September 9, 2022

Morris: Vernon Adams Jr. getting settled in new colours

BCLions.com

Long after all the other BC Lions had left for the dressing room quarterbacks Vernon Adams Jr. and Antonio Pipkin remained on the practice field.

Between taking turns tossing passes to a receiver, the pair would talk and point to spots on the field.

Putting in a little overtime felt good to Adams.

“It’s exciting,” he said. “I haven’t practiced in a while. Getting these reps in, it was fun. I’m just ready to get this thing going.”

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After just six practices with the Lions, the newly acquired Adams Jr. will see some playing time against his old team when BC (8-2) faces the Montreal Alouettes (4-7) at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium Friday night.

“We fully anticipate playing him in some fashion,” said Rick Campbell, the Lions head coach and co-general manager. “How much, that is to be determined.”

Adams said learning the BC playbook is still a work in progress.

“I don’t have a percentage, but it’s not 100 per cent,” said the 29-year-old from Pasadena, Calif. “I’m taking it day by day, working hard to get it down.

“I think the hard part is practice. The game you go out there and just have fun. You sling it, get the playmakers the ball, move the chains and just try to score as many points as possible.”

Injuries to Canadian quarterbacks Nathan Rourke and Michael O’Connor resulted in the Lions acquiring Adams Jr. in an Aug. 31 trade from Montreal. BC sent the Alouettes their first-round selection in the 2023 CFL Draft for the six-year veteran.

After being put on the shelf in Montreal, Adams relishes the chance to be dusted off and given another chance to play.

“It means a lot that the team traded for me,” he said, “It shows they believe in me.”

Campbell said the CFL experience Adams Jr. has helps speed up the learning process.

“He understands concepts as far as what offences do,” said Campbell. “He understands CFL defences. It’s more terminology, learning that part of it. You’re not dealing with a brand new guy that’s trying to learn the CFL.

“As far as being comfortable with how we call things and all that, he’s taken to it really well. I would say it’s gone better than expected, so that’s a good thing.”

Vernon Adams Jr. had his first full practice with the Lions this week ahead of the team’s matchup against the Alouettes (BCLions.com)

Rourke, who still leads all CFL quarterbacks with 3,281 passing yards and 25 touchdowns, is expected to miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a Lisfranc sprain in his right foot suffered in a Aug. 19 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

O’Connor started the next game but suffered a groin injury and left BC’s 23-16 loss to the Riders on Aug. 26.

Pipkin replaced O’Connor against Saskatchewan. He completed nine of 17 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown but at times didn’t look comfortable.

The Lions made the trade for Adams Jr. during their bye week.

Under Rourke, the Lions had a high-octane offence that still leads the league by averaging 33.9 points and 436.4 yards of total offence a game.

Adams has some rust to shake off. He hasn’t thrown a pass in a game since going one-for-three for 30 yards in Montreal’s 41-20 loss to Saskatchewan on July 2. He’s still looking to get on the same page with a Lions receiving corps that has three players among the league’s top 10.

“That’s a tough question that people ask a lot, saying how long does it take for chemistry?” said Adams. “I’ve been playing football a lot. A few throws here and there are off a little bit because they run the route a little bit different.

“That’s going to take maybe a week or so. We just got to keep grinding and keep working on it.”

Dominique Rhymes, who heads into the weekend third in the league with 56 catches for 892 yards, said the onus is on him to find Adams’ rhythm.

“It’s my job to get open,” said Rhymes, who is tied with Winnipeg’s Dalton Schoen for a CFL leading nine touchdown catches. “If I’m open, it makes his job a lot easier.

“I’m just trying to be the biggest target and best pass catcher for the quarterback when they throw me the ball.”

Being traded to the Lions brings Adams’ career full circle. BC traded his negotiating rights to Montreal for a first-round pick in the 2017 CFL Draft.

Over the next six seasons he would play 56 games for Montreal, completing 504 of 817 passes for 6,980 yards, 43 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.

Adams best season was 2019 when he led Montreal to a 10-8 record and second place in the East. He was named a CFL All-Star after completing 283 of 431 passes for 3,942 yards, 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also rushed for 394 yards on 83 carries.

 

An elbow injury limited Adams to eight games in 2021. He played five games for Montreal this year, completing 21 of 39 passes for 294 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions before losing his starting job to Trevor Harris.

Montreal also fired head coach Khari Jones who was replaced by general manager Danny Maciocia.

Adams was asked earlier in the week if he was treated fairly by Montreal.

“That’s up for everyone else to talk about,” he said. “It’s part of the football business. They wanted to go a different route. All I could do was stay ready for my opportunity.”

Adams admitted it wasn’t an easy situation to be in.

“Mentally it was tough but what am I going to do, pout?” he said. “I just had to stay locked in.”

BC has won nine of its last 10 meetings against the Als, including five of their last six visits to Montreal. The last three games have been decided in the final three minutes.

In their last three games the Alouettes handed the Winnipeg Blue Bombers their only loss of the season, needed a last-play field goal to squeak by Hamilton, then lost to Ottawa, giving the REDBLACKS only their third win of the year.

Adams appreciates the irony he will face his old team in his first game with his new team.

“It’s going to be interesting,” he said. “I love the guys in the locker room over there, so it will be fun.”

Asked if there was any hard feelings toward the organization, Adams was diplomatic.

“Not toward the guys in the locker room, no,” he said.

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