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May 26, 2016

Rookie Camp Day 2 Recap

May 26, 2016

It can be a bit of a nomadic life, chasing the football dream. It’s often about living out of a suitcase for weeks and cell phone bills dominated with call after call to agents and family members.

And all of it can become an endless blur of faces, from players to coaches to equipment guys to the receptionist at the hotel.

Jace Davis has lived this for a while now with stops in Baltimore, Houston and Denver over the last couple of years.

What the former Northern Colorado star receiver wants more than anything right now is a chance to find a football home with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

“That’s exactly what we call it: Trying to find a home,” said Davis Thursday after day two of Bomber rookie camp. “You go into every training camp searching for a home, trying to find that spot where you fit. Not everybody fits everywhere.

“I’m trying to find that home and I hope I can find it here.”

Jace Davis

It’s early – way too early – to draw any conclusions from just a couple days of camp. But Davis has popped off the page as a legitimate candidate for an import receiving spot in a Bomber pass-catching corps that already has Darvin Adams, Weston Dressler, Ryan Smith and Rory Kohlert as locks.

He’s listed at 6-1, 210 pounds and has already shown an ability to make catches in traffic and also attack vertically with his speed.

“We need to complement our receiving corps with some size,” said Bombers Head Coach Mike O’Shea when asked if they were looking for a specific type of receiving to round out their corps.

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“But we’ve got a good battle going on out there with some guys who are six feet tall and a little thicker. They all run, they all learn well. It will be an interesting training camp to see who emerges.

“Jace Davis seems to be the whole package,” O’Shea added. “He seems to be able to do whatever you ask him, move positions and digest information very quickly as well having good hands and speed and being a very good route runner.”

Davis’ name might be familiar to some Bomber diehards. He was actually with the Bombers for a brief spell last season. Very brief, it turns out.

“I was here last year for about a day, but I had a broken rib. It was literally a day,” said Davis. “My ribs were hurting and I went to see the doctor and found out I had two broken ribs so they sent me back home. Then they called me and said they wanted me back up for training camp. I’m thankful the Bombers gave me an opportunity to play again and I’m just trying to take advantage of that.

“I’m itching to get into a game. I can’t wait for the preseason game,” Davis added. “It honestly can’t come soon enough. All the work you do in the offseason and then all the practices, that’s for the game. That’s when you get to do what you love to do.

“That’s why I’m here.”

 

ROOKIE CAMP DAY 2

STANDING OUT:

Making good impressions on Thursday were:

  • DB Johnny Patrick, the former NFL’er with 37 games on his resume.
  • REC Thomas Mayo, who was particularly sharp in the morning session.
  • S Taylor Loffler, the Bombers’ third pick in the 2016 draft looks comfortable in the middle of the secondary.

“He’s a good football player. He’s smart,” said Mike O’Shea of Loffler. “Sitting in on the meetings today and listening to him, he knows his stuff very quickly. He’s vocal and helping guys out. He seems to have a veteran presence about him, which I always appreciate.”

 

THE WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART:

DB C.J. Wilson still hasn’t participated in the first two days of rookie camp. The former NFL’er, who lost part of two fingers in a fireworks accident last July, has not officially signed yet until he clears NFL waivers.

 

TOUGH ENOUGH:

O’Shea was asked about University of Manitoba receiver Alex Vitt, the club’s seventh-round draft pick earlier this month.

“When I think of Alex Vitt, I think of these clips of him playing UBC and waggling in from the slot and absolutely tattooing a linebacker,” said O’Shea. “Our job will be to put Alex Vitt into situations where he can show just how tough he is. He’s a tough, tough football player who likes to play that style of game. Let’s get him on special teams and see what he can do and give him an opportunity to be successful in that area. He’s obviously an accomplished receiver also, but it’s important for these guys to understand how they can make the team and I think he does.

 

FRIDAY: One session at Investors Group Field, from 10:15 a.m.-noon. Open to the public.