Bombers laugh off brouhaha, LaPo happy with backups

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This article was published 13/06/2017 (3037 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After the fury of Monday’s training camp skirmishes, Weston Dressler opted for a comic approach 24 hours later.

The veteran Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver, in the midst of his 10th CFL training camp and his second with the Bombers, donned a pair of boxing gloves for the start of Tuesday’s practice, a joking reference to Monday’s blow-up with rookie defensive back Brandon Alexander. Alexander had made a rough attempt to strip the football during a drill and an unhappy Dressler, popping up off the turf, fumed about the rough treatment he had received.

Only angry words were exchanged at the time, but earlier in the day, a full-scale brouhaha involving approximately two dozen players erupted when defensive players took exception to a hit on safety Taylor Loffler by offensive lineman Manase Foketi.

“I sent some of the equipment guys out looking for some (gloves) for me,” said Dressler following Tuesday’s workout. “It was just a way to have a little fun with everyone. Obviously, things go down yesterday and that happens a lot in training… It was just to say, ‘Hey we’re all good, we’re still family here.'”

It’s becoming clear Dressler and his teammates, who wrap up their pre-season with a Thursday night game against the visiting Edmonton Eskimos, are getting a little edgy with the routine of practice and Monday served as a breaking point.

“You get to the point in a training camp where you’re ready to start for real and play against other teams,” said Dressler, who did not suit up in Winnipeg’s pre-season opener. “Obviously, we had the first pre-season game (in Regina Saturday night) but there were a handful of us who didn’t get to partake in that… You get the same battles over and over, day after day, you’re going against the same DBs… same faces every day. That’s the nature of training camp.”

Despite the tedium of training camp, Dressler said he is encouraged by the strides the club has made in the off-season and now, during training camp.

“Our main goal is to win a Grey Cup and that’s a long ways away, but at this point we’ve taken the proper steps to start building towards that,” said Dressler. “We’ve had a pretty good training camp. It’s been pretty competitive across the board.”

A CASE FOR THE DEFENCE

The Blue Bombers have witnessed some good competition for work at linebacker and on the defensive line, but defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall said the most complex battle has been in the secondary.

Newcomers such as Alexander, Roc Carmichael and Matt Smalley are pushing hard for work.

“From Day 1, there’s been a group of guys that have been, to me, very impressive, very consistent and very smart and I think they’ve challenged the vets,” said Hall. “I think the vets have done a good job. You (flip) a coin, and it could be either or. It’s going to be very interesting what combination we’re going to come up with.”

Hall admitted there is a steep learning curve for Americans still acclimating to the CFL.

“The biggest thing is the size of the field, which is obvious, because your angles are different,” said Hall. “The speed of the game, whether it’s the 20-second clock or whether it’s the unlimited motion. If you can grasp the size and the unlimited motion, football’s football. It’s easier said than done, especially if you’re playing a halfback position and the guys come running at you and they can move. With the rules of the game, it’s not like you can put your hands on them. You’ve gotta have good feet, good hands. You’ve gotta be able to move.”

Smalley, who only arrived at camp on June 3, has been a quick study.

“As far as the playbook, you would never know that he was late coming in,” said Hall. “He’s very impressive… he’s probably one of the top three as far as regurgitating the playbook.”

OFFENSIVE REPORT

Offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice was thrilled to have rookie import slotback T.J. Thorpe back on the field Tuesday after an injury sidelined him earlier in camp.

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“I like that he’s practising again,” said LaPolice. “He hasn’t practised a lot so but seeing him in rookie camp and mini-camp, he reminded me of a real athletic kid who’s got some physicality to him. He’s a good route runner, a little bit of (former CFLer) Arland Bruce he reminded me of when I saw him a couple of weeks back. He was a great returner when he was in college, so he’s got some tools.”

LaPolice was also pleased with the work of backup quarterbacks Dominique Davis and Dan LeFevour in Saturday’s 25-25 pre-season tie with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

“The second and third (offensive) group (was) outstanding,” said LaPolice. “We said all day the quarterback’s job is to put us in position to score and lead us down to scores and I thought they did that, Dan did that and certainly we’ve seen Matt (Nichols) do that. So we’re pleased with what they did last game.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14