Courtesy Winnipeg Free Press:

They were just names on a depth chart a week ago. Prospects. Fresh meat with juicy resumés.

But here we are, eight days through the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ main training camp — 11 days if you include the rookies-only workouts — and the consensus from the team’s coaches and management is that some of these dudes can plan a bit. A lot, actually.

Given a chance to reflect on the first week of ‘08 camp, head coach Doug Berry offered this analysis on the fight for some of the key starting positions still up for grabs with the CFL season-opener now just 18 days away:

Safety

The storyline: The Bombers plan to start two Canadians on defence — Doug Brown is a given at tackle — and the options are opening up at two spots in the secondary. Heading into camp, it was thought the best spot to start another homegrown was at safety, especially given the experience of Ian Logan, Jason Nugent and Sebastian Clovis. But the play of rookies Marc Beswick and Steven Holness, plus Logan’s ability, has the team also contemplating starting a Canadian at corner.

Berry’s take: “If we go with the free safety position, it could be any of the five Canadians out there. If we go at corner, it’s probably down to two or three of them. We’ve got a couple of guys who could play corner and we’ve got a couple of guys out of that whole mix who could play free safety as well.”

Import receiver

The storyline: One, possibly two positions available, depending on Milt Stegall’s recovery from off-season knee surgery. This spot is indirectly linked to what happens with the Canadians in the secondary. If a Canadian starts at safety or corner, it frees up another import to start in the receiving corps. Romby Bryant just continues to make plays and is our early pick to grab the fourth receiver job. Dan Sheldon, Kerry Johnson, Aaron Fairooz and Jeff Moore are all steady.

Berry’s take: “We’ve got a lot of talent there. Kerry Johnson’s much stronger than he’s been. Sheldon has shown a lot. Romby Bryant has shown a lot. These guys are fast, athletic, with great body control and great hands. (Moore) has shown he’s capable, but he’s not as consistent as the other guys, and Fairooz is another guy you just kind of take for granted at times as just a big guy, but he’s not. He’s athletic, he’s smooth, he’s co-ordinated.”

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