Checking Down: Passaglia, Chris Williams and more

CFL.ca Staff

TORONTO — While mini-camps continued with the Eskimos and Blue Bombers in Florida, the biggest splash of the week was made by the Ottawa REDBLACKS, who made a major signing in Chris Williams.

With player signings, mini-camps and some interesting debate among players, see what’s making news this week around the CFL with the latest edition of Checking Down:

BC Lions

• The Lions held free agent camps last weekend in Atlanta and Washington D.C., giving hidden talented players the opportunity to dazzle scouts and earn an invite to the team’s mini-camp later this month.

Player Personnel Director Neil McEvoy says he was impressed by some of the speed he’s seen in the tryouts, particularly as it pertains to the up-tempo offence being installed by new head coach Jeff Tedford.

The team will hold its final free agent camp on Sunday, May 17 in Seattle, 10 days before rookies report to the field in Kamloops, B.C.

• If you’re looking for more proof of the value of free agent camps, look no further than last year’s Most Outstanding Player Solomon Elimimian. His career was on the ropes before he was discovered by Wally Buono at a Lions free agent camp.

• Hall of Fame kicker Lui Passaglia is teaming up with the BC Lions and Colon Cancer Canada in the fight against colon cancer. Passaglia courageously went public with his recent battle against stage three colon cancer, and now hopes to raise awareness, promote understanding and early screening and raise funds to help tackle this deadly disease.

Passaglia’s cancer is currently in remission after receiving successful treatment. The Vancouver Province‘s Lowell Ullrich has more on Passaglia’s story.

• The Lions’ pre-season game left up in the air as a result of the FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer tournament in June appears close to being settled. According to the Vancouver Sun’s Mike Beamish, the Lions will play the Eskimos at Thunderbird Stadium on the campus of the University of B.C. 

Edmonton Eskimos

• After being hired in 2012, Ed Hervey managed a quick turnaround of the Edmonton Eskimos, culminating in a 12-6 record in 2014. The team rewarded Hervey on Thursday with a contract extension.

It’s still early and the furthest the Esks have gone is a trip to the Western Final, but the team appears to be emerging as a CFL powerhouse. With a young core of athletic players, continuity in the coaching staff and a talented quarterback in the prime of his career, Hervey’s legacy as a GM is off to a good start.

• Ahead of the Esks’ 2015 mini-camp in Vero Beach, Fla., GM Ed Hervey preached open competition as young players vied for a chance to compete in training camp. When all was said and done, both Hervey and Head Coach Chris Jones are satisfied with how this year’s camp went down, according to the Edmonton Journal’s Chris O’Leary. 

• One of the most intriguing players at Esks’ mini-camp may have been Kenny Stafford, the receiver the Eskimos acquired in the Fred Stamps trade. O’Leary has more on the Esks’ recent addition, and how he fared in Florida over the weekend.

Stafford originally signed with the Als on the recommendation of Duron Carter, and the lengthy, athletic pass-catcher could be primed for a breakout 2015 if he finds a home in the Esks’ starting offence.

• In the wake of Ed Hervey’s contract extension, reports out of Edmonton are also surfacing that Head Coach Chris Jones has signed a two-year contract extension. This has not yet been confirmed, but wouldn’t be a surprise given his role in last year’s standout season for the Eskimos.

A #CFL source said HC Chris Jones has signed a two-year contract extension with #Esks. via @PentonKirk

— CFL News (@CFL_News) April 23, 2015

Calgary Stampeders

• DeVone Claybrooks has established himself as one of the CFL’s premier defensive line coaches, and he says he has his grandmother, Almeta, to thank.

• We all know Jon Cornish is a champion on the field, but as the Calgary Herald’s Peter Glenn writes in a Q&A with the Most Outstanding Canadian, off the field he’s a champion of healthy living. Cornish delivered free talks this week on the value of nutrition and a healthy lifestyle.

• The Calgary Stampeders are still the Grey Cup Champions, but that doesn’t mean they have anything less to prove in 2015. Juwan Simpson says his guys are just as motivated as last year to win.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

• The Riders’ offence is in for some changes this season, particularly with the addition of Offensive Coordinator Jacques Chapdelaine. His offences typically involve shorter and intermediate passes, where the onus is on the quarterback to spread the ball and the playmakers to pick up yards after the catch. 

Darian Durant likened the offence to ‘basketball on grass’ during his team’s mini-camp, praising the direction in which the offence is headed.

• Darian Durant was a special guest at the Estevan Bruins Sportsman Dinner on Thursday night, and in a 40-minute Q&A answered questions on just about everything football-related. The Leader-Post’s Rob Vanstone transcribed some of the dialogue, including Durant’s desire to throw for 6,000 yards this season. 

• Durant also revealed in an article by Gregory Strong of the Canadian Press that he’ll have a chip on his shoulder heading into 2015: 

“I think a lot of people around the league forgot about me. I’m anxious to go out there and prove the doubters wrong and show Rider Nation that I can still get the job done.”

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

• The Bombers capped off a busy mini-camp on Tuesday, then on Wednesday added five participants.

The team’s full mini-camp roster can be seen here.

Receivers Lavon Downs and Jhomo Gordon, linebackers C.J. Wilson and Kenny Tate and running back Carlos Anderson have all been added to the club’s roster. The team also announced it has released national receiver Kurt Goodrich.

More on the Bombers’ mini-camp, including reactions from Drew Willy, Mike O’Shea, Marcel Bellefeuille and Richie Hall can be found on CFL.ca. Meanwhile, coverage from TSN 1290’s Darrin Bauming can be found here.

• The Winnipeg Sun’s Kirk Penton writes that the Bombers held their 2015 mini-camp looking to fill some important gaps on their defence. They plan to bring a number of mini-camp participants to training camp, some of which have already signed contracts. 
• After adding five players on Wednesday, the Bombers expanded their roster again on Thursday, signing internationals Ja-Mes Logan, Anthony Santella and Winston Wright. 

Logan is a six-foot-three, 190-pound receiver who participated in the 2014 East-West Shrine game and worked out with the New England Patriots.

Santella, a kicker, finished fourth all-time in school history at Utah, averaging 40.8 yards per punt on 244 kicks. He spent time with both the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49’ers of the NFL.

Finally, defensive back Wright played 36 games for South Dakota State, tallying 52 tackles, one sack, four forced fumbles and four interceptions. He signed with the Tennessee Titans and played in the pre-season before being released last year.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

• VP of Officiating Glen Johnson is visiting CFL team headquarters to discuss the rule changes, and one of his stops this week was the Hammer. He also met with the media to discuss the rule changes for a Q&A.

• Ticats Head Coach and General Manager Kent Austin says he was part of the entire Rules Committee process this off-season, and after Johnson’s visit to Ticats HQ he met with the media to provide his take on the changes. 

Austin says he’s pleased with the changes that have taken place, and that a cleaner league will be beneficial for everyone involved. He also commented on what it’ll take for teams to take advantage of the new rules involving offensive tempo.

• On the topic of rule changes, Zach Collaros pondered aloud how the new rules could benefit the Ticats’ offence, also hinting that some hurry-up could be in store. 

• The Ticats had a busy Thursday of signings, agreeing to contracts with international defensive backs Ellis Lankster, Julian Posey and E.J. Woods as well as international linebackers Larry King and Jonathon Sharpe.

It should lead to an interesting mini-camp late in April, and that’ll carry into training camp as the team searches for a replacement for Delvin Breaux. That could come from a player already on the roster, but the team will undoubtedly exhaust all search efforts outside of the organization as well.

Toronto Argonauts

• The Argos are known as ruthless interviewers when it comes to the CFL Combine. Here’s a little sample, as CFL.ca got in the interview room while Wilfrid Laurier running back Dillon Campbell took the hot seat.

• Chad Owens is taking his fighting mentality off the field, setting his focus on helping 13-year-old Marcus Baksh take on cancer. The 55-Yard-Line‘s Andrew Bucholtz describes Owens’ efforts to lend a helping hand through internet campaigning, as he donates his time, energy and merchandise in support.

• Jim Barker considers it an important part of his job to discover and hone the skills of young, hopeful future general managers or scouts. 

The Toronto Star’s Curtis Rush has the story of Jarrett Costron, a 21-year-old intern with the Argos, who Barker met on an airplane at the age of 12. Barker was wowed by Costron’s CFL knowledge at such a young age, and when the two reconnected, the current Argo GM followed up and hired him on.

Ottawa REDBLACKS

• The REDBLACKS’ mini-camp will be held from April 27-29 in Ottawa, and the team announced on Wednesday that it will be open to the public. CFL rookies will report on Monday morning, while the rest of the team is expected to attend that afternoon and on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The 2015 off-season was an exciting one for all teams, let alone the CFL’s newest team, but this week the REDBLACKS may have made the biggest splash yet with the addition of Chris Williams.

The move may have come out of the blue for a lot of CFL fans, but REDBLACKS GM Marcel Desjardins says it’s been in the works since January. Meanwhile, the team started budgeting for him back in October.

• With the Chris Williams signing came plenty of debate. While some argued over whether the REDBLACKS now have the CFL’s top receiving corps, a bigger debate emerged over who the better player is: Williams or Hamilton’s Brandon Banks.

Then, there was the debate over the fastest player in the CFL. REDBLACKS receiver Maurice Price thinks it’s him, while Brandon Banks took offence. His nickname is ‘Speedy’, after all.

Who do you think is the fastest player in the CFL?

• The Ottawa Citizen’s Gord Holder reports that the REDBLACKS have made another roster shuffle ahead of the team’s mini-camp, dropping receiver Kierrie Johnson while signing running back Alvester Alexander and defensive back Hakeem Smith. 

Marcel Desjardins did subtly hint at the Chris Williams introductory press conference, when asked, that the team has a logjam at the receiver position after signing several big-name free agents in the off-season.

Montreal Alouettes

• As the Sun’s Kirk Penton writes, there are two ways to look at the 2015 Montreal Alouettes: old or experienced. The Als have one of the oldest rosters in the league, with 18 players at least 30 years of age.

It’s more likely to be a positive for the Alouettes in 2015, who boast three likely future Hall of Famers at receiver in Fred Stamps, Nik Lewis and S.J. Green.

• While Michael Sam’s potential CFL career won’t likely materialize until well after the NFL Draft, if ever, GM Jim Popp told the Sun’s Kirk Penton that Sam, the first openly gay player drafted in the NFL, would be a force. 

In short, Popp says he believes Sam can make the Alouettes a better football team.

• In a story on ESPN by Mike Wells, Duron Carter opened up about his troubled college career and the transition from the CFL to the NFL. Carter is hoping to make it with the Indianapolis Colts after hitting stardom with the Montreal Alouettes the past two seasons.