It can be more than a bit overwhelming at times, with the whole experience likened to dodging fuel tankers on an eight-lane freeway.
Often, it’s as much about survival as anything. And on those rare occasions Brian Walker does decide to look back at his rookie season playing defensive back in the Canadian Football League, he does have a ton of pride about suiting up 15 times and making 13 starts for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
He lived through the experience and learned from it. But Walker also knows this: the Bombers secondary finished last year under the microscope. And he need only look around at all the competition in training camp to have that hammered home.
“I’m definitely proud of last year. But last year is last year,” said Walker this week. “I don’t look back at it too much except for the learning experiences. Now it’s a new year, new team, a new start. I’m really here to grow as a player and be a better teammate as a whole.
“But we definitely need to improve as a secondary, for sure. Communication and things like that, I feel like this year’s secondary will be better than last year’s. It’s very competitive and we have a lot of depth at every position. Everybody is pushing their limits trying to get better on and off the field, when it comes to film, technique or in the weight room. It’s making us better players and a better secondary.”
Walker is part of a collection of Bombers who made starts last year as rookies, and management hopes, are now ready to take the proverbial next steps in their pro careers. That crew also includes defensive back Brandon Alexander (15 games played/15 starts), defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat (16/16), defensive tackle Cory Johnson (15/15) and linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox (16/8).
Still just 22, Walker spent the offseason bulking up and working on his speed. A rookie professional last year, he managed to work through the challenges that come with an 18-game schedule spread out from June to November.
That’s part of the understanding that comes with a year under a guy’s belt and something head coach Mike O’Shea has referenced numerous times during this training camp. Knowledge is power and past experiences are critical for players like Walker, Alexander, Jeffcoat and Santos-Knox.
“The game has slowed down tremendously for me,” said Walker. “The way I read quarterbacks, the receivers, the Waggle… last year was a huge learning experience. I felt like the games we had, the playoffs, the close games like Montreal were great learning experiences for me. So now there’s no real surprises. I know what to expect. That was real beneficial.
“I put on more muscle and wanted to be in better shape because I wasn’t sure what I was going to play but wanted to be able to play whatever position was needed from a special teams aspect or wherever in the secondary. I just wanted to come in and be prepared for training camp and the long season. I felt I was prepared last year, but not as good as I could have been. But now I know what to expect about how gruelling the games are, how long the season is, the weather conditions… it takes a toll on your body. I’m better now, for sure.
“I’m heavier, but I feel faster and explosive.”
PRE-SEASON 2 | WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS AT B.C. LIONS
THE 4-1-1
Kickoff: 9:30 p.m. CT, Friday; B.C. Place, Vancouver
Streaks: (Preseason) Winnipeg: 1W; B.C.: 1W
Recent history: The Bombers opened their pre-season with a 33-13 victory over an Edmonton Eskimos squad minus a ton of regulars. The Lions, meanwhile, also won their first pre-season game with a 36-23 victory over the Stampeders in Calgary. QB Ricky Lloyd came off the bench to throw for 3 TDs for the Lions. Starting QB Jonathan Jennings expected to play at least a half, according to Vancouver media reports.
3 STORYLINES
TO BE 2, OR NOT TO BE 2… THE SEQUEL
We were fixated on the battle for the No. 2 quarterback job last week, even before Matt Nichols had to be helped off the field late in Wednesday’s practice with an injury. That gets magnified a zillion times more if the Bombers No. 1 gun is down for any length of time.
Former B.C. Lions QB Alex Ross – he dressed for just four games and threw only 12 passes – was thought to have the upper hand in this scenario because he did have a year under his belt in a pro system, and yet he couldn’t find a rhythm against the Eskimos and completed just one of eight pass attempts.
Rookie Chris Streveler, on the other hand, popped off the page in last week’s win by completing all 10 of his passes for 140 yards and an 80-yard TD strike to Myles White while showcasing an ability to take off and run at the right time.
Yes, yes, yes, it was against a collection of Eskimo defenders who likely won’t be around when they return to Winnipeg for the season opener on June 14th. But what Streveler did was also encouraging… and especially even more so now given the uncertainty surrounding Nichols.
If these two struggle against the Lions and the Bombers don’t get favourable news on Nichols, the 2018 season opens against a completely different backdrop.
THE MORE YOU CAN DO
The Bombers do have some unanswered questions to address in advance of Saturday night’s declaration of their roster. Still, a lot of the yet-to-be-determined stuff is not about who might start where – most of the starting jobs appear to be claimed – but who might crack the roster because of the work they do on special teams.
And it’s that versatility – the ability to play multiple positions and contribute on kick cover or kick return teams – that can put one candidate ahead of the other when management puts their heads together to pick the lineup.
Case in point: receiver Ryan Lankford, who also led the team in kickoff returns last season and has had an excellent training camp.
“You can never be comfortable,” said Lankford. “That’s the biggest thing I’ve learned in professional football and sports in general: the minute you start to feel comfortable it the moment things change. At any one moment I’m never satisfied. I’m always continually trying to get better.”
Lankford dressed for 15 games last year, making six starts. And his understanding now of Paul LaPolice’s offence means he could be a useful plug-and-play piece across the receiving corps.
“That was something I really took away from last year,” said Lankford. “I wanted to come in on Day 1 of training camp and know a lot more than I did the year before. I wanted to know why we did things and to be able to be thrown into any situation and not have to think about it. That’s why I think I’m having a good camp. I hear the play and I know to do this or do that, read the defence and go from there.”
LAST CHANCE TO IMPRESS
Meet defensive tackle Brandin Bryant. Big dude at 6-3, 304 who came to the Bombers after stints with the Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets and comes from good lineage – his grandfather Charles was an All-American and is a member of the Nebraska Cornhuskers Hall of Fame, and his father Robert was an All-American during his days at Southern Colorado.
But Bryant didn’t suit up for last week’s win over Edmonton and now hopes to push incumbents Drake Nevis and Cory Johnson. At the very least, he hopes to show enough to have the coaches find a way to keep him around after Friday.
“So far, so good,” said Bryant, who starred at Florida Atlantic before turning pro. “I feel like I adjusted to the different rules pretty quickly and after that, football is football. I’m very much looking forward to Friday night. I haven’t been on the field for a while (since last pre-season with the Jets) and I can’t wait to get back out there and prove I belong.
“That’s part of the job: you just go out there and do what you can do and then it’s in the hands of others.”
5 BOMBERS TO WATCH
#17 Chris Streveler, QB: Was last week more mirage than legit? We’re about to find out. Streveler showed enormous upside against the Eskimos, certainly enough to have him in the conversation to move up the depth chart. Yet, every week is a blank canvas.
#35 Johnny Augustine, RB: See above.
#14 Mohammed Seisay, DB: He’s a CFL rookie, but does have 13 NFL games with the Detroit Lions to his name. A big defensive back at 6-1, 203 who had flashed a ton of skill before getting nicked up earlier in camp and missing last week.
#59 Michael Couture, OL: He’s dressed for every single game over the past two years since the Bombers drafted him and is likely to start in Vancouver with some of the O-line starters left at home. There is a lot to like with his size, skillset and dedication.
#99 Sam Montgomery, DE: Had a solid CFL debut last week against the Esks. The trouble for Montgomery is where he will fit on a D-line unit that already features vets like Jackson Jeffcoat, Tristan Okpalaugo, Craig Roh and Trent Corney.
HELPING HAND
It was obvious in last week’s win over Edmonton and has been all through camp: Bombers return man Ryan Lankford has been offering up a lot of pointers to rookie return men like Donteea Dye, A.J. Coney and Jahad Thomas – know that all of them would love to take the chores away from him.
So, in this cutthroat business, the question would be: why?
“The way I look at it is someone had to help me,” said Lankford. “Also, if they’re at their best that’s going to require me to be at my best because if I’m not, I get replaced. I think it’s only right to push everyone else around you to be the best they can be.”
