Head coach Mike O'Shea and his staff have just over a month to watch, evaluate and decide which players will face the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina on Canada Day when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers begin the 2017 CFL season.

Day one of those evaluations took place Sunday as training camp got underway at Investors Group Field.

"It feels great," said running back Andrew Harris who is starting his second season with the Bombers. "Today was a little wet but the offense usually starts slow and we were making some plays today. That's definitely a positive thing to look at. Just the personnel wise, there's familiar faces in the huddle, the terminology is really similar and it showed today. It was a great first day."

The football club's three-day Rookie Camp wrapped up Friday and coach O'Shea said the first-year players did not look out of place on day one of main camp.

"I believe they paid attention to the expectations and the understanding that they're working hard to get a job and the guys we have are good football players and good teammates. They certainly weren't trying to follow out there. I thought some of the young guys were trying to lead with their enthusiasm."

The Blue Bombers more than doubled their win total from 2015 to 2016 as they went from five victories to 11 and ended a five-year playoff drought.

"Right now as a team, we feel like we can build off of what we accomplished last season," said receiver Weston Dressler. "We took some good strides and we're using the successes that we had last year and the failures that we had last year to make ourselves a better team going into this season."

The Blue & Gold watched their 2016 season come to an end last November in Vancouver where they lost 32-31 to the B.C. Lions in the West Division semifinal.

"The feeling is what sticks with you," said O'Shea who signed a new three-year contract in the off-season. "No matter how the game ends, it's the same feeling for every team that doesn't win the Grey Cup. It's over before you think it should be. Our guys believed that we were going to play and win the Grey Cup. They'll have that belief again this year."

Winnipeg's first exhibition game is Saturday, June 10th in Regina against the Riders.

The Blue Bombers final preseason game is at Investors Group Field against the Edmonton Eskimos on June 15th.