Afternoon Thoughts From Training Camp

I was at McMaster for today's afternoon training camp session and the first thing I noticed was how spirited this practice was compared to the others that I have attended. Guys were yapping more and seemed to very fired up. It made for one of the more interesting sessions I've seen so far this season. Here are a few other things I noticed:

• During one-on-one drills, Jamall Johnson was an absolute beast. The running backs were tasked with blocking the linebackers and no one could block Johnson.

• Nathan Kanya also performed well during the same drills. The second-year player was very impressive and manhandled more than a couple of players that were attempting to block him.

• The team ran no huddle for a portion of their 12-on-12 drills today. I had not seen that during any of the previous practices I attended. It was very interesting to watch, and hear, what both the offense and defense will do during no huddle situations.

• For the first time, I saw Avon Cobourne participate during 12-on-12 drills. He was the third running back behind Chevon Walker and James Berezik.

• Carlos Thomas continued to sit out, but the walking boot he was sporting on Monday is gone.

• Today was the most vocal I have heard George Cortez. Normally I hear him, but not as much as I did today. His assistants are the ones I normally hear, but today Cortez seemed to talk more than normal.

• In perhaps the best news of the day, Marwan Hage did some hitting for, what I think, is the first time since his injury. He was the first-team centre during 12-on-12 drills and while I still doubt that he will play against the Bombers, I wouldn't doubt that he'll be in the starting lineup for the opener against Saskatchewan.

• The team ended practice by singing "Happy Birthday" to Luca Congi. Congi turned 29 today.

The Ti-Cats will stage their second Black & Gold Day of the year tomorrow afternoon at Nelson High School in Burlington. The players will take the field at 4:00PM with an autograph session following the practice. I should be there and will report back tomorrow on what I see.