Without list limits in the pre-season of the LCF, everyone has the chance to play for Winnipeg blue bombers.
The Bombers welcome the Saskatchewan Roughriders during their first exhibition test on Saturday afternoon, and the bombers will dress all their healthy bodies with more than 80 players listed on their list of the match day. Nic Demski and Dalton Schoen receptors, who are facing injuries, will both be held.
The bombers head coach Mike O’Shea wants everyone to play to give them as many opportunities as possible to impress coaches. There are a certain number of starting jobs to be won at this year’s camp with places open to the receiver, in defensive secondary and on the offensive line after the off -season departures of Kenny Lawler, Ontaria Wilson, Tyrell Ford, Brandon Alexander and Liam Dobson.
After watching her players for 12 days of training camp, O’Shea will now have his first overview of some of her new players in a real game situation with lively flying balls.
“You cannot simulate the level of physicality in practice, in the training camp,” said O’Shea. “As much as you may want to try to reach it at this level, you will never have at this level. The players will not feel the type of fatigue by the training camp they will be in a game.
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“It’s just a completely different feeling for them. As much as you try to put them in the shape of a game, I think everyone realizes that the only thing that puts them in the shape of a game is to play games. So there is obviously more stock in what they do in these next two weeks.”
Freshly out of the signing of a one-year contract extension, the first quarter-back of Zach Collaros strings is listed to start with QB for blue and gold. But the real question is how much he will play.
Neither Collaros nor the head coach would put a number on the number of series in which he will appear. The bombers have a bye in the first week, and Collaros was suspended for his first game in the second week. He will not play a real game before the third week of the regular season over four weeks, so Collaros could take some more rehearsals than usual for pre-season.
And with the QBs who do not take sure in the camp, believe it or not, Collaros is in fact looking forward to regaining contact.
“You need it,” said Collaros. “Your body is starting to acclimatize to it over the season, right? So, yes, you are definitely painful after this first contact match, so the earlier it happens in the game.”
The kick-off is at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday at Princess Auto Stadium on Saturday and the two teams will meet next Friday in Regina to close the pre-season.
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