forward to seeing him progress and grow. He certainly hustles when he’s out there."

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On Browne:

"Brady Browne has been pretty impressive for the last few days. I don’t want to get overly excited at this stage — let’s see what happens when the other guys come in — but there’s no question he has a passion for making this club right now. That’s been evident and that’s what we’re looking for."

On homegrown talent:

"You go back to the old days with Stan Mikawos and Chris Walby and it’s important to have those local guys. That’s part of the Canadian Football League culture, having local guys or guys that maybe played for the University of Manitoba. They’re people that have some respect and roots in this community. That’s important to me. There were times in my previous stint here that there were so many guys in town. That added to the brotherhood that we had and I’d like to see that continue to grow. We’ll always keep our eyes open for homegrown Manitoba talent."