Training camp 2021

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B.C.FAN
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David wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 1:47 pm
In the recent JJ Adams (Province) report that SammyGreene provided a link to, I love this comment from Ryker Mathews.
“The things that coach (Rick) Campbell has done with the team just in the last year, through the COVID season, are all changes that are going to make us better. Our squad here is awesome. I mean, I think we’re an all-star team.
Hyperbole? Perhaps. But these guys have been around a lot of football. They know early on when their team looks really promising and when it looks like ca-ca (which they often know deep down but are reluctant to admit).


DH :cool:
Mathews, Sukh Chungh and Joel Figueroa have all been all-stars. Hunter Steward is as good as anyone. The only unproven player on the O-line is Peter Godber. He’s had two years to prepare for the role of starting centre. Defences will test him physically and mentally. The success of the unit depends largely on how he handles the challenge.
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DanoT
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One might be able to think of the O squad as all stars, but the D is another matter especially with a no name D line and LBs
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David
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Love hearing about players who are turning heads. Nice to hear that speedster Chris Rainey is back with a vengeance. I am licking my chops with excitement see him and Whitehead lining up to return kicks.

Encouraging news with our #1 draft pick Jordan Williams. Nice story on him too by JJ Adams.

https://vancouversun.com/sports/footbal ... n-williams




DH :cool:
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B.C.FAN
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The Lions held a one-hour walkthrough Friday on the eve of their first scrimmage of training camp Saturday morning. There was no hitting, passing, rushing or kicking but walkthroughs are always informative.

Garry Peters, Anthony Cioffi, Bo Lokombo, Michael Reilly and Bryan Burnham led their position groups in warmups. I couldn't see through the maze of offensive and defensive linemen on the opposite side of the field from my vantage point.

The first-team defence was unchanged from the start of the week. DBs Garry Peters and T.J. Lee are the only returning starters from 2019. Victor Gamboa moves up to starting field corner after seeing spot duty as a rookie. The nine other projected starters weren't with the team in 2019. That group includes 2020 first overall draft pick Jordan X. Williams at middle linebacker, former NFL safety Tyvis Powell at safety, Lewis Neal and Ufomba Kamalu at defensive tackle and free-agent former Lion Bo Lokombo at WILL.

The first-team offence was also unchanged with the exception of Phil Norman at right tackle in place of Ryker Mathews, who was in uniform but did not participate. Joel Figueroa was in his usual spot at left tackle. The starting receivers are Lemar Durant, Lucky Whitehead, Bryan Burnham, Dominique Rhymes and Shaq Johnson.

Non-starters who got major reps on special teams include returning Lions Hakeem Johnson, Anthony Thompson, Jamel Lyles, Adam Konar, Isaiah Guzylak-Messam and Jevon Cottoy, as well as free-agents Dyshawn Davis and Jacob Scarfone and rookie draft picks Alfred Green and Kayden Johnson. Those players are good bets to stick around. Teams don't like to spend three weeks teaching the nuances of the Canadian kicking game to players who are likely to be cut.

Saturday's scrimmage is scheduled to run from 9:30 to 11:40 a.m. and should be a great opportunity to see the 2021 team under mock game conditions, with referees on the field and coaches calling plays from the press box. The second and third weekly scrimmages will replace the usual two preseason games before the hitting starts for real in the regular season opener Aug. 6 in Saskatchewan.
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DanoT
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Another great report from B.C. FAN; thanks.
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Hambone
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Any indication BCF that they might release you from your "Knothole Gang" perch and into the stands before Monday? I see the Riders will be alllowing fans to attend their practices although they will be restricted to a specific entrance and have to sit in a block of 3 designated sections.
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B.C.FAN
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Hambone wrote:
Fri Jul 16, 2021 5:52 pm
Any indication BCF that they might release you from your "Knothole Gang" perch and into the stands before Monday? I see the Riders will be alllowing fans to attend their practices although they will be restricted to a specific entrance and have to sit in a block of 3 designated sections.
No, I hung around after practice hoping to ask Matt Baker for an update but he was handling media interviews for Joel Figueroa and Lucky Whitehead and I gave up waiting. The Lions' website says specifically that practices are closed to fans until July 16, which is today. I'm crossing my fingers for grandstand access tomorrow.
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Hambone
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B.C.FAN wrote:
Fri Jul 16, 2021 6:06 pm
Hambone wrote:
Fri Jul 16, 2021 5:52 pm
Any indication BCF that they might release you from your "Knothole Gang" perch and into the stands before Monday? I see the Riders will be alllowing fans to attend their practices although they will be restricted to a specific entrance and have to sit in a block of 3 designated sections.
No, I hung around after practice hoping to ask Matt Baker for an update but he was handling media interviews for Joel Figueroa and Lucky Whitehead and I gave up waiting. The Lions' website says specifically that practices are closed to fans until July 16, which is today. I'm crossing my fingers for grandstand access tomorrow.
Seems to me it makes more sense to let folks in for tomorrow's scrimmage than to keep them out then throw the doors open the next day. I'm still booked to attend scrimmage on the 24th.
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B.C.FAN
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It’s a beautiful day for football in Kamloops, with blue sky, light winds and almost no smoke. The Lions have confirmed that fans are welcome to attend today’s scrimmage at Hillside Stadium starting at 9 a.m. They will also be streaming parts of the scrimmage on the team’s Facebook page.

UPDATE: The grandstand is open. Seats under the press box are cordoned off. Fans are asked to sign in at the gate with a name and phone number and are allowed to sit anywhere inside the 40-yard line roughly.

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B.C.FAN
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The Lions welcomed fans back to the stands in a unique way Saturday, with players gathering together to sing the national anthem to about 100 spectators in the Hillside Stadium grandstand for the first of three scrimmages of training camp.

Dozens of fans were in the stands at 9 a.m. but players were still strolling into the locker room at 9:25. Practice started at 10, followed by about a one-hour and 10 minute scrimmage at 10:30 under simulated game conditions, with a 20-second play clock on the field. Referee Al Bradbury's crew officiated the scrimmage and called a lot of penalties, which made it difficult for the offence to get any consistency.

Michael Reilly didn't take part, leaving quarterbacking duties to Will Arndt, Shea Patterson, D'Angelo Fulford and Nathan Rourke, in that order. They all looked poised in the pocket but threw a combined 6 interceptions against one touchdown. You could call it a good day for the defence.

Aside from the QB position, the first-team offence and defence were largely as they had been all week, with the exception of Phil Norman at right tackle in place of Ryker Mathews, as he was in Friday's warmup. RB Jamel Lyles also took reps with the first-team offence.

Unofficially, I had Arndt with just 1 completion on 3 attempts with 2 interceptions by Tyvis Powell and Marcus Sayles. Sayles (I mistook his rolled up No. 14 jersey for Anthony Cioffi's No. 11 initially) stole a jump ball from Bryan Burnham in the end zone. Burnham also had a drive-killing drop on a second-down pass from Rourke.

Patterson probably looked the best of the QBs and had the best stats, completing 8 of 10 passes for the only TD of the day to Jonathon Johnson. He also had a first-play bomb to Alex Wesley called back by penalty. He was the only QB who didn't throw an interception but he took a time-count penalty that killed a promising drive.

Fulford completed 7 of 11 passes, with 2 INTs by Jeff Hector in the end zone and Nydair Rouse, whose story of being shot in the head was featured on bclions.com this week.

Rourke was also unofficially 7 of 11, with 2 INTs by DB Isaiah Swan and backup American linebacker Jordan M. Williams.

All 3 kickers saw action. Takeru Yamasaki hit 2 field goals and appears to be in good position to take the mandatory global position on the roster, and perhaps be the primary placekicker. Stefan Flintoft missed a field goal. He and Jake Ford took penalties for illegal kicks out of bounds when they tried to punt for the corners. Flintoft still seems to be the best punter of the group when not aiming for the corner.

Second-team WR Jamal Custis, who has had NFL stops in Kansas City and Pittsburgh, stood out with 4 catches in the scrimmage. At 6 ft. 5, with long strides and smooth hands, he is an impressive target.

Overall, the defence blitzed a lot and seems to have good cohesion and chemistry. The secondary should be a strength of the team. It's hard to judge the front 4 until the hitting starts for real but they seemed to show good gap control and left blitzing lanes for linebackers and DBs.
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SammyGreene
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B.C.FAN wrote:
Sat Jul 17, 2021 12:30 pm
The Lions welcomed fans back to the stands in a unique way Saturday, with players gathering together to sing the national anthem to about 100 spectators in the Hillside Stadium grandstand for the first of three scrimmages of training camp.

Dozens of fans were in the stands at 9 a.m. but players were still strolling into the locker room at 9:25. Practice started at 10, followed by about a one-hour and 10 minute scrimmage at 10:30 under simulated game conditions, with a 20-second play clock on the field. Referee Al Bradbury's crew officiated the scrimmage and called a lot of penalties, which made it difficult for the offence to get any consistency.

Michael Reilly didn't take part, leaving quarterbacking duties to Will Arndt, Shea Patterson, D'Angelo Fulford and Nathan Rourke, in that order. They all looked poised in the pocket but threw a combined 6 interceptions against one touchdown. You could call it a good day for the defence.

Aside from the QB position, the first-team offence and defence were largely as they had been all week, with the exception of Phil Norman at right tackle in place of Ryker Mathews, as he was in Friday's warmup. RB Jamel Lyles also took reps with the first-team offence.

Unofficially, I had Arndt with just 1 completion on 3 attempts with 2 interceptions by Tyvis Powell and Marcus Sayles. Sayles (I mistook his rolled up No. 14 jersey for Anthony Cioffi's No. 11 initially) stole a jump ball from Bryan Burnham in the end zone. Burnham also had a drive-killing drop on a second-down pass from Rourke.

Patterson probably looked the best of the QBs and had the best stats, completing 8 of 10 passes for the only TD of the day to Jonathon Johnson. He also had a first-play bomb to Alex Wesley called back by penalty. He was the only QB who didn't throw an interception but he took a time-count penalty that killed a promising drive.

Fulford completed 7 of 11 passes, with 2 INTs by Jeff Hector in the end zone and Nydair Rouse, whose story of being shot in the head was featured on bclions.com this week.

Rourke was also unofficially 7 of 11, with 2 INTs by DB Isaiah Swan and backup American linebacker Jordan M. Williams.

All 3 kickers saw action. Takeru Yamasaki hit 2 field goals and appears to be in good position to take the mandatory global position on the roster, and perhaps be the primary placekicker. Stefan Flintoft missed a field goal. He and Jake Ford took penalties for illegal kicks out of bounds when they tried to punt for the corners. Flintoft still seems to be the best punter of the group when not aiming for the corner.

Second-team WR Jamal Custis, who has had NFL stops in Kansas City and Pittsburgh, stood out with 4 catches in the scrimmage. At 6 ft. 5, with long strides and smooth hands, he is an impressive target.

Overall, the defence blitzed a lot and seems to have good cohesion and chemistry. The secondary should be a strength of the team. It's hard to judge the front 4 until the hitting starts for real but they seemed to show good gap control and left blitzing lanes for linebackers and DBs.
Fantastic breakdown BC FAN. Much appreciated!
Wonder if Arndt is going to get the benefit of the doubt given he is familiar with and signed by Campbell and there are no pre-season games. Patterson is definitely the most intriguing of the American QBs behind Reilly and by your account had a good scrimmage.

Certainly seems like some much better off-season recruiting is going to pay off with instant impressions by Powell, Gwacham and Custis. The first two certainly have a ton of experience bouncing around on NFL rosters for several years. And of the course the intrigue of what has the year layoff done for the holdovers — good and bad. Will be 20 months since they last played by the time of the season opener.
We are way overdue of having some impact signings with much of Hervey's heavy lifting done through free agency that will only take you so far with a salary cap.
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David
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Thanks so much for being our "eyes and ears," B.C. FAN. So thorough and detailed. Much appreciated.

To SammyGreene's point, US street FA recruiting has been this franchise's glaring weakness for the past few seasons. It already looks to be completely turned around by Ryan Rigmaiden but that bar was so low before, virtually anybody who makes the starting roster is a step-up on what we had before with Torey "burner account" Hunter.

DH :cool:
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Rammer
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Was in the area and thought I would take in the new Lions.

BCFAN as usual does a great recap.

In the singing of our National Anthem, the new signings were put up front to sing. Noticeably 2/3's of the team stepped up.

Another note was the lack of size on the DL although they held their own in the scrimmage, and were impactful towards the end.

At least 5 of the 6 INT's were on QB's, not unexpected with 4 QB's pushing for two roster spots. TJ's pick was stolen from Burnham.

Defence was much more vocal and enjoyed stopping the offence. Powell kept the D aware of the situation, seemed like a real leader.

Just enough animosity between players without getting out of control. A little levity after one scuffle with Chungh(?) taking the DB away on his shoulders for 20 yards.
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Reg18
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Rick Campbell impresses me on somany fronts. Having american rookies sing o canada to the grandstand was inspired. S so many new canadia s are amongst the ranks of rookie Lions. And his civilized approach to practicesbin the hgeat and smoke. He soun fs and acyts like a leadert who will have the playerts respect. I met his parents when they first came to the Riders. Clas acts both of them and it looks like Rick reflects his parents.i think wer have a winnet!
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DanoT
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Reg18, sorry but I find attempting to translate your posts into readable English is too tedious for me, so I don't bother anymore.
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