In the early days of Winnipeg Blue Bomber training camp, head coach Tim Burke was asked about “fighting” during the workouts, something that will often occur.
Did he approve, or would he rather the players didn’t get into any scuffles? His response was typical of Burke, meaning there was no grey area.
| Burke: “I don’t like it” |
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Blue Bombers head coach Tim Burke has been asking for more intensity and he got it in spades this week, as two more scraps erupted between his players at training camp. |
“I don’t like it, you can’t fight in a game, why would you want to fight in practice. We teach respect here, respect for the game, for the organization, for the community. Fighting shows a lack of respect for your teammates.”
Naturally, two days after Burke made those comments, there were two more fights at practice. The first one was between rookie receivers Jameeze Massey and Quintin McCree, which was nothing more than a short wrestling match.
But the second turned into a mini-brawl when veteran offensive lineman Steve Morley and defensive tackle Ken Mainor got into it and a handful of other players joined in.
Burke immediately stopped practice, offered some harsh words and put the entire training camp roster through a “punishment” drill. He then made it crystal clear in a players meeting later that evening that fighting is taboo. Anyone engaging in it will face consequences.
This is not for a minute to suggest Burke has gone soft. He wants a hard working, aggressive, physical, take no prisoners type of team. He just believes that fighting among teammates serves no useful purpose and is counter-productive.
Burke’s “tough” side is apparent when it comes to his evaluation and expectations of his players. When asked if he was happy with the early stages of training camp, Burke said “I’m happy with just about everything, except the play of our veteran defensive backs. They are not working hard enough, they are not running to the ball hard enough. Unless they pick it up, it looks like I might have to cut one of them to get the message across.”
It was at least the second time during the off-season that Burke had been critical of the group that includes Jovon Johnson, Brandon Stewart, Alex Suber and Jonathan Hefney.
Those four, along with safety Ian Logan, were the strength of the Blue Bomber defence in their 2011 run to the Grey Cup. But they did not perform to nearly the same level during their 2012 campaign. Logan has already been let go and the other four are clearly on notice.
And a handful of young, fast and eager rookie defensive backs has made a strong impression in the early stages of camp, further reminding the vets that they shouldn’t take anything for granted.
Burke says he won’t be making any cuts until after the first pre-season game against the defending Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts on June 12th.
But the approximate 80 players who are going through their training camp workouts each day at spectacular new Investors Group Field in Winnipeg already understand one thing: There is a new sheriff in town, and Tim Burke is a man who is going to follow his words with action.
