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Key Battles to Watch as the BC Lions Get to Work in Kamloops

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Veterans report to Kamloops today for physicals prior to the start of main camp on Sunday as the BC Lions prepare for their 63rd Canadian Football League Season.

Instead of a BC Lions preview (we’ll save that for when the roster is determined) we’ll take a look at some of the positional battles to keep an eye on as camp gets going at Thompson Rivers University. While a few areas like linebacker are pretty much set, others are ripe for change and Wally Buono has never been a coach that has been afraid to make an ‘unpopular’ move to make the team better.

Translation; you better not rest on your laurels if you’re trying out for a Buono football team.

Quarterback

Jennings vs Lulay

With good reason, Jonathan Jennings comes into camp as the front-runner for the Lions starting pivot job. The Lions “quarterback of the future” ignited the offence last season going 3 and 3 in his six starts before injuring his collarbone in the West Semi-Final. All his intangibles, age, skill, poise, all suggest that Jennings is the man to lead the Lions back to prominence, but there must be growth and consistency shown as he starts the 2016 campaign.

For Travis Lulay, camp is a chance for him to show what he has left in the tank following an off-season that saw him able to train fully versus rehabbing his shoulder. That can make a huge difference, and Lulay has stated this is the best he’s felt in years. At worst, he will backup Jennings and has already discussed his acceptance of a mentorship role to his good friend Jennings. Lulay understands the cycle of life for a quarterback and knows he’s near the end of that cycle. Yet, he’s fully supportive of his younger counterpart and the Lions are fortunate to have that relationship.

Buono has stated the number one spot is not set in stone and that the pecking order will be determined in Kamloops and through the pre-season. That Jennings will have to be awfully bad and Lulay will have to turn some heads for Buono to consider a switch. The team needs to sell tickets, and they are banking that Jennings, and the excitement he can bring to the offence will be a big part in bringing fans back.

McGhee vs Price

Second year Lion Greg McGhee will be in for a fight with newcomer Keith Price who some felt showed more during the team’s mini-camp in April.

While McGhee was on the Lions roster last season, he doesn’t have as much CFL playing time as the newcomer. There is probably more pressure on McGhee as a returning player, mostly because Wally Buono expects you to be that much better in year two than you were in year one.

Price comes to the Lions after time with the Riders in Saskatchewan where he went 32 of 50 for 407 yards, 3 TD’s and 1 INT in limited playing time.

Buono isn’t averse to carrying four QB’s on the roster, but the battle for number three should be an interesting one to watch.

Offensive Line

Hunter Steward
Hunter Steward

It seems every training camp we are talking about the battle for jobs on the offensive line. That’s probably because on every football team the o-line is the core of your success on offence. If it’s great, you can do great things. If it’s not, you’re going to be in for a long season.

The Lions addressed this area both in free agency and the draft by adding the likes of Levy Adcock from the Riders and drafting Charles Vaillancourt (Laval) and Dillon Guy (Buffalo).

Longtime Buono confidant Dan Dorazio returns to the Lions after a one-year tour with the Riders, and is high on Adcock. So much so that the Lions released last year’s starter Tommie Draheim who was quickly snapped up by the Redblacks.

The Lions will look to move perennial all-star Jovan Olafioye to the left tackle spot and slot Adcock in on the right.

In the middle the Lions went out and picked up BC boy Tim O’Neill who at 36 brings a ton of experience at centre, but also a short-term solution. Both Vaillancourt and Guy have some experience playing the position, and the Lions also looked at the recently released Cam Thorn for the centre spot, but early indications are they would like to start grooming Guy in that position for the future.

Also front and centre will be the health of the promising Hunter Steward, who needs to show he can get through a training camp, not just a season. Steward could be a huge piece of the Lions o-line if he can do that and he says his foot problem is behind him heading into 2016. Kirby Fabien will also be another year removed from his devastating knee injury and hopefully now has the confidence again to bring a nastier streak to his game.

Players lCody Husband and T-Dre Player and Surrey native Jas Dhillon are also going to need to show well, especially with the depth the Lions have added through the draft.

Receiver

Once Jennings took over the offence last season the passing game started to come alive. Manny Arceneaux in particular started on a tear that had people forgetting about his less than productive first half of the season.

boldewijn
Geraldo Boldewijn

But the Lions will be looking to improve the unit, and a name to watch is Boise State alumni, Geraldo Boldewijn, who caught the Lions eye last year and spent time on their expanded practice roster before playing in the final regular season game last year. Boldewijn was given his release to pursue NFL work this off-season and the Lions were thrilled to get him back. He’s a tall receiver who has great hands and decent speed and should be ready to make a contribution this season.

The Lions also went out and brought back Nick Moore as a free agent signing from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Moore brings experience and another potential 1000-yard receiver to the Leos lineup, if he can stay healthy. Add Moore to the likes of Lavelle Hawkins and Bryan Burnham, and there will be some interesting choices to make here on cut down day.

Canadians Shawn Gore, Stephen Adekolu and Marco Iannuzzi will welcome draft picks Shaquille Johnson and Brett Blaszko into the group and both will be looking to show they are still the best option at the national receiver spot. Derek Yachison will need to show what he’s learned over the last two Lions camps to stay in consideration for a roster spot.

Running Back

Life after Andrew Harris begins and the Lions have stocked up on international players for the position to try and replace that offence. Jeremiah Johnson and Anthony Allen were brought in from Ottawa and Saskatchewan receptively while the Lions are also hoping Chris Rainey can play a bigger role in the offence. Shaquille Murray-Lawrence returns and will compete for reps.

Newcomer J.C. Coleman turned heads at rookie camp and while the Lions knew he was quick and explosive, Buono praised Coleman for his ability to block as well. If Coleman continues to impress, the Lions may choose to keep him around, making either Johnson or Allen expendable.

The Secondary

Ryan Phillips
Ryan Phillips

The Lions enjoyed many years of continuity to their secondary until the last couple of seasons, when they were forced to start to get younger. Ryan Phillips is the sole survivor from the trio of Dante Marsh and Korey Banks and is coming off a strong season. Phillips, along with free agent signing Brandon Stewart (Hamilton) will be the leaders of the group.

Mike Edem (Hamilton) was signed as a free agent and is a player the Lions are excited to get their hands on. There will likely be a battle there for the starting safety spot with Eric Fraser, who played well for the Lions after joining them last season, and possibly Keynan Parker as well.

The unit lost Josh Johnson over the winter but got Steven Clarke back from NFL tryouts last week. TJ Lee, Ronnie Yell and Darious Lane return, but keep an eye on newcomers Loucheiz Purifoy, Davarus Shores, Dino Teague and drafted national Anthony Thompson.

Kicker

Richie Leone comes in as the incumbent and will once again compete with Anthony Fera, who spent last season on the Lions practice roster before seeing action in the last game of the regular season. Leone will look to improve in his consistency, particularly on field goals and converts, while Fera will look to show he’s just as capable and force Buono into a tough decision.

Others to Watch

Defensive Line: Darius Allen, Andrew Hudson, Ese Mrabure, George Uko, Jacques Smith

Receivers: Kendrick Ings

2012 BC Lions Fan Fest Photo Gallery, Kamloops, BC

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The BC Lions held their annual Fan Fest event in Kamloops on Sunday and once again it was a big success. Sunny warm temperatures finally graced the tournament capital and fan young and old came to mingle with their football team.

One of the priorities that Bob Ackles had when he came back to the Lions was to grow the game at the grass roots level, and events like the Lions put on today do just that. Young aspiring football players and others that may have been introduced to the game for the first time descended on Hillside Stadium at Thompson Rivers University to “Play with the pros.”

For other fans, the chance to get their favourite players autograph or picture was the draw of the day. I’ll say this unequivocally; there is no other league whose players mingle with the fans better than the CFL.

The team followed the festivities with a practice and a non contact scrimmage for those in attendance.

I hope this gallery gives you a sense of the great atmosphere that was present in Kamloops today. This ends our on location training camp coverage for 2012, as we have to return to the real world on Monday. We hope you enjoyed the pictures and the updates. We look forward to the start of the preseason this Wednesday!

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June 9th Training Camp – Morning Session Notes: From The Stands

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Hello from cold, windy, rainy Kamloops. Yesterday afternoon’s beautiful sunshine was gone by this morning, giving way to the October like weather we’ve been experiencing here. Oh well, at least it’s supposed to be nice for the folks coming out for Fan Fest tomorrow.

There wasn’t much to report yesterday, the morning practice was spirited, the afternoon was a walk through session with no pads, so I took the the day off from  blogging, but did post a few pictures, if you missed them.

This morning’s session in the rain was a productive one, but could also have costly. Jon Hameister-Ries left practice on a cart with what looked to be a lower body injury. N o, I won’t get into specifics here, because the club doesn’t appreciate that, but you can probably use your imagination. He did not return to the field. That would make three potential offensive lineman now nursing injuries, meaning guard Patrick Kabongo should have no problem dropping a few pounds. Club president Dennis Skulsky told me this morning that Dean Valli will go to Vancouver on Tuesday to have his knee evaluated by doctors, and said the club will take its time on the return of both he and Jesse Newman. Rookie Matt Norman has shown well.

Khalif Mitchell also took the pads off, favouring his upper body, but it looked like he would be fine after being  worked on by the trainers.

Running back Stu Foord had a good morning session, earning the praise of coach Kelly Bates and showing his talents in the mini scrimmage potion of practice. Travis Lulay looked sharp and backup Mike Reilly, perhaps coming to life after the release of Corey Leonard also looked sharper this morning.

Receiver Kierrie Johnson continued his strong showing in camp, and any thoughts that his roster spot might be in jeopardy are starting to fade if they haven’t already been extinguished.

Defensive line hopefully Maurice Evans returned to practice this morning as did receiver Marco Iannuzzi.

Time for lunch, hopefully warmer, drier skies await for the afternoon session at 4:00pm today.

If you’re in Kamloops and would like to join us for a little BC Lions Social at Boston Pizza tonight, we’ll be gathering at 7:30pm at the 500 Notre Dame Drive location. Drop me an e-mail or send me a tweet @BCLionsDen if you’re thinking of joining us so I can ensure we have a seat waiting for you!

June 7th Training Camp Report/Photos: From The Stands

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Sorry this is posted late, internet problems in the hotel and the arranging of a small get together in Kamloops delayed my intentions a little. More on that at the end of this, but first a quick recap of my observations from my first day in Kamloops.

The morning session saw mainly clear skies to start but cool temperatures. The sun didn’t stay long however and was gone by the end of the session. In the afternoon, cool, grey, windy and at times rainy conditions were present and only the diehards were in the stands.

Receivers

The starting receivers group looks to be Simon, Bruce, Foster, Gore, and Kierre Johnson. Newcomer Ernest Jackson had a strong session in the afternoon. Kierre Johnson is looking very fast and is catching everything. With his small stature, some felt he might be in tough for his roster spot, especially with some of the players they have brought to camp, but to me he was one of the most dangerous players out there. He’s also being used as one of the primary kick returners so far and is looking dangerous there, albeit with limited contact to date. Marco Iannuzzi sat out the afternoon session and looked to have a minor “lower body” injury.

Running backs

Andrew Harris is going to have a big year. He looks ready to be a prime time player in this league, in case his performance last year wasn’t enough of a clue. Behind him, I thought Anthony Stewart has a few nice runs, but he’s very small. Didn’t notice much of Stu Foord, but rookie Nic Grigsby also had some nice carries.

Kabongo watch

The best battles of the day were the one on ones between Patrick Kabongo and Khalif Mitchell. The two put on an impressive display and showed a mutual respect for one another. As someone who had concerns about how heavy Kabongo came into camp, I had some of those alleviated after seeing how well the big man moves and seeing his work ethic. He is fitting in well with the existing offensive line members and is a leader on the field. With a little bit of weight loss and some fine tuning by Dan Dorazio, Kabongo could very well prove to be a solid pick up by the Lions with the injuries they have incurred on the line to date.

Linebacker

As reported, the Lions are going to give James Yurichuk every chance to stake claim to the middle linebacker spot of the departed Solomon Elimimian. It’s really tough to get a gauge on  how he’s doing right now, because at this point in camp, there isn’t a lot of hitting going on. I expect to see a bit more on Friday and Saturday, and of course we’ll all get a first hand look Wednesday against the Riders. Anton McKenzie has two strong sessions including  almost picking off Travis Lulay. Adam Bighill is also in the mix, but the job is Yurichuk’s to lose.

The secondary

This is definitely an area of strength for the Lions and it shows. Byron Parker is fitting in nicely, both on the field and the trash talking department among the unit. The real standout for me today though was safety Cauchy Muamba who picked off Lulay and looks to be grabbing hold of the starting safety spot. Lin-J Shell continues to see second team reps and Anthony Reddick looks to be getting most of the reps at the nickle back spot.

Sitting

Angus Reid sat out the morning session for what was referred to by the team as a maintenance day. He was back in the afternoon session. Defensive lineman Maurice Evans tweaked something in the morning and was sitting out the afternoon along with LB Adam Leonard who looks close to returning. As mentioned above Iannuzzi also sat out the afternoon.

Social

If you’re going to be in Kamloops on Saturday night, June 9th, a few Lions fans are getting together at the Boston Pizza at 500 Notre Dame Drive at 7:30pm. If you would like to join us, please e-mail me at brian@bclionsden.ca and we’ll make sure we save a seat for you.

Next practice: Friday, June 8th 8:20 am and 4:00pm.

Here are some photos from today’s sessions:

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BC Lions Training Camp: Fan Survival Guide

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So you’re heading up to Kamloops to check out BC Lions training camp. If this is your first time, there are a few things you need to know and hopefully this guide will help you come prepared for anything that might happen! This will be my 9th consecutive trip to training camp so I’ve learned a few tricks of the trade and thought I would share them here. I’ll be in Kamloops from June 7th through Fan Fest on June 10th and hope to meet a few Lions fans there during my stay!

The Weather

Kamloops is known for its lack of rain, but that doesn’t mean you should leave the rain gear at home. I’ve sat in the stands and been hit by flash thunderstorms that bring heavy rains, hail and wind. It’s not common, but come prepared for everything. Sunscreen is of course a must. For the first week of camp the weather looks a bit iffy.

The Schedule

If you’re coming up for the day, be warned. The Lions can cancel a practice session at any time. Coaches may not like the weather forecast; they may feel the players need a break, or that a film session would be more beneficial. There is also the chance the team may decide to have a “closed’ practice inside the field house at the university. The team’s media people generally try and give ample notice of this, but I have shown up to the field once or twice to find that the session has been cancelled.

Follow the BC Lions on Twitter (@BCLions) and check their web site for the latest announcements, especially if you’re just planning to come up for the day.

The Facility

The Lions have a great setup at Thompson Rivers University. The players accommodations are located here, and they practice at Hillside Stadium. The parking on site is free during Lions practice sessions, so don’t by a ticket.

If there is one piece of advice you’ll be thanking me for it will be my tip to bring a cushioned pad to sit on. The stadium bleachers are not comfortable!

Camp Etiquette

It’s important to remember that the BC Lions are here to work. Training camp is very important for the players and coaches, and they should not be bothered while they on the field working. Take all the photos you like from the stands, but fans are not allowed on the field (including this blogger). The players are great with the fans and many will come over to the stands to mingle with fans following any given practice section. Be polite, and they will sign and even pose for a picture.

Fan Fest on June 10th is the best way to get quality time with your favourite player and they are more than happy to interact with the fans on this day.

Enjoy the chatter

One of my favourite parts of training camp is listening to the players talk amongst themselves on the field. The defence in particular likes chirp a lot, particularly at the offensive players. There can be some really amusing lines that get thrown around. Also, don’t be surprised if tempers flare occasionally and the occasional fight breaks out. The toll of two a days can cause the blood to boil.

Meet other fans

One of the great things about the CFL is the friendships you can make with other fans. Lions Nation is growing by leaps and bounds every year. Every year at Grey Cup I am seeing more and more black and orange, and that’s great to see. If you see me, stop by and say hello, sit down and talk some football. Who knows we all may end up in a pub somewhere talking about our team.

Accommodations

If you’re planning to come up for more than a day, there are plenty of hotel and motel options in the “Tournament Capital of Canada”. Look around for the best deal but you can expect to pay between 80-125/Night for a decent place to stay. My personal preference is the Accent Inn. It’s clean, reasonably priced and close to everything. If camping is more your thing, there are several camp grounds in the vicinity as well.

Downtime

With an early morning session and an afternoon session there is plenty of downtime to be had between all the football. Kamloops offers plenty of things to do for all ages. Riverside Park is a great place to spend a few hours, and it has a water park for the kids. Explore the local pubs and restaurants or go for a hike in the area. At night there is a Casino downtown if that’s your thing. When you’re out for dinner, don’t be surprised if you see a few players out enjoying a meal away from camp.  There is plenty of shopping as well, so Kamloops has something to offer for everyone.

I hope to see a lot of fans in the stands in Kamloops this week. I hope you enjoy the experience and the beautiful surroundings of Kamloops, BC!

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