Doug Brown: entertainer & philosopher

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This article was published 05/06/2011 (5476 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DOUG BROWN had some interesting lines on Saturday as the 36-year-old Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive tackle held court with the media following the completion of team physicals in advance of today’s opening of training camp.

— On the three first-round draft picks auditioning for jobs this month on a team that has had a bad habit of trading away their first-round picks: “It’s a novel idea anytime we have a first-round draft pick. That’s something that makes a distinct impression on my memory in the last decade I’ve spent with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. So that’s exciting… I can’t wait to see those guys carry the workload in training camp. That’s what I’m looking forward to most of all. Thousands of repetitions is what those youngsters require to really be indoctrinated in what the professional game is all about.”

— On why he has decided to return for another season: “Well, my first year in the CFL we were 14-4. Last year, we were 4-14. So I definitely want to get out with something better than that awful taste in my mouth after last season.”

— On whether he needs a Grey Cup this year, which he says will amost certainly be his final season in pro football: “I’ve needed a Grey Cup for a long time…But I’ve never necessarily looked at defining my career by what fortune or misfortune I’ve had in terms of championship opportunities. We had some here and I felt like I’ve done my part, but it didn’t work out. There’s only so much you can do as a football player.”

No NHL tix for Lapo

Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice was asked if he’d gotten his season tickets on Saturday.

“For the Bombers?” LaPolice smiled.

No, those other season tickets.

“For the Jets? No, I haven’t had a chance. I don’t know if I’ll make it past today… Too late? Well then, good for them. Seventeen minutes? Well good, good for Winnipeg.”

Secondary spots up for grabs

With a new defensive co-ordinator in Tim Burke and a new defensive scheme promised for this season, LaPolice said no one has dibs on any of the secondary positions heading into camp. “We’ll see what the best matchups will be. I think that’s going to be a real good competition.”

LaPolice is particularly impressed with some changes he’s seen in defensive back Johnny Sears heading into camp. “We actually had a team meeting and I told him I felt he was a better pro this year. He was a really young kid last year. In the last three days, he was a better note-taker, he looked to be more focussed, he was better on the field — more mature almost.”

Look elsewhere, Peterson

LaPolice said he has no interest at this point in former Edmonton Eskimos wide receiver Kamau Peterson.

The 32-year-old non-import — who was the top Canadian in the CFL in 2008 — was released by the Eskimos in the off-season and is still without work this weekend as training camps open across the CFL.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca