CFL Mini Camps

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The Eskimos start their mini-camp Sunday in Vero Beach, Florida. Head Coach Jason Maas, former Argo receiver and QB coach discusses the importance of the mini-camp.

“The way I look at it is the 2016 season starts with your mini-camp, bottom line,” Maas said. “It’s the first time your coaching staff is with players that are potentially going to be with your team.
“So yeah,” Maas continued. “I’m fired up for it and it’s a good dry run to our training camp and what to expect from it and you always want to start fast and furious.”

http://www.cfl.ca/2016/04/16/mini-ca...one-maas-esks/

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Jason Maas discusses mini-camp with Jason Gregor on TSN.


http://www.tsn.ca/radio/edmonton-126...-camp-1.470714

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Scott Mitchell discusses the different mini-camp strategies CFL teams employ below.

A few teams have taken full advantage and rounded up as many established veterans as they could in order to get a headstart on everything that goes into preparing for a six-month season.Others, however, have gone about their business in the same manner as before.
The Calgary Stampeders are one of them.
Since GM John Hufnagel arrived in Calgary prior to the 2008 campaign, the Stamps have been holding their version of mini camp in Florida — it started in DeLand, but now resides just outside Tampa at IMG Academy in Bradenton — sans veterans.
The Stamps have never worried about their established guys. They simply want a closer look at the young players they’ve signed throughout the winter, the ones residing on their negotiation-list, and a few other names at various stages of football obscurity. ...Ottawa RedBlacks head coach Rick Campbell, a former Stampeders defensive co-ordinator, does things a bit differently in the nation’s capital by hosting their mini camp at TD Place and bringing in a handful of veterans over the past two years.Heading into the expansion franchise’s inaugural season, however, Campbell took all of his players to Virginia in an attempt to emulate training camp.
“It’s the most important thing we’ll do this off-season,” Campbell told the team website. “It’s going to let us know where we stand personnel-wise and make sure our veteran players are in shape and ready to go, knowing training camp is only a month after that.”

http://www.calgarysun.com/2016/04/14...erent-strategy

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BC will focus more on its newcomers this year, especially its new QBs.

BC Lions coaches and staff will get a head start evaluating their first-year players when they arrive in Surrey for a mini camp at the end of April. The two day affair, commonly referred to in the Lions office as Organized Team Activities (OTA), on the 28^th and 29^th, is a different approach from what the club has done in recent years.

“Usually this camp has featured veteran players with select rookies,” says director of player personnel Neil McEvoy. “This year it’s the opposite; rookies featured along with select veterans.”
Players from last year’s roster that will attend include quarterback Greg McGhee as well as linemen T-Dre Player, Hunter Steward and Jas Dhillon.
McGhee will be joined by fellow pivot and former Washington Huskies standout Keith Price, whom the Lions agreed to terms with in March.
“The goal with these QBs is to just give them the right start that they need and get them all the tools so they can run the offence,” says offensive coordinator Khari Jones. “The more these guys are able to hear what you’re trying to do with the offence the more they can absorb things first hand and not just be at home but be around the other coaches and at the facility. It’s a real bonus.”
Jones is also excited to evaluate the crop of first-year receivers the club was able to recruit throughout the off-season. Those include Kendrick Ings, Uzoma Nwachuku, and Colin Lockett, all of whom have NFL experience.

http://www.bclions.com/2016/04/15/new-mini-camp/

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The Montreal Alouette mini camp will be in West Palm Beach from April 27 to 29.

All practices are open to the public.The following is the mini-camp schedule:
Wednesday, April 27
4:40 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. – Practice
Thursday, April 28
10:50 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. – Practice
Friday, April 29

9:55 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. – Practice

http://en.montrealalouettes.com/2016...camp-schedule/

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First day of Redblacks mini camp.

"Big receivers and big DBs."

Size is what stood out to @REDBLACKSHC after day one.

🎥 | More from mini-camp.https://t.co/lluI0aHGSZ

— Ottawa REDBLACKS (@REDBLACKS) April 24, 2016

[jerrym]

Here's a report on Edmonton's mini camp held last week.

http://edmontonjournal.com/sports/fo...imos-mini-camp

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The Tiger-Cat mini camp will be at Tim Horton Field from Tuesday to Thursday April 26th to 28th in case anyone wants to spy on the enemy.

2016 MINI-CAMP SCHEDULE/MEDIA AVAILABILITY APRIL 26-28

TUESDAY, APRIL 26
Practice: 11 a.m. at Tim Hortons Field
ENG cameras are permitted to film on-field activities from the sidelines from 11:10-11:45 a.m.
Media Availability: 2 p.m. (approximately) – Head Coach Kent Austin and players at mini-camp will be available to the media immediately following practice.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27
Practice: 10:45 a.m. at Tim Hortons Field
ENG cameras are permitted to film on-field activities from the sidelines from 10:55-11:30 a.m.
Media Availability: 2 p.m. (approximately) – Head Coach Kent Austin and players at mini-camp will be available to the media immediately following practice.
THURSDAY, APRIL 28
Practice: 10:15 a.m. at Tim Hortons Field
ENG cameras are permitted to film on-field activities from the sidelines from 10:25-11 a.m.
Media Availability: 12:30 p.m. (approximately) – Head Coach Kent Austin and select players at mini-camp will be available to the media immediately following practice.
NOTES FOR MEDIA MEMBERS ATTENDING PRACTICE:
– All practice times are approximate and subject to change, including ENG camera shooting times.
– Still photographers may be asked to refrain from shooting some parts of practice.
– Injured players are not available for interviews.
– Media can enter Tim Hortons Field via Gate 3 no earlier than 30 minutes prior to the scheduled practice time.
– Seating is restricted to section 104 for practice.
– Parking is available upon request.
– There is access to the press box upon request.
NOTES FOR FANS ATTENDING PRACTICE:
– Photos, videos and autographs are prohibited before and during practice.
– Fans can enter Tim Hortons Field via Gate 3 no earlier than 30 minutes prior to the scheduled practice time.
– There is no admission charge but you will be asked to sign in at the security desk.
– Seating is restricted to section 103 for practice.

http://ticats.ca/practice-schedule

[jerrym]

Calgary's mini camp focused on identifying potential receivers, returners and running backs and DBs for the training camp that starts May 29.

It’s pretty easy to tell just by looking at the number of bodies in each position group at the Calgary Stampeders’ annual mini camp where the roster focus lies between now and the first day of main training camp May 29.If that doesn’t work, simply take a look at the off-season transaction wire and you’ll notice the exodus.
“We have a number of receiver spots to fill for our training camp for a reason — we lost some guys,” Hufnagel noted, likely still swallowing hard at the loss of a rising superstar in Eric Rogers to the NFL. “We’re going to bring a handful of receivers up from this camp, and I’m very pleased with the candidates.”
There’s definitely no shortage of them, as 15 pass-catchers ran around the IMG Academy field during two Sunday practices.
Seth Smith, a 5-foot-9, 180-pounder out of DII Texas A&M Commerce, and Darius Reynolds, who’s currently suiting up for the Philadelphia Soul in the AFL, were noticeable during Sunday’s sessions.
But while that may be one of the more glaring needs, there are others.
“I think receiving is huge and I’d like to see us come out of here with a guy we feel would be a great returner,” Dickenson said when listing off what he’s looking for. “I think running back’s open. We have a lot of experience at O-line, but we always feel like we struggle finding that guy. Our D-line is a position that should have great competition this year, both at tackle and at end. I think we’re fairly strong at linebacker and DB, but DB, for sure, would be our oldest position, so get some young blood there, as well.”

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/04/1...-shopping-list

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Notes from the Bomber mini camp.

Fans of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers got an early taste of football as the club opened their three day mini-camp at Investors Group Field on Monday. The camp is strictly for players on offense as the team puts Paul Lapolice’s new playbook to the test. ...
It was the first chance to get a glimpse of a number of new players that were brought in as part of their off-season roster overhaul. Newcomers like Weston Dressler, Ryan Smith and Andrew Harris ran drills for the first time in a Blue Bombers uniform. ...
It was the first real test for Drew Willy’s recently healed up knee and it held up well over the first two practices in the closest thing to a game he’s seen since crumpling in a heap on the turf back in August. “I’m 100 per cent running around today,” Willy said. “You didn’t even tell that I was injured before so it just felt good to get out there.”
But with no defense on the field the question is how can they tell who’s doing well when you’re playing against nobody. “We are evaluating everything but it’s different,” O’Shea said.
Addison Richards, Kevin Cone and Jace Daniels did not practice on Monday and won’t be taking part at all this week, as they are still recovering from injuries. Receiver Jace Davis won’t attend because of what O’Shea described as “family issues”. Receiver Jerrel Jernigan was here but already left.
“He actually went home today, personal reasons, he had to get home,” O’Shea said. “So we’ll see how that goes from this point forward. I don’t expect him back in this camp. It’s just too short to fly him home and fly him back.”

http://globalnews.ca/news/2661759/wi...off-mini-camp/

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The following article gives an overview of the six CFL mini camps happening this week.

http://www.cfl.ca/2016/04/25/mini-ca...-on-this-week/

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Ottawa head coach Rick Campbell discusses 1-on-1's on day 2 of Redblack mini camp.

http://www.ottawaredblacks.com/2016/...ugh-decisions/

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The Lions will have 2 qbs at their mini camp: Keith Price, who spent two years with the Riders, and Greg McGhee, last year's third stinger with the Lions.

When Price left the University of Washington in 2013, he held 11 single-season or career passing records. He played at such a consistently high level that it was surprising he didn’t get an invite to the combine and went unselected in the 2014 draft.
This week, he is just trying to get a toehold in the CFL as a third-string quarterback behind Jonathon Jennings and Travis Lulay.
“A lot of Pacific Northwest football fans will know who he is,” says Lions director of player personnel Neil McEvoy. “We like his athleticism. We like his arm strength. Dan Dorazio really felt he played hard and well last year in Saskatchewan, when given the opportunity.”
Price logged 17 games with the Roughriders over two seasons (2014 and 2015) before his release this year in a housecleaning of staff and players by new head coach Chris Jones.
Dorazio, entering his 44th year of coaching, was also part of those sweeping changes in Saskatchewan. He rejoined the Lions in January as their offensive line coach, a position he held last season with the Riders.
“I liked him (Price) before we signed him,” McEvoy said. “(But) Dan put the icing on the cake over whether we should sign this kid. I hope he shows the ability we think he has.”

http://vancouversun.com/sports/footb...rterback-depth

[R.J]

http://3downnation.com/2016/04/28/15911/

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it looks like unless Mikel Leshoure, who gained 708 yards with the Detroit Lions in 2012, comes up with a great excuse for not showing up on time he is finished with the BC Lions.

Former National Football League running back Mikel Leshoure might have earned a new nickname — “No Show” Leshoure.
His last chance for a career in pro football may have ended Thursday, when the ex-Detroit Lion failed to show for the first day of a B.C. Lions mini-camp in Surrey.
The good news is that 96.4 per cent of the 28 players expected to participate did.
Still, Leshoure’s absence left only one running back — fleeting Hamilton Tiger-Cat Sam Ojuri — to handle handoffs and throws from Keith Price and Greg McGhee, the only two QBs dressed for the two-day, virtually all-rookie camp. ...
“We’ve got four good running backs already,” Buono explained. “But we were hoping to find another guy who could come in and compete. I’ve made no commitment to the guys we’ve signed. We don’t want to jump to conclusions (about Leshoure). If he got stuck, for some reason, we still want to see him. One day is better than nothing.”
On a similar spring day in 2007, three time zones to the east, Buono remembers giving a second chance to another out-of-work football player who got his signals crossed.
Cam Wake started warming up for a B.C. free-agent camp at Howard University, only to discover an empty field. The Lions’ talent search actually was going on at Hampton University, three hours’ drive south.
“Let’s just say I became more flexible because of Cam (a two-time CFL defensive player of the year),” Buono said. “We knew, sight unseen, that Cam was better than any player we had.”
He can’t say the same about Leshoure, whose commonality with Wake is only the knack for failing to be in the right place at the right time.
“We don’t know if it’s a commitment issue,” Buono admitted. “We do know it’s a no-show issue.”

http://www.canada.com/sports/bc+lion...283/story.html

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The Hamilton Tiger-Cats held a three-day mini-camp this week and here are five things we learned:
1. The team needs an offensive co-ordinator. Soon
Without former OC Tommy Condell, who resigned in early April, Kent Austin seemed run off his feet this week. He was scripting the offensive plays, coaching the quarterbacks, overseeing things as head coach, then evaluating players as the vice-president of football operations. That's a lot.
That said, finding the right fit could be tough. ...

2. Having CFL experience really helps at mini-camp
Of the 67 players in town this week, 22 had at least some CFL experience — even if it was just practice roster time — and they had a distinct advantage over those that didn't. The adjustment to the wide field, the yard off the ball, the waggle … new players talk about it all the time but it's even more evident when the ratio of newbies to veterans is turned on its head as dramatically as it is at a rookie-laden mini-camp.
Defensive back Geoff Tisdale, who has nine years of CFL-time, looked solid, as did receiver Junior Collins (five starts last year), in large part because they had a basic understanding of the concepts and what was going to happen on any given play. ...
3. Speaking of quarterbacks …
While Zach Collaros' health and the battle between Jeremiah Masoli and Jeff Mathews will undoubtedly define training camp, the addition of Waters makes things interesting at the other end of the depth chart as well. While the team could easily carry five quarterbacks for as long as Collaros is recovering, once he's ready they may very well decide to go down to the usual three or four they've carried the last few seasons. ...
4. The tale of two tackles
A pair of players who stood out this week were offensive tackles Terrence Campbell and Sean Donnelly. Campbell, who played with current Ticat defensive end Eric Norwood at South Carolina, showed both quickness and toughness, mixing it up with defenders on a couple of occasions. Word is he put in extra time watching film as well. Donnelly is a massive 6-foot-7, 333 pounds and used his size and strength effectively all week. ...
5. The numbers game ... and what comes next
The Ticats currently have 84 players on the roster and there were another 31 non-roster invitees to mini-camp. From those 115 players, the team must be down to 75 plus two "non-counters" (Canadian players who have yet to appear in a CFL game) by Sunday.
And the team will inevitably continue its talent search: negotiation-list players and others hoping for a shot south of the border will be re-evaluating their options after this week's NFL draft and ensuing rash of free-agent signings. The deck will get shuffled a couple of more times before training camp. ...
But it means a fair number of the players who were at mini-camp won't be back for main camp at the end of May, and even fewer will ever see the field during a regular

http://www.thespec.com/sports-story/...ned-in-3-days/

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In Brandon Ing, the Lions think they have found a speedster at their mini camp in the mold of Chris Williams and Brandon Bank.

“A lot of them caught my eye,” said head coach Wally Buono of the group of 27, mostly first-year players, who took part in the mini-camp. “Only one caught my attention.”
He was referring to the greyhound from Miramar who also left a big impression with defensive back candidate Loucheiz Purifoy, another Floridian who made the Indianapolis Colts’ 53-man roster coming out of their 2014 training camp. ...

Ings has been timed at 4.31 on a fast day. ...
“Chris Williams (Ottawa), Brandon Banks (Hamilton) … we’re looking for that type of player,” Buono said. “I’m putting 82 (Ings’ jersey number) on (veteran wideout) Lavelle Hawkins’ side. That guy scares you. What we want is a guy who can take the top off things (blow by deep coverage).”

http://www.canada.com/sports/footbal...155/story.html

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The following article discusses one player to know from every team's mini camp.

http://www.cfl.ca/2016/04/30/breakin...ads-mini-camp/

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Rick Campbell discusses how much stronger the Redblacks were in terms of competition at mini camp this year over previous years.


http://www.cfl.ca/2016/04/28/redblac...ing-mini-camp/