Re: Training camp 2021
Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2021 12:01 am
Monday's practice took place under the lights on a smoky, 32-degree Kamloops night. I missed the opening of training camp on the weekend so this was my first chance to see the 2021 Lions. Here are some observations from a less-than-ideal vantage point outside the locked gates of Hillside Stadium.
The first noticeable change under the new coaching staff was the absence of the segment clock and timing horn first introduced by then-coach Jeff Tedford in 2015. There weren't even many whistles as players moved seamlessly and quietly from one practice drill to the next. The first of the night's two practice sessions was slower paced than the second, padded session but both sessions featured some spirited team play.
On offence, the explosiveness of free-agent receivers Lucky Whitehead and Dominique Rhymes stood out. Both seem to have big roles in the first-team offence. Whitehead beat Victor Gamboa on a 73-yard bomb from Michael Reilly in the first practice session. Bryan Burnham also scored a big TD, taking a dig route across the field and down the sideline in the second session. (I mistook his number 16 for 19 initially in this report. Blame the distance, smoky air or my age.) Shaq Johnson and Lemar Durant round out an exciting receiving corps. Free-agent RB Shaq Cooper looks to be another solid addition to the starting lineup. Recently re-signed national receiver Jevon Cottoy looks as big, strong and fast as ever after spending the past year seeking NFL opportunities as a tight end. He has as good hands as anyone but he got only spot duty with the first team. His main role seems to be as a gunner on the punt team. Rookie American Shane Leatherbury and free-agent national Jacob Scarfone looked good on the second-team offence. Leatherbury also showed some shifty moves as a punt returner alongside veteran RB/KR Chris Rainey and rookie receivers Jimmie Robinson Jr., Devin Phelps and Jonathon Johnson.
Reilly, who now goes by his Michael to honour his late mother, looked sharp and decisive in the pocket after a year off to rest and recover from his broken left wrist. Will Arndt took second team reps and showed some good scrambling ability but struggled with accuracy. Rookie draft pick Nathan Rourke may yet challenge for that position.
Of the three kickers in camp, Stefan Flintoft from UCLA stood out with consistent booming punts and strong field goal kicking. Japenese kicker Takeru Yamasaki also looked good on field goal attempts. Australian Jake Ford looked like he was playing Aussie rules. His kicks went everywhere.
The practice ended with a couple of big pass breakups that generated lots of cheers and high-fives from the overhauled defence. (Sorry, I was too far away to see exactly what happened.) DBs Garry Peters and T.J. Lee are the only two returning defensive starters from 2019, while Victor Gamboa steps into the starting secondary after seeing spot duty that year. The influence of DB coach Ryan Phillips is evident on his unit, and with head coach Rick Campbell doubling as defensive coordinator we can expect an attacking style of play that feasts on turnovers. I know we've been promised that in the past but I'm hopeful that the new coaching staff will make it happen.
As best as I could make out from a distance, the following players got first-team reps (new Lions in orange):
OFFENCE:
QB - Michael Reilly
RB - Shaq Cooper
FB - David Mackie
WR - Domonique Rhymes
SB - Bryan Burnham
SB - Lemar Durant
WR/SB - Lucky Whitehead
WR/SB - Shaq Johnson
LT - Phil Norman (I didn't see veteran starter Joel Figueroa)
LG - Hunter Steward
C - Peter Godber
RG - Sukh Chungh
RT - Ryker Mathews
DEFENCE:
DE - J.R. Tavai
DT - Lewis Neal
DT - Ufomba Kamalu
DE - Chris Casher
SAM - Anthony Cioffi
MLB - Jordan X. Williams (2020 first overall draft pick, not to be confused with American LB Jordan M. Williams)
WILL - Bo Lokombo
BCB - Garry Peters
BHB - T.J. Lee
S - Tyvis Powell
FHB - Marcus Sayles
FCB - Victor Gamboa
Edited to credit the second TD of Monday’s practice to Bryan Burnham.
The first noticeable change under the new coaching staff was the absence of the segment clock and timing horn first introduced by then-coach Jeff Tedford in 2015. There weren't even many whistles as players moved seamlessly and quietly from one practice drill to the next. The first of the night's two practice sessions was slower paced than the second, padded session but both sessions featured some spirited team play.
On offence, the explosiveness of free-agent receivers Lucky Whitehead and Dominique Rhymes stood out. Both seem to have big roles in the first-team offence. Whitehead beat Victor Gamboa on a 73-yard bomb from Michael Reilly in the first practice session. Bryan Burnham also scored a big TD, taking a dig route across the field and down the sideline in the second session. (I mistook his number 16 for 19 initially in this report. Blame the distance, smoky air or my age.) Shaq Johnson and Lemar Durant round out an exciting receiving corps. Free-agent RB Shaq Cooper looks to be another solid addition to the starting lineup. Recently re-signed national receiver Jevon Cottoy looks as big, strong and fast as ever after spending the past year seeking NFL opportunities as a tight end. He has as good hands as anyone but he got only spot duty with the first team. His main role seems to be as a gunner on the punt team. Rookie American Shane Leatherbury and free-agent national Jacob Scarfone looked good on the second-team offence. Leatherbury also showed some shifty moves as a punt returner alongside veteran RB/KR Chris Rainey and rookie receivers Jimmie Robinson Jr., Devin Phelps and Jonathon Johnson.
Reilly, who now goes by his Michael to honour his late mother, looked sharp and decisive in the pocket after a year off to rest and recover from his broken left wrist. Will Arndt took second team reps and showed some good scrambling ability but struggled with accuracy. Rookie draft pick Nathan Rourke may yet challenge for that position.
Of the three kickers in camp, Stefan Flintoft from UCLA stood out with consistent booming punts and strong field goal kicking. Japenese kicker Takeru Yamasaki also looked good on field goal attempts. Australian Jake Ford looked like he was playing Aussie rules. His kicks went everywhere.
The practice ended with a couple of big pass breakups that generated lots of cheers and high-fives from the overhauled defence. (Sorry, I was too far away to see exactly what happened.) DBs Garry Peters and T.J. Lee are the only two returning defensive starters from 2019, while Victor Gamboa steps into the starting secondary after seeing spot duty that year. The influence of DB coach Ryan Phillips is evident on his unit, and with head coach Rick Campbell doubling as defensive coordinator we can expect an attacking style of play that feasts on turnovers. I know we've been promised that in the past but I'm hopeful that the new coaching staff will make it happen.
As best as I could make out from a distance, the following players got first-team reps (new Lions in orange):
OFFENCE:
QB - Michael Reilly
RB - Shaq Cooper
FB - David Mackie
WR - Domonique Rhymes
SB - Bryan Burnham
SB - Lemar Durant
WR/SB - Lucky Whitehead
WR/SB - Shaq Johnson
LT - Phil Norman (I didn't see veteran starter Joel Figueroa)
LG - Hunter Steward
C - Peter Godber
RG - Sukh Chungh
RT - Ryker Mathews
DEFENCE:
DE - J.R. Tavai
DT - Lewis Neal
DT - Ufomba Kamalu
DE - Chris Casher
SAM - Anthony Cioffi
MLB - Jordan X. Williams (2020 first overall draft pick, not to be confused with American LB Jordan M. Williams)
WILL - Bo Lokombo
BCB - Garry Peters
BHB - T.J. Lee
S - Tyvis Powell
FHB - Marcus Sayles
FCB - Victor Gamboa
Edited to credit the second TD of Monday’s practice to Bryan Burnham.