Turning a mess into a Monet

Picture fuzzy now, but will be clear in three weeks

By: Ed Tait Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Monday, Jun. 8, 2009

Glance at the 70 or so men gathered on the field trying to earn future paycheques with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the snapshot is more than a little fuzzy.

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Glance at the 70 or so men gathered on the field trying to earn future paycheques with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the snapshot is more than a little fuzzy.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/06/2009 (6264 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Glance at the 70 or so men gathered on the field trying to earn future paycheques with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the snapshot is more than a little fuzzy.

In fact, with so many new mugs and so many different faces in different places it can be like staring at one of those crazy 3-D illusions to try and uncover a hidden image.

What will this outfit look like in nine days when it takes to the field for its first pre-season tilt against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on June 17?

BORIS MINKEVICH
New Blue Bombers quarterback hopeful Richie Williams was an interested observer during Sunday’s practice at Canad Inns Stadium. — BORIS MINKEVICH New Blue Bombers quarterback hopeful Richie Williams was an interested observer during Sunday’s practice at Canad Inns Stadium.

Good question.

And who will be starting at any number of open spots on the depth chart when the regular season opens on July 2 in Edmonton is perhaps an even juicier query.

With that in mind and with the Blue Bombers taking the field for the first time Sunday — the afternoon practice drew roughly 2,500 spectators — we thought we would toss together a handy-dandy five-minute guide to training camp for those of you, like me, with particularly short attention spans…

THE FOUR most intriguing positional storylines:

"ö Who is the No. 1 QB? — Pretty safe to say this is Stefan LeFors’ job, period. But the arrival of former Tiger-Cat Richie Williams — he was a spectator at the afternoon practice — makes him now the most experienced QB in camp.

James Kilian has had a solid four days, Darrell Hackney has a howitzer for a right arm while Bryan Randall remains the most intriguing prospect.

"ö Is there a kicker in the house? — Tough to tell on Sunday, as both Dan Giancola and Alexis Serna were apparently nursing groin injuries. While the club says the injuries are legit, we think they’re bending the rules to get a look at other players and still stay under the proper training camp numbers.

"ö Who plays offensive tackle? — If Obby Khan gets his game back and Kelly Bates and Brendon LaBatte are steady at guard then the biggest question marks on the O-line are who replaces Dan Goodspeed and Alexandre Gauthier.

"ö And the starting five in the secondary are…?

We asked a Bomber staffer Sunday for a quick guess and got this response: ‘Way too early.’ The holdovers are safety Ian Logan, Jovon Johnson and Willie Amos, but they’d be advised not to unpack just yet… especially given the new regime’s penchant for change.

The new QB…

HERE’S what head coach Mike Kelly likes about new QB Richie Williams:

"His ability to attack the flank, his mobility, his ability to put pressure on a defence with his feet. This isn’t any indication that we’re not pleased with what we have here so far, it’s just an indication of let’s get another arm in here, let’s take a look at this guy and relieve some of the throws on the other guys and see what we’ve got here."

FYI

"ö DB Lenny Walls remains at home as the Bombers negotiate a new deal with him. The talks aren’t acrimonious, and he’s expected to be here soon. He was acquired in a deal with Calgary last month and is expected to push for starting work in the secondary.

"ö Safety Ian Logan had his contract extended on Sunday. Logan, 26, earned the starting job last year after Week 7 and then started the next 11 games.

"ö Among the walking wounded: LB Siddeeq Shabazz (ankle); K Dan Giancola (groin); K Alexis Serna (groin); DB Brady Browne (flu); OL Mike Morris (ankle); WR Kyle Smith (hamstring); DB Darrius Battles (foot); OL Ryan Donnelly is expected later in the week, after he finishes dealing with personal matters. He has been placed on the reserved/retired list. DB/LB Jonathan Hefney finally has his passport and is said to be en route.

"ö Ex-Bomber DB Anthony Malbrough has not reported to the Edmonton Eskimos and that may affect the deal that sent him west. The future considerations in that deal was OL Kelly Butler and if he makes the team and plays, the Bombers may have to surrender a conditional draft pick.

"ö Former Bison receiver Terry Firr, drafted by Montreal last year, may get a look-see from the Bombers later in camp.