June 11, 2016
It had been awhile – almost four years, to tell the truth – and so you can only imagine how nervous Thomas Mayo must have been prior to kickoff last Wednesday.
“Oh, man… the last time I played a game before that? Wow… probably 2012 against the (Dallas) Cowboys,” said the 26-year-old Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver.
“And so that first preseason game with all those fans here… I was so nervous I threw up before the game. But once I got out here and the guys communicated with me it felt good.”
Thomas Mayo
Yes, that’s a long stretch between games and that last contest with the Cowboys back in August of 2012 was hardly memorable. His stat line? One catch for 4 yards.
Two weeks later he was released.
Since then it’s been a nomadic trek for the Reston, Virginia product, with stints with indoor teams like the Chicago Rush, Spokane Shock, Tri-Cities Fever and Nebraska Danger, and a stop with the New York Jets. He had two catches for 27 yards in Wednesday’s preseason win over Montreal, and hopes to boost those numbers, among other things, in Monday’s final dress rehearsal in Ottawa.
“I’m excited with how I played in my first game,” said Mayo. “I left some plays out there, but I’m happy with how I went out there and took advantage of some opportunities.
“On a couple of plays I felt I could have blocked a little better. Going into halftime after I caught the ball, on the first run play we didn’t score and if I had held my guy a little longer with my block Timothy Flanders might have scored. It’s the little things I’m definitely going to clean up.”
Mayo first appeared on the Bombers’ radar at a free agent camp in Washington, D.C. And if you think trying to make a football team comes with a certain amount of stress and pressure, imagine trying to impress enough just to get an invitation to camp.
“I’ve been training. I’ve been with a few arena teams but didn’t really like it. And at home I have a training company where I train kids, so I’m always ready,” said Mayo.
“But it’s a lot of pressure at those camps because there are a lot of guys out there, a lot of good guys. Who’s to say you’re going to be that one guy out of all those guys they sign? But I had faith and prayed on it.”
Training camp has served up an intriguing battle at receiver with new faces like Mayo, Jace Davis, Fred Williams, Gerrard Sheppard, Julian Talley and Quincy McDuffie all pushing the vets for work. Mayo is in that mix because of his pure skills. The technique and little tricks of the trade are quickly returning to his game, too.
“He’s gotten steadily better and better,” said Bombers coach Mike O’Shea. “From the first day you recognized how explosive he was and since then he’s improved in terms of route-running and his understanding of the playbook.
“He seems cleaner catching the ball, he seems smoother. It’s all good. He’s shown a nice improvement. What caught your eye was the athleticism and then everything else has been coming along.”
Mayo was first told of the CFL being a possibility for him as far back as 2012 after his release from the Raiders. And if he had known then what he knows now about the three-down game, he would have been on the first plane headed north.
“I haven’t been out here with a football team like this in forever,” he said. “I’m loving it, man. Even when it’s tough out there I have to appreciate it because it’s just so good to have a chance.
“I appreciate it a lot more now. There were times when I was in the NFL when someone would say, ‘Why don’t you go try the CFL?’ At that point I guess my head was too big. Looking back on it now, I would have been here in a second. This is a great league and it opens doors for you.
“I can’t wait till Monday. I want to put on a show.”
BOMBER CAMP REPORT – JUNE 11
COMINGS/GOINGS:
The Bombers released two players on Saturday, cutting import DB C.J. Wilson and receiver LeStar Jean.
QB WATCH:
Bombers coach Mike O’Shea said Saturday that both Drew Willy and Matt Nichols will get longer stints at the controls in Monday’s game than they did in the win over Montreal. This is the clubs final preseason tune-up before the real games begin on June 24th.
“Drew’s going to have to play an expanded role in this game, that’s for sure,” said O’Shea. “Matt is going to get more snaps in this game. It just means that with Dom (Davis) and Bryan (Bennett), they’ve got to make good on their opportunities.”
Asked how close the coaching staff is to deciding who will be the third man on the depth chart, O’Shea added:
“We’re not. We’ll have to wait and see in this game.”
Willy threw just six passes against the Alouettes, completing three, while Nichols attempted and completed all three of his attempts. Both would like more work, but also understand this is a game where the team is still evaluating talent and where the most important development when the final gun sounds is that everyone, QBs especially, remain healthy.
“I feel like I’ll be ready no matter what the situation,” said Willy when asked how much work he would need to be ready for the opener. “Probably (play) a little bit more than the first game. I’m not sure if that’s a half or going into the second half, but I’m sure I’ll get more reps this game.
“You don’t want to show too much going into the season, but we want to be sharp as well.”
Willy said he was pleased with what he saw from the new offence last week and the new pieces around him. But as much as everyone wants to start the season healthy, there’s also that desire to develop a rapport with new personnel and be really revving when the games are for real.
That can make watching in the preseason difficult.
“It’s just tough sometimes because there are so many peaks and valleys in a game,” Willy said. “Sometimes you don’t start fast but you pick it up in a game and sometimes you start really fast and maybe don’t do as well in the second and third quarter. But for us we need to execute at a high level in the first quarter and then if we go into the second quarter, do the same thing. We just need to get our communication right.”
JACE ON PACE:
More praise for receiver Jace Davis on Saturday. He had been leading the battle for a starting receiver position when he pulled up lame at practice earlier in the week and did not dress against Montreal. But he was back at work on Friday and drawing rave reviews on Saturday.
“He’s really impressive. He’s done a lot of good things,” said Willy. “At first he was doing a lot of thinking out there, which all young Americans who come to the CFL do because they’ve got so much to think about. It’s a tough position to step into. But he’s done a great job. These past few practices I’ve been so impressed with how far he’s come.
“He takes the knowledge that he gets from the veterans and definitely applies it to the field. I’m definitely rooting for him. He’s starting to understand the CFL game. He’s watching film in there, he’s asking the right questions. He definitely wants it.”
FYI: Kicker Justin Medlock will not travel to the game in Ottawa, leaving the kicking chores to Sergio Castillo and Billy Pavlopoulos. Read everything into that you can, as Medlock is a lock.
“It’s a great opportunity to showcase to us what they can do,” said O’Shea.
