Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
TORONTO — Anthony Calvillo has been busy rebuilding the Als’ offence, while Mike Reilly gets ready to lead the Esks into mini-camp. Plus, what can we take from Darian Durant’s strong performance this week in Vero Beach?
All that and more as we see what’s happening around the league in Checking Down.
Jump to team:
| BC | Calgary | Edmonton | Saskatchewan | Winnipeg | Hamilton | Toronto | Ottawa | Montreal |
BC LIONS
– The Lions held their Orange Helmet Awards last weekend in Vancouver, welcoming Cam Wake back to the city as a keynote speaker as the event raised money to support amateur football.
– The meaning of ‘quality control’ has changed since one Jon Gruden was tasked with transferring a playbook onto a computer for the San Francisco 49ers back in 1990. Matt Baker of BCLions.com has more on the transformation of the position, with insight from Lions’ quality control coach Mike Lionello.
– The Lions have added a pair of international offensive linemen to their roster, announcing this week the signings of Roger Gaines and Antonio Johnson. Both will add depth to the roster ahead of training camp and compete for roster spots, says Neil McEvoy, director of football operations and player personnel.
EDMONTON ESKIMOS
– The Eskimos finalized their coaching staff on Tuesday, announcing the additions of Demetrious Maxie has linebackers coach and Carson Walch as receivers coach. Maxie, a 13-year defensive lineman in the CFL, and Walch, an All-American for Winona State in the late ’90s, join Mike Benevides and Jason Maas on a new-look Eskimos coaching staff.
– With the Riders’ mini-camp in the books, now it’s the Eskimos’ turn as Jason Maas leads his first mini-camp as a head coach in Vero Beach, Fla. from April 17-19. Maas talks about the importance of mini-camp and setting the tone, especially offensively, in an interview with TSN 1260‘s Jason Gregor.
– Mike Reilly will be among those on hand at Esks’ mini-camp camp, and he’ll be one to watch according to Gerry Moddejonge in his ‘five things to watch for’.
– James Franklin is a young and exciting up-and-coming quarterback, but in a way, writes the Edmonton Journal’s Gerry Moddejonge, he’s also a throwback to the days of old — not in his playing style but in the connection he’s built with the city.
CALGARY STAMPEDERS
– Bo Levi Mitchell has been hard at work this off-season trimming down and getting in better shape, with one goal in mind: to get faster. The Stamps’ franchise quarterback dedicated his off-season workouts to increasing his anaerobic threshold.
– Derek Dennis could be a player to watch on the Stamps’ O-line in 2016, and he caught up with Stampeders.com’s Alanna Nolan on his off-season and getting a fresh start with Calgary.
– While the Golden State Warriors go for the NBA single-season wins record of 73, some records may never be broken. The Stampeders’ 25-game winning streak and Wally Buono’s 254 career coaching wins are among them, according to John Hodge of 3 Down Nation.
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
– The Riders wrapped up what players described as a ‘fast and physical’ mini-camp on Tuesday, as more than 100 players participated in the annual three-day camp in Vero Beach, Fla. Murray McCormick of the Regina Leader-Post called it an ‘impressive mini-camp debut’ for Chris Jones.
– The Riders’ three-day mini-camp was mostly for rookies, but a couple of proven vets had a chance to workout in front of the team’s brass as well as 28-year-old Chevon Walker and 26-year-old Paris Cotton were in Florida this week. Also in attendance was veteran backup quarterback Dan LeFevour.
– While fans say goodbye to Mosaic Stadium in 2016, New Mosaic Stadium now has a sign. The new sign went up in many portions on Tuesday, needing pulleys and cranes to hoist the letters.
– Darian Durant was full marks for his performance at the Riders’ mini-camp this weekend, but Darrell Davis of 3 Down Nation says not so fast, Rider Nation. Is it too early to be optimistic about no. 4 for the Green and White?
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
– After playing a role in building a new stadium in Winnipeg, now Paul LaPolice will help the Bombers build their offence from the ground up. The Bombers’ new offensive coordinator is already hard at work in his new role, writes CFL.ca’s Don Landry.
– A day after announcing $7.1 million in profits from the 103rd Grey Cup, the Bombers also revealed in their 2015 Annual Report an operating profit of $4.4 million — an increase of $500,000 from 2014.
– The Bombers have added a veteran international receiver to their roster, signing former New York Giant and Super Bowl Champion Jerrel Jernigan. Jernigan was a third round pick in the NFL and is also known for his ability on kick returns.
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
– The Ticats have locked up a key leader in the dressing room, agreeing to a contract extension with veteran offensive lineman Peter Dyakowski through the 2017 CFL season. Dyakowski is the team’s longest-serving player, set to enter his 10th season with the Ticats with 132 regular season appearances under his belt.
– Kent Austin and his staff face a shakeup on the offensive side of the ball, following the resignation of Offensive Coordinator Tommy Condell on Monday. Condell, who joined Austin in 2013 and helped guide Hamilton to back-to-back Grey Cup appearances, departs due to family reasons. What does Condell’s departure mean for the Ticats? Andrew Bucholtz of the 55 Yard Line has more.
TORONTO ARGONAUTS
– A little less than 10 weeks from now the Argos will be kicking off their season at their new home, BMO Field. Check out the latest on the construction, including views from the concourse and an inside look at the brand new locker-room.
– While the Argos will move into their new digs at BMO come pre-season, another new site will play host to training camp. The team announced Tuesday that the University of Guelph’s Alumni Stadium is where the Argos will hold training camp in 2016. Argos GM Jim Barker joined TSN 1050‘s Dave Naylor and Michael Landsberg to discuss the team’s change of scenery. The team also announced it will hold a rookie mini-camp April 24-26.
– GM Jim Barker has added three new names to his roster, including international receiver and former NFLer Da’Rick Rogers. Rogers, a 6-foot-3 Atlanta native, was a highly-touted pro coming out of college and spent time with the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs over the last three seasons.
– The Argos and Head Coach Scott Milanovich officially unveiled their 2016 coaching staff on Wednesday, which features the addition of Rich Stubler as defensive coordinator and the return of Marcus Brady for a fourth season as offensive coordinator.
OTTAWA REDBLACKS
– The REDBLACKS’ mini-camp is a chance for both rookies and veterans to ease themselves into the action, and to ‘start to get football on their mind’, says quarterback Henry Burris. Ottawa’s mini-camp takes place April 24-26 at TD Place, where all players including veterans are invited to take part.
– Season tickets sales are on the rise following a strong second season for the REDBLACKS, as Jeff Hunt says the team is ahead of last year’s pace following an appearance in the Grey Cup Championship.
MONTREAL ALOUETTES
– As an up-and-coming young football player, Anthony Calvillo couldn’t afford to go to football camps. That’s why now, with the help of President and CEO of the Alouettes Mark Weightman, he’s organized a football academy free to young quarterbacks in Quebec.
– Speaking of Calvillo, the Als’ offensive coordinator has been working endlessly to overhaul the Alouettes’ offence. Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette has more on the transition from Turk Schonert to Calvillo and Jacques Chapdelaine.
– The Als announced an addition to their coaching staff Wednesday, as William Fields will take on the roles of assistant defensive backs coach and defensive quality control coach. Fields is a former CFL player of six seasons and most recently made his coaching debut with the BC Lions.
