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JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Nic Demski (10) talks to quarterback Zach Collaros (8) at Blue Bomber training camp Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are human after all, believe it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
After running a few routes and catching some passes, that nervous energy quickly turns into excitement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is my 11th training camp, and leading up to last night, I was cool as a cucumber and then all of a sudden it just hit me: I\u2019m really about to play football tomorrow,\u201d said Demski.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut once you get out here and put the helmet on, it\u2019s just like riding a bike, man. I\u2019m still having fun with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Considering all the moves that were made in the off-season, a lot of fun could be on the horizon for this crew.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are human after all, believe it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
All their shiny new toys from free agency \u2014 tackle Jarell Broxton, defensive lineman Jake Ceresna, receivers Tim White and Tommy Nield, and defensive back Jonathan Moxey \u2014 were already showing a few glimpses on Sunday of how they can help this team.<\/p>\n
Quarterback Zach Collaros seemed to have already found chemistry with White, connecting with the former Hamilton Tiger-Cat several times downfield. Then there was Broxton, who looked immovable when the O- and D-lines gathered for some one-on-one drills.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of excitement. Just from the team meeting yesterday, coach O\u2019Shea said this was one of the best off-seasons from the front office,\u201d said defensive end Willie Jefferson.<\/p>\n
\u201c(They brought) in some great guys, some big name guys, some guys that we think are going to help us get over the hump at the end of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bombers knew maintaining the status quo wasn\u2019t going to get them back to being contenders. After five consecutive Grey Cup appearances, they regressed in a major way last year \u2014 going 10-8 before losing the East Division semifinal to Montreal as the crossover team.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n Quarterback Zach Collaros throws at Blue Bomber training camp as head coach Mike O\u2019Shea looks on Sunday.<\/p>\n The Blue and Gold inked a handful of free agents ahead of the 2025 campaign, but none made a lasting impact.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you look back at the number of years, the organization has always done a pretty good job of keeping the main core together. The continuity has always been very, very good. And when you\u2019re at the top of the CFL year after year, (teams) come in and poach and take some of your good guys,\u201d said running back Brady Oliveira.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, when that happened the last number of years and guys start leaving, I felt like we were never adding. It was just like \u2018Well, we have our guys.\u2019 And absolutely, I\u2019ll go with my guys any day of the week. But I felt like could there have been some pieces added here and there? I think absolutely. And I think that\u2019s exactly what was done this off-season with the front office.<\/p>\n \u201cThey did one heck of a job.\u201d<\/p>\n The CFL doesn\u2019t hand out the Grey Cup in the off-season, though. The real work starts now.<\/p>\n \u201cNow it\u2019s our job to put it all together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow it\u2019s our job to put it all together,\u201d said head coach Mike O\u2019Shea.<\/p>\n Down goes Santos-Knox<\/p>\n Less than 90 minutes into the opening day of training camp, linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox went down with an apparent right leg injury.<\/p>\n The 31-year-old, who broke into the CFL with Winnipeg in 2017 and is back with the team after splitting the last six seasons between Edmonton, Hamilton and Ottawa, crumpled to the turf during a running drill and was assisted to the locker room by two staff members. He did not return and O\u2019Shea didn\u2019t provide an update on the severity of the injury.<\/p>\n Santos-Knox played all 18 games for Ottawa last year and led the team with 80 defensive tackles.<\/p>\n Oliveira on new playoff format<\/p>\n Oliveira couldn\u2019t help but smile when asked to comment about his viral tweet regarding the CFL\u2019s new playoff format.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n Willie Jefferson works to get around Kendall Randolph at Blue Bomber training camp Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew this was coming up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The 2024 CFL Most Outstanding Player blasted the league on X last month for the 2027 change that will see eight out of nine teams qualify for the post-season.<\/p>\n \u201cI think optically, when you just say in a sentence that eight of the nine teams are going to be in the playoffs, that was the only thing that was kind of a concern for me. I was like \u2018You might as well put all nine teams in then,\u2019 right? At the end of the day, we have to have belief and faith that the commissioner, the board of governors, they\u2019re all making the best decision to grow this league,\u201d said Oliveira.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s really hope they\u2019re making the best decisions possible. Obviously, I love this league and want to continue to see it grow. I know the product is so amazing and we need to get more eyes on it. I get it from a business standpoint.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019m really excited just for this upcoming season, though, and maybe we can kind of put that in the past because that\u2019s not till next year.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Brady Oliveira (20) at Blue Bomber training camp Sunday, May 10, 2026. <\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/taylorallen<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t Taylor Allen Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree\/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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