After completing last week’s two-day rookie camp, head coach Marcel Bellefeuille had a full contingent of players to work with on Sunday as the veterans joined the first-year CFLers for the first full day of training camp.
– This year’s practices schedule falls under a different format than it has in past years. The day’s first practice begins at 8:30 a.m. and lasts approximately two hours. Upon the conclusion of the first practice, players gather in the locker room to replenish their energy with drinks, fruit, and other snacks before taking the field once again for a second practice that takes place from around 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
– Lawrence Gordon began the one-on-one coverage drills with a nice job of shutting down Prechae Rodriguez. Rodriguez would have his revenge in the second practice of the day, however, as he made a nice move to separate himself from Gordon an hauled in a long pass.
– Veteran offensive linemen Alexandre Gauthier, Marwan Hage and Dan Goodspeed looked excellent in their first on-field work of the year. The revamped Ticats O-Line could potentially be one of the team’s greatest strengths in 2009.
– Second-year receiver Eddie Cohen looked good during one-on-ones. He was routinely able to get open and made several nice grabs.
– A reliable indicator that Hamilton is hungry for football to return: approximately 100 fans were on hand to check out the first practice of the year.
– DT Darrell Adams excelled during one-on-ones against the offensive line, using all of his 6-5, 282-pound frame to fight off various blockers. Newcomers Mike McFadden, Justin Hickman and Demonte’ Bolden also looked strong.
– On the other side of the ball, this year’s first overall draft selection, OL Simeon Rottier, earned the approval of offensive coordinator Mike Gibson for his work against the defensive line.
– Receiver Marquay McDaniels stood out among the receiving corps during the latter half of practice, making a handful of tough catches including a leaping two-hander on a ball thrown over his head in the middle of the field.
– The intensity on the field increased noticeably as the day progressed. Two big hits were delivered within a two-minute period during the final part of practice. WR Jacob Willis was leveled by DB Bo Smith before LB Chris Davis introduced himself to WR Dave Stala. Both receivers were able to hang on the ball.
– Rookie pivot Jason Boltus completed two long passes to receivers running in stride during the first session. The first toss found a streaking Drisan James down the sideline against Alan Zemaitis while the second was a beautifully-placed spiral that fell into the hands of Chris Bauman over an outstretched Lawrence Gordon.
– Three players spent the last part of practice auditioning as holder for kicker Nick Setta; WR Chris Bauman, WR Dave Stala, QB Adam Tafralis. QB Quinton Porter served as the Ticats holder for field goals in 2008.
– The try-outs for kick returner featured a length list with 12 players taking punts from the Jugs machine in front of special teams coordinator Dave Easley. WR Jacob Willis, WR Willie Quinnie, LB Chris Davis, WR LaShaun Ward, DB Geoff Tisdale, WR Airese Currie, WR Marquay McDaniel, DB Melvin Matlock, RB Tre Smith, WR Eddie Cohen, RB DeAndra’ Cobb and RB Terry Caulley made of the group of players applying for the right to run back kickoffs and punts.
– Sunday marked the annual team headshot day, as team photographer John Sokolowski and a crew from TSN set up camp on the McMaster campus to snap photos of Ticats players and coaches. TSN also shot moving bios with 10 Ticats players, who incorporated some unique props into their shoots to make each one distinctive. Keep an eye on TSN’s broadcasts to see how they turned out.
– Be sure to check Ticats.ca for the latest breaking news, roster moves, notes from each practice, Q & A’s with coaches, photo galleries, Ticats TV videos and more!
– The Tiger-Cats communications staff will also be active on Twitter throughout training camp, giving fans an insider’s view of what is transpiring on the field and behind-the-scenes as it happens. Follow @TicatsPR for updates from camp and @CFLTigerCats for the team’s news feed.
