BCLions.com Staff
BC Lions at Edmonton Eskimos
Kickoff: 6:00 pm (PT)
Broadcast: TSN/TSN-HD
Play-by-Play: TEAM 1040 (Rick Ball, Guilio Caravatta)
The BC Lions will take a break from knocking heads with each other for one day as they travel to Edmonton on Friday night to take on the Eskimos in their first pre-season action of 2014.
The Leos will be sending 51 active players to E-town and it’s a rookie-laden lineup for head coach Mike Benevides and his staff as they take a long look at training camp hopefuls in a number of positions.
Quarterbacks
Travis Lulay has seen limited reps in camp as he continues to work towards getting his throwing shoulder into game-ready condition. Lulay will not dress for the game, but he will make the trip to Edmonton. Kevin Glenn gets the start under centre as the 13-year pivot leads a trio of new quarterbacks including former NFL’er John Beck and rookie Travis Partridge. Both Beck and Partridge have shown flashes of brilliance as they embrace the nuances of the Canadian game. Look for Glenn to give way fairly early during Friday’s tilt.
Running Backs
The two-headed monster of Andrew Harris and Stefan Logan will remain in Kamloops, so veteran Tim Brown, rookie Keola Antolin and draft selection Guillaume Bourassa will share the duties in the backfield. Look for Antolin the former Arizona Wildcat who impressed scouts at an open tryout in Las Vegas list to get a lot of reps as Brown serves double duty as a returner. At Fullback, Rolly Lumbala will not dress Friday which mean second-round draft selection Pascal Lochard will see the majority of snaps. Akwasi Antwi who is making the transition from linebacker to fullback will see limited offensive snaps but lots of action on special teams.
Receivers
One of the more compelling competitions in camp so far, Courtney Taylor headlines the pass-grabbers Friday as Shawn Gore, Emmanuel Arceneaux, Marco Iannuzzi and Kito Poblah sit this one out. Keep your eye on newcomers Bryan Burnham and Jabin Sambrano who have each had impressive camps. Familiar names such as Ernest Jackson, Korey Williams and S.J. Haidara who have either had limited starts (Williams, Jackson) or limited action at receiver when they have played (Haidara) will have plenty of reps in Edmonton. Whitman Tomusiak is looking more and more like another junior gem from Neil McEvoy’s BCFC stable of talent and newcomer Stephen Adekolu’s lean frame has made him a big target during practices.
Offensive Line
Arguably the most important position group for any team, the Leos have been hit by a rash of injuries in the trenches so far in training camp. Friday’s starting five of Andre Ramsey, T-Dre Player, Matt Norman, Dean Valli and Jovan Olafioye might well be the same five at the end of the month too as the club awaits the return of Hunter Steward from an early injury setback. Returning 2013 draft selection Cam Thorn has been steadily improving at guard after another season of CIS action, while import tackle Nyere Aumaitre has benefitted from a full camp after joining the Lions’ practice roster late last year. Import tackle Rico Forbes is sidelined with a knee injury so newcomer R.J. Dill will join Aumaitre as the back-up tackles with BC native Cody Husband seeing reserve action at guard. Yet another junior hopeful, Anthony Daley makes the trip backing up Matt Norman at centre.
Defensive Line
Next to the linebackers, the d-line might be the most difficult spot to try and make this year’s club as Khalif Mitchell, Eric Taylor and Khreem Smith step aside for youngsters on Friday. Brandon Jordan starts at defensive end and looks to have the inside track on the five-tech position. The loaded front won’t stop four import newcomers Rob Lohr, Chris Olson, Dyrrell Porcha and Alex Bazzie from competing for back-up roles however, as each have enjoyed remarkable camps. Olson has proven to be extremely quick off the edge, Bazzie can play either tackle or end while Porcha and Lohr have been extremely effective inside. As for Canadians, Jabar Westerman will use Friday’s game as an early tune-up while Steven Doege and draft pick David Menard attempt to make their marks as back-ups and on special teams.
Linebackers
If Eskimo quarterbacks were glad to see the Lions rest three starting defensive linemen then they’re likely even more pleased to see that Adam Bighill, Solomon Elimimian and Jamall Johnson will remain in Kamloops Friday night. The Lions will start a young crew as Alex Hoffman-Ellis, Korey Jones and Josh Johnson get the start. Hoffman-Ellis has proven to be a versatile and talented player whose tremendous tackling ability seems to be matched by his field sense and ability to read the offense and break up plays before they happen. Korey Jones was a late addition to the Lions last year and was a special teams terror in a couple of appearances. Josh Johnson has the unenviable task of replacing Korey Banks at the nickel spot, but has demonstrated early and often in camp that he’s ready for the bright lights. Johnson will be backed-up by Torri Williams who can also play the halfback spot and corner. Draft selections Thomas Spoletini and Casey Chin will see reserve action at linebacker
and lots of special teams reps.
Secondary
Like the receivers, the Lions secondary Friday night might prove to provide some of the more compelling debates when it comes to the final roster cut-down. Cornerback Keynan Parker will be the most experienced CFL’er of the group which also features 2013 draft pick Matt McGarva at safety. The most experienced player in the secondary however, will be former NFL’er Brandon McDonald who easily leads all defenders in interceptions so far in camp. McDonald stars at boundary half which means he’ll see plenty of Edmonton’s top receivers at full game speed. Beside McDonald the Leos start Ronnie Yell at corner who was a late addition to the team last fall and might well be one of the fastest players on the roster. The other halfback spot will be occupied by rookie T.J. Lee who not only attended the same college as fellow halfback Ryan Phillips (albeit a decade later), but has been the recipient of plenty of extra tutoring from the 10-year veteran. Not to be forgotten are Tony Burnett and John Hardy-Tuliau who are listed behind McGarva at safety. The possibility of an added designated import this year may allow the Lions some flexibility in their defensive schemes so don’t disregard these imports listed in a traditionally non-import spot.
Special Teams
Lions fans get their first look at kicker/punter Ricky Schmitt as the former ‘Rider trades green for orange in 2014. Sporting a powerful left leg that has been consistently pounding the ball to the goal line on kickoffs, may just prove to be one of the club’s biggest off-season prizes. He’ll be sharing kicking duties with junior Steven Shott who’s also looked very good in camp. Among the returners, look for the Leos to take a peek at a number of candidates including Korey Williams, Keola Antolin and Jabin Sambrano.
It’s been a long time coming but football is back again for 2014 and preseason game or not, the Leos come to Edmonton with the intent to win as much as evaluate.