DAY 2 OF ROUGHRIDERS MINICAMP

The Leader Post’s Murray McCormick interviews Rider personnel guru John Murphy …

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DAY 2 NOTEBOOK

1 – Day 2 wasn’t a lot different from Day 1 in terms of the intensity of the workout, and the furious pace in and out of drills.  It’s a flurry of activity as the players sprint on and off the field to line up in their spots.  Chris Jones wasn’t fooling around either — if the offense was guilty of a Time Count Violation, they lost the rep.

2 – The heat and humidity have been deceptive.  The thermometer only says 25 degrees Celsius however several players were having issues with dehydration and cramping.  There have been a few incidental collisions as well, some requiring medical attention.

3 – Day 2 game balls go to DL Jabari Hunt, LB Marte Sears, WR Ryan Lankford, WR Etauj Allen and kicker Johnny Mark.  Etauj Allen, from the naked eye, appears to be the fastest player in camp.  Sears meanwhile, has been ferocious in both his pass rush and pass defense (knockdowns).

4 – Monday was the first time we saw action out of the kickers.  Calgary Dinos product Johnny Mark was punting the stuffing out of the football, with seemingly everyone being “on the mark”.  One player on the sideline said in amazement, “He’s kicking rockets!”  Steve Shott (Okanagan Jr.) was about 50/50 while Alex Sy (Montreal) had several tough ones.

5 – Check marks for great plays went beside the names of WR Marquez Clark, WR Ryan Lankford, WR Etauj Allen, RB Josh Snead, RB Malcolm Cyrus, DB Jordan Reaves, DB Tevaughn Campbell (had a nice interception), DB Troy Adams, LB Nick Williams, DL Jabari Hunt and DL Jamil Cooks.  Meanwhile OL Tre’Von Armstead struggled in one-on-ones.

6 – The rookies on defense are going to have to get up-to-speed on the CFL’s pass defense rule (no contact past five yards) as Head Coach Chris Jones muttered, “Every play’s a penalty”.

7 – It’s not all business.  The Riders’ John Murphy suggested playing a joke on CKRM football analyst Luc Mullinder saying, “Let’s tell him we want him to come out of retirement and take a few reps”.  I smirked, “The joke’s on you!  Luc doesn’t want to come out of retirement”.  Mullinder quipped that he pulled a hamstring just watching the 40-yard dash timing on Sunday.

8 – New receivers coach Markus Howell came up and introduced himself while I was standing on the sidelines.  I told him who I was and what I do and he smiled, “I know you!  You’re the one who starts all the drama!”  Guilty as charged.

9 – 1966 Grey Cup champion Roughrider defensive lineman Moe Levesque was an onlooker at Monday’s workout.  The Ottawa product retired to nearby Fort Pierce, Florida and was excited to come out and watch his old team.

10 – The minicamp wraps up on Wednesday with another back-to-back two-a-day workout beginning at 8:30 am ET.  We’ll be on the air again with the SportsCage at 4:00 pm Sask Time live from Dodgertown.

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QUOTABLE

JOHN MURPHY ON DAY 2 COMPARED TO DAY 1

JM:  You see the guys who took care of themselves and had fresh legs and then you see a couple of guys in the first hour that the heat and the grind may have gotten to them a little bit.  I like that we had a lot of moving pieces today like halfbacks playing corner, cornerbacks playing half, the slots are going stationary and vice versa and you’re getting a full evaluation.  The first time some of these guys covered the waggle they may have looked bad but you want them to be able to get their feet underneath them and give them another look.  You want the players to feel that the look they got was legit, no matter if they get a phone call from us in a week or two or if they don’t.

We saw a good pace and you liked the fact that these guys brought a lot of energy to the field.  And if you wonder why we brought some extra staff members and ancilliary people around, that’s the reason why; to have guys running to the ball and know what we’re asking them to do.  Now it’s just about pushing through to the end.  What did you learn the first two days?  Can you not think about tomorrow in both a positive or negative way?  Are you not thinking about going home or can you get over the bad play you had yesterday or today?  Can you finish off well?  Because there’s a lot of guys that can make or break themselves ahead with their attitude, their actions in the classroom, how they accept coaching and if they finish off strong.

DL COACH ED PHILION

EP:  Usually your biggest progress is made between Day 1 and Day 2, just like careers and the difference between Year 1 and Year 2.  People get familiar with things but we’re still real early in the process.  But what we’ve seen so far talent-wise, this is my fourth minicamp, and talent-wise, I think this group probably has the most talent I think.

You talk to the other coaches and you ask how many guys they could see potentially making our roster and there are four or five at each position.  When you’ve got 40 or so players sitting back home (under contract) already, you just gotta do the numbers.  There’s going to be some tough decisions but that’s the position you want to be in as a coach.

WR JORDAN REAVES ON HIS SWITCH TO DB

JR:  Oh I’m having fun.  I’m having a lot of fun.  Sunday was moreso learning the concepts and today was moreso learning them.  When I learn a concept one time, it sticks to me.  I’m a quick learner and a good learner.  I’ve never been on the defensive side of the field before so it’s definitely a change but I like change.  But it’s fun.  When Coach Jones first told me to go to safety I was a little apprehensive about it but it’s fun.  I’ve been smiling the whole time, especially when I understood the concepts and saw it working.

RB CHEVON WALKER

CW:  I feel good just coming out here and picking up the offense and where I left off.  It’s kind of the same offense we had in Ottawa with Jason Maas so it’s second nature to me.  I’m just trying to do the things they said I wasn’t doing in the past.  I’m just playing ball and it’s good to be out here with the guys.

Honestly I can’t even tell you what happened in Ottawa.  They said I wasn’t doing a couple of things they asked me to do and that’s where it’s at.  But that chapter is closed and I’m trying to open a new chapter.  I’m just thankful to be out here with these guys and I’m just happy Coach Jones extended the opportunity for me to be out here.  I’m trying to do my best and leave it in the coaches’ hands.

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RP
@rodpedersen