2016 Training Camp Thread

[Qman]

re: vaillancourt
angus reid threw fabien under the bus tonight on 1040 then drove over him over and over.
says vaillancourt is starter ready

[WestCoastJoe]

Good for Vaillancourt. Fabien is still a talent. And T Dre has had his moments. Better depth than we have had with the Nat OL, since ... forever.

[The_Pauser]

Good for Vaillancourt. Fabien is still a talent. And T Dre has had his moments. Better depth than we have had with the Nat OL, since ... forever.

Absolutely. I remember a time when we were seriously looking at both T-Dre and Fabien as possible starters. Having them likely as backups makes us stronger.

Still unsure about why Husband is at C and O'Neill isn't.

[B.C.FAN]

Good for Vaillancourt. Fabien is still a talent. And T Dre has had his moments. Better depth than we have had with the Nat OL, since ... forever.

Absolutely. I remember a time when we were seriously looking at both T-Dre and Fabien as possible starters. Having them likely as backups makes us stronger.

Still unsure about why Husband is at C and O'Neill isn't.

LU quotes Angus Reid on the play of Fabien and Vaillalncourt:

In his weekly appearance on 3Down Radio on TSN1040, former Lions centre Angus Reid suggested Vaillancourt showed an aggressive side in the 28-16 pre-season win over Saskatchewan that has gone missing in the play of Fabien, who signed a contract extension Dec. 15 that has not been repaid as yet in the eyes of the team’s coach/GM.

“It’s rare to have a rookie Canadian offensive line become a starter and even more rare for Wally but watching the game it makes sense,” Reid said. “Kirby, I don’t think, has performed to the level of flashes before his bad injury. He’s never come back to become a dominant player. Charles looked fantastic. He didn’t lose a block.

“Playing with Kirby ever since that injury he has not been mentally the same person. It happens to a lot of athletes. When it happens you think about other things. You get a crash of morality… Maybe (Fabien) doesn’t want to play much longer.”

Lions guard kicked to curb for now

I'd love to know Reid's views on the play of Husband at centre. O'Neill doesn't seemed to be in the mix for anything other than as a versatile veteran who might step in somewhere. I'm not sure he's needed. Husband is big and strong and has looked solid. Jas Dhillon and Dillon Guy have taken backup reps at centre. Fabien and Player provide depth at guard.

LU also noted that Loucheiz Purifoy has taken first-team reps in place of Steven Clarke after Clarke's debacle in Regina. Clarke took three big penalties, was in coverage on Rob Bagg's 55-yard pass and run play and let the QB twist out of his grasp on a blitz. That was all in the first half. The nickelback position is one of the most important on the defence, requiring a quick hard-hitter who can play man coverage on a slotback, blitz effectively and come up and stop the run. No one has shown that they can replace the departed Josh Johnson.

[B.C.FAN]

The remake of the O-line is a hot topic these days. Ed Willes weighs in, with a "mad scientist" reference, courtesy of Jovan Olafioye:

The line has now been together for three weeks, and this much we know: Donald Trump wishes he could build a wall this big. As for the rest of it, stay tuned. This might not be the sexiest story to come out of training camp, but any chance the Lions have to restore their former glory is inexorably tied to an offensive line which, again, is in a state of flux.

“It always takes time,” said Dorazio, Buono’s longtime O-line coach who’s returned after a one-year hiatus in Saskatchewan.

“The amount of time is the unknown factor. I don’t know how long this group is going to take, but we will spend every waking moment working with them.”

You might think this is hyperbole. In Dorazio’s case, it’s a solemn promise.

The good news for the Lions is the new offensive line is bigger than the national debt. The five projected starters average 315 pounds each and are all at least 6-foot-6. The more sobering news is the right tackle, Adcock, is new to the team; the left tackle, Jovan Olafioye, is new to the position and Cody Husband will be starting his first season at centre.

Vaillancourt is also pressing incumbent Kirby Fabien for a starting job at guard, all of which means there might not be enough hours in a day for Dorazio to mould this group into a cohesive entity.

But now this. He’ll try.

“The mad scientist,” Olafioye said with a laugh.

“He’s the best and he fits right in. He’s getting us right.”

Willes: "Mad scientist' Dorazio set on creating O-line chemistry