The Stamps held two practices today at McMahon Stadium. The practices were high-tempo and the players were full of energy as the team prepares for their first game action on Friday night.
Head coach and general manager John Hufnagel says he expects to see Drew Tate, Kevin Glenn and Bo Levi Mitchell all play in Friday’s game, but has not yet decided how much playing time each will see. It’s too early to tell if Ryan Perrilloux — who joined the Stamps this morning — will see the field.
The Stampeders have their last two-a-day tomorrow, followed by a walk-thru on Thursday and a pre-season game at home on Friday against the BC Lions.
The scoop from special teams coach Mark Kilam
A game can frequently be decided by the efforts of the special-teams unit, a group consisting of some of the most dynamic players on the team.
Last year’s Stampeders special-teamers included explosive returner Larry Taylor, heavy-footed punter Rob Maver, and the CFL’s most accurate kicker in Rene Paredes – just to name a few.
Those three standouts, plus much more top quality talent, have returned to the Stampeders to battle with an exciting crop of newcomers for a spot on the roster.
“Any time you can have continuity with guys you’ve been successful with, it helps your team,” says special teams coordinator Mark Kilam.
Added veteran depth is found in the returns of return-team standbys such as Karl McCartney, Matt Walter and Rob Cote.
“The key pieces of our special teams are back in place and now it’s just a matter of taking what we did last year and improving on it,” says Kilam who has been with the Stamps for nine years.
Arriving to challenge the incumbents is an impressive crop of rookies and free-agent signings. The likes of Adam Berger and Yannick Carter have brought skill and good work ethic.
Ben D’Aguilar, the 13th overall pick in this year’s CFL draft and the reigning top lineman in Canadian university football, has impressed his new coach so far.
“He’s a big body that can win physical mismatches,” says Kilam.
But Big Ben’s not the only new face to create a buzz.
“You have Shaky Smithson and Jonathan Williams back there who can return the ball. We have some guys, I think, that have some physical gifts,” he says.
One interesting battle is the personal competition of the punter and kicker. With no other kickers invited to camp, it would be easy to think Maver and Paredes can rest easy during training camp.
“I’ve read that in other stories and I completely disagree with that,” bristles Kilam.
“They had good years last year. But the best pros do it year in and year out. That’s the No. 1 challenge facing them. They come to work every day and work on their craft, and they’re challenging themselves. They compete against each other every day, and they will continue to improve.”
All in all, the coach has been really pleased with the battles he has seen so far in camp. Now he’s looking forward to seeing how everything sorts out in the pre-season games.
LED installation
The sidelines at McMahon Stadium will look a little different this year. The team has added new 10mm LED digital motion boards, which crews have been installing for the past couple of days in preparation for Friday’s pre-season game.
The boards are made up of 52 cabinets that cover 80 yards of the field. They run programs in full colour and full motion without interruption. The flexible data cables allow the units to fall and not interfere with power or graphic content when there is impact. The front visors are made of flexible rubber to protect the LED bulb and absorb front impact.
“The knockdown system allows the units to fall down with ease and was manufactured with the players safety in mind,” says Bruce Simpson, General Manager of the Prairie Region at William Huff Advertising who helped create the collapsible system. “The back and side pads were designed to eliminate a scissor effect with units falling at separate times and there is a roller system that allows the units to be pushed when hit from the top. The units will either collapse or push on impact which will help prevent injury.”
These are the same systems used in soccer stadiums in Europe with some added safety modifications. This year Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto will all be using this LED system.
A day in the life of a football coach Part 2
Yesterday we showed you the first half of a day in the life of offensive line coach Mike Gibson. We continued to follow Coach Gibson through afternoon practice, team meetings and film review before finally heading home at 10 p.m.
>>Video: Day in the life of coach Mike Gibson Part 2
Play of the Day
The defence was full of energy at this morning’s session and celebrated loudly when defensive back Jamar Wall dove to pick off a pass intended for Brad Sinopoli. His defensive teammates gathered around him and cheered as he picked himself up off the turf.
Photo Gallery
>>Photos from training camp – June 11
Injury Update
Non-import offensive Dimitri Tsoumpas, non-import offensive lineman Brett Jones, non-import receiver Jabari Arthur, import defensive back Demetrice Morley, import receiver Tim Hawthorne and import defensive back Jalil Johnson all returned to practice. Non-import offensive lineman Dan Federkeil and non-import offensive lineman Jon Gott both missed practice. There were no other developments on the injury front.
Transactions
- Signed import defensive lineman Kevin Dixon
- Signed import receiver Josh Jarboe
- Signed non-import offensive lineman Dale Stevenson
- Activated import quarterback Ryan Perrilloux from the suspended list (passport issues)
- Released import receiver Raymond Webber
- Released import defensive back Reggie Jones (scheduled for knee surgery this week)
- Released import quarterback Jimmy Coy
- Released import defensive lineman Swanson Miller
Tomorrow’s Schedule
The Stamps have their last two-a-day practices at McMahon Stadium on June 12. The morning practice runs from 9:05 a.m. to approximately 10:55 a.m. while the afternoon session runs from 4:20 p.m. to approximately 6:05 p.m.
More coverage
>> Perrilloux feature: From knuckleball to deep ball