Kamloops Training Camp 2017

[TheLionKing]

Excellent excellent report BC Fan

[B.C.FAN]

Lowell Ullrich retired last year from his newspaper job but he has still been on the sidelines every day through the first week of training camp, so his insights should carry a lot of weight. Here he gives his thoughts on five answers the B.C. Lions need from training camp.

Can Jon Jennings improve?
Can Adam Bighill be replaced?
Was trading a Canadian starter a mistake?
Was Chris Williams oversold?
Can the Lions make Chris Rainey great again on offence?

Five answers the B.C. Lions need from training camp

[Gridiron Ernie]

Lowell Ullrich retired last year from his newspaper job but he has still been on the sidelines every day through the first week of training camp, so his insights should carry a lot of weight...

Thanks for pointing this out. Somewhere recently in another thread I'd bemoaned the fact -- echoing others -- (me assuming in error as it turns out) that the likes of Ullrich were no longer on the scene/paying close attention. I'd misinterpreted what seemed to me a longish silence from LU's corner. So this is wonderful -- i.e. you pointing out his faithful TC attendance/attention, as you say it gives his reportage a ton of credence! (Just like yours, I might add!)

[B.C.FAN]

The Lions have released a depth chart for Tuesday's preseason opener in Calgary. All four quarterbacks are expected to see action, and all five projected starting offensive linemen are listed as starters. David Foucault is listed as backup left guard, which might be a better position for him than tackle, at least for now.

Starting receivers for this game are Corey Jones, Deon Long, Douglas McNeil, Stephen Adekolu and Shaq Johnson. Long and McNeil are longshots to make the team but could be competing for a practice roster position. Maurice Morgan and Tyler Davis could yet unseat Jones as the player holding Chris Williams' position until he is healthy enough to play. I've seen no timeline for his return.

Jeremiah Johnston is listed as starting running back, backed up by Josh Harris, who will need to impress if he wants to stick around. Nate O'Halloran and rookie Dakota Brush will get reps at fullback, and could be competing for a job backing up Rolly Lumbala.

For me, the more interesting battles will be on defence.

Cornerback Keynan Parker and halfback Buddy Jackson are the only first-teamers projected to start this game, with Anthony Gaitor pushing Jackson. Matt Bucknor starts at the hot corner beside Cleveland Wallace, who has backed up T.J. Lee in camp. Anthony Thompson is at safety, backed up by Tevin McDonald.

At linebacker, Micah Awe starts in the middle, where he has taken reps behind Solomon Elimimian in camp, while Chandler Fenner plays nickel. Cam Ontko, Tony Burnett, Dyshawn Davis and rookie draft pick Frederic Chagnon compete at Adam Bighill's old WILL position.

The defensive line features Andrew Hudson and Josh Shirley at the ends, with Frank Alexander and Marquis Jackson inside, backed up by impressive nationals Junior Luke and Maxx Forde. If Alexander and Jackson are going to make the team, they'll probably need to shine in this game.

Here's an interesting game preview from Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week, focusing on the battle for third-string quarterback:

B.C. Lions’ quarterbacks Price, Ross looking to shine in pre-season showdown against Stampeders

I wish this game were televised or streamed somewhere. It's the last chance that some of these players will get, and the only chance that fans will get to see them.

[WestCoastJoe]

As expected, a lot of backups. DLine. Receivers. LBs.

2017-06-05_2353_001.png

[SammyGreene]

Interesting to hear LU yesterday — saying this is Wally's final season as a head coach and GM and he will be walking away from the game entirely but he doesn't want it to be a distraction or the focal point of the season.
Sounds like they have had a few "off the record" conversations with LU mentioning Wally is already preparing for life after football (perhaps purchasing a retirement home somewhere?). LU also believes the wheels are slowly turning on a succession plan for both positions and obviously becomes bigger stories as the season unfolds.
Thought there was a possibility he would stay on as GM but at 67 who can blame him.
He may not like the idea but doesn't the club have some kind of "Wally Night" for their final regular season game at least after 14 years with the club?

[Blitz]

Training camp Day 7
Saturday, June 3, 2017 - morning session

Players were on the field in helmets only Saturday morning, except for Shaq Murray-Lawrence who walked back to the dorm in street clothes just before practice began. I haven't heard an update on his condition. I thought he'd been having a good camp. More on that later.

Mic'hael Brooks was among the players in jerseys on the sidelines, doing light stretching and riding the bike. That's probably a good sign that his apparent shoulder injury suffered Friday afternoon isn't too serious. LT Hunter Steward and LB Solomon Elimimian also sat out practice for the first time. WR Chris Williams was back on the sidelines after taking part in light duties for a second day. DB Mondo Williams, DT Frank Alexander and DE/DT Dylan Ainsworth remained out of action.

David Foucault took first-team reps for Steward at LT and again struggled. He was beaten cleanly to the outside on speed moves by Craig Roh on back to back plays in line drills. He looked better in team sessions but wasn't tested to the outside. Vincent Brown, the international tackle who is third on the depth chart behind Steward, was also beaten on back to back plays. The Lions simply can't afford to lose Steward without risking an injury to one or more quarterbacks.

Jason Arakgi took first-team reps at middle linebacker in place of Elimimian. Maxx Forde and Junior Luke took first-team reps as defensive tackles. Together with regular cornerback Keynan Parker, that gave the Lions four national starters on defence for one day at least, which is an indication of the depth of talent on the Lions' defence.

Anthony Gaitor took first-team reps at wideside halfback, while Buddy Jackson lined up with the second team in simultaneous team play at the opposite end of the field. Gaitor was beaten a couple of times in coverage. Jackson had the only interception of the day and made a point of returning it all the way to the end zone, right past the first-team unit at the other end of the field. This will be an interesting battle to watch.

WR/KR Tyler Davis continued to impress, scoring a TD in team play. Shaq Johnson, who doesn't yet have a spot on the depth chart but has looked good at slotback since returning from injury, also had a TD in skelly, as did R.J. Harris and Nick Moore.

Barring a last-minute trip next weekend, Saturday morning was my eighth and final practice of training camp 2017. Here are some thoughts on the battles to watch by position group on both sides of the ball, and some players who have stood out in a good or bad way.

DEFENCE

The depth of the B.C. secondary has been mentioned in this thread and elsewhere, and the defensive line and linebackers are equally impressive. The Lions could pick two starting defences from their training camp roster and still have quality players as backups.

Secondary
Matt Bucknor, Anthony Gaitor, Chandler Fenner, Tevin McDonald and Cleveland Wallace could make a good starting secondary, yet they're all listed as backups on the official depth chart. Only Bucknor is assured of a job by virtue of his national status, although it's a safe bet that Gaitor will be on the opening day roster somewhere. Fenner is also getting work on special teams, which is a sign that the coaches expect to have a spot for him. Official first teamers, Ronnie Yell, T.J. Lee, Steven Clarke, Buddy Jackson and Keynan Parker have all looked like first-teamers. I haven't seen a lot of interceptions in practice this week, but based on talent alone this secondary is vastly better than last year's. National backups Anthony Thompson and Nate Hamlin have taken regular reps and have not looked out of place.

Linebacker
There is only one Solomon Elimimian, and he has been as dominant as ever in camp. But the Lions can surround him with a quality group of linebackers. Loucheiz Purifoy looks to be starting where he left off in his first season at nickelback. Cam Ontko has taken first-team reps at weakside linebacker but has not stood out. Free agent Tony Burnett has made the most of his reps at that position in recent days. Ontko strikes me as more of a hard-nosed run-stopper, while Burnett is a converted DB who excels in coverage. If Mark Washington wants his weakside linebacker to drop back 20 yards in a deep cover-2 defence, Burnett would probably have an edge but I haven't seen any signs of that defence in the first week of camp. Micah Awe, who backs up Elimimian, has been noticeable in camp, especially on the blitz. The Lions look to still rely on their linebackers to generate pressure on the QB, and they have had success on the blitz in team play. Fenner has looked good in pass coverage as second-team nickelback, while nationals Jordan Herdman, Nehemie Kankolongo, Adrian Clarke and Frederic Chagnon have all made good plays. Those four nationals all wear numbers in the 40s, and I've had to consult my roster regularly to learn who's who. They're worth watching. Most of them are taking regular reps on special teams and will likely still be around when the season starts. You can never have too many linebackers on special teams.

Defensive line
DE Craig Roh, NT Mic'hael Brooks, DT Bryant Turner Jr. and DE DeQuin Evans have been listed as first-teamers since the start of camp but injuries have given others a chance to shine. I can't say enough about the play of national DTs Maxx Forde and Junior Luke and DE David Menard. Collectively, they are too good to not at least share one starting position on the DL, which could help immensely with the ratio on offence. Roh and Evans have both made a lot of plays off the edge. Neither is a threat to challenge for the league lead in sacks but the B.C. defensive scheme isn't structured to generate pressure from a four-man rush. DE Ken Boatright has showed good speed off the edge and could yet challenge for a roster spot. DT Frank Alexander came to the Lions with good credentials but has been sidelined by a foot injury and hasn't yet showed what he could do. Turner has also spent much of the week on the sidelines. If the Lions choose to start a national on the DL, it would likely be at the 3-tech position where Turner and Alexander are slotted on the depth chart.

OFFENCE

Quarterback
No surprises here. Jonathon Jennings and Travis Lulay are established at the head of the pecking order. Keith Price looks like a solid No. 3 again, showing a strong arm and some nice throws and quick reads. Rookie Alex Ross appears to have an equally strong arm but is at a big disadvantage in trying to learn the Canadian game and the Lions' offence and has looked indecisive in the pocket. But Wally has been known to toss aside third-string quarterbacks and start over when a new project comes along, so this battle is far from being settled.

Running back
Jeremiah Johnson and Chris Rainey have been outstanding and look poised to make a good 1-2 punch. Shaq Murray-Lawrence also seems to have had a good camp and has finally been showing the 4.41-second speed that got him drafted out of UNLV as a RB and KR. Josh Harris has been a complete non-factor. Every time I see him I wonder why he's here, but he has the disadvantage of playing behind backup O-linemen who have struggled to open holes all week.

Receiver
This should be a position of strength for the Lions but it is instead a position of concern. Slotbacks Manny Arceneaux and Bryan Burnham have looked as good as ever and should each be able to again connect with Jonathon Jennings for 1,000-yard seasons. But we saw last year how defences in Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg adjusted to plug up the middle, particularly by playing man/cover 2 to take away the intermediate and deep zones. The free-agent acquisition of Chris Williams and the return to health of outside SB Nick Moore were widely seen as the keys to diversifying the B.C. passing game and spreading the ball to targets all over the field. So far, Williams' position as boundary WR remains up in the air while he continues to recover from surgery. Corey Jones has taken all first-team reps and has shown good quickness and route-running but has struggled to adjust to balls in the air. Tyler Davis is an intriguing prospect at that position and should earn a spot on the practice roster at least as an athletic receiving prospect and kick returner. Moore appears to be the victim of a numbers game (see the defensive line discussion) and has lost his position to national Marco Iannuzzi, while fellow national Stephen Adekolu has moved into Iannunzi's old spot as fifth receiver. Both national receivers have look good in catching the ball, but Moore also has looked good and is more of a downfield threat than Iannuzzi. Among other international receivers, Deon Long has probably stood out the most. Douglas McNeil, who spent time on the practice roster last year, has not stood out. As mentioned earlier, second-year national Shaq Johnson does not have a spot on the official depth chart but has looked good since coming back from injury in the middle of the week and could challenge Brett Blaszko for the sixth receiver position. Rookie Danny Vandervoort looks assured of a roster spot by virtue of his special teams play. He has showed an ability to make tough catches over the middle but he's not a downfield threat. QBs have targeting him on deep routes in recent days and he has not been able to catch up to the ball.

Offensive line
This is position of strength and weakness due to lack of depth. The starting five of LT Hunter Steward, LG Charles Vaillancourt, centre Cody Husband, RG Kirby Fabien and RT Antonio Johnson may be as good as any in the league. There is no clear sixth man in this roster. David Foucault is guaranteed a spot as a backup to Steward but he is not ready to see regular action until he shows he can handle speed rushers. Quinn Horton and Jas Dhillon are probably competing for roster spots as the seventh lineman. Kevin Palmer, who started one game at RT last year, has looked good as backup to Johnson as RT and could be an option as a starter if anything happens to Steward, but that would require a ratio adjustment. Second-round draft pick Jeremy Zver will likely be offered at least a practice roster spot.

Impressive summary of training camp so far B.C. Fan and thank you for writing it.

I agree with you that we have a lot of talent in our defensive backfield. I wrote in an earlier post, that I would have preferred a defensive backfield of Yell and Parker at the corners, Clarke and Gaitor at halfback, and Tevin MacDonald at safety. I also like Chandler Fenner. Our Leos seem to like T.J. Lee but I thought that both Clarke and Gaitor (when Gaitor played defensive half, before moving to corner last year) both outplayed Lee in that spot. Free agent Buddy Jackson is also in the mix. I also like that we have quality young National defensive talent in and Nate Hamlin.

Bucknor will be on the opening day roster because he will be the National backup to Kenyan Parker.

With Sol E. as our middle linebacker and Purifoy as our nickelback, the only question at linebacker is who will play Bighill's spot in 2017. Ontco got the nod to start training camp with free agent Tony Burnett competing. My hope was that either Dyshawn Davis or Michael Awe would win the spot but I have not heard much about Davis at this training camp so far and Awe is penciled in behind Sol E. It will be interesting to see who emerges to become our starter in Bighill's position. I don't believe that Tony Burnett is dynamic enough and is more of a coverage linebacker.

We certainly do have some good National backup talent in camp at linebacker with Clarke, Chagnon, Aragki, Herdman, and Kankolongo. My guess is that one or two of then will be cut , with the likely scenario that Herdman and Kankolongo will not be around but Clarke is also a possibility to get the axe.

On the defensive line, it would make sense to use a National defensive line starter and with Menard, Forde, and Luke we certainly could do that on defense. But there is also no question that we need to compliment Brooks with a defensive tackle that can get it done. My bigger concern is the rush end spot opposite Craig Roh. I just don't see Evans having the potential as a dominant rush end and my hope is that a defensive end like a Shirley or a Boatright will be able to step up into that position. I still don't know why our Leos did not give Alexander a shot at the rush end spot or have him compete against Craig Roh at the boundary defensive end position.

On offence, I am not thrilled with the prospect of having Iannuzzi become the starter at the outside slot position. We saw what happened last year when teams played Man/Cover 2 against Manny and Burnham. Chris Williams will start at some point at boundary wideout in a four man receiver set but we still need need a receiver who is more than a possession receiver to compliment that group. A Corey Jones, a Tyler Davis, a Shaq Johnson, or a Nick Moore all make more sense.

Vandervoot will make the roster and be developed. Not sure what plans we will have for Blaszco. A trade of one of our National recievers would not surprise me.

Using Tyler Davis as a receiver could give Rainey a spell on special teams and allow Rainey more offensive reps.

Wally, unsure of whether he would go with three or four International receivers moved Iannuzzi to slot and Adekolu to field side wide out. It would have made more sense to me to move Adekolu to the slot position, where he is a big target with more speed that Iannuzzi to the outside slot position and leave Iannuzzi outside. If Wally goes with four Internatioanal receivers, he will use Iannuzzi as our fifth receiver, no matter how well our other National recievers play.

With regards to the offensive line, I believed that Hunter Steward was our best offensive lineman in 2016, even better than Olifioye. Steward is a specimen. Vaillencourt is a very big, aggressive offensive lineman and our left side should be very good again this season.

Our Leos did not sign Anthony Davis but Wally has said that he will monitor Jeremiah Johnson and will still consider resting him for games if need be during this season. That approach means we will need a backup that can get it done. Josh Harris has not stood out so far. Shaq Murray Lawrence has not given us what we hoped for in his first two seasons. We also could use Tyler Davis in the spot of backup running back/returner if he does not make the roster as a recieiver.

My guess is that Dakota Brush has a chance to replace OHalloran, depending on camp performance.

Swaze Waters will be our kicker. Wally wants to win the Cup this year and paid a high price for Waters because he wanted an experienced kicker who has game experience. No matter how good his competition is at camp, it will make no difference to the outcome. Ty Long will likely get a practice roster position and hope that Waters is too expensive to sign again next season.

Getting geared up for the first exhibition game. This will be Wally's last season. Mark Washington will become our HC for 2018 as part of Wally's transition plan unless he decides to bring back Benevedes but I believe Washington has the inside track.

But that is for the future. Getting excited to watch CFL football again and our Leos play.

[Blitz]

As expected, a lot of backups. DLine. Receivers. LBs. 2017-06-05_2353_001.png

On offence, its good to see that Adekolu is getting a shot at the outside slot position for this game, even though the position will go to Iannuzzi, if we only go with three International receivers to start this season. We'll also get a chance to see Vandervoot play at that spot in Calgary.

Also good to see Shaq Johnson getting the start at wideout. However, getting a start in the first exhibition game is often not a good omen as to how things will turn out.

We really only brought in Harris as an International running back behind Johnson for this training camp. But we might be wiser to go with Tyler Davis rather than Harris. Davis can run, catch, and return. He offers a lot of versatility.

Defensively, Shirley gets the start at rush end and my hope is that he will be our opening day starter and my hope is that he will be able to get the job done. We really need a rush end who can create consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback. Interesting that Bucknor lines up at boundary corner with Hamlin backing up Parker.

A key question for me, is if we decide to go with Clarke at safety for the season, what do we do with MacDonald, other than keep him on the practice roster? With Thompson's play improving at safety, and ready to back up that position, I would still rather us go with MacDonald at safety and Clarke at boundary halfback but our Leos football coaches seem to want Lee at boundary halfback.

But overall, its a good place to be when we have more talent than positions in our defensive backfield.

A real positive coming out of this 2017 training camp is that we are creating plays that will use Rainey as a decoy at times. Last year, the opposition knew that when Rainey came into the game, we would target him and they adjusted to stop him. That Rainey was so successful is a testament to his talents but he also got shut down at the end of the season, when we used him on quick swing passes. The opposition was prepared and anticipating the play each and every time we used it.

Can one imagine this season, having Manny, Burnham, Williams, Rainey, and Davis or Shaq Johnson all on the field at the same time? That would be incredible speed in the lineup.

[Kamloops Lion]

Some insights from those who would be QB. Interesting to read Price's comments, which were made before the game in Calgary. Hopefully, he comes back on 16th with a solid showing:
http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/b-c-lio ... tampeders/

[Kamloops Lion]

What makes a great route runner?
http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/en-rout ... potential/

[B.C.FAN]

The first big round of cuts of training camp is expected Saturday. That also is the last two-a-day session of camp, with the second practice being FanFest in the evening.

As mentioned in the Calgary-B.C.game thread, Frank Alexander has left camp. Matt Baker has an injury update and more in his Day 12 report at bclions.com:

As is the custom following the first game action, the injury report has a few more names. Receiver Brett Blaszko (hamstring) and linebacker Cameron Ontko (hip flexor) did not practice Thursday.

Marquis Jackson, Junior Luke and Ken Boatright sat out to rest some bumps and bruises.

Luther Maddy (broken hand) and Dylan Ainsworth (neck) remain out of action. In addition, fellow defensive lineman Frank Alexander has returned home to rehab his ailing foot.

TRAINING CAMP DAY 12 REPORT | BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD


Ed Willes writes about the agony of cutdown day from the perspective of the coaches and players.

Buono and his coaching staff have been evaluating the 85 players at B.C. Lions’ training camp for all of two weeks. Based on this limited sample size, the head coach will be making a determination on the careers of these young men.

Buono will decide if they’ve earned another week of practice. He’ll decide if they’ll get a shot in the June 16 pre-season game at B.C. Place. Everyone of these hopefuls was the best player on their high school team, a highly recruited prospect who went to college with dreams of the National Football League. Some of them even came this close to fulfilling that lofty dream.

And, in the end, Buono might keep six, maybe eight of the newbies while the rest are set adrift to try again, if they still have the heart.

On Wednesday, Buono and his other coaches met to map out the first round of Lions cuts. Fifteen or so players will be released this weekend.

Ed Willes: Judgment Day still hits Buono, Lions’ terminated hard

[Hambone]

Finally got down to the 'Loops this afternoon. Don't know if it means much just yet but Foucault was lined up at LG with the first unit while Palmer was at RT. Vaillancourt and Johnson were at LG and RT respectively on the 2nd unit. Zver, Horton and Telford seemed to be the odd men out. I think Zver is being groomed as C and is listed #3 C behind Dhillon. I noticed the 2 of them were usually beside each other when it was only the 1st unit on the field.

Newcomers that caught my eye on O were Tyler Davis now sporting #4 and receiver Maurice Morgan.

[B.C.FAN]

Finally got down to the 'Loops this afternoon. Don't know if it means much just yet but Foucault was lined up at LG with the first unit while Palmer was at RT. Vaillancourt and Johnson were at LG and RT respectively on the 2nd unit. Zver, Horton and Telford seemed to be the odd men out. I think Zver is being groomed as C and is listed #3 C behind Dhillon. I noticed the 2 of them were usually beside each other when it was only the 1st unit on the field.

Newcomers that caught my eye on O were Tyler Davis now sporting #4 and receiver Maurice Morgan.

Thanks, Hambone. The Lions didn't issue a training camp depth chart until the third day of camp, May 30, and they haven't updated it since. I expect to see a new one Saturday for FanFest, reflecting the weekend cuts and updates positional battles.

I wondered about the play of Vaillancourt. He looked pretty good between Steward and Husband on the first unit but not so good with others. Foucault is probably a better candidate for guard than tackle, at least for now.

Tyler Davis is a keeper, if only for the practice roster. He is a raw talent.

[B.C.FAN]

The Lions have updated their training camp depth chart, reflecting the release of 12 players on Saturday.

There are four changes in projected starters on defence:

1. Josh Shirley is listed ahead of Ken Boatright and DeQuin Evans at DE.
2. Tony Burnett moves to the top of the depth chart at WILL, ahead of Micah Awe, who had been backing up Solomon Elimimian in the middle. Cam Ontko drops to third string.
3. Anthony Gaitor moves ahead of Buddy Jackson as wideside HB.
4. Anthony Thompson moves ahead of Keynan Parker as field corner. Matt Bucknor moves to backup safety.

There are also four changes on offence:

1. Nick Moore moves to boundary wideout, which suggests Chris Williams won't be back soon.
2. David Foucault moves ahead of Charles Vaillancourt at LG, as Hambone noted Friday.
3. Kelvin Palmer moves ahead of Antonio Johnson at RT.
4. Shaq Johnson, who has impressed since coming back from an injury in rookie camp, gets a spot on the depth chart for the first time as fifth receiver. Stephen Adekolu drops to third string behind Brett Blaszko.

[Hambone]

The moves and changes to the depth chart look like typical ebb and flow of training camp. Nothing earth shattering IMO.