Bombers mini camp in Wpg Apr 25-27 open to public

[Goalie]

1 minute ago, wbbfan said:

Yeah but tbh i dont put much value in our citys sports reporters pre regular season. Every single one of em is too busy eating donuts talking and playing on their phones to actually notice any thing going on. Waggoner was a saftey in the US, bc was gonna sign him to play it i dont think he has to change any thing. Now if he has what it takes or not is some thing very different. Idk why we are moving any one to LBer though, seems like the strength of our D atm.

6 1 225. He is listed as a dB on the teams roster page tho. 

[wbbfan]

1 minute ago, rebusrankin said:

Go 7 NIs (Westerman/Shologon/Chung/Gossen/Kolhert/Harris/Neufeld) and you can play Wild, Bass, Leggett at LB.

Thats a great set up until nuefeld goes down 2 games in >.<

[wbbfan]

1 minute ago, Goalie said:

6 1 225. He is listed as a dB on the teams roster page tho. 

Not too big for safety. Weve had smaller backers and bigger safetys. Coverage lber, hb and safety are all similar size guys. Safety means you need different instincts vision etc.

[Goalie]

Harris. Kohlert. Goose. Chungh. Shologan Westerman. Bucknor. 

There's 7 right there. Start American guard. If you want to go 8... why not... start Waggoner at safety. 

 

I'd like to see Waggoner at safety. I'm just saying what Bauming said 

Edited April 25, 2016 by Goalie

[rebusrankin]

9 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Thats a great set up until nuefeld goes down 2 games in >.<

Then you rotate between Hurl and Bucknor.

[wbbfan]

4 minutes ago, rebusrankin said:

Then you rotate between Hurl and Bucknor.

the thought of hurl playing more then spot minutes makes me nervous. I really hope waggoner steps up and he and buck can rotate.

[Jacquie]

From the Free Press:

The Bombers will run an offence-only mini-camp today, Tuesday and Wednesday at Investors Group Field, a sneak peek at the talent before the opening of main training camp next month.

Here is the Bomber mini-camp schedule:

Monday, April 25

Practice #1: 10 – 11 a.m.

Practice #2: 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 26

Practice #3: 10:15 – 11:15 a.m.

Practice #4: 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 27

Practice: 10–11 a.m.

FYI: Diehards who can’t make it to the stadium or fans who attend and have some thoughts/questions will be able to interact with Free Press football writer Ed Tait during a live chat — free to all visitors to winnipegfreepress.com — after the workouts Monday and Tuesday from 12:15-12:45 p.m.

Camp numerical roster

(Subject to change)

No. Name Pos Ht Wt College

0 VELTUNG, Justin WR 5-11 185 Idaho

4 ADAMS, Darvin WR 6-2 185 Auburn

5 WILLY, Drew QB 6-4 221 Buffalo

6 DAVIS, Dominique QB 6-3 210 East Carolina

7 DRESSLER Weston WR 5-7 179 North Dakota

12 SMITH, Ryan WR 5-7 175 North Dakota St.

14 MCDUFFIE, Quincy WR 5-10 178 UCF

15 NICHOLS, Matt QB 6-2 215 Eastern Washington

18 BENNETT, Bryan QB 6-2 210 Southeastern Louisiana

19 JERNIGAN, Jerrel WR 5-8 189 Troy

24 LOCHARD, Pascal* RB 6-0 215 Laval

33 HARRIS, Andrew* RB 5-11 213 Van. Isl. (Jr.)

35 CATALON, BJ RB 5-10 190 TCU

36 CRONK, Tim* FB 6-0 248 Bishop’s

37 NORMAND, Chris* RB 6-2 230 Laval

53 NEUFELD, Patrick* OL 6-6 312 Saskatchewan

59 DANIELS, Jace OL 6-4 312 N. Michigan

60 BOND, Travis OL 6-6 329 North Carolina

61 GOOSSEN, Matthias* OL 6-4 304 SFU

62 MARTIN, Lawrence OL 6-3 320 South Florida

64 HARDRICK, Jermarcus OL 6-6 320 Nebraska

66 BRYANT, Stanley OL 6-5 311 E. Carolina

67 KEEPING, Jeff* C 6-6 295 Western Ontario

68 FOKETI, Manase OL 6-6 310 West Texas A&M

69 CHUNGH, Sukh* OL 6-4 300 Calgary

70 COLLINS, Ricky WR 6-0 198 Texas A&M-Commerce

72 PINKARD, Larry WR 6-0 196 Old Dominion

73 PATTON, Solomon WR 5-9 177 Florida

80 GORDON, Jhomo WR 6-1 195 Beth-Cookman

81 BASTIEN, Kris* WR 6-3 210 Concordia

82 SMITH, Ernest WR 6-5 210 Baylor

83 FEOLI-GUDINO, Julian* WR 6-0 211 Laval

84 CONE, Kevin WR 6-2 215 Georgia Tech

86 RICHARDS, Addison* WR 6-4 212 Regina

87 KOHLERT, Rory* WR 6-2 213 Saskatchewan

88 DAVIS, Spencer WR 5-7 187 Southeast Missouri St.

89 TALLEY, Julian WR 6-1 195 Massachusetts

 

There's also a good article by Tait on the same page:

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/bombers/offensive-acts-encouraged-376914441.html

Edited April 25, 2016 by Jacquie

[Fatty Liver]

49 minutes ago, rebusrankin said:

Go 7 NIs (Westerman/Shologon/Chung/Gossen/Kolhert/Harris/Neufeld) and you can play Wild, Bass, Leggett at LB.

Agreed the ratio is doable enough but playing Wild in Hurls's role would be a waste of his skill-set imo.  In 2014 when Wild spent time playing MLB he wasn't as effective as he had been on the outside and ended up being injured on a goal-line stand against the Riders.  Bass has more mass so it may be that he is headed to the middle position but hopefully they allow him the freedom to pursue.

 

 

[TrueBlue]

9 hours ago, Throw Long Bannatyne said:

Agreed the ratio is doable enough but playing Wild in Hurls's role would be a waste of his skill-set imo.  In 2014 when Wild spent time playing MLB he wasn't as effective as he had been on the outside and ended up being injured on a goal-line stand against the Riders.  Bass has more mass so it may be that he is headed to the middle position but hopefully they allow him the freedom to pursue.

 

 

If the don't do Wild as WIL, Leggett at SAM and Bass in the middle, I don't see how this combo would work. 

[bigg jay]

Quote

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Darrin Bauming‏@DarrinBauming

Receivers Addison Richards (offseason hip surgery) and Kevin Cone are spectators for the first day of #Bombers mini-camp.

I know it's just mini-camp but I really hope this isn't a replay of last season.

Edited April 25, 2016 by bigg jay

[Mike]

Depth chart (I know, I know) showing Darvin Adams at slotback this year.

OL is Bryant-Daniels-Goossen-Chungh-Neufeld in that order.

[Mr Dee]

 

[Mr Dee]

 

23 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

I know it's just mini-camp but I really hope this isn't a replay of last season.

 

 

[IC Khari]

Addison needs time to get his hair ready for camp ...

[Fatty Liver]

Ed Tait's mini-camp article.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/bombers/offensive-acts-encouraged-376914441.html

 

It is a "mini-camp" in name. If any of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive personnel who step on the field for this week’s five practices believe it’s strictly an informal meet-and-greet, take note of this from GM Kyle Walters:

"Any time a player steps in the building, any time he’s in our city, he has a chance to make an impression," said the Bombers’ football boss. "It’s whether they pay attention in meetings... lots of things.

"Some guys are going to have to go. These guys showing up, if they’re making a negative impression for whatever reason, then they’re probably not going to be here for training camp."

CFL teams must have their numbers at 75 players by May 1 and with both the NFL and CFL drafts approaching, it means there will still be some roster juggling in the next few weeks before camp. That means the Bomber mini-camp is about more than the players reacquainting after the winter and getting a chance to test drive offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice’s new offence.

Here’s a preview of what to expect over the next few days:

Who’s attending

The camp is offence-only, so no defenders will be on the field.

All four quarterbacks under contract — Drew Willy, Matt Nichols, Dominique Davis and Bryan Bennett — will be throwing and all of the offensive coaches will be teaching.

Only two running backs will be on the field — Andrew Harris and Pascal Lochard, both free-agent additions from the B.C. Lions. BJ Catalon, currently the only import tailback on the roster (more signings are expected) is writing an exam this week at Texas Christian University.

What’s different

CFL teams hold off-season mini-camps every off-season in an attempt to find new talent. The Bombers have held theirs in Florida the last couple of years. This is a change not only in venue, but because the camp will feature players already under contract.

"These aren’t the guys who show up at your off-season workouts and pay 100 bucks and come around for you," Walters explained. "This is the top group of guys that you work and you work and you work to try and convince them to sign. It’s like recruiting. You’ve recruited these guys to come up here. The difference is some of them haven’t played football in a year. They’ve been doing the workouts or pursuing the NFL. It will be exciting to see them in person because we haven’t seen anything but their film over the past couple of years.

"It’s not like Florida where you’ve got 40 kids and they’re all competing against each other and nobody has heard any of their names. This will be a much different vibe. It will look slower on the field because it’s going to be more systems, more coaching and teaching of concepts. Myself and the scouting department will be much more focused on the individual drills the receivers and offensive linemen are going through, just to see how they move, how they catch, what kind of shape they’re in."

The emphasis

It may look odd to see the offence running sets without a defence on the field, but there is a lot to be gained from this approach.

"We’re working on different tempos, getting in and out of the huddle, terminology, how we want to set up certain routes," said Willy last week. "We’ll get a lot out of next week. I was kind of skeptical at first at not having a defence out there... it’ll be different. A lot of football is reaction, so you’re reacting to a defence.

"But after talking to coaches and other players who have done this before in the league, they were telling me it’s a good operation just because you are able to concentrate on your own stuff as an offence and you can really fine-tune and emphasize what you want to get done."

Keep an eye on

Ten players to watch during the camp:

5 Drew Willy, QB

No introductions are needed. But this will be the first look at the Bombers’ QB1 since he was injured last August. He says he’s 100 per cent, but the man who is the face of this franchise is always under the microscope.

33 Andrew Harris, RB

One of the big off-season additions, this hometown product figures to play a prominent role in LaPolice’s attack, including out of the backfield as a receiver. He’s averaged 59 catches over the past four seasons.

7 Weston Dressler, SB/WR

A longtime Bomber nemesis comes over from Saskatchewan to provide some veteran guile to the passing attack. Pulled in 70 passes for 941 yards and six touchdowns last year from five different Rider QBs. The Bombers believe he’s still got game.

18 Bryan Bennett, QB

Joined the Bombers late last October and while he got almost zero reps, flashed a howitzer of an arm. Played two years at Oregon before transferring to Southeastern Louisiana. Got a look from the Indianapolis Colts before coming north.

64 Jermarcus Hardrick, OT

Started 18 games over the past two years with Saskatchewan and B.C. Listed at 6-6, 320, he’ll be battling for starting work in main camp.

19 Jerrel Jernigan, WR/KR

Smallish (5-9) receiver/return man who spent four years with the New York Giants after being a third-round selection in 2011.

12 Ryan Smith, WR/SB

Another ex-Rider, Smith led Saskatchewan with 59 receptions for 991 yards and seven scores. Should quickly become a favourite target of Willy & Co.

61 Matthias Goossen, C

He became the Bombers’ starting centre last year when Dominic Picard was injured and started to flash the skills that made him the second-overall pick in 2014.

82 Ernest Smith, WR

Former Baylor product is the biggest of the receivers in camp at 6-5. Spent time with San Diego before starting a football training business.

72 Larry Pinkard, WR

Posted a 1,000-yard season in his final year at Old Dominion and then had looks from Green Bay and Oakland.

[IC Khari]

Excited to see how the last two top draft selections Goosen and Chungh do this year. You build from the draft and it appears it's starting to work for the Bombers. Hopefully a steal will fall their way this draft year!

Edited April 25, 2016 by IC Khari

[Mr Dee]

 

[Bigblue204]

Went to mini camp this morning. Nice to see players on the field again. Not much going on. Qb and rec/rb doing some drills and oline doin the same in the endzone. Dressler and Smith certainly stand out. And not cause of their size. Dressler has still got plenty of speed, and Willy hit him beautifully on a corner route. Smith is a very good route runner. Solid cuts and bursts in and out. Mcduffie also really quick, was impressive during a cone drill. Kris Adams is also a guy that stood out, to me anyways. Just looks really smooth.

Edited April 25, 2016 by Bigblue204

[bearpants]

I was also at the mini camp this morning... IMO There wasn't really anything noteworthy... the new additions, Smith, Harris and Dressler all looked pretty good, as expected... they're playing against no D so hard to get a good read... I did notice Dressler playing at the WR spot and Smith in the slot.... likely just experimentation but it could be that they're trying to reduce Dressler's punishment... FWIW this was today's "starting line up"...

OL: Bryant - Lawrence Martin - Goossen - Chungh - Neufeld

WR: Dressler - Smith - Ernest Smith - Adams - Kohlert

QB: Willy (shocker alert!)

RB: Harris (Lochard took some reps with the first team)

[IC Khari]

 

[IC Khari]

 

[Mr Dee]

Nice videos. I like it. But what struck me the most, about watching those Bomber videos, was what a beautiful stadium we have, that they're practising in...

[Taynted_Fayth]

damn I wanted to go today but had a dentist appointment early today and have been in some wicked pain.  maybe tomorrow,  hopefully a little warmer out and less windy

[IC Khari]

25 minutes ago, Mr Dee said:

Nice videos. I like it. But what struck me the most, about watching those Bomber videos, was what a beautiful stadium we have, that they're practising in...

But judging by the royal blue on the face masks the team colours are going to clash with the navy coloured seats  ... why didn't they change back to royal blue in 2011 before the thing was built? Are we stuck with that colour now? (I know, very minor thing to complain about but it would be nice if the stadium could have the team's colours).

[Mike]

Yes, we're stuck with that color. Seats can never be removed. Ever.