Quick hits | Rookie Camp – Day 2

Notes and quotes from Day 2 of the Blue Bombers rookie camp…

French fries and… donuts and muffins?: Eric Barriere had never crossed the 49th parallel before, so when he was invited to the Blue Bombers’ rookie camp, the Inglewood, CA product, a guy who played quarterback for Eastern Washington, was excited for a little international adventure.

His first glances at Canada and Winnipeg are all positive, although he has noticed some subtle differences between the US of A and the Great White North.

“I like it a lot. It’s the first time I’m here. It’s different,” she began after the second day of rookie camp. “The other day I ate McDonald’s and it is different than in the United States, for example. I had fries, of course, but they also have donuts and muffins…things we don’t have at home. There is a habanero chicken.

“Another thing… I was trying to watch HBO Max and that doesn’t work here. There are little things but like I said I really like it.”

Barriere is one of four quarterbacks in camp, joining veterans Zach Collaros and Chris Streveler and fellow rookie Terry Wilson, whose final year of college was at New Mexico before the emergence of the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Gamblers. Barriere has rebounded since starring at EWU and won the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in the NCAA Division I FCS in 2021. Undrafted in the 2022 draft, he signed with the Denver Broncos and then the Michigan Panthers of the USFL. He signed with the New Jersey Generals last year, but that team disbanded when the USFL and XFL teams merged to form the United Football League.

And so, sure, yes, there is a certain appeal in coming to a league that celebrated the 110th Gray Cup last November.

“It wasn’t so much about uncertainty, it’s just that what happened left a lot of people without opportunities,” Barriere said. “That was the roller coaster part. This league has been established for a long time and is the next best thing to the NFL. It has great teams with great fan bases and is a high scoring league; That’s eye candy for an offensive player who wants to go out and make a name for himself.”

If he lands a job with the Blue Bombers, Barriere would be the latest EWU center to find a home in Canada, joining players like Bo Levi Mitchell, Vernon Adams, Jr. and Matt Nichols.

“I know a lot about that,” Barriere said. “They’ve said Eastern Washington has been a conduit for quarterbacks to get to the CFL. All of them have also done well in this league. That’s good for players like me and others who may come to have a good opportunity here thanks to that history.”

Now it’s critical for Barriere (and Wilson) to work to impress everyone in that fight for the third QB spot behind Collaros and Streveler.

“I love being a great teammate, being vocal and showing everyone that I can lead,” Barriere said. “I want to show my knowledge on the field, that I can process things quickly, read defenses. “If I could do that, it would make me very happy.”

Watch and learn: Newcomers have just three sessions and less than seven hours of practice between Day 1 on Wednesday and the end of rookie camp on Friday. Medical exams and testing will take place on Saturday, and the veterans will join everyone for the first full day of main camp on Sunday morning. Here’s Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea on what the coaching staff can learn about a player in just three days:

“You can learn how kids learn. You can learn and assimilate a little about their character as they move around the building. You can learn a little about how much they care about your opportunity. Those things are important. The X’s and O’s need a little more time to discover what they can digest. And then you’ll be able to see (on Friday) when they put the pads on for the first time… you’ll be able to find out a little bit more about them.”

For your information: DE Chauncey Rivers, a leading candidate to replace Jackson Jeffcoat, missed the first two days of practice, but is apparently now on his way… RB Brady Oliveira and SB Nic Demski were transferred to the veteran list injured this week, but they are barely movements. setting off alarm bells in Bomberland. O’Shea said: “They just have to work a little harder to prepare for camp. Those are guys we’re never going to rush. We know what they can do and how important they are too. If they needed that time before camp, that’s what they’re going to get.”

Quotable: O’Shea when asked what OL Gabe Wallace, selected 17th overall in last week’s CFL Draft, likes:

“He has a good mustache. Ted saw him play quite often. He is a huge human being. He is brave and we believe that he plays football the way we like. Then you talk to him and he’s a good guy. It all added up to when he was available in that election, it would have been a shame not to have him.

Next: Friday’s final day of rookie camp will be held from 10:15 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. at Princess Auto Stadium. All sessions are open to the public.