ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
MISSISSAUGA – After participating in their first day of camp yesterday, players’ bodies will feel the burn of a full day of football activities. Typically, one would expect today’s practice to have been sluggish and slower compared to day one. That was definitely not the case today.
During individual drills, rookie WR Reggie Williams and second year WR Julian Feoli-Gudino showed great agility and quickness as they ran through plays with new receiving coach Jason Maas and guest coach, and former Alouettes receiver, Brian Bratton. From catching short dart passes, to over-the-shoulder lobs, both receivers showed a solid ability to catch the ball.
The defence continued to show signs of growth, carrying over the energy from yesterday. S Matt Black became more vocal, doing his best to take a leadership role within the secondary. Off-season acquisition LB James Yurichuk showed he did his best to prepare for camp as he shone not only on defence, but also where he has built his career and reputation – on the special teams unit. Rookie DB Bryant Nnabuife did not look like a rookie today as he shadowed veteran receivers up and down the field, stopping them on multiple deep routes. He ended the second practice of the day with an interception on a ball thrown to the back corner of the field, a nice showing for the first year player on a team looking for starters in the secondary.
In a position that doesn’t get the credit it deserves, the offensive line stood their ground against a very large and powerful group of defensive linemen. Rookie offensive linemen Jarriel King and Sirvincent Rogers will probably have sore hands and legs after today’s workouts as they both took turns trying to stop all-stars Kevin Huntley and Khalif Mitchell. Rookie offensive lineman Mike Di Domenico had the chance to work with other rookies today in the trenches as they shuffled their feet and held their hands high while learning how to protect star QB Ricky Ray.
Play of the Day
On rare occasions, linebackers blast through the line of scrimmage and have a clear path to the QB. On the first play of team drills, LB Marcus Ball sprinted through the line and swatted an attempted Ricky Ray pass 10 feet into the backfield. That seemed to ignite the defence for the rest of the day. The unit is clearly adapting to the high-tempo design of practice Head Coach Scott Milanovich has installed.