Okay so I said I would get this posted on Monday and I'm two days late. Please forgive me! I have sadly been down and out with a severe case of the allergies. Yuck! Why must there be living things outside? Can't we just pave it all? No pollen. No mold. No trees. My sinuses and eyeballs would be so happy.
Anywho... back to some football. Rookie camp starts today, but the new recruits won't be taking to the field. Tomorrow is the scheduled first practice.
First up, let's get the controversy out of the way... Odell Willis was popped for a DUI back wherever he's from (North Carolina? I forgot to keep track). Anyway, the court case got delayed so he's set for training camp. As much as I'd like to preach about principles, I kinda think this guy (despite the attitude) will be a starter for the Green and White. I do hope his attitude is kept in check. I really don't want all the good will this team has gained over the last few years to evaporate because some prima donna forgot his manners at home. And if I were Chamblin I would make sure Willis was never behind the of a golf cart while in Canada.
But that's just me.
Willis and Shologan (vet) will be the picks for the defensive line. Whoever else Chamblin picks I'm certain will be big and athletic. It seems to be a theme with their new picks.
Over on the O-line we've got Picard, Heenan and LaBatte. Big dudes coming off huge seasons in 2011. The key difference this year is they will be playing for the good guys - us! Darian may actually enjoy some protection this year instead of spending an inordinate amount of time during games running for his life.
Other guys to watch: Johan Asiata and Xavier Fulton.
As for running back, with Wes Cates gone (wow, that's weird to think about... no more snap the ball, give the back to Cates, go for three yards, fall down and repeat) this may turn out to be the biggest battle of training camp. Brandon West will return to the Riders camp with the rest of the vets on Saturday. In the meantime Kory Sheets, Louis Rankin, DeShawn Wynn and Demetrius Crawford will be showing off for the coaches.
West is still the youngest. Nothing the other dudes can do about that.Watch this battle for starter rights heat up big time.
As for quarterback... gosh are there other QBs in camp?
Of course there are! Some fine looking specimens too. Colt Brennan offers up an interesting story as he's come through a lot of adversity. He had a promising start in the NFL when he led all rookie QBs in the pre-season. He also smashed a bunch of records when he played for the University of Hawaii.
Now I haven't touched on the receivers at all. But seriously, I don't think anyone is too worried about having guys that can catch the ball. We've got Dressler, Bagg and Getz all returning. I'm confident between those guys and some of the newer guys there will be someone catching those perfect spirals in the end zone. I am more concerned about finding guys to protect Double D and some defensive guys who know how to make the opposition hurt.
I think we're getting there.
Pre-season doesn't last long, so lets hope these recruits can get it together fast.
Cheer long. Cheer loud! Go GREEN!
P.S. For a much more comprehensive rookie preview from someone much smarter than me, check out Jamie Nye's blog here.
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