Practice Report for the Insiders Tuesday July 31

[WestCoastJoe]

Practice Report for the Insiders Tuesday July 31

Other Lionbackers at practice: Ballistic Bob, Rammer, Yank in BC

A little more intense today than yesterday. Monday was a walk in the park for these guys.

Roach worked his D Line hard on the various drills. Agility, swim move, rip move, shiver, hit the blocking sled.

Benevides doing agility drills with the LBs over the bags.

Dorazio working the O Line over and over on technique. Wide stance, drive block, normal stance.

Baresi putting the receivers through all their catches: over the shoulder, turn and catch, one hand, find the ball, etc.

Ritchie working on reaction and coverage and pursuit as always with the DBs.

Kruck with the QBs, talking with Jarious and Gino mostly. Buck helping out, but not too happy with his ailments and missing his opportunity.

The running backs with no particular coach to guide them doing footwork drills in the far corner of the field. I wonder who took leadership of them ... perhaps Lyle Green, the veteran. All these guys no doubt coach little kids at some point, clinics, etc. They know the stuff.

Lots of reps for passing game vs shell D. Jarious throwing very well. He throws a beautiful deep ball. The receivers are not used to such a strong arm. They misjudge a few of them. Clermont steady. Geroy and Paris looking a wee bit sulky. Nothing to worry about. Receivers are the prima donnas of any team. Our guys are solid. Gino doing fine. Surrey Ram Ben Wilson at practice again, wearing 86. I doubt if he will be dressed for the game.

Some reps for running game. Joe Smith looking fine. Ian Smart very impressive to me. Tough as a tonka toy. He reminds a bit of Walter Payton. Small and tough. Quicker than you think. Stronger than you think. Very steady on punt catches.

Special teams punting. McCallum and Whyte. The little kid actually has a strong leg.

A new DB at practice ... wearing number 8 ... Hey, wait a minute, that's Bret Anderson. Mr Versatility. Wearing Defense Black. Working with the DBs and receivers. What else can they get him to do? Konrad Wasiela also at practice. Don't know if he could dress. Is he still going back to UBC?

Ullrich and Beamish at practice. Lots of fans and kids at practice. Nice atmosphere.

Kory Banks still hobbled, not in gear, ankle heavily taped. I would say doubtful. Mark Washington more likely to play. Dressed but taking it easy. Clovis not practicing, nor DD nor Simmons. Marsh in the US for a while.

Jerome Dennis at Halfback DB beside Glover. Dennis Mitchell on the corner. Markeith Knowlton nickelback.

Pottinger in for Otis Floyd. We seem very thin at LB without Otis. Hannah gets to play again as backup. He is very quick. But behind him only Tyson Craiggs our long snapper. Also, Jamal Johnson is hurting a little bit, moving gingerly. (Shshhhhhhhh). I don't know if Ricky Foley or Dan McCullough could play some LB. I have not seen them work there. I think Knowlton would the guy to step in and play as an undersized LB.

Otis inside the building, joshing with Glover who is outside in the hot sun.

Insiders scoop: Keep this to yourselves.

Angus Reid came up to Beamish and Ullrich. Very upset. Kelly Bates comes over after to follow up. Gordon McIntyre wrote something that really ticked them off. I read it this morning but forget the exact slant of it. It was something about them partying after the victory over the Stamps and still being hung over at practice on Monday, doing the dance on the sideline ... something like that. They were ticked. Ullrich saying "it wasn't me! I wasn't even here!"

[WestCoastJoe]

Gary Kingston, Vancouver Sun

Published: Tuesday, July 31, 2007

"Fun-loving B.C. Lions offensive linemen Kelly Bates and Angus Reid, who were apparently part of a lively post-game celebration in Calgary on Saturday, were kidding each other at practice Monday about still being drunk.

The roundish Reid, always a clown prince, responded with a shaky stumble along the sideline.

Funny thing is, he fit right in with the rest of the wobbly walkers at the Surrey training facility."

..................

Correction. It was Gary Kingston

[Rammer]

Hmmm, the pot is finally stirring, I wondered what Bates had gone over with concern about.....he has a legitimate point to go pancake Kingston, IMO.

[Rammer]

Reid was just on doing some splain'in on the TEAM about the article by Kingston, dismissing the drunken steps for dance steps.....

[hexx]

Practice Report for the Insiders Tuesday July 31

Other Lionbackers at practice: Ballistic Bob, Rammer, Yank in BC

I was there... but outside the fence, and only for the last half hour or so.

Seemed to be a lot of people and kids there like you said.

I didn't pick up on many specifics other than I also noticed Mark Washington seemed to be mostly doing his own thing just taking it easy at the end of the field.

Mostly I just enjoyed soaking up a few rays and taking in the atmosphere. I live pretty close by and plan on stopping by there some more this season.

[SammyGreene]

Great report as always WC Joe....

Based on this.... I would say neither Banks or Washington plays with Dennis drawing in to Banks' starting HB spot.

A key division game but it's week #6 and the Lions remain in first regardless of the outcome. No point rushing either Banks or Washington back.

Update....

Interesting to see the Lions are saying themselves Washington won't play in their "Insider" via e-mail:

A short week of preparation won't make the job any easier with the defensive secondary undergoing repairs including Korey Banks and Mark Washington on the hobble. Banks may suit up and battle through a high ankle sprain while the veteran Washington will be out at least a week with an ankle injury of his own.

[WestCoastJoe]

Thanks, Sammy

Yeah it is hard to say about Mark Washington. Being in strip for practice might show what he is hoping for Thursday. But it is probably wishful thinking.

Banks not even in strip.

I agree with Rammer that Kingston may get pancaked by Reid and Bates next time he shows up at practice. His tone was rude and misleading. Reid was just having fun at practice on Monday on a low-key day and Kingston turns it into something else.

No wonder athletes and coaches don't trust the media.

[PigSkin_53]

I don't know if Ricky Foley or Dan McCullough could play some LB. I have not seen them work there. I think Knowlton would the guy to step in and play as an undersized LB.

Nice, insightful, comprehensive, practice reports WCJ, as always, well thought out work.

I saw an interview around the end of training camp with Foley on "The Snap", where he was eluding to the fact he and Wake were brothers at camp and had each other’s back competing for the starting week side vacancy left Wilson's departure.

At that time Foley thought that it was currently his job to loose. He also talked about the coaching staff being in flux over whether he'd play as a heavier linebacker, or a liter rush end so I do know he can play at either position.

Judging by the way the D line was gasping by the end of the fourth quarter last Saturday, I think that they should be rotating him into the line up frequently, as we will need everything the defensive rush can give us to keep Joseph hurried and buy us time for the guys that are new in our backfield.

[WestCoastJoe]

Thanks, PigSkin

Chatting with Mike Roach he said Foley and Kirk got lots of work on substitution as well as their special team play. But I agree with you that they should perhaps get even more work to keep the starters fresh.

It seems to me that in a battle between an O Lineman and a D Lineman, the D has to work harder and faces more possibility of exhaustion. The O Lineman holds his ground (in simple terms) and the D Lineman fights his way past. The D Lineman also has to chase after some very elusive QBs.

As a side note, Ricky Foley's parents from Ontario were at the practice. His dad is what I would say is normal sized. Ricky, on the other hand, is amazingly muscle-packed. And I am not suggesting anything like steroids, but probably just a lot of hard work on the family farm growing up.

[Shi Zi Mi]

In checking the Lions' transactions at cfl.ca, I noticed that DB Bo Smith was removed from the DR.......but no indication that he was added to the active roster.

Was he at practice?

The Lions may have let him go, which seems odd with the injury situation.

Anyone else have any info on this?

[Toppy Vann]

Lowell Ulrich in The Province today took a wee shot at Wally but more focused on it the fact that the NFL require players injured to be slotted into categories for the media. This came about as Wally apparently when asked about Marsh and something on his knee responded with something like 'write what you want'. This all occurring about the same time as the email to D about practice reports. I guess he was feeling a bit uptight about the injuries and the media focus on them.

Like LU says, you can' t expect the crowds if the reporters don't report.

[LFITQ]

Like LU says, you can' t expect the crowds if the reporters don't report.

Ok soapbox time ...

I hate this frickin' statement. Since when does the media dictate everything that goes on? I'm sorry but the reporters are there to report the news not make the news. However, in today's society they are the ones that decide what is newsworthy and what isn't. It used to be that if they didn't report the information then they didn't sell newspapers. If a reporter didn't have the connections to the get the scoop they were of no use to the media outlet. Now reporters basically demand that you come begging to them to write a story.

Sorry but it is just wrong. Reporters these days have forgotten what they are supposed to do, and all to the detriment of those that came before them who helped make the media the huge item is it today. "Beat" reporters used to have to actually go around beating down doors to get the latest scoop. Now they just sit back in their lazy chairs and pick whatever they want at the time.

There's a reason why it is called fishwrap and birdcage lining these days!

[/rant]

[Rammer]

Thanks, PigSkin

Chatting with Mike Roach he said Foley and Kirk got lots of work on substitution as well as their special team play. But I agree with you that they should perhaps get even more work to keep the starters fresh.

It seems to me that in a battle between an O Lineman and a D Lineman, the D has to work harder and faces more possibility of exhaustion. The O Lineman holds his ground (in simple terms) and the D Lineman fights his way past. The D Lineman also has to chase after some very elusive QBs.

As a side note, Ricky Foley's parents from Ontario were at the practice. His dad is what I would say is normal sized. Ricky, on the other hand, is amazingly muscle-packed. And I am not suggesting anything like steroids, but probably just a lot of hard work on the family farm growing up.

Funny that you should bring up the Foley muscle pack, for a farm boy, it doesn't resemble the simple solid muscle tone that a farm boy brings to the plate. He has either worked a ton in the weight room or otherwise.