ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
MISSISSAUGA — Tuesday was the final day of full practice for the Argos before heading to Winnipeg, and the intensity was turned up a couple of notches. GM & Head Coach Jim Barker let it be known early on that mistakes were not going to be tolerated at this juncture, and both the offensive and defensive units responded with a high-intensity, fast-paced two-hour session.
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During the first set of skelly drills, the deep ball was working very effectively for #1 QB Cleo Lemon. Last year’s starter threw a 35-yard strike to #87 WR DJ Boldin, who’s superb route-running and great hands have made him a legitimate deep threat option. #16 WR Brandon Rideau dropped an early pass from Lemon, but after hearing about it from Coach Barker, the tall wideout was catching passes all over the field.
Both #32 RB/SB Andre Durie and #2 WR/KR Chad Owens have been models of consistency for the duration of camp, and it was more of the same on Tuesday morning. The two have game-breaking speed and things seem to happen when they have the ball in their hands. There is no question Durie and Owens will be counted on to play huge roles in the Argos’ offence this year.
It is a down-to-the-wire battle for spots in the secondary, so it’s no surprise that the latter part of practice was dominated by that unit. Two players in particular, #17 DB Michael Grant and #15 DB Dee Webb, had standout practices. Receivers could get little separation off the line and with their closing speed, Grant and Webb were very hard to escape.
For the second straight day, newcomer #97 DT Claude Wroten stayed after practice to improve on his footwork. #71 WR Djems Kouame and #19 QB BJ Hall used a crossing route drill to work on their timing.
The Argos will run a walk-thru on Wednesday in preparation for their exhibition contest on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ET in Winnipeg at Canad Inns Stadium. The Argos will host a Viewing Party at Jack Astor’s , 133 John St., in downtown Toronto on Friday, July 1. All fans are welcome to attend and cheer the Double Blue on to victory in the regular season opener against Calgary.