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The Lions Notebook: Training Camp Edition: June 9th

June 10, 2015 By Brian Wawryshyn

A nice breeze made things a little cooler for today’s sessions at Hillside Stadium in Kamloops, much to the relief of the players and this blogger sitting in the stands. The Lions continue to install the offense of Jeff Tedford in preparation for Friday’s preseason opener in Calgary.

Here are some observations from today’s sessions in this edition of the Lions Notebook: Training Camp Edition, June 9th.

The Scene

The Lions practiced without pads for the morning session but had them on in the afternoon for the last time before their game in Calgary on Friday. The afternoon was a spirited affair that saw a player skirmish involving DB Torrie Williams and an unidentified player on offence that was broken up quickly by Jeff Tedford.

Watching: Solomon Elimimian (afternoon), Courtney Taylor, Lavelle Hawkins, Courtney Taylor

Behind Centre

Jonathan Jennings continues to separate himself as the front runner for the backup/third string role to Travis Lulay, just ahead of Greg McGhee. Both players can expect to see a fair bit of work in Calgary (Lulay will not play) along with Travis Partridge who will likely get the start. Partridge is going to have to really show something in my opinion to not get over taken by Jennings or McGhee in my opinion. John Beck is back in camp and threw light passes in drills early in the session, but was not a full participant.

In the Trenches

The Lions appear to have settled on a starting five on the offensive line, for now at least. Jovan Olafiyoe of course stays at right tackle, Dean Valli at right guard, Jason Foster at centre, Matt Norman at left guard and newcomer Josh Aladenoye at left tackle. Kirby Fabien continues to participate on the second unit, and this is a big disappointment, as many were hoping he was going to rebound from an inconsistent 2014 after returning from injury. Right now, Fabien is backing up Norman, who seems to be settling in nicely at guard after moving from centre.

Dante’s Corner

Anyone concerned about the loss of Dante Marsh should rest easy, as Ronnie Yell has really stood out for me at this camp and looks to be in midseason form. He’s been battling against Manny Arceneaux and has showed very well. He’s quick, physical and has been in Arceneaux’s grill constantly. He doesn’t always win the battle, because let’s face it, Manny is pretty good, but Yell seems to be adjusting just fine to not only his role, but the new rule changes imposed on defenders.

Here is a bit more from Yell himself, courtesy of the BC Lions on Twitter:

DB @rondonbby on expectations for 2015, adjusting to rule changes & fine tuning his game alongside vet Ryan Phillips https://t.co/1XwDj26AtR

— BC Lions (@BCLions) June 10, 2015

Kicking Battle

We have been very impressed by the two kickers in camp, Anthony Fera and Richie Leone, but Tuesday wasn’t a banner day for either. Both players missed some field goals and shanked some punts, so Friday is going to be interesting to see which player emerges as a front runner for the job. Still there is no denying the leg strength of both candidates, both kicking 47 yard field goals to the back of the endzone and both launching some absolutely spectacular punts in both sessions.

Receivers

vizzi-940 — Make note of the name Tim Vizzi (Photo: BC Lions Den)

Marco Iannuzzi had a strong day, getting open to make several TD catches during passing drills. One name to watch out for is Tim Vizzi, who has some people drawing comparisons to Weston Dressler. The Penn State product isn’t big in size, but runs good routes and has a solid set of hands. When you add the likes of Bryan Burnham, Austin Collie, Terence Jeffers-Harris, Shawn Gore and Manny Arceneaux and this group looks talented. Nevermind the additions of Cameron Morrah and A.C. Leonard, both of whom continue to impress. Now the Lions must find a way to keep as many of these talented players as possible.

There is some mystery to the status of Courtney Taylor whose participation in camp has been minimal since I’ve arrived.

Harris Watch

Rest easy Lions fans, Andrew Harris looks very, very good. Harris show no signs that his injury from last season isn’t healed. He looks quick and explosive hitting holes. Like Lulay, I wouldn’t expect him to see any action in Calgary, because there is no point, and the Lions have other backs they need to evaluate, like Shaquille Murray-Lawrence, Brendan Bigelow, Rickey Galvin and of course Keola Antolin, With Murray-Lawrence and Antolin missing earlier sessions with minor injuries they will be looking to impress in the preseason.

The Injury Bug

The Lions appeared to have taken a blow to their defensive line when DT Michael Brooks went down with what appeared to be a right knee injury. Brooks was carted off the field near the end of practice and it didn’t look good. Brooks had been impressing and it’s a tough break for him if the injury is as bad as it looked. Tim Jackson (North Carolina) is the next man up on the depth charge and will look to take advantage of Brooks’ bad luck.

As my friend Lloyd Bruneau noted, Jason Vega is currently sitting in Winnipeg, waiting for a phone call.

Offensive lineman Cody Husband and Cameron Thorn continue to follow concussion protocol.

Just For Fun

We leave you with this. The Lions cranked up the music for their warmup session and we caught this video of linebacker Adam Bighill who dances across the screen like he was in a Broadway show.

One more day at camp for us, with an hour walk through in the morning, we’ll spare you the details of that and will take in the afternoon session before heading home to Vancouver.

Thanks for reading, everyone.

The BCLionsDen.ca Pawdcast – Episode 19

October 23, 2013 By Brian Wawryshyn

In Episode 19 Brian and Mojo recap the BC Lions 35-14 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders and get the scoop on the Eskimos from CHED 630 football analyst and colour man Dave Campbell. We welcome BC Lions receiver Marco Iannuzzi into the den to hear about his journey to the pros and how the Lions will head into the final two games before the playoffs.

To stay up to date with our podcasts, blogs and other Lions news, follow us on Twitter @BCLionsDen

Please leave us a comment on the site and let us know how we’re doing. You can also leave us a ranking and a review on iTunes, we would really appreciate it!

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Marsh extension retains leadership on and off the field.

March 13, 2013 By Brian Wawryshyn

The BC Lions announced a contract extension for nine year veteran cornerback Dante Marsh on Wednesday and it would be a tough to find anyone who questions that move. Marsh has been consistently solid in his nine years patrolling the corner of the Lions secondary, and has become a leader on and off the field.

Lions’ fans that witnessed Marsh’s first game as a Lion, might not have been so sure he would be around nine years later. Now a seasoned CFL veteran, Marsh was given a harsh introduction to the CFL that night, but his confidence in himself and his work ethic have carved out a nice place in Lions and CFL history that could find him on the Lions Ring of Honour / Wall of Fame, if not the hall itself in Hamilton.

With two Grey Cup rings on his resume, Marsh is part of a solid core of players that are the leadership brain trust in the Lions locker room. That leadership group has been instrumental in the two championships during Marsh’s tenure, and has allowed young players coming in to be given an example of how to be professionals.

When Khalif Mitchell went off the rails a little last season, it was Marsh that spoke out to let the young defensive lineman know that he better shape up or be prepared to ship out.

“I’m not going to have someone ruin what we‘ve built around here,” Marsh told the media at the time.

The leadership group of the club will be challenged again this year after the departure of Geroy Simon, who of course is now in Saskatchewan. But the torch is in good hands, making the contract extension for Marsh just as valuable off the field as it is on it.

As a friend of this site, we’re glad to have Dante back for a 10^th season. He’s partnered with us in the past to raise money for CFL Fans Fight Cancer, another one of his solid attributes.

Dante talks to Lions fans about his extension:

Mar 13, 2013 | by dantemarsh on Keek.com

Marco Iannuzzi back as well.

The Lions also announced an extension for Canadian receiver Marco Iannuzzi this week. Iannuzzi oozes potential and along with Akeem Foster, Shawn Gore and Paris Jackson, gives the Lions great non-import depth at the position heading into 2013. Look for Iannuzzi to play a bigger role and build on his 30 catch, 353 yard, 5 touchdown season a year ago.

2011 CFL Draft Preview: Possibilities for the Lions heading into Sunday.

May 7, 2011 By Brian Wawryshyn

The last major event before training camp goes this Sunday when the CFL holds it’s annual Canadian College draft. TSN will broadcast the first two rounds of the draft, beginning at 9:30 a.m. PDT and we’ll be live blogging the draft starting with some pre draft chat at 9:00am.

The BC Lions hold the 3rd overall pick in 5 of the 6 rounds. They do not have a 2nd round pick, surrendering that to the Calgary Stampeders when they acquired offensive lineman Jesse Newman last season. The club will be looking to add some depth to a young and emerging roster and will be aiming to have a better success rate in the draft than in recent years. Last year’s top pick Danny Watkins recently went in the first round of this year’s NFL to the Philadelphia Eagles while other recent picks have had to be released due to lack of roster space or plucked by other teams of practice rosters.

That said, 2010 was a productive draft for the Lions. As CFL.ca’s Jim Mullin writes, a total of five drafted players suited up for the Lions last season. All will be back in Kamloops for training camp and looking to play a bigger role in 2011.

Looking at the Lions biggest need you have to look at the receivers and in particular non-import depth at the position. The team has Paris Jackson, Shawn Gore, O’Neill Wilson, Akeem Foster and Matt Chapdelaine on the roster, and while they list Andrew Harris as a wide receiver he’s a running back at heart. Paris Jackson is coming off a sub par season after knee issues hampered his game, and the Lions are hoping for big things from Gore in his first full season with the team. Akeem Foster will also look to play a bigger role, but it’s plain to see the Lions have needs to address here, leading most to predict they will take a receiver with the 3rd overall pick. Calgary Dino’s Anthony Parker and Nathan Coehoorn are possibilities, as is Marco Iannuzzi out of Harvard.

The Lions also need help on the defensive line. Cameron Wake left a void that may not be filled for quite some time. Canadian Brent Johnson returns but isn’t getting any younger, so the Lions could be in the market for a defensive lineman in the draft.

Offensive line is always an option, but I can’t see the Lions taking one with the first pick unless Rice’s Scott Mitchell drops down to the Lions. They do need to start planning for a successor to Angus Reid and while Baylor’s Philip Blake may be intriguing, he’s also on the NFL radar for 2012 and it remains to be seen if BC is willing to take a chance on him like they did with Watkins last year. That uncertainty saw Blake drop in the final CFL rankings.

To get an outside point of view, I asked two people whose opinion I really respect to provide as an outsiders look at the Lions draft needs.

Kurt Ridley of Ridley Scouting provides scouting and player preparation services out of Airdrie, AB. He’s also the author of an extensive 2011 CFL Draft Guide (Available for download for $4.99) and has participated in CFL E-Camps in the past.

Jack Bedell writes an Eye on the East column for BCLionsDen.ca and also writes for the Montreal Alouettes web site.

Each of them had some thoughts on what the Lions might do on Sunday.

Kent Ridley

Review of 2010:

Interesting results from last year’s grab of college players. Danny Watkins is out of the picture and has been much talked about so we won’t dig into that. Shawn Gore had a run with the Packers that likely sent him to Vancouver a little more polished than straight out of Bishop’s. From testing highlight reel to a contributor in the offense is what is expected of him. Nate Binder has bounced around the CFL since his release in BC. Joash Gesse will move into a learning role behind James Yurichuk, a former first round pick, who extended his contract this spring. Akeem Foster is a guy who will need to make strides this year but has the skill set to do it.

Looking ahead:

Everyone knows the Henoc Muamba’s, Anthony Parker’s, and Matt O’Donnell’s of the Draft Class. I would like to bring up some names that you might have heard about and forgot or maybe never knew. Picking the first 4 is easy, picking the last 4 of the day is much, much harder.

BC enters the weekend with 5 picks. Their first chance to select comes in the first round at third overall. From there they sit back until the third round and select nineteenth overall. Their last three picks come at 26, 34, and 42. Don’t worry if your math is off because some media outlets count the Calgary forfeited pick as being #22 while others bump #22 down to Toronto. Hope they decide one year which way will become the standard.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Philip Blake (Baylor, C/LT) go to the West Coast after their time spent scouting Danny Watkins. Building depth for the future and being able to work with it is a key there. Moe Petrus (UConn, C) could be another futures pick that may or may not draw NFL interest next year. Currently he is ranked in the top ten for centers, one spot ahead of Blake, but the average NFL draft has only 5 or so selected. Alex Krausnick-Groh (Calgary, C) is a three year starter with the Dinos and could draw interest.

Jadon Wagner (BYU, LB) is another one that could fit the profile in BC. I know some BC fans will go “not another LB” but to create the competition it would make sense. Yurichuk, Gesse and Wagner could turn into a nice trio of defenders.

Craig Butler (Western Ontario, S) could take over the empty spot left by the Tad Crawford departure and was an active ball hawk in the OUA. He should be available when BC returns to the table in the 4th. Jeff Hecht (Saint Mary’s, S) could be another second half of the draft target. He is a tweener that played as a linebacker for the majority of his stint with the Huskies but projects more as a safety in the CFL. Another option could be Michael Carter (Maryland, DB). He should be a later round pick that doesn’t come with a lot of stats in tow but has speed to burn and could make an impact on special teams early. Michael put up great numbers at the JuCo level and timed at a 4.33 at the JuCo combine before ending up at Maryland.

Jack Bedell

One fact flying under the radar of late is just how young, fast, and aggressive the Lions’ have gotten on special teams and defence the last couple of seasons. You could really see some of that roster overhaul coming to fruition down the stretch last season. As B.C. began to blend all that athleticism with game experience on the back nine of their schedule, the wins started to stack up, and the team made a heck of a playoff run after a dismal start.

I don’t see any reason for the Lions to back off their recent draft strategies this Sunday when they’re on the board. With one Muamba already on the roster, Safety Cauchy, you have to figure St. FX LB Henoc Muamba would be a prime pick for B.C. if he’s still on the board in the third spot when they’re on the clock. He’d certainly bring a high-motor and textbook aggression to the Lions’ D and teams.

Bishop’s Junior Turner might be another possibility in the same vein for B.C. Turner showed off some of the same kind of speed his brother, Argos’ WR Steven Turner, possesses during his e-camp testing. He’d be an impact player on kick coverages right away, and might work himself into the rush end rotation pretty quickly a la Saskatchewan’s Shomari Williams last season.

And since it’s the CFL Canadian Draft, you can’t overlook the prospect of the Lions going o-line with their early picks. Several quality players should be available in the first two rounds if B.C. were to go that way, Baylor’s Phil Blake and Tulsa’s Tyler Holmes to name a couple.

For your draft reading pleasure

Jim Mullin (CFL.ca) – Lions on a run of strong CFL drafts.

Lowell Ullrich (The Province) – Lions may take a receiver with the 3rd overall pick.

Mike Beamish (Vancouver Sun) – Will it be all in the family for Lions and CFL draft star prospect Henoc Muamba?

Duane Forde (TSN.ca) – CFL Draft Dictionary