GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION: The Blue Bombers had a pretty good idea of what they were getting when they selected defensive end Anthony Bennett with the first pick, 8th overall, in the CFL Draft — a high-energy, mature 26-year-old who can contribute on special teams.
And two days into rookie camp they are seeing much of the same.
“Day 2… lovely atmopshere,” said Bennett after practice Thursday. “Starting to get in the groove of things and day by day getting better. The intensity is up. I just love the feeling. Honestly, I would say it’s everybody is at the pro level, everybody is holding each other accountable and, most importantly, everybody doesn’t want to get cut.
“It feels pretty good. Just taking it day by day. Once again, you just don’t want to get cut.”
As to what he wants to show through the rest of camp, Bennett added:
“That I’m willing to play. That I’m going to fit in this system. I’m a Swiss-Army knife — put me anywhere you want and I’ll be there.”
HERE COMES THE BOOM: Friday’s final day of Rookie Camp will be a full pads session after two practices without the full gear.
“You certainly want to see a bit of physicality within the line play,” said O’Shea. “There’s not going to be tackling. There’s no whacking guys across the middle… none of that stuff. It’s just different because they’ll have their pads on. They’re going to be huffing and puffing a little more, for sure, from carrying a little extra weight. You want to see if they’re going to take on a block, how they take on a block. If they’re going to block somebody, you block somebody hard.”
“The level of care for your teammate is not going to change. It’s not. We’re interested in seeing the majority of these guys move on to this next camp and they have to be able to perform so just running them around and letting them go crazy doesn’t make any sense.”
FYI: Here’s O’Shea’s explanation on the move of Cole Adamson from defensive tackle to offensive guard: “We think he’s best suited there. With Jake (Thomas) and Cam (Lawson) it would have been tough sledding for him to get on (the roster, as a defensive tackle). We like that if he’s training as an O-lineman he’s also versatile and can play D-line. We know he can do that. It’s just one of those things — we believe he’s going to have a longer career if he can master O-line.
Now, it’s not an easy transition. It is not easy. Chris Van Zeyl it worked for. Jeff Keeping it worked for. But it takes time to figure it out. Look at those guys, that transition takes a couple of years.”… We told the story of former Navy SEAL Damian Jackson, the D-lineman/long snapper trying out for the Blue Bombers. O’Shea was asked for his impressions after the first couple of days of practice:
“He uses hands well plays with good leverage.”
“The thing that stands out the most is the sheer number of reps he’s taking. He just keeps lining up. Our numbers are a little bit lacking in a couple of areas and he just keeps lining up in those spots.”
The Jackson story is here:
“You just ask him, and he’ll line up and do it. He’s a tough dude. He’s mature.”
One more from Coach, on placekicker Chandler Staton:
“What you notice about him right away is basically the ball flies the same every time off his foot. It looks the same. You liken it to a golfer who just changes the club and has the same swing. He’s got the same swing over and over and over and the ball flies the same over and over and over. He’s got a calmness to him and a bit of a sense of humour. He’s fairly relaxed. We’ve only known him for a few days here, but at that combine (in the offseason) he showed a lot of confidence and just made kicks.”…
O’Shea said the club hasn’t yet examined how, or if, the roster has to be trimmed before Sunday’s main camp. The staff is scheduled to meet on Saturday, a non-practice day, before the main camp opens.
