Training camp 2024

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Hambone
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B.C.FAN wrote:
Mon May 13, 2024 8:39 am
I’m told Jake Harty is dealing with personal or family issues. Crockett attended part of rookie camp. I’m not sure why he was suspended.
I talked to Neil in the parking lot as I was leaving. He confirmed family related priorities.

He also said with situations like Jake and a couple others they'd only need to release 7.
Last edited by Hambone on Tue May 14, 2024 8:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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B.C.FAN
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The Lions have released American WR Bryson Daughtry, who took first-team reps for much of camp last year but has been nearly invisible this year, and national DB Dawson Marchant, their seventh round draft pick from Northwest Oklahoma State.
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Hambone
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And Marchant is a non-counter thus non-factor in getting things down to 75.
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B.C.FAN
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The Lions have announced 9 cuts, including Bryson Daughtry and Dawson Marchant, who were mentioned previously.
May 15, 2024

Release from roster:

American running back Ronald Awatt
American wide receiver Jadakis Bonds
American wide receiver Bryson Daughtry
American defensive back Alonzo (LJ) Davis
American defensive lineman Tipa Galeai
National defensive back Dawson Marchant
American offensive lineman James Moore
American wide receiver Dezmon Patmon
American defensive back Bryce Watts
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B.C.FAN
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Players were in pads for a second straight day Wednesday, and the offence looked much sharper than it did Tuesday, at least through the air. The defence stopped just about everything that William Stanback and Taquan Mizell tried to run up the middle.

There were no changes to the first team offence or defence that has lined up every day this week, except that Marcus Moore replaced Christian Covington at DT, as he did at the end of Tuesday practice. Covington joined a growing list of walking wounded on the sidelines, including fellow DT Nathan Cherry, rookie DB Duke Dawson and veteran DB Marcus Sayles, who has been out all week with tendonitis. I don't have any information on the other injuries, and nothing obvious showed.

Rookie DB Ronald Kent continued to take first-team reps at Sayles' halfback position, and he is making a good case to stick around. He also lined up on the first kickoff unit.

After cutting 9 players after Tuesday practice, the Lions still have 17 receivers, 17 defensive backs and 15 defensive linemen in camp, and no further cuts are required until the end of preseason so rookies still have time to make an impression.

Ayden Eberhardt, playing the field (Y) receiver spot occupied last year by Alex Hollins, was the main target for Vernon Adams in team play. He's a smooth route runner with great hands, and he has a knack for getting behind coverage. He caught a deep corner route between Manny Rugamba and Patrice Rene in zone coverage. He also caught a sideline out route for a first down. Hollins, playing Lucky Whitehead's old boundary (X) receiver spot, had the only TD in team play when he took short pass and outran everyone down the sideline. Rugamba had a nice knockdown against slotback Travis Fulgham. Former Saskatchewan defensive end Pete Robertson knocked down a pass from Adams at the line. Justin McInnis, who has also been a major target of Adams and the first-team offence, got behind Ciante Evans on a corner route but uncharacteristically dropped the ball. Second-team slotback Jeff Cotton caught a deep ball on a fly pattern from Jake Dolegala behind rookie Denzel Williams. Dolegala also hit Terry Williams on a corner route against Jassin States-McClean. Jevon Cottoy, who had 57 catches for 807 yards last year, has been a non-factor in the offence so far.

Sean Whyte hit the upright on his first field goal attempt but made the next 3. Global rookie Carl Meyer was good on both of his kicks, with over 20 yards to spare. I'd love to see Meyer try from 55 or 60 yards. That seems to be well within his range.

I listed the second-team offence yesterday. The second-team defence today consisted of DLs Amir Siddiqi, Tibo Debaillie, Sam Burton and Domenic Quewon, LBs Ayinde Eby and Forest Rhyne, SAM Chris Cooper and DBs States-McClean, Siriman Bagayogo, Jordan Perryman, Christophe Beaulieu and Denzel Williams. Cooper has been used a lot on the blitz off the edge and is a player to watch.

Lions' first-round draft pick George Una is taking third-team reps at right guard.

Players will be back on the field Thursday for a double practice from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon.
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Hambone
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Eberhardt is looking more and more like the latest version of Hatcher and Hollins; a player plenty good enough to be starting but buried behind a deep and mostly healthy receiving corps. In 2023 he held the role Hollins did in 2022 and Hatcher in 2021. Last year the big 4 American starters missed a combined total of 13 games. For 11 of those McInnis was promoted to starter with Petermann drawing in to be the depth behind now 2 NAT starters. Eberhardt was the only American depth receiver to suit up playing 2 games, both starts, when 2 of the American starters couldn't go.
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B.C.FAN
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Matt Baker and Bob Marjanovich did a nice video recap on bclions.com after Wednesday’s practice, focusing on some newly acquired Lions and changes in the secondary. Christian Covington is reportedly dealing with “a bit of a hamstring tweak.”

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DanoT
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B.C.FAN wrote:
Wed May 15, 2024 9:03 pm
Matt Baker and Bob Marjanovich did a nice video recap on bclions.com after Wednesday’s practice, focusing on some newly acquired Lions and changes in the secondary. Christian Covington is reportedly dealing with “a bit of a hamstring tweak.”

Whats with the extra padding on the outside of the helmets? Is that something new or have they been in use for several years? And if they provide extra concussion protection, then why not use them in games?
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DanoT wrote:
Wed May 15, 2024 9:42 pm
B.C.FAN wrote:
Wed May 15, 2024 9:03 pm
Matt Baker and Bob Marjanovich did a nice video recap on bclions.com after Wednesday’s practice, focusing on some newly acquired Lions and changes in the secondary. Christian Covington is reportedly dealing with “a bit of a hamstring tweak.”

Whats with the extra padding on the outside of the helmets? Is that something new or have they been in use for several years? And if they provide extra concussion protection, then why not use them in games?
Guardian Caps. Last year they were mandatory for OL, DL and RBs. This year they are mandatory for everybody except QBs and kickers. The NFL and CFL are now allowing them for regular season play in a voluntary basis. The purpose of the added protection is to reduce head injuries. The CFL has also just made mouth guards mandatory equipment as they too are proven to reduce concussions. I just looked up the specs the other day. Despite the bulky look they only weigh 7 ounces.

It will be interesting to see which players wear them. I suspect it will start out with guys in the trenches. I'd wager much like hockey helmets in another 15 years or so all players will be wearing them.
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Toppy Vann
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Great TC insights and information here.

Evaluating overall offensive production in practices is never easy as the DEF gets pretty comfortable in knowing the OFF plays and pass routes.


I don't expect to be seeing posts on specific run plays this comment that divulges nothing hopefully isn't a sign that BC will go with the same run plays and formations of last year.

The defence stopped just about everything that William Stanback and Taquan Mizell tried to run up the middle.
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B.C.FAN
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The list of walking wounded at training camp grew Thursday, and forced some more shuffling in the secondary already depleted by the short-term absence of Marcus Sayles (tendonitis) and the longer-term absence of T.J. Lee (Achilles). National DB Patrice Rene did some light stretching on the sideline as Adrian Greene replaced him at safety, and rookie American Tyon Davis, who attended camp with the L.A. Rams last year, took first-team reps at field corner in place of Greene. On the defensive line, Marcus Moore continued to take first-team reps for Christian Covington (hamstring). Fellow national DT Nathan Cherry, who is still recovering from ACL surgery last year, rode the bike on the sidelines. Rookie DB Duke Dawson, second-year national linebacker Ryder Varga and fullback Dylan St. Pierre also watched from the sidelines. Global DT Tibo Debaillie went down in team play with an apparent leg injury and was examined by the trainers but later returned to practice.

Some positive injury news is that Lee and slotback Keon Hatcher, who are both six months into their recovery from Achilles surgery, are at camp and have been stretching and running in workout gear on the sidelines, and showing no effects of their injuries. They're both on the six-game injured list and were expected to miss half the season but they may be tracking for an earlier return.

There were a couple of minor roster changes Thursday. Rookie American DB Denzel Williams left camp, and rookie American RB Jordan Terrell from Barton College was added.
https://www.bclions.com/2024/05/16/lion ... mp-roster/

In team play, the defence again had the upper hand until the final red-zone session when Vernon Adams threw TD passes to Justin McInnis, Travis Fulgham and Alex Hollins. In earlier team play, Jake Dolegala completed one deep ball to Jalon Sample but was intercepted by rookie Ronald Kent, who has been taking reps on the first-team defence in place of Sayles as well as on the second team. National rookie Christophe Beaulieu continued to make a strong impression with an interception off Dakota Prukop. Jevon Cottoy continues to be largely ignored in the passing game. He didn't have a ball thrown to him today.

Special teams were a bit of an adventure as kickers were forced to deal with gusty Kamloops wind for the first time this year. Global draft pick Carl Meyer, who has been regularly booming 35-yard field goals through the end zone, had his first attempt into the wind from the 35 come straight down at the 5 yard line. Veteran Sean Whyte was also short and wide into the wind from the 35 but made two shorter kicks at the end of practice. Meyer blasted one wind-aided kick through the end zone from 45.

One clear observation from this camp is that the Lions have bolstered their national depth, which already earned them an extra draft pick this year because their national players took more snaps than any other team in 2023. The Lions opened camp with four nationals on their first-unit defence: Covington, LB Ben Hladik and DBs Greene and Rene. They could easily play six nationals on defence if necessary. Covington, Cherry, Francis Bemiy and first-year Lion Daniel Joseph are all likely to be in the DL rotation. Hladik, veteran Bo Lokombo and Varga all took regular reps at linebacker last year, with veteran Isaiah Messam and draft pick Terence Ganyi available for depth. In addition to Rene and Greene in the secondary, the Lions have promising second-year CB Siriman Bagayogo and impressive rookies Beaulieu and Charlie Ringland.

The Lions continue to have five national starters on offence: centre Michael Couture, guards Sukh Chungh and David Knevel and receivers McInnis and Jevon Cottoy. Fullback David Mackie also gets reps in certain packages.

EDITED TO CORRECT COVINGTON'S INJURY TO A HAMSTRING.
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B.C.FAN
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Toppy Vann wrote:
Thu May 16, 2024 12:43 pm
Great TC insights and information here.

Evaluating overall offensive production in practices is never easy as the DEF gets pretty comfortable in knowing the OFF plays and pass routes.


I don't expect to be seeing posts on specific run plays this comment that divulges nothing hopefully isn't a sign that BC will go with the same run plays and formations of last year.

The defence stopped just about everything that William Stanback and Taquan Mizell tried to run up the middle.
I haven't noticed anything new in the offence so far, but it's only Day 5 so they're probably still doing the basic installation. And yes, the defence probably knows what's coming.
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David
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B.C.FAN wrote:
Thu May 16, 2024 1:00 pm
On the defensive line, Marcus Moore continued to take first-team reps for Christian Covington (tendonitis).
Thanks, as usual, for the great report, B.C.FAN.

Was this a typo? I was under the impression that Covington tweaked a hamstring. I thought only Sayles had tendonitis, but perhaps that changed.



DH :cool:
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B.C.FAN
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David wrote:
Thu May 16, 2024 2:40 pm
B.C.FAN wrote:
Thu May 16, 2024 1:00 pm
On the defensive line, Marcus Moore continued to take first-team reps for Christian Covington (tendonitis).
Thanks, as usual, for the great report, B.C.FAN.

Was this a typo? I was under the impression that Covington tweaked a hamstring. I thought only Sayles had tendonitis, but perhaps that changed.



DH :cool:
Sorry, definitely a typo. I don't have information on all the injuries but Covington's is confirmed as a hamstring, and it's considered minor. He did some running today. Sayles has tendonitis.
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B.C.FAN
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The Lion offence was hot on a chilly Friday morning in Kamloops. Quarterbacks were hitting targets all over the field against an injury-depleted defence. Travis Fulgham caught several passes from Vernon Adams, including a deep corner route against Adrian Greene and a deep post pattern. Alex Hollins was also a major target for Adams, including a deep out pattern. Underused slotback Jevon Cottoy even got to touch the ball for the first time in two days, catching a checkdown from Adams. RB Will Stanback was a limited participant, so Taquan Mizell took first-team reps, and took advantage with three good inside runs. The first-team defence made a few plays of its own. Rookie DB Ronald Kent, filling in for injured HB Marcus Sayles, knocked down a deep ball intended for Justin McInnis, and linebacker Bo Lokombo, taking some reps at WILL for Ben Hladik, knocked down a short pass in the flat.

Second and third team offences were also effective. Slotback Jeff Cotton caught a deep post from Jake Dolegala, who also threw completions to Taylor Grimes, Devin Ravenel, Edward Lee and Stanley Berryhill. Dolegala overthrew an open Terry Williams on a deep fly pattern. Third-team QB Dakota Prukop threw a deep TD to Mataio Talalemotu against rookie draft pick Christophe Beaulieu. Prukop had another deep pass for Talalemotu knocked down by rookie national DB Charlie Ringland. QB Chase Brice, who spent most of last year on the practice roster, had a nice completion to Lee. Newly signed running back Jordan Terrell, in only his second day in camp, had three impressive runs on the third-team offence.

Specialists also had a good day. Sean Whyte missed his first field goal from 37 yards, but hit five straight at the end of practice at distances ranging from 34 to 50 yards, as offensive teammates chanted "Whitey, Whitey, Whitey" on the sidelines. Global kicker Carl Meyer was 3 for 3 from 32 to 37 yards, with 25 yards to spare through the end zone. Stefan Flintoft blasted kickoffs 70 to 80 yards with a bit of wind.

On the injury front, I counted 10 injured Lions stretching and working out together in the corner of the end zone, most of them defensive players. Stanback and backup fullback Dylan St. Pierre were the only offensive players who weren't full participants Friday. Injured defensive players included DLs Christian Covington and Nathan Cherry, LB Ryder Varga and DBs Marcus Sayles, Patrice Rene and rookie Duke Dawson. T.J. Lee, who is on the 6-game injured list with slotback Keon Hatcher recovering from Achilles surgery, went around encouraging teammates and joined the other injured players in light workouts.

With all the injuries, cornerback Garry Peters is the only holdover member of the starting secondary. Free agent acquisition Ciante Evans is playing short-side halfback position held last year by Lee, rookie Ronald Kent is playing field halfback in place of Sayles, fellow rookie Tyon Davis is at field corner and Adrian Greene is at safety, where Rene lined up at the start of camp.

FanFest scrimmage is scheduled for Saturday from 1:30 to 3:15 pm. at Hillside Stadium, followed by a street party with player autographs, music and more on Victoria Street in downtown Kamloops.
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