Bert Faibish
Ticats.ca
He races fifteen yards up the sideline before he takes a jab step to the inside of the defensive back, pivots and steps back outside and makes a catch along the sideline.
He cuts off a deep route after ten yards, turns to the inside and comes back to the throw, the ball landing silently between his hands before he immediately tucks it away and turns upfield.
He’s Maurice Mann, and catching footballs is his job.
“I love every route in the book. As long as I end up with the ball in my hands, I’m okay with it,” Mann says with a laugh.
Maurice has only been at training camp for a week but he’s already earned himself a reputation for catching everything thrown at him.
Defenders have been known to wonder aloud if he has velcro on his hands.
After stints with six NFL clubs for varying lengths of time, the 6-2, 190-pound receiver spent part of two seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos in ’07 and ’08.
In 2009, his first full season in the Canadian Football League, Mann put up impressive numbers with the Esks. His 73 receptions, 917 yards and six touchdowns were good enough to earn him a nod as a CFLPA All-Star.
The opportunity to learn under Edmonton pivot Ricky Ray certainly helped his development, but Maurice has learned the Canadian game quicker than most imports. Now that he’s in Hamilton, he thinks that quarterback Kevin Glenn can help take his game to the next level.
“Having a guy like Ricky was very helpful in my development and trying to understand the Canadian game,” said Mann. “Now that I’m here with Kevin (Glenn) and the rest of the quarterbacks, they give me so much freedom to get open and provide me with the opportunity to make plays.”
Mann joins an already potent passing attack and will now team with perennial All-Star receiver Arland Bruce III to form one of the most formidable 1-2 punches in the league.
“Teaming up with Arland is definitely one of the first things I thought about when I was traded here,” said Mann.
“It’s gonna be hard to cover us both, but our whole receiving corps is so deep that we’re all going to be in a position to make plays,” he said.
His speed and reliable hands have been his hallmark so far in his career, but Mann wants secondaries to fear his physical style of play as well.
“On the field I want to be a physical presence,” said Mann. “I want people to know that when they come to play against me, it’s not going to be a pillow fight.”
If his 2009 stats are any indication, we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg from Maurice Mann, and the thought of him joining an offense that passed for almost 5,000 yards last season?
Well, for the opposition, that’s just downright scary.
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TODAY’S MULTIMEDIA
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Photo Gallery: Training Camp June 9 |
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Ticats TV: June 10 Training Camp Report |
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OTHER NEWS AND NOTES:
- WR Arland Bruce III and QB Adam Tafralis wore the helmet cams for the first five periods of the second practice. Watch for their footage to appear on Ticats TV in the near future.
- Queen’s receiver Scott Valberg was back on the field for the beginning of his second tour of duty with the Ticats. Valberg was released after rookie camp but was signed this morning after several receivers in camp were injured. He was wearing #80 this time around.
- Tempers flared again today, as defensive end Justin Hickman and offensive lineman Marcus Gordon became engaged in a bit of a scrap.
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TOMORROW’S SCHEDULE: The Ticats will be on the field from 8:05am-10:05am on Friday for a single practice before heading into the gym for a lift. Current weather forecasts say it will be a sunny morning with a temperature of 15*C and 0% chance of rain.
