BREAKING: Bombers’ QB makes honest admission after pivot Eric Barriere had been cut from the training camp roster

Terry Wilson, the quarterback prospect for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, had a mixed bag of emotions on Saturday.

He was informed upon awakening that Eric Barriere, a fellow pivot, had been excluded from the training camp roster.

Conversely, he was aware that he had overcome a barrier in his pursuit of Winnipeg’s backup position.

Wilson admitted, “It’s tough, to be honest,” as the Bombers completed another three-hour practice at Princess Auto Stadium on Sunday. “In particular, as a quarterback, you study and spend a lot of time together. Therefore, that was difficult for me. It is awful to witness that occur.

However, it is a part of the game. Everybody is aware that they have a daily task to complete, and they make every effort to accomplish it well. It doesn’t always work and occasionally it does. You just have to keep going forward.

With about ninety people in camp, during the next week, the business side of the game will make frequent visits.

Though he sees it more clearly, Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea and his staff will have many decisions to make.

“This is how I see it: you’re running a hundred meters, therefore there’s no need to look sideways. It’s pointless,” he declared. “Run your race with your chin forward. See the conclusion for yourself.

“You lose positions as soon as you start looking. Long ago, there was an old proverb that said to only count the roster. There is no purpose. They are clueless about the overall situation. Remain concentrated on the task at hand.

Wilson has accomplished that even though the Bombers benched Barriere in favor of Darren Grainger, a product of Georgia State University who helped the Panthers win the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl the previous season.

Following his 19-for-22 performance for 257 yards and three touchdowns in their victory over Utah State, 23-year-old Grainger was voted the MVP of the game.

Wilson stated, “You can’t get comfortable.” “There will always be guys vying for your position.”

Last Monday’s first preseason game in Regina saw Wilson go 10-for-15 for 115 yards and a touchdown pass to rookie receiver Kevens Clercius.

In the 25-12 defeat, Barriere was far from that mark, going just 3-for-7 throwing for a pitiful 27 yards and a startling pair of poor interceptions.

Wilson remarked, “It serves as a reminder that you can enter this league and contribute by making plays.” “The experience alone from that game was very beneficial to me.”

Wilson has been here since the start of rookie camp three weeks ago, but his footwork hasn’t always been as steady as it does now.

The 26-year-old from Oklahoma City had extensive travel experience as an NCAA player.

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One could mistake his collegiate career for a journeyman in the sport. In 2016, the four-star recruit changed his mind and committed to Oregon instead of Nebraska.

The next year, he quickly transferred to Garden City Community College. After that, he spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons at the University of Kentucky; however, the latter was cut short after his second game due to a ruptured patellar tendon.

Wilson moved to New Mexico for his senior year. He was selected for the starting lineup right out of training camp, but he sustained an elbow injury that ended his season in the middle of it.

He joined with the Houston Gamblers of the USFL (now the UFL) after going to a rookie mini-camp with the Dallas Cowboys in 2022, after which he was dismissed the following fall.

He’s currently attempting to learn a new sport and the most difficult football position in the process.

When asked about how tough it is for American pivots to adjust to the Canadian game, O’Shea responded, “There’s no comparison.”

“One hundred items are on the list. The 12th player, the 12th back. That alone generally takes folks completely by surprise. The waggle. Time. Not that it applies to him specifically, but you get quarterbacks these days who have never called plays or been in a huddle. You don’t enter the huddle; instead, they glance to the sideline when plays are called. Cadences differ significantly. The 12th player to go on the attack. The proposal.

Furthermore, O’Shea is searching for a player who can enter a game and win it, regardless of whether Wilson is the starter or a third-stringer on any given week.

O’Shea stated, “They have to be able to run the offense, enter the huddle with poise, and not panic under pressure.” “They have to gain a certain level of command over the offense in a short amount of time and be able to go in and execute.”

Notes: Sergio Castillo, the kicker for the Bombers, was set to return to the city on Sunday after being placed on the suspended list earlier this week due to a leave of absence.

• During a drill on Sunday, Kenny Lawler leaped back to the outside and over his opponent before making an incredible one-handed grab for a score. After that one, there were cheers and hollers heard throughout the field. O’Shea said that he is so talented that he hardly even phases out anymore.

• In one-on-one situations, Winnipeg’s defensive line easily defeated their offensive line opponents. Although Willie Jefferson was a standout, Tui Eli, the stand-in quarterback, was being tackled by a number of players. The o-line was without many starters as Eli remained injured, Chris Kolankowski missed his second straight day of work, and Stanley Bryant seemed to have been granted a vet day.

• Chris Smith, the running back/returner, should be avoided. He covered a number of the team’s running back reps on Sunday, trailing Johnny Augustine, but he may be assuming the lead in the rematch. Smith, a return specialist at Louisiana, was selected as a first-team All-American in 2020. When asked what he loved about it, his face lit up and he said he would either take one to the house or get his face smashed in.