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The BC Lions Den Pawdcast – Episode 49

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Episode 49 catches up with BC Lions news two weeks out from the CFL Draft. The Lions recently completed a three day “passing camp” and preliminary reports have Travis Lulay looking and feeling pretty good.

Jim Mullin of Krown Canada West Football joins Brian and Mojo to talk about the draft, and who might be a good fit for the BC Lions. We also talk to Jim about former BC Lions assistant Kelly Bate’s new post at SFU and we touch on the current state of the CIS the future of the Northern 8 series, and better television coverage for Canadian college games.

Last but certainly not least, 3DownNation founder and Ticats writer for the Hamilton Spectator and 3Down’s The Scratching Post joins us to help announce our move to 3DownNation.com and give us an update on the off-season of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Follow our guests on Twitter:

Jim Mullin: @Jim_Mullin

Drew Edwards – @Scratchingpost

Subscribe to the BC Lions Den Pawdcast on iTunes.

Jim Mullin: Eye on the CIS: Nill, Constantin benefit from providing options to players.

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Kirby Fabien

Jim Mullin – Special to BCLionsDen.ca

Barring a last second shift, BC is not in the plans for Kirby Fabien but Plan B and Plan C is.

The planned return of Fabien, the seventh overall pick by the Lions, to the Canada West is not going down well in Lions headquarters.

Only a surprise contract counter offer Hamilton’s 13th overall pick OL Carson Rockhill could derail destined to return to the foothills city to start and to finish his degree.

Drew Edwards in the Hamilton Spectator reported late last week that linebacker Frederic Plesius was returning to the Laval Rouge et Or. Richard Boutin of Le Journal de Quebec reported that two-time Metras Award winner DE Arnaud Gascon-Nadon will follow his teammate’s lead, staying in Quebec City rather than signing in Hamilton.

University of Calgary head coach Blake Nill and Laval Rouge et Or head coach Glen Constantin are good friends. So much in fact they are in contact with each other on a regular basis. When you read the various reports on these players who have declared their return to the CIS, the one thing they share in common is their desire to obtain their degree while playing football.

Is it possible that Constantin and Nill consulted each other on talking points so they could retain their best talent?  One has to ask that question when you see the results of four key players who could seriously change expectations for those teams in the Canada West and the RSEQ.

Both coaches are central in these player’s lives and have their ears.

Offensive lineman and former Dino Mark DeWit played two seasons in Toronto and two in Hamilton and managed to take classes in the winter semester to finish his degree while playing. I’d hazard a guess that Nill wasn’t using that example when in dialogue with Fabien or Rockhill, or for that matter last year when running back Matt Walter stated before the draft that he was returning for his fifth year.

That being said a fourth or fifth year player isn`t a kid and should be able to employ their own critical thinking.

What is also at play is the question of development. Many predicted the elimination of the NFL option window would hurt CFL recruitment in the United States. Not surprisingly, the CIS side of the equation was taken for granted.

In the case Plesius, the 24 year-old hopes he can get another shot at an NFL camp and the one-plus-one option year contract would stand in the way of another NFL look.

Plesius took correspondence courses this winter to get the 18 credits needed to qualify academically for the RSEQ if he could not catch on in the NFL.

He told Boutin, “It was good advice from Glen(Constantin), he said. Always have a plan B and evenC. ”

There’s that secondary plan again, which is not good news in so far as the CFL is concerned. With expanded NFL rosters the dream remains alive for raw CIS talent to develop stateside.

Something similar could be said of Fabien who at 21, may have been reminded of the path Dan Federkeil took from the U of C to a four-year NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts which included a Super Bowl ring. Fabien’s agent is Washington, D.C’s Johnathon Hardaway who represents Concordia grad and Kansas City Chief Cory Greenwood along with Matt O’Donnell of Queen’s who signed a two-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Rockhill still has two years of eligibility left, so the extra eight to possibly 12 starts won’t hurt his development.

If the scholarship doors are ever forced open in the CIS for a limited number of full-rides, Canadian university players will have another card to play in contract negotiations with CFL teams. While it is not a crisis, perhaps the time has come where the CIS and CFL should seriously look at working on a more integrated player development system.

Jim Mullin is a Vancouver-based broadcaster. He served as the Vancouver Director of the 47th Vanier Cup played at BC Place Stadium last November and provided the play-by-play of the game for TSN Radio. He also serves as chair of the Amateur Sub-committee for the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, and serves as the British Columbia representative for the CFHOF. Jim’s thoughts on CIS football will periodically appear in our new Eye on the CIS feature. Check out more of Jim’s pieces on his blog, “The Edmonton Eskimos ruined my childhood.“

Eye on the CIS with Jim Mullin: BC shot at Greene unfortunate.

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Jim Mullin is a Vancouver-based broadcaster. He served as the Vancouver Director of the 47th Vanier Cup played at BC Place Stadium last November and provided the play-by-play of the game for TSN Radio. He also serves as chair of the Amateur Sub-committee for the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, and serves as the British Columbia representative for the CFHOF. Jim’s thoughts on CIS football will periodically appear in our new Eye on the CIS feature. Check out more of Jim’s pieces on his blog, “The Edmonton Eskimos ruined my childhood.“

Travis Lulay and UBC's Billy Greene
CFL MOP Travis Lulay and CIS Hec Creighton winner Billy Greene of UBC.

“Billy who?”

That was the joking and sarcastic response by someone in the BC Lions office when I suggested that UBC’s Billy Greene, the 2011 Hec Crighton winner may be a good addition for their squad late in the draft.

Until the CFL and the CFLPA decide Canadian quarterback development is an issue worth addressing in a substantive way, Canadians will be a camp option on the free agent market.

At least for now, they are non-counters against the training camp rosters which can get guys like Vanier Cup MVP Kyle Quinlan and AUS Champion Kyle Graves of Acadia onto the roster of the Montreal Alouettes as camp arms.

The good news is now you can add CJFL player of the year Jordan Yantz of the Vancouver Island Raiders of the BCFC to that list. The Lions added him to the training camp roster on Monday.

The 22 year-old native of Regina, Yantz shows some fine mechanics especially on the run and can place a ball well. It can be said that the defenses in the BCFC may not be at the level of the Calgary Dinos led by Rider draft Sam Hurl, or last year’s edition of the Regina Rams with third-round New Orleans pick Aikem Hicks at defensive end.

Still, if the foundations of mobility along with a powerful and accurate arm are present, then Yantz will benefit from the camp along with the rest of the BCFC with his one remaining year.

The connection between GM Wally Buono and junior football is strong. The former St. Leonard OFC player has the CJFL most outstanding player award named after him. Plus, he’s had his share of success with junior players with running back Andrew Harris being the most notable.

According to The Province’s Lowell Ullrich the Lions new head coach Mike Benevides, the junior MVP is more deserving of a look than the Hec Crighton winner.

But the Lions also suggested Yantz has a better upside than UBC quarterback Billy Greene, who did not attract any interest during this month’s CFL draft by teams who see him as a running back.

“The best [quarterbacking prospect] in this province is the one who threw on the weekend,” said Benevides.

Fine. Greene didn’t attend the Lions free agent camp before the draft so there were some noses out of joint.

The football community in BC is fractured enough without the pro team in this province throwing UBC’s on field leader – and in turn the whole program and the CIS – under the bus.

In a province where three down community ball battles with American high school, where CIS UBC is divided from NCAA D2 SFU, and where the BCFC no longer wants to be a feeder system for either of them, you have a very complicated playing field. Add Football BC’s unpaid bills to Football Canada leaving them ‘not in good standing’ and you have a maverick leading the herd.

While the Lions aren’t responsible for the amateur game they need to provide a modicum of leadership for it. Taking a shot at the top player in the nation in playing on a rebuilding program in your home town does not achieve that objective.

Perhaps you can mark it up to inexperience on Benevides part. As the new boss he’s going to be quoted from every angle which wasn’t the case five months ago.

Anyone who actually watched Greene’s heroics in the Canada West in a game-in, game-out basis can tell you that he has that special intangible. It’s the Matt Dunigan-like quality to rally a team to win when they really have no business to be in a game in the first place. Those are the qualities which make a quality quarterback. Some of that isn’t measurable in an e-camp.

It will be interesting to see what kind of Billy Greene we see coming out of the gate in 2012. Between this and the 0-8* mess created by a lazy rubber-stamp player eligibility procedure, one has to think he’ll come back with a chip on his shoulder.

2012 BC Lions Draft Recap: Lions go to the trenches on draft day.

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The BC Lions had a chance to bolster their offensive and defensive lines in the 2012 Canadian College draft and they did just that selecting two offensive linemen, one defensive lineman and a linebacker they may convert into a fullback.

Here is a recap of the Lions work for the day, and on paper it seems like it could be a successful draft. Of course training camp will be the first real test of that theory. We are joined by our friends Tyler Bieber of CFLDaily.ca (@CFLDaily), Andrew Bucholtz from Yahoo’s 55 Yardline blog. (@AndrewBucholtz) and Kent Ridley of RidleyScouting.com

Round one: Jabar Westerman :: Defensive Lineman :: Eastern Michigan :: 2nd overall pick via Toronto via Edmonton.

Jabar Westerman: CFL Draft 2010: Photo: CFL.caThe Lions had a chance to make some waves in the first round of the the 2012 Canadian college draft and they did just that. Holding two picks in the opening round, the Lions made a move early to ensure they got the man they wanted.

After an earlier deal between Winnipeg and Hamilton saw the Bombers leap frog the Lions to get the 3rd pick, Wally Buono worked a deal with Edmonton to move from the 4th pick up to the 2nd and took Eastern Michigan defensive lineman Jabar Westerman, who was reportedly the reason Winnipeg had tried to move up.

Westerman comes from a family of football players, with brother Jamaal playing LB for the Miami Dolphins and other brother Jawann played football at Rutgers but went undrafted today.

“My greatest asset, I would say is my size and strength, just because how big I am – I’m almost 300-pounds – and I’m pretty quick for my size. Most people underestimate my speed,” said Westerman in describing himself as a football player.

Wally Buono described his newest Lion by saying, “He’s a very, very physical football player. He’s quick for his size and with his long arms, it makes him a natural pass rusher.”

Westerman flew under the radar of many scouts because of some late clarification of his eligibility for the draft. Once he was deemed eligible, which was right before E-camp, his stock rose and the Lions were thrilled to get him.

The trade left the Lions with just four picks on the day, but they got their man and that’s what it’s all about.

What our panel had to say:

Tyler Bieber (CFLDaily.ca)

Westerman brings an excellent balance of speed, strength and size to the Lions defensive line, and while he probably won’t see loads of playing time immediately, he will develop into one of the most – if not the most dominant interior Canadian defensive lineman in the CFL. Once he gets adjusted to the game and learns to use his size to break off the line and make big plays, he will be one to watch week in and week out.

Kent Ridley (Ridley Scouting)

The Eastern Michigan product is very agile, but perhaps not quite the traditional DT. Looking forward to what he can bring at camp because of where the Lions staff believed he was worth the pick.

Round one: Kirby Fabien :: Offensive Lineman :: University of Calgary :: 7th overall

With their 2nd pick in the draft and 7th overall, the Lions went to the other side of the ball and selected offensive lineman Kirby Fabien from the University of Calgary. The 21 year old oozes potential and talent and still has college eligibility left, giving the Lions some time to let him develop further. A training camp under Dan Dorazio won’t hurt, even if the team decides to return him to Calgary.

Fabien has all the tools to have a long career in the CFL and could even be groomed to play the tackle spot, a position that is usually filled by imports. At 6’6″ and close to 300 pounds, he has a big long frame and Dan Dorazio will be drooling to get Fabien into camp to start his tutelage. Described as an intelligrnt player who picks things up very quickly, Fabien has been a three year starter for Calgary, twice being named a Canada West all-star.

“When you look at his measurables, when you look at his length, how he moves, the thing about Kirby is he’s a big man and he moves and he’s light on his feet. He plays tackle and he can potentially grow at that position. But what you really like about him is, because I want intelligent football players, Kirby is a guy that steps in right away and he knows everything,” said head coach Mike Benevides.

What our panel had to say:

Tyler Bieber (CFLDaily.ca)

When you look at Fabien initially, you see a big body. He stands 6’6” and weighs approximately 300 pounds. At the age of 21 years old though, he will need some grooming and maturing before he is ready to take on a bigger role with the Lions. That’s where the Lions brilliant offensive line coach Dan Dorazio comes in. Dorazio has helped groom many offensive linemen over his previous nine seasons, and there is no reason to think that he won’t be able to do the same with Fabien.

At this point I’m not sure if the Lions will commit to keeping Fabien around for the 2012 season, as he does still have eligibility left at the CIS level. If the Lions believe he can project to playing right tackle at the CFL level, I think they might return him to Calgary for this year and let him develop one more year while playing that spot for the Dinos. If they feel he is more suited to guard then perhaps they will keep him and let him learn from guys like Angus Reid, Dean Valli, Jesse Newman, and of course Dan Dorazio.

Kent Ridley (Ridley Scouting)

Kirby Fabien (Calgary) a year ago was considered a lock for one of the top picks in the draft. His draft season didn’t match the years prior however he didn’t lose it all in a year. Strong pick with quickness to match. He should be able to take spot duty either as a guard or tackle. I totally believe that he has the ability to take a regular rotation even as a rookie and definitely as a second year player.

Round three: Matt Norman :: Offensive Lineman :: Western :: 22nd overall via Hamilton

When the Lions selected Matt Norman from Western, they saw a guy that can play guard, or perhaps be groomed to replace all-star Angus Reid who is nearing the end of his career. Norman is another big body at 6’3″ and 318 pounds and is quick on his feet for his size.

Norman, who hails from Montreal, Que., played four collegiate seasons for the Mustangs and was a CIS First team All-Canadian in at the guard position in 2011.

“When you look at his arms, he’s [got] over 34-inch arms, which is what you want. His hands are over 10 inches. That’s what you want. When you look at centre and guard, which is the position we’ve got to grow, he’s a perfect fit that way,” said Benevides regarding Norman.

What our panel had to say:

Tyler Bieber (CFLDaily.ca)

When you take a first glance at Norman you see a guy who could probably step into a CFL offensive line immediately and starting taking snaps. He is a big, strong, physical player who has a bit of a nasty edge to his game. He could still use some work on his technique and needs to be more consistent in the passing game, but overall is excellent value for the Lions in the 3rd round.

Kent Ridley (Ridley Scouting)

Matt Norman out of Western is a leading pick that was expected to go earlier than the last pick of the 3rd round. Really has potential to show up as a regular guard down the road. May not be ready to start day 1 of camp but will be one to keep tabs on.

Andrew Bucholtz (Yahoo Sports)

Picking up Western offensive lineman Matt Norman in the third round (22nd overall) is also a solid move; Norman was a fixture on the CFL’s top 15 prospects list, and they were fortunate he lasted that long.

Round five: Jordan Verdone :: Linebacker :: University of Calgary :: 37th overall

Jordan Verdone was chosen by the Lions and for some he could be a sleeper pick in the draft. He was a linebacker in college, but according to Lowell Ullrich of The Province, the Lions are going to attempt to convert Verdone to a fullback.

Verdone played two seasons at the University of Waterloo, sitting out the 2010 season along with the entire Warriors program. He was named the 2008 CIS rookie of the year after racking up 44 solo tackles. He was named Saint Mary’s College’s athlete of the year in 2008 and defensive MVP two seasons in a row.

If Verdone is to make the Lions it will be with a strong performance on special teams, but with eligibility left, the Lions have options and time to mold him into the player that bests suits his talents in the CFL.

What our panel had to say:

Andrew Bucholtz (Yahoo Sports)

I’m a fan of this Lions’ draft, but mostly because of the late picks. BC only had four picks following their trade up in the first round, but they made them count, and I think Calgary Dinos’ linebacker Jordan Verdone in particular is going to be a steal for them. Some had Verdone as one of the top LBs in this draft, so to grab him in the fifth round (37th overall) is tremendous value.

Tyler Bieber (CFLDaily.ca)

 I’m not quite sure how Verdone will fare on the defensive side of the ball in the CFL, but I do believe he will be an excellent special teams player for the Lions. He is a long-snapper, and that is something that the Lions are looking for after Dan McCullough elected to retire after winning the Grey Cup this past season. Verdone still has two years of eligibility left with the Dinos.

Kent Ridley (Ridley Scouting)

Offenses around CanWest will be glad to see him in Lion Orange rather than Dino Red this fall. The former CIS Rookie of the Year at Waterloo before the big scandal destroyed that program, Jordan has been a force all over the field. He has special teams experience which should give him a heads up when it comes to duties as a CFL rookie.

A few extra yards:

 

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