Kadie Smith
It’s Day 12 here at BC Lions training camp, and today’s practice was a light walk-through for the guys, going over plays and routes. Tomorrow, the Lions head off to Edmonton to take on the Eskimos in their first preseason game, and the boys in orange are pumped and ready.
51 players are making the trip and we talked to head coach Mike Benevides and offensive coordinator Khari Jones about what excites them about this group of players.
Mike Benevides on the corps heading to Edmonton:
“The biggest thing right now is just the young athletes. The drive that these men have. They understand that they’re here compete
for jobs, but they’re excited to play against a different coloured jersey. Training camp has been two weeks; you hit the same guys. They’re excited to get out there and play”
Two great stories coming out of the first two weeks of camp have been the play and development of receivers Bryan Burnham and Whitman Tomusiak. Both players have had significant plays in every practice, continually improving and brining a level of compete that is earning them the respect of their coaches and team mates.
Benevides on Bryan Burnham:
“If you look back at the entire training camp, every day Bryan shows up with something, whether it’s the mock game in triple coverage or digging a ball out of the dirt, he‘s learning how to be a pro and he carries himself with a positive attitude and that’s contagious.”
On Whitman Tomusiak:
“He is slippery fast. He makes a ton of plays and gets behind coverage and when you talk to the veteran defensive backs, they have a tremendous amount of respect for him. You can’t deny that in one practice he had three touchdowns.”
Another big story heading into tomorrow’s game is the starting quarterbacks. Khari Jones has no shortage of talent to chose from when deciding on the lineup against Edmonton. Veteran Kevin Glenn will get the start. Glenn has shown the calmness in the pocket and quick release during camp that has led him to such a successful career. CFL rookies John Beck and Travis Partridge will make their debuts tomorrow. Both have had successuful camps, with Beck displaying a strong arm and lightning-fast release, while Partridge has shown promising rushing abilities.
Jones on Kevin Glenn
“I had him three years ago and I’m excited to see him back in action.”
On John Beck:
“It’s his first action in the CFL after spending a long time in the NFL and it’ll be great to see his transition to the game.”
On Travis Partridge:
“I like what I see from him. He’s a bit of a gunslinger. He’s able to move around in the pocket and make some waves.”
There’s a lot to be excited about with this group, so get pumped, Lions fans!