BC Lions
Some rookies find their first CFL training camp an intimidating experience, especially Canadian college players battling for jobs against athletes from large U.S. university programs.
Receiver S. J. Haidara, picked in the second round of this year’s CFL Draft, says playing for the powerhouse Laval Rouge et Or prepared him physically and mentally for attending the BC Lions’ training camp in Kamloops, B.C.
“I’m glad I went there,” said Haidara, who was a member of Laval’s 2012 Vanier Cup championship team. “My coaches coached me so well. They taught me everything, whether it’s in football or as a person in life.
“It’s learning how to get your work ethic and to do everything, every day, as a person and as an athlete to always try to get better. That’s the culture they gave me. They taught me how to use that and I try to apply that in my life every day. I feel I couldn’t be more ready to play pro football.”
Lions’ head coach Mike Benevides has liked what Haidara has shown during camp.
“I think the thing that has impressed me the most is how he immersed himself in the playbook,” said Benevides. “He’s shown a very strong skill set for special teams. He’s shown some toughness. He’s made some plays.”
Haidara’s full name is Seydou Junior. His father, Seydou Sr., is from Mali, in West Africa. His mother, Francoise, is French-Canadian. The Quebec City native grew up near the PEPS Stadium where Laval plays its home games.
“I used to listen to the sounds of the game when I was a kid,” he said.
The Laval program is considered one of the most successful in Canadian Interuniversity Sport. Since playing its first game in 1996, the team has won a record seven Vanier Cup championships, including last year’s 37-14 win over the McMaster Marauders.
Over the last decade Laval has finished first in the QUFL every year except 2004 – when the school was second in the conference – and has won six championships.
“It’s a hell of an experience to play there,” said Haidara, 24. “Every game we get more than 15,000 people. The fans are so supportive.
“It’s by far the best place to play CIS football in the country, whether it’s the way you are coached, the crowd and the feeling you have. There’s no word for it.”
An example of how Laval does things different is each spring the team spends 10 days at a camp in Orlando, Fla. The trip involves a 30-hour bus ride each way.
“It’s a crucial moment in the process to win a championship,” said Haidara. “It gets all the team together and builds leadership.
“It builds the chemistry and we get to a lot of good reps in the nice weather. All we think about is football. It’s a very good experience.”
Benevides credits Laval for preparing players like Haidara to make the next step.
“I really believe they run a very outstanding program,” he said. “They teach the kids. They really find a way to push the kids. They run a very pro system offence and defence.
“They get the most out of the kids’ abilities. They show them what it is to be a champion.”
Last season Haidara had 23 receptions for 294 yards and three touchdowns. At six-foot-one and 215 pounds, he has played both slotback and wide receiver.
“One of my strengths is my versatility,” he said.
During rookie camp the Lions used Haidara at wideout, but have since moved him to slot.
“He’s used to blocking on the perimeter,” said Benevides. “He’s used to being in motion. He would be creating depth for us.”
Haidara’s size and speed allows him to fit in well with a receiving corps that already includes Courtney Taylor, Nick Moore, Emmanuel Arceneaux, Shawn Gore, Akeem Foster, Marco Iannuzzi and Ernest Jackson.
Haidara said Iannuzzi, his roommate at camp, and fellow Canadian receiver Paris Jackson have been offering advice and tips.
“They see the potential and they are trying to help to get the best out of me,” he said. “I appreciate that. So far they have been very helpful.”
Learning the terminology and complexities of a professional offence can be a challenge for any first-year player. Haidara enjoys an advantage because Jacques Chapdelaine, B.C.’s offensive coordinator, was Laval’s former head coach before being hired by the Calgary Stampeders in 2001.
“The OC in Laval, he used to be mentored by Jacques,” said Haidara. “You can see the similarities.
“The (system) here is much more complicated, there are a lot more terms, (but) the base of it, and all the concepts, there are a lot of similarities. I’m probably more comfortable because of that.”
Chapdelaine also speaks French.
“When he called me after the draft he spoke to me in French,” Haidara said. “We were fooling around (at practice) and he started to speak French with me just to make the other guys laugh.”
Haidara has one year of college eligibility remaining and could return to Laval. He’d prefer to play in the CFL this season but is willing to do whatever the Lions wish.
“Both scenarios for me are good,” he said. “It’s not like I don’t like it at Laval. That’s a decision that’s not in my hands.”
Benevides said the two exhibition games will determine Haidara’s immediate future with the Lions.
“That has a tremendous affect on the end result,” he said. “That will be the true test of how he performs offensively and all the other aspects he brings to the team.”
If Haidara stays with B.C. he will probably see time on special teams, a role he relishes.
“I love special teams,” he said with enthusiasm. “That’s what I love the most, the punt coverage and kick coverage.
“I like hitting people. It brings another aspect to football.”
