There’s a danger here, of course, of reading too much into anything that happens in a CFL mini-camp minus the familiar faces and veteran voices.
A prospect who looks good in April might just disappear when main training camp opens with the full complement of players.
All that said, just about everybody in Winnipeg Blue Bombers colours believe the new batch of recruits that assembled at Investors Group Field for five practices over three days flashed the skillsets that should make the returnees nervous when the next round of evaluating begins in a month.
The Bombers’ scouts, coaching staff and GM Kyle Walters will now spend the next few days taking a last peek at the prospects before having to slice 12 players from their roster down to 75 by Monday.
“There are some guys that stood out out there and there are some guys that have to keep working,” said Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea. “It’s never easy, but some of the decisions at this point, going to 80-whatever-we’re-at to 75 is maybe a little easier than going to the final 46. It’s part of the process.
“You’re talking to guys all the time. You’re watching them in meeting rooms, asking them questions in the hallway, non-football questions… everything you do is part of it. But you really want to get to know who these guys are.”
“You want them to leave here really believing they got a fair opportunity and I think they did. Based on our numbers, each guy got a lot of reps and they all handled themselves fairly well.”
The Bombers had 37 players in attendance over the last few days, including the lone lineman – defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat – who was worked out individually after practice on Wednesday before returning home.
It’s impossible to get a true read on some of the running backs and linebackers without real hitting and no lineman in camp. What follows are some thoughts on the three main position groups in attendance that were easier to evaluate – defensive backs, receivers and quarterbacks.
Roc Carmichael (35) and Nick Temple (40) at mini-camp.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Overall: It’s a nightmarish gig for a defensive back new to the CFL to shine in the situations they were thrust into over the last few days, given they have no help in the secondary, there is no pressure on the quarterback, and they need to get accustomed to the motion ASAP.
All that said, the defensive backs flashed some serious cover skills and that’s an area the Bombers want to improve in their secondary.
“It’s always important to see defensive backs who have never seen a waggle (pre-snap motion) to come in that can defend,” said O’Shea. “That always impresses to me… that a guy can stand out there in the halfback spot or the dime spot and have a receiver running 15 yards at him at the line of scrimmage heading full speed and this guy can sit there four yards off and cover him on a 30-yard route…That’s impressive.”
Stand outs, from this perch: Roc Carmichael and Darnell Walker, Jr.
RECEIVERS
Overall: Very solid collection of pass catchers, all of them 5-foot-10 and taller. The size factor isn’t insignificant, given the Bombers started Weston Dressler (5-7), Ryan Smith (5-7, since retired) and Clarence Denmark (5-11) last year.
“Usually they come out here these receivers, the first-time Americans, and they bust on a lot of motions and are terrible at waggling and that stuff and are trying to play a lot of catch-up,” said quarterback Matt Nichols.
“They came out here and they looked crisp and they were doing a lot of stuff that we normally don’t get into until a couple of weeks into the season. They just picked it up great and were communicating with each other and helping each other out.”
“As a group, on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, I felt like there was a lot of depth here, a lot of playmakers. I was very impressed with the guys that were out here.
“Honestly, all of them were making plays and it’s going to be tough to decide between them. I know that whoever we bring to camp is going to push that first group, the veteran guys. That’s the best thing you can do, build on that depth with competition. That’s one of the things that saved us last year is having a lot of depth at the receiver position. You can never have enough good football players around and I think we have a lot of good ones here this week.”
Stand outs, from this perch (not including Kenny Stafford, whose reps were limited): T.J. Thorpe, Kieren Duncan.
Kieren Duncan at mini-camp.
QUARTERBACKS
Overall: The gusting winds made it difficult for the first few sessions, but each of the four pivots in attendance – Nichols, Dom Davis, Dan LeFevour and Myles Carr – took their turns shining.
“It was just fun to come out here and compete,” said Nichols. “Like I said before camp, it’s impossible to replicate throwing against a defence in the offseason, so any chance you get to come out here and get back into it a little bit is good. I felt like I sharpened my reads and didn’t make a bad read the whole camp and made some good throws.”
Stand outs, from this perch: LeFevour’s experience was evident in how quickly he looked comfortable working in a new offence. The battle between he and Davis for the No. 2 job will be heated once camp opens. Carr had his moments, but clearly was working to make an adjustment to the bigger field.
NEXT: Quarterbacks and new players arrive for the opening of rookie camp on Wednesday, May 24th; veterans report on Friday, May 26th with main camp opening on Sunday, May 28th.
The Bombers will play two preseason games: June 10th at Mosaic in Regina against the Saskatchewan Roughriders and June 15th at home versusthe Edmonton Eskimos.
LAST WORD: “The guys we brought in here are going to push and compete extremely hard at training camp. So training camp should be interesting. I’m looking forward to it. How they fair in the competition, who knows? Experience… that trumps a lot of things.” – Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea.
