“Day Three is always the hardest,” said Argonauts head coach Scott Milanovich when he addressed the club following their second back-to-back practice on Monday morning.
The club appeared to have heeded their coach’s recommendations to take care of their bodies overnight, as Tuesday’s practice at Alumni Stadium saw the club firing on all cylinders again.
The defence had the offensive unit’s number through two days of camp, but today’s sessions saw the offence respond with a strong practice.
The receivers group had a very strong day in team and 1-on-1 drills, winning a number of jump-ball situations in the 1-on-1 red zone session against the defensive backs.
“The offence picked it up a little bit today and maybe won this practice,” said Milanovich, “but the first two days the defence was dominant.”
Tori Gurley kicked off the first team session with a long 40-yard would-be touchdown catch, adding to that with a couple contested grabs during 1-on-1’s. The rest of the receiving group followed suit, with rookie receiver Malcolm Williams making the catch of the day on a diving effort in the back of the end zone.
The defence was not without their wins, though, as Rich Stubler’s unit reached the quarterback on a couple occasions and managed an end zone interception during red zone 1-on-1’s.
With the defence under Stubler’s guidance in 2016, Milanovich is expecting the unit to play much like the defences Stubler has coached in the past, including a higher level of aggression, more collisions with receivers and more pick sixes.
“There’s so much movement and so many moving parts to the defence, so much more than a normal defence,” explained defensive backs coach Jordan Younger, who played in Stubler’s system during his CFL playing career.
“It’s hard work, and fortunately, the guys are willing to work together,” continued Younger, “they stay together late and put extra time in even during training camp, which is unusual.”
New Argonauts kicker Lirim Hajrullahu was put to the test late in practice, as the team surrounded the St. Catharines, Ontario native to watch him attempt kicks from increasing distances.
His teammates did not watch silently, however, as they were encouraged to make as much noise as possible to simulate an intimidating game situation for the kicker. With a reward for the entire team on the line, the kicker hit with ease on back-to-back attempts, making his first big kicks with the Boatmen.
The Argonauts will have a day off of the field on Wednesday, and will return to practice on Thursday, June 2 at 8:30 a.m. at the University of Guelph’s Alumni Stadium.
Training Camp Day 3 Anecdotes:
- The hardest part of training camp is in the rear-view mirror, said head coach Scott Milanovich following today’s practice, explaining that Tuesday was the first, and likely the last time that the team would practice for three consecutive days during the camp.
- Competition at practice has been stiff through three days, and Milanovich believes that there are a number of position groups that will present challenging decisions when making cuts. The Argos head coach specifically identified the defensive backfield, defensive line, receiving corps, running back, starting centre and backup quarterback positions as ones to watch as camp progresses. “The backup quarterback job will go down to the wire I’m sure,” said Milanovich.
- Veteran defensive back Jermaine Gabriel and defensive backs coach Jordan Younger both agreed that Rich Stubler’s defensive system was as fast as advertised, also mentioning that the defensive unit has spent extra time together above and beyond mandatory meetings to get up to speed with the concepts