Blue Bombers receiver Drew Wolitarsky still checks egos at the door

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He got married in the offseason and is a teenage father, so life is about to change for Blue Bombers receiver Drew Wolitarsky.

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But the six-year veteran remains a regular in the lineup, perhaps even a comfort.

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With teammates Dalton Schoen, Kenny Lawler and Nick Demski all coming off 1,000-yard seasons and filling most of the big roles, Wolitarsky remains the “other” guy.

When you think about it, that might make him the poster boy for what this team is all about.

“You have to be a team guy,” the 29-year-old said at training camp on Friday. “You have to. If you're on your own, it's going to be really hard to build that team. This is not the player they are looking for.”

Wolitarsky talked about the new crop of players who are really trying to find work.

He might as well have described himself.

After a career year that saw him catch 47 balls for 668 yards and six touchdowns, all career highs, he still walks into the facility and checks his ego at the door.

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Yes, he still needs to check.

“Being a part of pro football and being a part of a team is about absorbing it and playing the role that's meant for you,” Wolitarsky said. “I love my role. And what I try to bring to the team goes beyond the field. This is just the story of my life. Everything is fine. I got respect from the people I wanted to respect.”

One of them is his head coach.

Mike O'Shea does his best to talk about Wolitarsky's knowledge of every receiver position, his ability to get his quarterback out of trouble or defend him with a block.

Then the defender himself.

“People think he's not a great receiver, he's just a glue guy,” Zach Collaros said yesterday. “But he's fast, he's got great direction. I can't tell you how many guys I talk to in the offseason outside of this organization who say they're a Volita player. He's not just your typical guy that you put in the field (side) and get him out of the way. You can move it anywhere and it will be very effective.

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“It's hard for him sometimes because we're asking him to do the dirty work and there's only so many balls around.”

Schoen, Lawler and Demski will probably get most of them.

It doesn't bother the other guy at all.

“Statistics and all that stopped for me a while ago,” Wolitarsky said. “I just want to see us win. I'd love to see new faces win the prize. Their role is different from mine. It's also stressful to have a role. So everyone is busy with his own battle, his own ego.

“The beauty of a team is that we can let go and come together as a group.”

INITIAL CHANGES EXPECTED

The CFL will not make any changes to kickoff rules this season, instead forming a committee to look at ways to make the game safer.

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The committee will also gather more data on the types of injuries resulting from kickoffs and watch what other leagues are doing before making a recommendation to the rules committee, which includes O'Shea.

“When we talk as a rules committee about how to change and limit kickoffs, other leagues are trying to give back more,” O'Shea said. “More information was needed. And it's a big game. We all see what happens when the game starts with a non-playable game. It's really not good.”

Last year, three-quarters of all kickoffs in the NFL ended in touchdowns instead of punts, a product of moving the ball up to start.

This league radically changed the rules the following season: all players on the kicking team, except for the kicker, stand on the opponent's 40-yard line, only 5-10 yards away from the blockers on the return team.

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Also, no player except the kicker and returners may move until the ball is snapped.

But the CFL wasn't ready for the move.

“It's a tough game played by tough guys,” O'Shea said. “Unfortunately, some things happen. If you can continue to read the game and make some changes to reduce some of the risk, you should go that route. And we have. All football leagues around the world have taken steps to reduce the risk.”

Changes to the general rules are limited this year, with only minor amendments to existing rules.

“I haven't done much this year,” O'Shea said. “How nice.”

THE STARS ARE STILL BREAKING

Demski and Brady Oliveira are two players who have yet to participate in training camp for a full week of practice.

O'Shea doesn't seem concerned.

“They know what they're doing,” he said. “They're both very good.”

Among them Friday was receiver Dalton Schoen for the second straight day.

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