Argonauts.ca Staff
The old saying goes that football games are won and lost in the trenches, and today we’ll take a look at the big men on both sides of the ball entering training camp for the Argonauts.
The offensive line was an area of strength for the Argos in 2014, conceding the second fewest sacks in the CFL and allowing Ricky Ray to do what he does best.
The O-line is led by national veteran Jeff Keeping, who enters his 11th CFL season in 2015. This year would be the fourth consecutive season that Keeping has anchored the offensive line at centre, as he and Ray look to continue to build on the chemistry they’ve developed in seasons past.
Also returning to the line for the Argonauts is national guard Tyler Holmes, who enters his third season with the Argonauts after being selected by the team in the first round of 2011 CFL Draft. Holmes initially joined the Double Blue at the tail end of the 2013 season, and was named an East Division All-Star in 2014 in his first full season with the Argos.
On the opposite side of centre is veteran national guard Wayne Smith, who enters his fourth season with the Argos and 12th in the CFL. The former first overall pick in the 2004 CFL Draft is a two-time Grey Cup winner with the Argos and Roughriders, and remains motivated for another championship in the twilight of his career.
Rounding out the national starters from 2014 is McMaster alumnus Chris Van Zeyl, embarking on his seventh campaign in Double Blue. Playing at right tackle for much of the 2014 season, Van Zeyl was named an East Division All-Star at tackle just a year after receiving the same honour at guard in 2013.
Looking to seize the starting left tackle position after a stint there in 2014 is international Jarriel King. King started sporadically at the position last season, but with the departure of SirVincent Rogers to the Ottawa Redblacks in the offseason King could solidify a spot in the starting 12 with a strong showing in training camp.
In addition to these returning starters, a slew of roster hopefuls will be in camp competing to steal someone’s job. At the top of that list is international Bruce Campbell, a fourth round NFL draft pick who spent time with the Oakland Raiders and Carolina Panthers before coming north. The six-foot-six, 320-pound left tackle was highly regarded , and he’ll surely be competing for the right to protect Ricky Ray’s blind side throughout camp.
Joining Campbell in competition are fellow Americans Greg Van Roten, Nik Embernate, and Branndon Braxton. Van Roten spent the past three years in the NFL, playing 10 games with the Green Bay Packers between 2012 and 2013 before spending the 2014 season on the Seattle Seahawks practice roster. Embernate started 46 games at San Diego State before a stint in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers that was cut short by a knee injury. Braxton was signed to the Argonauts’ practice roster late in the 2014 season after a three-year football hiatus. Prior to his signing with the Argos, Braxton was a winner of two United Football League (UFL) titles with the Las Vegas Locomotives, and spent time with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns.
Finally, national’s Matt Sewell, Jaskaran Dhillon, Austin Roy and Joe Circelli round out Toronto’s Canadian OL depth. Sewell was selected by the Argonauts in the first round of the 2013 CFL Draft, and was signed as a free agent by the Tennessee Titans before returning to McMaster to play out his final year of eligibility. He appeared in all 18 games in 2014 with two starts at left guard, and he’ll look to increase his role in 2015. Dhillon was selected in the third round of the 2014 CFL Draft after a stellar career at the University of Regina and University of British Columbia which culminated with his selection as a CIS All-Canadian in 2013. Dhillon spent the 2014 season on the Argos’ practice roster. Finally, Circelli and Roy were recently signed just days before the beginning of training camp after spending four seasons at Michigan Tech and one at York, and four seasons at Western University, respectively.
With significant national and international depth on the offensive line, the Argonauts offence looks to remain among the league’s elite in 2015.