Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca
Evaluation is the chief concern in any training camp, and the Black and Gold’s current iteration is no different. But if daily practices and meetings are the bread and butter of that process, preseason contests are its meatiest and most valuable tools.
The exhibition schedule brings any team’s preparedness into sharp focus, and forces prospective players to either sink or swim. It means vastly different things to those looking to prove themselves and carve out a place in the professional ranks, and those eagerly returning to a well known position.
Rookie defensive back Josh Wilkins is one of the former, and finds himself being given the chance to shine in a backfield that has seen injuries to several veterans including Ryan Hinds and Milt Collins. Wilkins knows full well that he and his fellow rookies have a unique shot to demonstrate their abilities as the Ticats open their preseason schedule on Wednesday.
“There’s a lot of opportunity out there for me,” says the first-year defensive back. “The main thing that the coaches want us to do is to know our assignments, to learn as much as we can because there’s not that many of us out there right now. But it is a golden opportunity for me to go out there as a rookie and show my talents.”
Building one’s familiarity with their teammates and a new system of play is the fundamental challenge facing any rookie. While it remains ongoing, Wilkins explains that said process has been helped forward in the case of he and his defensive teammates by the number of plays they’ve seen and by the pace of practice thus far.
“I feel comfortable, especially with the number of reps that we’re getting,” says Wilkins. “With guys getting hurt, the rookies are getting a lot of reps. We go over a lot in practice and sometimes we don’t even get off the field. You’ve got to sort it out, you’ve got to know your assignments and listen to the calls, but it’s coming along.
“Nothing’s too complex but we’re doing a lot of running around so that we can get a feel for what we’ve got to do. It gets crazy in practice so that when it comes to the game it might be easier for us. In practice it’s a little crazy, but as rookies we’ve been adjusting to it.”
Where game action entails a rapid adjustment for younger players, it means a long-awaited return to a familiar setting for seasoned veterans like Kevin Eiben. After more than a decade as a CFL linebacker, Eiben indicates that his approach to the game is a time honoured one, despite entering the league’s Southern Ontario rivalry for the first time in Black and Gold.
“I tell everyone that it’ll be nice running into Ivor Wynne and not getting booed,” says the 11-year former Argonaut. “It’s nice to be in the right colours in Ivor Wynne. This is another season – my 12th season that I’m going into – and I treat it just like any other football game. It doesn’t matter if I’m playing the BC Lions or if I’m playing Montreal. I’ve got a routine that I go through, and whenever the play is around me, I’m going to make some plays, flying around from sideline to sideline.”
Eiben echoes the sentiment of many a Ticat veteran as he expresses his eagerness to get a first taste of competitive football when the team takes to the field at Ivor Wynne on Wednesday night. The linebacker relishes the prospect of no-holds-barred football, the full contact variety that differs fundamentally from what plays out on the practice turf at Ron Joyce.
“Enough of hitting the same teammates, let’s get some different colours out there,” exclaims the veteran linebacker. “We haven’t had anything with regards to taking people down to the ground or tackling. It’s mostly been butt up, getting off of blocks and that sort of thing. But now it’s the real thing. The lights are on and all of Canada gets the chance to see you. You’ve got the cameras going and this is when you need to step up and be professional.
“You’ve got to make sure that you’re in the right position for the coaches, make sure that you’re doing your job so that the other 11 guys can do their own, and just enjoy it.”
Enjoying the occasion should not be an issue for the Ticats on Wednesday night, as Ivor Wynne is nearly sold out in anticipation of the opening preseason tilt. Eiben suggests that such response from the fans is simply a sign of things to come, and he emphasizes his excitement to play in the historic downtown venue as it celebrates its final season.
“When you’ve got the all the fans behind you in a loud stadium and everyone’s hooting and hollering, it’s a great atmosphere,” says the linebacker.
“I’ve been to the Eastern Final at least seven or eight times, whether it’s in Montreal – The Big ‘O’ – or Rogers Centre, or Winnipeg, all of them are fantastic venues. But to play in Ivor Wynne with all of that tradition, all of that history, and all of those fans who just love the Ticats, I’m ecstatic. It’s going to be a blast.”
The members of the Black and Gold will have their first look at that storied combination on Wednesday night, as battle-tested veterans and hopeful rookies alike launch into game action.
