The Bombers are now through five days of main training camp after today’s practice. Here are our daily collection of notes and quotes from the session…

SOLID ADDITION:

It took Jackson Jeffcoat roughly, oh, a nanosecond to appreciate what the addition of Willie Jefferson would mean not only to the Bombers D-line, but helping with his game, too.

“He’s a great competitor. He’s a great, dynamic player. He’s fun to play with,” said Jeffcoat after practice Thursday when asked about Jefferson. “Me and him got together in Austin and we trained together in the weight room and on the field as well. Happy to have him here, great guy. Texas kid like myself so we’ve got a bond over that. I’m excited.”

Jeffcoat, who has worked on all aspects of his game for years – including training with martial-arts specialist Master Joe Kim, now of the New England Patriots – worked this offseason with former Tampa Buccaneers defensive end Tim Crowder.

And now it’s the daily push he’ll get from Jefferson and Craig Roh that Jeffcoat believes will make this defensive front that much more of a handful.

“Both Willie and Craig help me elevate my game,” he said. “We compete in the room, we compete with each other as well because we always want to be the best out on the field. If we’re not going against an opponent right now, we’re competing against each other to get better.”

MORE PRAISE FOR RICHARDSON:

Bombers DT Steven Richardson got a shout-out from LB Adam Bighill on Wednesday. A day later Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea was asked about the University of Minnesota bowling-ball type, who had another good day at camp.

“He’s been impressive. To have another guy with the kind of power like Drake (Nevis) is really neat to see,” said O’Shea. “He’s built, he’s quick off balls, he’s got a great get-off, he’s really strong and he’s got some athleticism for the size he has.

“When you watched film you saw plays that jumped out like that; pushing guys around at will. Being able to move extremely large men and put them where you want them to be against their will. That’s pretty impressive.”

Richardson played 43 games during his days with the Gophers, registering 103 total tackles, 12 ½ sacks, four forced fumbled and five fumble recoveries. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Diego Chargers last year and spent time on their practice roster before his release.

The Bombers called him just over a week ago, and he was in Winnipeg just four days later.

“I’ve been learning a lot from the coaches and also the players,” Richardson said. “Craig (Roh) has been teaching me a lot, Drake (Nevis) has been teaching me a lot, Willie’s (Jefferson) been teaching me a lot. I’m learning a lot from all the guys. It’s a great group, too. A really great group. Personality-wise off the field I already feel like family here.”

As for the compliment from Bighill…

“That means a lot. You assume that you’re kind of doing good, but you don’t know where you are, you don’t know where you stand. So, hearing that from a veteran feels really good, especially from that guy. I got to know him in the past couple of days and I like him a lot.”

BIG ADDITIONS/BIG LEADERS:

O’Shea and the Bombers knew that Chris Matthews and Willie Jefferson would be massive plusses for the club. What the Bombers boss likes seeing up close is the stuff that happens between the whistles and the drills.

“You talk about them, you talk to people who played with them, you do all the due diligence that you need to do and you sign them because they’re good football players,” said O’Shea. “You get them in the building and you realize that they have very good leadership qualities that they’ll use in time when they feel comfortable as a leader to do that. That’s one of the things I really appreciate about both of them very early on is their ability to lead and willingness to do that, to take young guys and get them going in the right direction and get them working hard.”

And when he was asked if he appreciated the skills of a player like Jefferson even more now that he has him in camp, O’Shea added:

“Well, I think we know first-hand about Willie Jefferson and his physical gifts… unfortunately.”

(See: Banjo Bowl, 2018).

FYI:

Among those standing out on Thursday were WR Rashaun Simonise, S Derek Jones, DE Craig Roh, DE Patrick Choudja, CB Chandler Fenner, WR Kenny Lawler… DB Alex Rios had to leave practice after being drilled by RB Brady Oliveira… LS Chad Rempel was back on the field, after being heavily involved in collective bargaining agreement talks as a key figure in the CFL Players’ Association. “It can be contentious and challenging. But I think, most importantly, both sides wanted to get a deal done and we truly feel like this is a partnership moving forward. We’ve worked through it and everybody’s happy. It’s a fair deal for everyone.”

NEXT: The Bombers continue training camp on Friday at IG Field (open to the public) from 10:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.