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May 30, 2019

Notes From Camp | Day 12 Recap

Winnipeg Blue Bombers #15 Matt Nichols

Lucky Whitehead will admit there’s been a lot to soak up and a lot to soak in during his two weeks as a Winnipeg Blue Bomber.

There are rule changes. The field is longer and wider. There is an extra man, and as a receiver, there’s the whole ‘Waggle’ thing that – once he masters the nuances of it – should seemingly give a lickedy-split guy like him a massive advantage.

Still, Canadian Football League training camps are notoriously short, and as the old saying goes, teams have a long way to go and a short time to get there before their openers in just a couple of weeks.

Yet, there was Whitehead earlier this week after putting in some extra work after practice, the sweat dripping off a face dominated by a size-large grin.

“I wouldn’t say I’m comfortable yet, but I’m understanding a lot more because the game, in just two weeks, is slowing down for me,” began the 26-year-old former Dallas Cowboy.

“It’s definitely a great feeling with the field and the space I have and as fast as I am. The coaches have put me in space and given the opportunity with the ball to use my speed out here. That’s been fun.”

Here’s the other reason Whitehead has been beaming: his body is holding up to the rigours of camp. And that’s no small thing for a guy who has carved out a niche as a receiver/returner because of his speed and his ability to stop and go in tight spaces.

 

Whitehead was in camp with the New York Jets in 2017, but suffered a broken foot in practice. Later, after recovery, he pulled a hamstring and late last summer the Jets cut him loose.

“I was just talking to one of the guys about that,” said Whitehead. “Those two injuries I had were tough on me and they were back-to-back. I broke my foot first and then I hurt my hamstring when I came back. So, for me just to get through these practices… you have no idea how good that feels. I feel way faster, way stronger. I feel like I’m a lot stronger and faster than I was ever before. For me just to be back out here and healthy and be with a team setting and be with a brotherhood again just excites me.

“I never lost my love for the game. It’s always fun out here. But there’s a brotherhood out here and it’s tremendous. What I like is I’m able to show my speed here a lot more than I ever was in the NFL.”

Whitehead is definitely one of the Bombers’ new faces to track in Friday’s pre-season contest against the Edmonton Eskimos. He’ll get his turn on offence as a receiver, but the big hope is he can add some oomph to the Bombers return game. The club ranked eighth in both punt and kickoff-return average last season, and unlike the NFL where kickoffs are regularly hammered through the end zone and the fair-catch rule impacts the number of punt returns, Whitehead – or whoever wins the return job – could be busy.

Consider that the league’s leading return men a year ago – Chris Rainey, Diontae Spencer and Martese Jackson – averaged 120 touches on punt and kickoff returns alone last season.

The fight for the returner job, perhaps more than any other, can only be truly evaluated in game situations. Whitehead, not surprisingly, is ready.

“Come game time, those bullets are flying,” he said. “As a returner you have to have that vision to know where the bullets are coming from and once you find a crease you just have to hit it and then once you hit the hole you can’t stop your feet because everything condenses.

“I’m definitely fearless. As far as punt return and kick returning… I love it. Everyone knows where the ball is going, everyone knows who is getting the ball. I know that once the ball is in the air I’ve got 12 people coming full speed at me and 11 in front of me.

“We know as returners you’ve got to break at least one tackle and make one guy miss. We know that. So, if I hit it full steam… it’s going to be pretty.”


BLUE NOTES: Camp Day 12

QB1 TO SIT:

Bombers QB Matt Nichols announced after Thursday’s walk-through that he will not take any snaps in Friday’s pre-season game. Instead, Chris Streveler will start, with Bryan Bennett and Sean McGuire splitting time afterward.

Nichols will then get as much work as he needs in the final pre-season game in Regina against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on June 6th in advance of the regular season opener on June 15th in Vancouver.

Here’s Nichols with some of the rationale behind the decision:

“If I played in this one and then you take a couple of weeks off, how much good does that really do for you? I think it will just feel more natural to play in the second one and then whatever it is, six-seven days later, play in Week 1 and kind of get a rhythm going that way… get those game-day feelings and throwing with adrenaline and all that stuff out the way the week before and then roll right into the season.

“… I don’t know if there’s a right or wrong way to do it. A lot of guys play first and not in the second, or vice-versa, and I don’t really know if there’s anything than can be better or worse for you. I’m getting a ton of reps in training camp. I feel great out here. I would probably be fine not playing in either of them. For me it’s just getting out there, getting a few throws and I’ll be ready for Week 1.”

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said Andrew Harris will play, but the number of snaps is still to be determined.

“He wants to work and I think it’s important that he gets in,” said O’Shea. “For how long, we’ll see – the flow of the game will dictate that.”

TALENTED CREW:

Nichols referred to the collection of Bombers receivers in camp as ‘the most talented and deep group we’ve had here’ and that will certainly be a position group O’Shea and his staff will be studying Friday night.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what a lot of these guys can do,” said O’Shea. “As you’ve witnessed through camp, I think we’ve got some pretty good team speed on the offensive side of the ball and a lot of these guys are very exciting with the ball in their hands. We’ve got to give them as much opportunity as possible to showcase that.”

TOUGH DECISIONS LOOMING:

There is just one cut-down date in the CFL, with all teams needing to make those moves by 9 p.m. on June 8th.

“We’ve been around these guys, it seems like, a long time,” said O’Shea. “So you get to know them a little bit personally. You’re getting to see them interact more… you want to keep them all. But, everyone understands that you can’t do that and we’re going to have to make some tough decisions. Some of those decisions will just naturally occur because it’s football and pro sport and things happen. There are a lot of good players and you’d love to be able to keep them all.”