Michiko Araki
DAY 1
Following a productive three day mini-camp under perfect weather conditions in Kamloops, first-year Lion hopefuls were joined by a full roster of vets for the first official day of 2015 Training Camp under new head coach Jeff Tedford.
Spending much of the early morning practice on fundamentals such as ball security, Tedford wasted little time (with the help of a newly acquired segment clock) setting a brisk tempo for his team through the first session.
Multiple ‘team’ periods were preceded by plenty of 1-on-1 action which is critical to coaches as they continually evaluate each position on the field. After an equally challenging second practice, which remained kept all the tempo from the morning minus the shoulder pads, here’s a look at who stood out from the pack.
Offence:
On offense, Shawn Gore looked especially polished and confident on the field, running smooth routes and making some great catches along the sidelines. A.C. Leonard and Courtney Taylor were also very fluid in their footwork, showing great athleticism on the field and keeping a number of new defensive backs on their heels during one-on-one periods.
With an injury to Keola Antolin sidelining the second-year Lion during the morning practice and newcomer Branden Bigelow still on the limp from mini-camp, veteran Andrew Harris not only took on the extra workload, but showed no signs of off-season ankle surgery. Darting and weaving in and out of traffic during ‘skelly’ and ‘team’ play, Andrew showed his typical quickness and versatility with the ball.
Defence:
Several players stood out on defence, including Solomon Elimimian, who had several knockdowns and an interception during skelly. Newcomer Alex Tillman also had a great practice from his defensive back position demonstrating great positioning leading to several knockdowns during various practice periods.
Fellow newbie in the secondary, Myron Lewis, also showed some veteran ball skills as did Cord Parks who notched several knockdowns throughout both practices.
Quotes of Note:
Receivers coach, Khari Jones: “Very solid for a first day with the whole group. Especially the guys that have been here, their experience showed.”
Watching:
Keola Antolin (leg), Shaquille Murray-Lawrence (leg), Bibake Uppal (leg), Robert Jordan (leg), Lavelle Hawkins (arm)
Tomorrow’s Schedule:
- 8:30am – 11:00am (padded practice)
- 3:45pm – 6:00pm (helmets, no pads)
Tomorrow’s report will feature the defensive and offensive line.