So I’m back at practice after a somewhat extended bye week. The Ticats kinda got hosed by the CFL schedule maker, who has them playing on the Wednesday following what supposed to be a week off, meaning what they really got was about four days.
That said, they’ll have another ten days between Wednesday’s game in Winnipeg and their next match up in B.C. on Aug. 13.
Some things worth knowing:
• there’s no sign of Johnny Sears at practice today so it looks like Rico Murray will move to the SAM linebacker spot with Dominique Ellis sliding in to the boundary halfback spot. That means the Ticats will have to add another designated import to the roster to play special teams and provide injury insurance
• head coach Kent Austin said yesterday that Zach Collaros wouldn’t play this week, so it’s hardly a surprise that Jeremiah Masoli is taking the first team reps at quarterback and Jeff Mathews is running the second unit.
Collaros has, however, started working in full 12-on-12 situations – he was running the scout team offence today against the first defensive unit. Previously, he’d been doing only seven-on-seven, or skelly, without a pass rush in his face.
That’s progress. It means they’re comfortable letting Collaros move around more on his injured knee, make cuts and change direction suddenly – all things he’ll need to do in a game. Today I watched Collaros roll to his right and throw a deep ball on the run, using his right (injured) leg to launch himself as he threw…
• the Ticats generally run a first-team offence with their starters, then a second unit with the back ups and practice roster players. But centre Mathieu Girard is running both units so he can get twice the reps in.
• offensive tackle Jake Olson, who suffered a torn patella in his knee during the same game in which Collaros was injured last season, was on the sidelines doing some rehab work. The recovery time for that injury is generally a year – it’s the same one Peter Dyakowski suffered in the 2013 Grey Cup – but Olson is hoping to be back by Labour Day…
