May 27, 2016

‘Excitement in the unknown’ at Lions rookie camp

BCLions.com

KAMLOOPS, B.C. — If there’s excitement in the unknown, these three or four days before training camp might be the best time of year for CFL coaches.

That was no doubt the sentiment for Wally Buono on a rainy Thursday in Kamloops. For the CFL’s all-time wins leader, the return to coaching never felt more real than right now.

“It definitely feels real,” said Buono, who stepped away from coaching after winning a Grey Cup with the Lions. “Obviously when the players all reported, especially the first-year guys and you see them going through the physicals, the names become people.

“It’s definitely real.”

Second-year pivots Greg McGhee and Keith Price took reps at quarterback while offensive lineman Charles Vaillancourt took the field for the first time since being drafted fifth overall, marking a productive first day of camp for the Lions.

Like clockwork, the rain started falling as BC Lions players began their stretches for day one of mini-camp at Hillside Stadium. Despite the gloomy conditions, the atmosphere was positive and upbeat, particularly for the rookies stepping on the field for the first time.

“Right now, I love it,” said Vaillancourt, one of three Laval offensive linemen taken in the first round of the 2016 CFL Draft. “I didn’t move to BC for the weather. When it’s 28 degrees, you will probably see me complaining.”

Charles Vaillancourt talks to media ahead of his first training camp (BCLions.com)

Practice opened with positional drills followed by one-on-ones and special teams before concluding with twenty minutes of team scrimmage. Like last season, the timing and pacing of practice was followed closely by using a score clock for each drill.

These three days of rookie mini-camp are particularly important for the two young quarterbacks fighting for a spot on the depth chart behind Jonathon Jennings and Travis Lulay. While Jennings and Lulay commence a heated starting quarterback competition on Sunday, McGhee and Price are first in the spotlight.

“It’s a great opportunity for both of us — myself and Keith — just to get that start earlier than some guys and get some reps in with a couple of the receivers we have,” said McGhee.

“The vets, they’re experienced veterans,” he added. “They know what to expect and how things are going to go. Being in my second year I’m still learning. It’s still a big learning curve for me.

“I feel like I have a lot of it down but there’s never too much extra work you can get in.”

On offence, receiver Kendrick Ings put his route running on display while also hauling in a pair of acrobatic passes, one of which was deflected by a defender before falling into his hands. Kamloops Jr. Broncos product Derek Yachison made a diving catch on a deep ball thrown by Keith Price. Geraldo Boldewijn, one of a few mini-camp attendees with Lions game action under his belt, also turned heads in one-on-one drills.

Running back J.C. Coleman got off to a good start in what should be a heated battle to win the starting running back job, flashing his speed with a couple of long gains during scrimmage. He’ll look to win the job over proven veteran running backs in Anthony Allen and Jeremiah Johnson, who will each report over the weekend.


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Defensively, Anthony Gaitor picked up where he left off from his solid Surrey mini-camp by intercepting a pass for a touchdown during the scrimmage, while the explosive defensive end Darius Allen was singled out by Buono post-practice for his strong play off the edge.

There’s always the unknown when it comes to training camp and this year’s Lions are no different, with many starting jobs up for grabs from the quarterback position to the defensive line.

“That’s what makes this time of year so exciting,” said Buono. “There’s a lot of unknown.

“There’s always going to be somebody that excites you and there’s always going to be, unfortunately, someone that disappoints you.”

And while Buono acknowledges most of the players at the rookie camp in Kamloops won’t be with the team in three weeks, these few days could be a magical beginning for a select few.

“This is a very intense interview process and the majority of those guys won’t be here come June,” said Buono. “The ones that are, they’re the ones that showed us the most and took care of business and made football important.”

– With files from Matt Baker/BCLions.com