They are asked to be patient, knowing full well the door of opportunity stays open for only so long in a business where careers are often measured in snaps, not years.

So heck yeah, Padric Scott is more than a little amped up after three days of rookie camp. Same goes for Chris Greenwood.

Both names might be familiar to Winnipeg Blue Bomber diehards. Scott was signed a year ago and spent all of last year on the practice roster before starting in the regular season finale in Ottawa.

And Greenwood joined the club July 24^th, practicing with the club through the remainder of the season before being inked to a new deal in February.

In other words, if patience is a virtue, these two men ought to be candidates for sainthood. It also means they understand just how invaluable getting snaps in rookie camp can be with main camp starting on Sunday.

Any advantage, be it real or imagined, can be huge.

“The last few days meant a lot,” began Scott on Friday. “It helps knock off the rust. I mean, you can train all you want all offseason, but there’s nothing like being in helmets and pads and running around with your guys. It’s a chance for me to get a head start on my competition heading into camp.”

Scott is in an interesting spot. A fire hydrant type with a huge motor, he approaches every day like it could be his last in the game. He’ll be in the mix for the starting import defensive tackle gig, but the club did sign Hamilton Tiger-Cats veteran Drake Nevis in the offseason as well.

What it says on the depth chart now matters little. It’s about whose name is on the roster when the season opens up on Canada Day in Regina.

“No man walks out here on this field saying, ‘I want to be second fiddle,’” said Scott. “No man says that. If they did, I’m pretty sure this coaching staff wouldn’t want them on this team. They want winners. They want first-team guys so that when your name is called, you’re ready to go.”

“I’m out here to compete and show I’m the best player I can be. I’m a playmaker in my own right. I think every player should step out on the field ready to show that.”

Greenwood, listed at corner, also wants to get off the practice roster and into the game day lineup. To that end, he was looking at anything that might give him an advantage. So this winter he took boxing lessons in Flint, Michigan in an effort to be better prepared to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage.

“It’s hand-eye coordination, it’s getting a good base,” Greenwood explained. “Playing the corner, you jam. It’s hand placement. It was just an idea I had. I thought I’d give it a shot. Anything helps.

“Being here last year definitely helps. It’s more time looking at it, more time doing it. It’s repetition, the more you get the more comfortable you are in it.”

All that said, Scott and Greenwood know how this works. Familiarity with a scheme or a coaching staff can only go as far as your next snap. And what they did last year means zilch when all the veterans report on Sunday.

That’s just part of the grind of pro football.

“It’s a grind, but any time you use the term ‘grind’ it implies tough,” said Scott. “If there’s ever been a grind that was soft it probably wasn’t worthwhile. I look at it as all being worth it.

“Last year I enjoyed coaching my guys up on the sidelines (during games). I came to work every day preparing that I was going to play. I’m thankful for this organization that they gave me that game against Ottawa to play and get a sack and a forced fumble. I just wanted to show that them that when my number is called, I’m ready.”

BOMBER ROOKIE CAMP – Day 3

That’s a wrap:

Bombers coaches and scouts were to meet Friday afternoon to go over what they saw in the three days of rookie camp, with each position coach offered the opportunity to speak specifically about what they saw.

The club may decide to trim before veterans join the crew for main camp Sunday morning.

“You give them enough information so that they can compete fast for when the vets come in when main camp starts, and then give them enough of a rest so that they can compete physically,” said Mike O’Shea. “We’ll see if we accomplished that when the vets show up, the pads are on and we start going.”

Main camp opens Sunday morning (9:00 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.)

Bring it on:

The Bombers had all five quarterbacks participate in rookie camp – Matt Nichols, Dom Davis, Dan LeFevour, Austin Apodaca and Malcolm Bell – but the two newcomers, Apodaca and Bell, took the majority of the reps.

That will change Sunday.

“I’ve been itching a little bit to get in there,” said Nichols with a grin.

“We’ve let these young quarterbacks get all the reps the last couple of days. But the vets are starting to show up, we’re starting to see some familiar faces and the excitement level is very high around here. I can’t wait to get to work.”

“(Camp) can be a grind, but it’s a necessary thing to make sure you get everything ironed out and ready for the season. It’s a short training camp in this league and we’ve got to be able to pick up right where we left off (last season).

“We can’t have any lulls. All these days have to be crisp to get ready for a long, tough season. All the focus right now is on July 1^st (the season opener in Regina) and making sure we do everything we need to do to be ready to play Canada Day.”

Experience matters:

O’Shea was asked Friday if he thought he was a better coach now than in 2015 when he ran his first training camp as the Bombers head coach.

“I hope so. You have to grow, right?” he said. “All this experience has to lead to some sort of growth. Do I sit down and take stock in everything? No, I don’t. I just keep going forward and doing what I believe is right.

“Every interaction with a player, with another coach, every game, every practice you should be learning something. I guess that all remains to be seen… how good I can get.”

Battle in the middle

The fight for the middle linebacker spot is already well underway, with rookies Nick Temple, George Stone and others taking reps and Kyle Knox – who dressed for 11 games last year – ready to join the fray on Sunday.

O’Shea, who will be formally inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame this September, knows more than a little about that position. Here’s his take on what he is looking for in a good middle linebacker:

“It’s a big role. One of the key things that gets overlooked, besides athleticism and playmaking ability, is leadership. You’ve got to have a guy down the middle that’s a strong leader that can direct traffic and have guys believe in him, fix mistakes quickly and make those plays that need to be made in a timely fashion. There’s lots of little factors that go in, but one of those over-riding factors is going to be how well those guys can lead.”