Bombers ready to kick off training camp

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This article was published 27/05/2016 (2889 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They spent their Saturday being poked and prodded, from head to toe.

And with the completion of the team’s annual medicals, it is finally showtime at Investors Group Field.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers get their long awaited — and much hyped — 2016 CFL season underway in earnest Sunday morning at 10 a.m. with the opening of training camp.

It all cannot come soon enough for Bombers defender Chris Randle, who’s waited longer than most for the new season to arrive thanks to a season ending knee injury last September that unexpectedly abbreviated his 2015 season.

Randle said Saturday the wait has been agonizing.

“It was probably the hardest thing I’ve had to go through in my life,” said Randle, who after a stint at strong-side linebacker last season is expected to go back to his natural position at cornerback this season.

Randle said his knee — and the rest of him — got a clean bill of health on Saturday during the team’s annual medicals. “It’s great. The physical went really well today. I’ve been training since I left. Non-stop, continuous work and I feel really good. I’m ready to go.”

Bombers defensive end Jamaal Westerman, who finished second in the league in sacks last season with 17, said he’s looking forward to seeing the myriad of off-season personnel changes the Bombers front office made finally all come together on the field at one time on Sunday.

No single unit has seen more off-season changes than the defensive line, where Westerman will be the only starter returning from last year’s front-four after the off-season jettisoning of veterans like Bryant Turner, Greg Peach and Zach Anderson.

“I’m excited for the new guys coming in. I’ve talked to some of the guys already after just getting here (on Friday),” said Westerman. “It’s an exciting group of guys and I’m excited to get on the field with them tomorrow, just to come together as a team and develop this year…

“We all have high expectations,” said Westerman. “But you can’t just talk about it. You have to grind every day and grind through it.”

Westerman is in his second year with the Bombers and said he feels a lot more relaxed this time around than he did in a rookie CFL season that sounds not unlike high school the way Westerman describes it.

“It’s a little bit more comfortable knowing guys and talking about last year and talking about what we expect from this year and where we want to go this year,” said Westerman.

“I know the facility, I know the coaches. Last year I was kind of tip-toeing around, getting to see who’s cool, who’s not cool.”

A team spokesman said everyone passed their medicals on Saturday and the club will have a full complement of 85 players on the field when camp opens Sunday morning after making two final cuts on Saturday, imports DL Emmanuel Dieke and R Kris Adams.

The Bombers released their depth chart for the opening of camp on Saturday and there were no surprises, just as there were no guarantees the depth chart will look the same once the regular season opens.

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For the moment, at least, Sam Hurl is listed as the starting middle linebacker ahead of former NFLer Kyle Knox and veteran Bomber Ian Wild; Matt Bucknor is listed as a starting cornerback ahead of Randle; and Jace Daniels is listed as the starting left guard. All three of those positions are expected to see a fierce battle for the starting job.

The players will have just 10 days together before they get their first pre-season test at home on June 8 against the Montreal Alouettes. Winnipeg wraps up their pre-season schedule five days later with a tilt in Ottawa against the Redblacks on June 13.

The Bombers open the 2016 regular season at home against the Alouettes on June 24.

email: paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @PaulWiecek

Paul Wiecek
Reporter (retired)

Paul Wiecek was born and raised in Winnipeg’s North End and delivered the Free Press -- 53 papers, Machray Avenue, between Main and Salter Streets -- long before he was first hired as a Free Press reporter in 1989.

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