Training camp 2022

[Hambone]

Other returners were Whitehead, Hatcher, Marcus Sayles, Montay Crockett, Anderson, Clark and Mario Villamizar. Whitehead and Villamizar had long returns.

Villamizar? I never thought of a 6'3 237# fullback who ran a 4.99 40 in 2019 regional combines as being a returner.

[B.C.FAN]

Other returners were Whitehead, Hatcher, Marcus Sayles, Montay Crockett, Anderson, Clark and Mario Villamizar. Whitehead and Villamizar had long returns.

Villamizar? I never thought of a 6'3 237# fullback who ran a 4.99 40 in 2019 regional combines as being a returner.

Yes, I thought he was being used as a deep man for his blocking ability but he fired up his teammates by running a kickoff back all the way.

[SammyGreene]

Thanks again BC FAN for these fantastic daily reports. A year ago Hardin had such a good camp that he bumped key FA signing Sayles out of his starting HB position and now here we are. It says something about Cooper given the competition and experience he was up against to start camp.

Wish we had the same luck finding American d-lineman!

Has Rourke looked significantly better taking his reps compared to O’Connor? Only reason I ask is the window of opportunity going to be there for Pipkin to surpass him for the No. 2 job?
O’Connor came out of the Stamps camp a year ago as the No. 2 then Mitchell got hurt against us. Dickenson went with Meier the following week against the Bombers and O’Connor would get no closer to seeing playing time again

[B.C.FAN]

Has Rourke looked significantly better taking his reps compared to O’Connor? Only reason I ask is the window of opportunity going to be there for Pipkin to surpass him for the No. 2 job?
O’Connor came out of the Stamps camp a year ago as the No. 2 then Mitchell got hurt against us. Dickenson went with Meier the following week against the Bombers and O’Connor would get no closer to seeing playing time again

One thing to keep in mind with training camp is that the starters only scrimmage against other starters, and the second and third teamers only play against other second and third teamers except in the case of injuries or a select few battles for open positions.

O’Connor has never thrown a pass to Bryan Burnham or Lucky Whitehead in team play or tried to move the ball against the Lions’ veteran secondary. That said, he and Rourke are different quarterbacks. O’Connor is a pocket passer. The Lions have tried to tailor the offence more to Rourke’s strengths, with rollouts or designed runs. Running ability was Thomson’s main advantage over O’Connor, and it could give Pipkin a big advantage.

O’Connor throws a nice deep ball but seeing him open team play with two straight interceptions yesterday emphasized that he relies entirely on his arm for success. He didn’t attempt many downfield passes after that, trying not to risk turnovers. My sense is that he might be able to manage a game in relief of Rourke and might be able to move the ball through the air when necessary but he is not likely to carry the team for a sustained period.

[CrazyCanuck89]

Has Rourke looked significantly better taking his reps compared to O’Connor? Only reason I ask is the window of opportunity going to be there for Pipkin to surpass him for the No. 2 job?
O’Connor came out of the Stamps camp a year ago as the No. 2 then Mitchell got hurt against us. Dickenson went with Meier the following week against the Bombers and O’Connor would get no closer to seeing playing time again

One thing to keep in mind with training camp is that the starters only scrimmage against other starters, and the second and third teamers only play against other second and third teamers except in the case of injuries or a select few battles for open positions.

O’Connor has never thrown a pass to Bryan Burnham or Lucky Whitehead in team play or tried to move the ball against the Lions’ veteran secondary. That said, he and Rourke are different quarterbacks. O’Connor is a pocket passer. The Lions have tried to tailor the offence more to Rourke’s strengths, with rollouts or designed runs. Running ability was Thomson’s main advantage over O’Connor, and it could give Pipkin a big advantage.

O’Connor throws a nice deep ball but seeing him open team play with two straight interceptions yesterday emphasized that he relies entirely on his arm for success. He didn’t attempt many downfield passes after that, trying not to risk turnovers. My sense is that he might be able to manage a game in relief of Rourke and might be able to move the ball through the air when necessary but he is not likely to carry the team for a sustained period.

He's one those guys that seems to do better in games, than he does in practice. If Rourke does go down, I can see O'Connor doing well with the first team offense.

[Hambone]

Other returners were Whitehead, Hatcher, Marcus Sayles, Montay Crockett, Anderson, Clark and Mario Villamizar. Whitehead and Villamizar had long returns.

Villamizar? I never thought of a 6'3 237# fullback who ran a 4.99 40 in 2019 regional combines as being a returner.

Yes, I thought he was being used as a deep man for his blocking ability but he fired up his teammates by running a kickoff back all the way.

I trust push ups were in order for the coverage unit after that. Maybe a double shot of them.

[B.C.FAN]

I caught just a few minutes of the final training camp practice Wednesday morning. I noticed that Jalon Edwards-Cooper was back in uniform but Tyneil Cooper was taking reps with the first-team defence. Both players took reps on special teams. Mathieu Betts was at defensive end with the first team.

I didn't see David Knevel on the field. He's been resting the shoulder injury that has lingered through camp. Fellow O-linemen Noah Zerr and Jarell Broxton were in uniform on the sideline with rookie WRs Sean Modster and Jazz Ferguson. We'll find out Thursday which players will be active for Friday's final preseason game. I hope the starters get some playing time together against another team for a change. The offence in particular could use the experience.

I saw Sean Whyte take several field goal reps, with Lucky Whitehead and Montay Crockett as returners. I also saw Jevon Cottoy remain on the field after practice kicking 30-yard field goals on his own, just another skill that might be useful in an emergency.

I can't comment much on Wednesday's practice but I can make a few general observations about camp. The first unit offence and defence has remained intact throughout camp, aside from a few key positional battles mentioned previously at centre, defensive end and defensive halfback. Barring injuries, there should be no other surprises about the starting lineup for the regular season opener next week.

Overall, the strength of this team is in the secondary. Several rookies and young Canadians stepped up and showed they can play with the veterans who dominate the secondary, including free agents Delvin Breaux and Loucheiz Purifoy. That made 2021 starters Austin Joyner and KiAnte Hardin expendable and it's given Edwards-Cooper competition for his starting job.

The weakness of this team remains the defensive line. In the absence of free agent acquisitions Steve Richardson and Woody Baron, three of the four starters on the D-line are holdovers from 2021, with a crop of mainly rookie draft picks and Globals to back them up. The defence has generated pressure only from the blitz. I would expect to see a lot of blitzing in the regular season, especially from 3-4 set in passing situations.

In general, the defence has kept the offence from mounting any sustained drives throughout camp. This team will have to earn its points through big plays, special teams and a positive turnover margin, which isn't guaranteed with young quarterbacks. The receiving corps is talented but most of the big plays in camp have come from the defence and kick returners. The offence is often slower to come around at the start of the year, and that should be especially true this year.

[B.C.FAN]

Here's Matt Baker's video recap of the final day of camp, with quotes from Rick Campbell, Sean Whyte and Nathan Cherry. I noticed Peter Godber at centre with the first team and Phil Norman at left guard in place of David Knevel again. Jalon Edwards-Cooper was also with the first team defence in one clip. Tyneil Cooper took reps in the same position when I was there late in the practice. Mathieu Betts and David Menard can also been seen in separate clips with the first team defence. Those are the key battles to watch on Friday.

CAMP BREAKS | DAY 14 REPORT
JUNE 1, 2022

[Clash Dance]

No official word from the Lions, but notice now only 54 names on Roster and a 10 man practice roster now showing. Assuming the 54 is including several players about to be moved to 6 or 1 game as Richardson is still there. Somewhat surprised among the names not listed are: Brauns, Guevrmont, Crockett & Way. Also interesting to see 11 DL and 9 OL. Again some still to move to injured, and always changes prior to game 1, but that seems high

[SammyGreene]

Signed to the practice roster:

American running back Bruce Anderson III
National defensive lineman Josh Archibald
National linebacker Jacob Firlotte
National defensive back Adrian Greene
American wide receiver Alexander Hollins
American defensive back Quincy Mauger
American offensive lineman James Moore
National offensive lineman Tyler Packer
American defensive back Manny Rugamba
American defensive lineman Casey Williams

Released from roster:

Global defensive lineman Karlis Brauns
American running back Darius Clark
American wide receiver Montay Crockett
National defensive lineman Frednick Eveillard
American wide receiver Jazz Ferguson
National offensive lineman Matt Guevremont
American offensive lineman Kohl Levao
American wide receiver Sean Modster
American wide receiver Micah Simon
American defensive back Josh Thornton
American wide receiver Jamarius Way

Returning to school for final year of eligibility:

National linebacker Ryder Varga (Regina)
National defensive lineman Adam Wallace (Ottawa)

[B.C.FAN]

No official word from the Lions, but notice now only 54 names on Roster and a 10 man practice roster now showing. Assuming the 54 is including several players about to be moved to 6 or 1 game as Richardson is still there. Somewhat surprised among the names not listed are: Brauns, Guevrmont, Crockett & Way. Also interesting to see 11 DL and 9 OL. Again some still to move to injured, and always changes prior to game 1, but that seems high

Yes, that is a high number of players on the roster. I hope it doesn't mean they'll put 9 players on the injured list for Week 1.

Here's a link to the current roster. James Butler is the only running back. I like that David Mackie has been given a few touches in camp but you can bet that the Lions will want to pick someone up to spell off Butler and help return kicks.

https://www.bclions.com/roster/

We may have to wait until the Lions declare their opening game roster, depth chart and injured list on Friday before we have a better idea of what the team will look like.

[Clash Dance]

Williams, Thomson will almost certainly go on 6 game. Zerr hasn't played yet, so another candidate to go on at least 1 game. Still 6 more?With the amount of American Tackles still on the roster, I wonder if Fig's injury is cause for concern?

[B.C.FAN]

I noticed that Shaq Cooper was released by Saskatchewan. I wonder if the Lions will bring him back for another stint as a backup RB/returner. They'd probably have to drop an American linebacker or defensive lineman to get him on the roster as a designated import. Or they could try to claim B.C. native Maleek Irons from Hamilton's practice roster.

[Hambone]

Williams, Thomson will almost certainly go on 6 game. Zerr hasn't played yet, so another candidate to go on at least 1 game. Still 6 more?With the amount of American Tackles still on the roster, I wonder if Fig's injury is cause for concern?

Williams?

A thing to look at is the split of the 54 on the active roster as that will give a hint to where injuries and/or stashing might happen.

Currently it's 28 Americans including 2 QBs, 1 Global and 25 NATs including 2 QBs

Safe bets for now are:
6G - Richardson (A) & Thomson (A) and possibly Zerr (N)

Good possibilities:
1G - Figueroa (A), Knevel (N)

IF those turn out to be true they'd be down to:
25 Americans including 1 QB, 1 Global and 23 NATs including 2 QBs.

I still can't get a grasp on the ratio vis a vis how they count QBs and in the case of the Lions NAT QBs. Traditionally in recent years QBs were classed as QBs and separate from the allowable 20 Americans and 21 Nationals. At minimum I think if Stove, Thomson and Figs were to start Week 1 on an IR then 4 more positional Americans would have to develop a serious hangnail injury if they aren't actually dealing with a legit injury.

[B.C.FAN]

QBs are still counted as QBs for roster purposes, so Pipkin doesn’t count as an American. The difference this year is that Rourke counts as a Canadian starter, so they only need 6 others, which is easily accomplished with 2 OL, 1WR, 1 DL and 2 LB. I think they’ll play with an extra national OL if possible to give maximum flexibility on defence.