Mini-camp an important starting point for Bombers

CFL.ca Staff

BRADENTON, FLA. — Drew Willy and the Bombers are hoping for another fast start in 2015, and it all begins on Sunday as the team kicks off its annual mini-camp in Bradenton, Fla.

Quarterbacks and rookies will be in attendance along with the Bombers’ coaching staff, as the team’s first organized football activities of the season go from April 19-21 at the IMG Academy.

While most veterans won’t be in attendance, some can say it finally feels like football season.

“It’s nice to be able to call the plays again, get in the classroom, go over some plays and talk football with the coaches,” said Willy, entering his second season as the Bombers’ starting quarterback.

“You kind of get that itch going again – training camp’s coming up, so you want to be completely ready and get the chance to show what you’ve been doing all off-season.”

Head Coach Mike O’Shea and the Bombers traded for Willy during the off-season in 2014, soon identifying the University at Buffalo product as their quarterback of the future.

After a mini-camp like this one followed by a full training camp, Willy had earned the job. A year later, the 28-year-old is the unquestioned leader of the offence, ready to run it for a second season beneath Offensive Coordinator Marcel Bellefeuille.

“It’ll be nice to get down to Florida and a really good start playing in the second year of Coach Bellfeuille’s offence,” said Willy. “I’m looking forward to having a year under our belt, and I think the experience of us working together will definitely help.”

“It’ll be nice to throw outside and get out in the warm weather, and we’ll just keep working on our game as a team and me individually trying to get better each day.”

On this particular weekend, Willy may be about the only link between Bellefeuille and a Bomber offence that’ll consist of rookies without any CFL experience. Willy will get his go-to guys back come late May, but the hope for this weekend is to discover new talent.

Organized chaos is how some describe rookie mini-camps, but Willy looks at it as an opportunity.

“I think you get a lot of the American guys that have never really done a waggle before at the receiver position,” said Willy. “I think you’re just trying to find a few guys on each side of the ball that can come to training camp, compete, make the roster and do some great things for us.”

For an organization that’s trending upward both on and off the field, the off-season mini-camp has become a must. Eight of nine CFL teams are holding one in 2015, and by all accounts the mini-camp provides the perfect segue from the long off-season to training camp.

“I think it’s a good job by the organization to keep having these types of camps and just bringing in more players to Winnipeg and building our depth up,” lauded Willy. “It definitely serves a purpose for us and it’s nice for the quarterbacks just to get the timing and the throws going and things like that.”

The Bombers finished their season 7-11 last year, but upon further review enjoyed a solid bounce back season from the previous year. A new regime led by new general manager Kyle Walters, Coach O’Shea and young talented pivot Willy captivated the city of Winnipeg with a 5-1 start out of the gate.

The end result wasn’t what anyone had hoped for, but the season as a whole was a starting point – one that picks up again on Sunday, as the unofficial start of the 2015 campaign arrives.

“It’s nice to get into the team setting and call the plays, get to the ball and have the defence out there,” confirmed Willy. “All of those little things – it’s fun, it’s a great process and the season kind of starts this weekend for us.”