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BOMBSHELLS: Veteran quarterback Prukop taking part in Bombers’ rookie camp with blessing of CFLPA

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There were a few eyebrows raised among observers at Winnipeg Blue Bombers rookie camp on Wednesday, when veteran quarterback Dakota Prukop was among those that trotted onto the field.

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Prukop is entering his fifth year in the CFL and he’s far from a rookie, but he’s also among the players that the CFL Players Association told to stay home, with a collective bargaining agreement still very much up in the air.

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Prukop had to work his cell phone for quite some time leading up to camp, explaining to fellow CFLPA members and teammates why he believed he should be in rookie camp.

Bombers starting QB Zach Collaros was expected to take part this week as well, but stayed home on the CFLPA’s advice.

“The thought of putting myself at a competitive disadvantage was really hard on me and my family,” said Prukop, who has been a backup quarterback for four CFL seasons, with Toronto and Edmonton.

“I lost a little sleep over it. But after a couple of conversations, it really put my mind at ease and I was able to just come out here and play.”

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Prukop spoke with the CFLPA’s leadership as well Bombers players such as Collaros and CFLPA rep Adam Bighill.

“With the support of the other veterans around the league, guys had no problem with me coming and competing for my job,” Prukop said. “The leadership on this team has been great. I reached out to Zach and Adam Bighill and just checked with them. The biggest thing is you don’t want to create any kind of disruption or friction on the team. From my conversations with them, no one thought that would be the case.”

Prukop is one of four quarterbacks taking part in rookie camp, along with second-year player Dru Brown, newcomer Jake Floriea and University of Manitoba Bisons pivot Jackson Tachinski.

“I’m a veteran but I’m competing against rookie guys in a new offence, with a new playbook,” Prukop said.

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“While the PA is standing to make a statement, we’re also taking care of guys. I just wasn’t in the position to be able to put myself in a competitive disadvantage, competing against great quarterbacks who have a rookie tag.

“It’s a new system and it’s not an easy system. Winnipeg wins for many reasons and they have a great system with smart guys running it. Not being here before and not having the playbook yet, as a quarterback, that will add a little stress on your plate. I wanted to get up here and start learning the offence, under (offensive co-ordinator) Buck (Pierce), and the other guys saw it that way too.”

Though Prukop is expected to be the primary backup behind Collaros this season — that’s why he was signed — he doesn’t see anything in football as being guaranteed.

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“I think I’ll always feel like that,” he said.

“Especially in the CFL, not many people have that guaranteed job, like how they really want to feel it. I don’t think any quarterback — except for maybe Zach — really feels like they have a solidified job. That’s what keeps everyone on edge.”

CBA NOT A DISTRACTION

The CFL and CFLPA were meeting Wednesday to discuss a new collective bargaining agreement. The old one expires on Saturday and main training camps are due to open on Sunday.

Players have approved strike action if there is no CBA, so there’s plenty of uncertainty surrounding this rookie camp.

“We don’t think about it all,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said. “Nobody out on the field has any say in it, so we’re just going to go out and practice and have fun doing it.”

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Not having Collaros around from the very beginning doesn’t seem to be an issue for the head coach.

“Zach knows what he’s doing,” O’Shea said. “He knows the playbook inside and out. He doesn’t need these reps.”

BACK TO NORMAL?

Things are a little different for the Bombers this year than they were in training camp last year during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While there are still plenty of protocols in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, it’s a little more normal for the players, in terms of how they can interact within the Blue Bombers facility.

“Perfect,” O’Shea said, when asked how he felt about being back out on the field for rookie camp.

“We’re out here together, we’re in a tighter group, our meeting sessions are the way they’re supposed to be. It’s the start of something good.

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“I don’t know that it’s the practice that’s special but it’s the time leading up to it when you see these guys coming into the locker room. These guys don’t really know each other, like when the vets show up, but just having guys back in the locker room, having a real locker room setup and having the rookies in there, is nice.

“Last year there were guys dispersed all around and I think some guys ended up having their first experience in pro football not be as it should be. Because there was a lot of segregation, you know, in terms of physical distancing. This is a lot closer to what we need it to be.”

ROOKIE CAMP IMPORTANT

Last year, the Bombers didn’t have a rookie camp as the season was delayed due to the pandemic.

They didn’t seem to miss it much, as they won the Grey Cup for the second straight season, but it’s a part of training camp that is very useful for new players.

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“It’s not so much what we’re looking for as what we give them,” O’Shea said. “We’re trying to give them a good start so that when the veteran group comes in, they’re competing at that level, they’re not behind in that process.

“So you’re just trying to give them as much information as you can, walking them through a pile of stuff, getting them really comfortable with terminology, basic plays, our standards of work, so that you’re comparing more apples to apples, not apples to oranges really. You do observe and you’re making notes, but it’s more about trying to help these guys get to the level they need to be at so they can compete when the vets come in.”

Twyman@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/Ted_Wyman

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