Burke called his vets to lead by example and start the process of being ready for the CFL season opener against the Montreal Alouettes, reiterating he believes this group has what it takes to be more like the 2011 club and less like the 2012 squad that missed the playoffs for the third time in four years.

“Because we told the players who were going on this trip and who wasn’t, I wanted them to look ahead and start focusing in on Montreal,” said Burke. “Right now, we should be gradually building towards a peak on June 27 and go out there and give everything we’ve got and perform at the highest level we can perform at. That was the reason (for the mid-field chat with the vets).”

Here’s the full story:

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2013/06/17/blue-bombers-cut-andre-carroll-mark-dewit

For those folks still worrying about starting pivot Buck Pierce being rusty for the opener with limited pre-season action, Burke cited the Edmonton Eskimos situation — where Matt Nichols suffered an injury during a pre-season game and is currently sidelined leaving free agent addition Mike Reilly to take the majority of No. 1 reps.

“My thing is, I want to get us to the first game healthy,” said Burke. “I know people have asked, is Buck getting enough reps? Well, Nicholls isn’t getting any reps right now for Edmonton and that’s not the situation I want to be in. I want to be out there with our full batch of starters ready to go and compete in the first game.”

As of right now, the only Blue Bomber in danger of not being ready for week 1 is DB Johnny Sears, who had another strong practice and is expected to be ready for either Week 1 or Week 2 after undergoing knee surgery during the off-season.

Meanwhile, quarterback Justin Goltz is excited about the chance to start on Thursday and see a full half of action. He’s also eager to show he deserves to be No. 2 on the depth chart behind Pierce.

“If hasn’t been solidified and I’m going into this pre-season to continue to go prove myself,” said Goltz. “If (the back-up job) is still open, then it’s still open and I’m going to go out and compete for it.”

Goltz was asked if he feels good about where he’s at to this point of training camp?

“Absolutely, I think the past couple of years have really come to fruition,” said Goltz. “I’m seeing it on the field. I feel like I’ve been sharp, completed a lot of balls and now it’s taken it to the next level in this last game of the pre-season and throughout the regular season as well.”

With only one quarter each to prove themselves, Max Hall and Chase Clement will be trying to do exactly the same thing and it will be interesting to see how things shake down.

My main story is on Blue Bombers left guard Chris Greaves, the converted D-lineman, who is ready for his second full season as a starter. The compliments were flowing for Greaves on Monday:

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2013/06/17/winnipeg-blue-bombers-offensive-lineman-riding-the-greavy-train

For those wondering about where released DB Jonathan Hefney might end up, a source told Sun football writer Kirk Penton that the field is down to two teams in the West, the Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders.

I’m taking a few days off and columnist Paul Friesen is on the beat tomorrow.

There was plenty of buzz around Investors Group Field, with the Manitoba Marathon finishing up next door at University Stadium.

As you can imagine, most of the questions this afternoon revolved around the release of veteran DB Jonathan Hefney, who was shown the door on Saturday afternoon, well after reporter’s had left the scene.

Blue Bombers head coach Tim Burke took full control of the situation and I wrote a column with my opinion on the matter.

Say this about Burke, he’s a straight-shooter and he doesn’t beat around the bush.

It would have been easy for Burke to lay the blame of the release of Hefney on GM Joe Mack but that’s not how things went down. Not even close.

“I know Joe has been taking a lot of heat,” said Burke. “Since I don’t the newspapers, I don’t listen to the talk shows and definitely don’t read the blogs, I don’t know where he’s getting the heat from but ultimately it’s my decision and I did it in conjunction with the defensive co-ordinator (Casey Creehan) and the secondary coach (Carl Franks). When I approached Joe about the decision, he said I’ll support you in whatever you want to do. Ultimately, it’s my decision.

“The decision to release Jonathan was based on several aspects, but primarily it was performance-based.”

Some folks will say the Blue Bombers are simply dumping Hefney because of his off-field issues — whether it be a Twitter reaction last off-season or the charges for possession of marijuana from last week (something Hefney failed to unveil to the Blue Bombers when he arrived for training camp) — but Burke made it abundantly clear that his biggest issue with Hefney was his deteriorating play on the field.

Burke put the veterans in the secondary on notice early in training camp, so he was asked if Hefney was the only one the message was directed at.

“I’ll just say there was more than one person in the secondary that underperformed last year,” said Burke. “That’s what I’ll say. How’s that?”

Burke said there were some things Hefney could no longer do at the halfback position, but when asked for specific examples, the head coach chose to plead the fifth (which is a rare occasion in itself).

“I’d rather not say. I’ll just leave it at that,” said Burke. “There’s certain responsibilities that a halfback has in our system that he couldn’t perform, up to the highest standard we need to win with.”

I asked Burke what he thought about the theory that Hefney might have been a distraction to his teammates?

“I don’t think he ever did anything that distracted the players at all. It probably was more the organization,” said Burke. “You’say things you shouldn’t say and it reflects on (the) organization. I don’t think the players were affected by it.”

Veteran receiver Terrence Edwards agreed.

“Nobody has ever complained about Hef on or off the field,” said Edwards. “He may have his Twitter problems but it never caused a problem in the locker room. But no one ever came to me or other leaders and said ‘can you talk to him.’ Nobody has ever done that. We’re going to move forward with this team and try to win games, that’s the most important thing.”

Speaking of Edwards, both he and DB Johnny Sears were full participants on the field for the first time in training camp.

Although Sears only took part in half the session, both he and Edwards are progressing nicely.

I wrote about them in my other main story.

No word yet on where Hefney might land, but the first team that caught my attention was the Toronto Argonauts, since Hefney is close to DT Khalif Mitchell and the Argos secondary is a bit in flux after winning the Grey Cup last year.

Calgary Stampeders personnel man John Murphy was the guy who helped bring Hefney to the Blue Bombers and a sleeper team to watch is the Edmonton Eskimos.

As for Hefney’s most likely replacement, Demond Washington got another round of rave reviews from Burke on Sunday afternoon and is the clear front-runner to be the new starter at boundary halfback.

“You’ve got to go out there every day and compete every play. Right now, I’m just trying to compete and trying to get the starting job,” said Washington. “The game has slowed down a lot for me right now. I’ve got a lot of speed and quickness and I can move my hips very quick. In that scheme, it’s a lot speed and quickness on that boundary. You’ve got to match speed and quickness with speed and quickness.

“We’re only going to react one way and that’s to come out here every day and get better. We’ve got to put that (Hefney release) aside. Adversity strikes and an opportunity opens up and we’ve got to try and keep going.”

Washington also remains in the mix to be one of the Blue Bombers primary returners, which goes against special-teams coach Craig Dickenson’s stated preference.

“He knows I want to get back there and return. He’s got his philosophy and if he doesn’t want that, then I can’t make him,” said Washington. “I’m going to try and get at least one (return) in a game and be ready for that.”

On the infirmary front, RB Chris Garrett was back on the field Sunday after suffering an ankle injury on Saturday that he deemed minor.

“Yeah, I knew it was fine,” said Garrett, who missed all of 2012 with a torn Achille. “Now, if I was on the ground holding my leg in pain, then you’d know it was a little different. That was a little tweak. No big deal. I’m out here, I’m good.”

Those missing the workout due to injury include: OT Glenn January, WRs Kito Poblah, Kurt Adams, Isaac Anderson, Rory Kohlert, Jameze Massey, Taylor Renaud and Wallace Miles, LBs Henoc Muamba and Rene Stephan, DB Jeremy McGee and DL Dexter Davis.

The Blue Bombers had to trim their roster to 65 players by 10:59 p.m. CT in accordance with CFL rules but they didn’t plan to announce the cuts until Monday morning.

It is the pre-season, however, so the 24-6 loss doesn’t mean much in the big picture. It really doesn’t. These things are basically big, organized scrimmages. The teams aren’t rolling out their playbooks at all since they don’t want to give away too many secrets before the start of the regular season.

A few more thoughts from Wednesday night …

• Before kickoff the big story was all the people who were stuck in traffic trying to get to the stadium. It’ll be interesting to see what can be done to alleviate the problem, because there are still only two ways in and two ways out. It will probably get better on its own as people get a better feel for it, but it looks like gridlock might be a regular happening.

• As a result, there were a ton of empty seats when the game kicked off. Some folks were still rolling in about an hour later, well into the second quarter.

• As for the game itself, it’s not like too many players wearing Blue and Gold wrapped themselves in glory. But as I mentioned earlier, it doesn’t mean much. I’m not saying the Bombers will be better, because they might not be, but you can’t tell from this game what the future holds.

• Head coach Tim Burke didn’t seem too upset after the game, but he did call out his defence once again for not playing up to par. Over the course of his post-game press conference, Burke called out the defensive line, the linebackers and the secondary. Other than that, everyone played great!

• Newcomers who stood out for me, as they probably did you: returner Jameze Massey, cornerback Marty Markett and receiver Brett Carter.

• Seriously, Brett Carter better be careful or he’s going to make this team. He made two catches, took some hits and didn’t wilt. He’s probably too young to realize he should be more nervous than he is.

• The Bombers better contact the CFL stats people, because Carter wasn’t credited for any catches on Wednesday night.

• Then again, the stats crew is with us in the end zone and have trouble identifying players at the south end of the field. I have no problem with us being parallel to the end zone, but the stats crew should get a more central spot.

• A friend said the IGF concessions were a gong show. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.

• I talked to a former member of the Bombers today, and he said Jonathan Hefney should be cut, because he said every player will think it’s OK to smoke pot. I don’t know if agree with this former player. Hefney’s charge is basically equivalent to a speeding ticket, so I don’t think you can cut him just for that. He thinks a message needs to sent. Now.

• A couple of newcomers who didn’t have the best showings were defensive back Desia Dunn, who got burned on several occasions, defensive end Anthony DeGrate, who had a hard time containing anything.

• The current commish, Mark Cohon, was at the game, as was former commish, Tom Wright, who is now the executive director of UFC Canada.

• It was strange seeing so many Bombers being oblivious to the fact that Anthony Alix had faked a punt and was running 25 yards for a first down. The Bomber closest to Alix was Pierre-Luc Labbe, a veteran who probably should have known better. The players and coaches on the Winnipeg sideline were jumping up and down, and screaming at the players in an attempt to get their attention. It didn’t work.

• My Toronto Sun colleague, Frank Zicarelli, couldn’t believe how loud the stadium got when Jameze Massey had his 91-yard missed field goal return in the third quarter. It was quite loud. It’s going to be much louder once the games start to mean something.

• Justin Goltz was not a happy camper after the game. It sounded like he was peeved because he got to throw only two passes. There was more awkward silence and short answers in his scrum than a John Tortorella media session.

• The bottom line is when the kinks gets worked out, IGF is going to be a dandy. There are going to be frustrating moments, and people just need to be patient. It’s just a building. It’s not worth getting worked up over.

• Please leave your thoughts on the new stadium in the comments section below.

• Finally, please answer our poll question.

Doesn’t mean much, though. Sure, they got whacked by a bunch of Argo no-names, but it’s the first pre-season game. It means squat.

Check back later tonight or tomorrow for some post-game thoughts. Time to leave the stadium and see if there’s any carnage from the traffic debacle.

Mack said Hefney told the team brass he is innocent and that it should be resolved soon. Mack was a little light on details when it came to how the case will affect Hefney’s job as a Bombers defensive back, but he said over and over that they will let due process take its course. Hefney is supposed to have a June 19 court date, which he might have to attend if he’s going to fight the charge.

Then again, maybe it was his passenger’s marijuana that was found in the truck. That might be why Hefney says it’s going to “go away” soon.

The bottom line is the only way the Bombers are going to part with Hefney is if his play is poor. It’ll be interesting to see how he performs on Wednesday against a bunch of Argo no-names, but it looks like this incident will blow over if he plays as well as he can.

All in all, it’s a case of the cover-up being worse than the crime.

Here’s what else happened on Wednesday …

• The Bombers did a walk-through for about an hour under the hot sun at IGF while workers revved their sanders and saws in an effort to get the place as presentable as possible for Wednesday night. There are 76 players scheduled to dress for the Bombers against the Argos, so the toughest test is making sure they get the proper 12 players on the field for each play. It won’t happen.

• Chatted with Justin Goltz, who looked calm, cool and collected the day before the biggest game of his pro career. He knows how big it, but he said all he wants to do is run offensive co-ordinator Gary Crowton’s system the way Crowton wants it run. If he does that, he said he’ll be comfortable.

• Head coach Tim Burke said probably only three punters will punt on Wednesday night. Mike Renaud will probably get the first half, and then two of the other three will get a quarter or so. The fourth punter will get some action in the second pre-season game on June 20 in Guelph, Ont., but Burke said they probably won’t have four punters under contract at that time. So the two punters who play in the second half against the Argos are third and fourth on the depth chart.

• Here is a look at the Bombers depth chart, which is remarkably accurate. The players listed are the ones actually challenging for those positions. (Click on them to get a better view)

• And, for the family and friends of the Argos players, here is their depth chart:

Now, marijuana possession in the grand scheme of things is not a major offence. In fact, Hefney got a ticket, and that’s about the end of it. The problem is he didn’t tell the Bombers about it. They found out about it on Monday when a reporter from South Carolina called the Bombers for a comment.

And that, probably more than the charge itself, is what is going to bother the brass the most. If a player is up front about it, the team can take charge of the situation and be ahead of the story. Instead, they’re way behind in today’s social media world and then they’re offering no comments left and right. They’re no doubt embarrassed. The same thing happened with Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec last summer when he got busted for DUI and didn’t tell the team before it game him a big contract extension.

And this Hefney business is occuring at a time when the Bombers are about to christen Investors Group Field with its first football game. Hefney will be the big story during Tuesday’s media availability when it should be all about the glorious new stadium. The team might cut him for that reason alone.

But probably not. Hefney signed a three-year contract extension in January and got a $35,000 signing bonus in the process. The team no doubt believes he can return to his fantastic form of 2011, when he should have been the CFL’s defensive player of the year instead of Jovon Johnson. If the Bombers cut him, he’ll likely get a call from seven other CFL teams.

On the other hand, this isn’t the first time Hefney has shown poor judgment. Just last year the CFL fined him for violating its social media policy when he posted a naughty picture on his Twitter account. He also tried to refuse to play strong-side linebacker last season when the team needed him to do so.

So will this be the end of Hefney in Blue and Gold? I can’t see it. He’s too good a player to turf, and the Bombers still need all the help they can get. If they keep him, it will blow over just like Pavelec’s situation did and as Dustin Byfuglien’s boating misadventures did as well.

Here’s the police report I obtained today from the Rock Hill Police Department. Click on them to enlarge.

In other news from Monday …

• Brett Carter was the feel-good story of the day. The Rifles receiver will get to play in Wednesday’s pre-season clash with the defending champion Toronto Argonauts, which is pretty good considering he was a non-roster invitee. He had to sign a contract to be eligible to play.

• There was quite a bit more contact during Monday’s two-hour session, which was done to get the players ready for Wednesday night. There hasn’t been much hitting during camp until Monday, so they probably needed to be rattled a bit physically.

• Trevor Kennedy looks pretty darn good receiving punts and then exploding back down the field. It’ll be interesting to see if he can do the same when the bullets are flying.

• I wonder if the stadium will be done before Wednesday night. I’m guessing not.

• That’s about it for today. If you’re not following me on Twitter, do so right here to get all of the Hefney updates on Tuesday.

Let’s begin …

• We’ve learned that if Tim Burke wants to get the attention of his players, he has no problem doing so through the media. He said during one of his daily media briefings that maybe it would take someone getting their ass cut for the secondary to start playing better. They’ve been playing better since then. Message received.

• We’ve learned that Mike Renaud is not going to give up his starting punting job without a fight. He has been booming punts all over Investors Group Field, keeping his young challengers at bay. The pecking order after Renaud is Billy Pavlopoulos, Brett Cameron and Tim Hutchison.

• We’ve learned that the Bombers like to pull their hamstrings. No fewer than six players have missed practice time this week due to pulled hamstrings. The receivers have been hardest hit.

• We’ve learned that Demond Washington is challenging Jonathan Hefney for the weak-side halfback spot.

• We’ve learned that cornerback hopeful Marty Markett is fast. He’s trying to unseat Jovon Johnson at the weak-side cornerback spot.

• We’ve learned that the coaching staff really is trying to develop the backup quarterbacks as quickly as they possibly can. Buck Pierce has thrown somewhere in the neighbourhood of two passes in the last few days. He’s doing a lot of watching as Justin Goltz, Max Hall and Chase Clement get most of the reps.

• We’ve learned that TSN doesn’t care as much about football as they say. How else to explain cutting back the number of pre-season games aired from seven to two? I realize they’re just pre-season games, but what else are they going to show?

• We’ve learned that Investors Group Field is going to be a treat for fans. There’s not a bad seat in the house, the fans will be protected from the rain, and the amenities will crush those that were at Canad Inns Stadium. But that ain’t saying much.

• We’ve learned that football is a cruel sport. Rookie receiver Mike DiCroce got drafted when he didn’t think he would because of a foot injury he sustained in the fall while playing at McMaster. Then, on the third day of Bomber rookie camp, he broke that same foot and is done for the year. Harsh.

• We’ve learned that it’s always good to have your phone on. Winnipeg native Taylor Renaud was driving to the gym last Monday morning when his cell rang. It was the Bombers. They wanted to sign him. The receiver didn’t have to think twice and was at Investors Group Field within minutes.

• We’ve learned that Tim Burke was serious when he said he didn’t want any fighting during training camp. He even went back and checked the film to determine who started a melee a few days into camp. He couldn’t figure out who it was, so no supplemental discipline was handed out.

• The Bombers are back on the practice field Monday morning at 10:45.

That’s fairly significant when you consider he doesn’t even have a contract and was supposed to take part in camp just to learn a few things before going back to the Rifles this summer.

On Saturday morning he was catching everything thrown his way, and it seemed for a while that he was the only receiver on the field.

I had the chance to watch Carter play a few games last year when he was with the Rifles, and he stood out with several acrobatic catches. He has brought that confidence to Bomber camp, which he thinks is pretty cool to be participating in because he grew up going to Bomber games.

A few other notes and quotes from Saturday …

• If Carter is fourth on the depth chart, that means he’s ahead of two of Jade Etienne, Rory Kohlert or Taylor Renaud. Interesting.

• Burke stressed that Carter hasn’t played in a game, which is true. It’s one thing to look good in camp, but it’s another when you’re going against professional defensive backs.

• Burke says that every time he is asked about a camp battle. He makes sure to point out that no pre-season games have been played yet.

• Had a good chat on Saturday with Steve Morley, who is battling Paul Swiston for the starting right guard position. He said he feels like Rocky in Rocky V, which is the one where the youngsters are trying to take over in the fight game. Burke said Morley is still winning the battle, but he said Swiston is “gaining on him.”

• Jade Etienne has been fairly quiet in camp, but he made a great running grab during one-on-ones and then made a one-handed catch during the team period.

• Speaking of Canadian receivers, Cory Watson is banged up again, and the Bombers are no doubt hoping it’s not serious. Watson has a left hand injury that will require a visit to the doctor. Watson has missed 20% of Winnipeg’s regular-season games in his first three seasons. You have to wonder when it officially becomes a trend.

• The Bombers started training camp with 16 receivers, if you include Terrence Edwards. They lost one (Mike DiCroce) and added one (Taylor Renaud), and they are now down to nine healthy pass catchers. It wouldn’t be surprising to see some new faces soon.

• The Bombers are going to cut back on their practice time because Burke says they’re starting to wear down. He wiped an hour off of Sunday’s workout.

• Kenny Mainor is winning the defensive end battle in the spot Jason Vega used to have, according to Burke.

• Here are the links to the Brett Carter story and the Steve Morley story, and here is Ken Wiebe’s story on cornerback Brandon Stewart.

Only four more days until the Bombers host the Argos in the first pre-season game for both squads.

Let’s get right to the news and notes from a sunny Friday at Investors Group Field …

• There were a whopping 10 players who were watching practice on Friday. Jovon Johnson, Rene Stephan and Sam Pope were the newcomers to the injury list, but none has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game.

• Last year if Paul LaPolice had been asked what the punting depth chart looked like through four days, he probably would have said something like “We’re still evaluating.” Tim Burke gives it to you straight. He said Mike Renaud is leading the way, and the other three are well back. Billy Pavlopoulos is No. 2, Brett Cameron is No. 3 and Tim Hutchison is No. 4. That sounds about right. Renaud is killing it these days. Cameron struggled on Friday.

• Receiver Quintin McCree played under offensive co-ordinator Gary Crowton at the University of Maryland, and on Friday he was running with the first team due to four receivers being on the sidelines. He looked pretty good, too, but there aren’t many spots available for the taking.

• On Tuesday we asked if you had to cut one defensive back, which one would it be? The poll results are in, and the winner was Alex Suber, with 42% of the vote. Jovon Johnson was next with 29%. Jonathan Hefney got 22%, and Brandon Stewart received only 7%.

• Burke said No. 1 quarterback Buck Pierce will get between two reps and a quarter of action on Wednesday night against the Argos.

• I interviewed backup quarterback hopeful Max Hall on Friday, and I chatted with him about a wide range of topics, from his Latter-Day Saints mission to Iowa eight years ago to the time he fought a linebacker in practice at BYU to how he thinks he can do in the CFL. He said some interesting things. Here is that story.

After two separate skirmishes on Wednesday — one that included a couple of right hands from DB Alex Suber and another that featured a pair of friends and receivers jostling over who should actually get more reps during drills — it was abundantly clear that the discipline handed out by head coach Tim Burke (those up-downs that feature players doing push-ups every five yards over the length of the football field) was a less-than-subtle reminder that he didn’t want to see any more scraps during training camp.

“I told them I don’t want fights but if there are fights then the defensive players need to pull the defensive combatants out of it and the offensive players pull the offensive combatants out of it,” said Burke, noting there wasn’t enough video discipline to hand out supplemental discipline to anyone on his club.

There were some more notable players who were in the infirmary on Thursday, as WR Chris Matthews left the session early after enduring back spasms. Meanwhile, MLB Henoc Muamba sat out with a first-degree hamstring strain (third degree being the worst), WR Isaac Anderson was out with soreness to his knees and back and C Mark DeWit was dealing with some back pain as well.

None of those injuries appear to be long-term, but Burke showed his sense of humour, mentioning the injuries to Matthews and Muamba were not “life threatening” — which was good to know.

Burke handed out some high praise to special teams co-ordinator Craig Dickenson on Thursday, calling him the best coach in the CFL at his position. Will be interesting to see how big an impact he has on the success of the Blue and Gold this year.

One of Dickenson’s declarations, according to Burke, is that he doesn’t really want a starting position player to be the primary returner.

Demond Washington remains in the mix to handle the job, but he could find himself starting in the secondary or at nickelback (the position formerly known as SAM linebacker), so that could leave the door open for the likes of speedster Jameze Massey and several others.

Incumbent Mike Renaud caught my attention before the second session with his big leg and also his ability to keep the ball near the sideline and provide a few coffin-corners. There is plenty of competition in this camp, but if he boots the ball in games like he did on Thursday, it’s going to be awfully tough for the challengers to displace him.

Perhaps the added competition will bring out the best in Renaud? Time will tell.

Near the end of his media briefing, I asked Burke when he expected to start making cuts and he replied that he didn’t expect them to start coming until after Wednesday’s pre-season game with the 2012 Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts.

The Blue Bombers are back on the field Friday morning from 10:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

It’s another extensive package in the Sun on Friday and at www.winnipegsun.com.

Columnist Paul Friesen caught up with the four Blue Bomber greats who are being honoured with gates at the new stadium — Milt Stegall, Doug Brown, Joe Poplawski and Kenny Ploen.

While the event and the tip of the cap was a nice touch, Friesen would like to see more done to honour the rch history of the Winnipeg Football Club.

My main story focuses on DE Alex Hall, who is looking to become one of the most feared pass rushers in the CFL this season.

Also caught up with SB Kito Poblah, who is preparing for his third season but staying under the radar after great expectations followed his selection in the 2011 supplemental draft and his outstanding 2012 training camp.