Adam Gagnon/CFL.ca
By: Justin Boone
jboone@ticats.ca
First-year players, welcome to the CFL.
It’s not often that you have a three-day interview when applying for a job, but that’s exactly what Ticats Rookie Camp is. Players from across North America are making their CFL debuts in hope that they can continue their football careers. For the Americans it’s all about learning a new version of the sport they’ve played since they were kids. For the Canadians, it’s trying to be a homegrown member of one of our eight proud franchises.
“I hate to call these guys rookies because we have some players who have been in the NFL or NFL Europe, different leagues, it’s not like their all guys just coming out of college,” said head coach Charlie Taaffe. “We have some seasoned players, but because of their classification they’re considered CFL rookies.”
Despite the credit he gives them coming in, Taaffe wasted no time telling the newcomers that they have five chances to audition for the team’s front office staff. If successful, the reward isn’t a roster spot, but simply a chance to compete against the veterans when full practices begin on Sunday.
“These guys are going to have a jump. We really have a new system and new terminology offensively, just like on defence,” he remarked.
“I told these guys yesterday that usually the rookies come in and the vets have been playing in the same system for four or five years, so you’re at the disadvantage because you have to learn it. In this case the vets are at the disadvantage because the new guys will have four or five days to learn, so they should be ahead terminology-wise and with techniques we’re trying to teach.”
Following Friday afternoon’s practice (a.k.a. their final audition), the players will go for dinner, look over the their playbooks, and hope that they’ll still be sleeping at McMaster next week.
Rookie camp is Survivor, The Apprentice, and Deal or No Deal, all wrapped into one. Players must show their resiliency, instincts and ability to work as a team on the field, more importantly they need to impress the Cats’ brain trust to avoid being sent home, and finally they need to accept the role offered to them, whether it be as a starter, a backup, or a special teams player.
“We have a lot of first year players, so we’ll see when the vets come in and we can compare them, but so far after these practices I’m encouraged by what I’ve seen.”
