Justin Dunk
Ticats.ca
It’s been a week of firsts for Kevin Glenn.
On Monday, the Tiger-Cats quarterback made his first visit to Canada’s east coast to promote the 2011 Touchdown Atlantic regular season game to be played on September 25 against the Calgary Stampeders.
After the visit to Moncton, Glenn made his way back to Hamilton — taking the first steps in preparing for the 2011 CFL season — to take part in the first ever official mini-camp practices, a newly added feature on CFL players’ schedules this off-season.
“It’s been okay, kind of an adjustment because this is the first time we’ve ever done it this early,” Glenn said. “You gotta get your mind together, coming out here and going through meetings and on-field practice and all that kind of stuff. It’s kind of like a mini-training camp type of thing.”
The three-day mini-camp will help players on the offensive side of the football get acclimated to first-year offensive coordinator Khari Jones’s scheme.
“I think it’s helped us so far getting a chance to get the new verbiage. He was a very vocal guy last year on the field and this year him being offensive coordinator is just going to be show his style and his way of calling plays, his way of designing certain schemes as far as game plans go,” Glenn said. “He is one of those guys that is a coach on the field, but off the field he is one of those guys that you can go talk to about anything you need.”
Mini-camp is a chance for new players to get a taste of the Canadian game, while returning Ticats get a chance to find the chemistry formed a season ago.
“New guys getting a taste of the CFL, if they haven’t ever played this game before and then the vets just getting a chance to get that rapport back on defence and offence,” Glenn said.
Some skill position players have been working out together during the off-season, but mini-camp gives the entire offensive unit the opportunity to come together in an organized team setting.
“The good thing is that I have been, this off-season,throwing with a lot of the guys, [Dave] Stala, [Arland] Bruce, Glenn MacKay, [Matt] Carter,” Glenn said. “At the same time getting back with Mo [Mann] and Marquay [McDaniel] and all those guys [at mini-camp].”
Anytime quarterbacks and receivers can get on the field and work on timing and rhythm in the passing game is an added bonus — developing that unspoken bond on the football field.
“I don’t think you can express or tell how valuable it’s going to be right now, but in the long run when you look back we’re going to say, ‘man that little mini-camp did help us’,” Glenn said.
The star pivot is chomping at the bit to get the 2011 CFL season underway.
“[Mini-camp] gets you excited about coming back to [training] camp and getting the season started. You can tell the way guys are out here working and this was voluntary so guys didn’t have to show up,” Glenn said. “That even shows the eagerness from the guys actually coming out here and giving up time away from family and other things.”
Glenn is hoping to continue his ‘first’ time experiences with the Ticats this season by adding his first Grey Cup championship to his playing resume.
