That’s OK, because it felt like football weather at the University of Saskatchewan. I sure hope that it warms up as we head deeper in training camp. I didn’t come prepared for a long stretch of cool weather.
Training camp opened with a walk through. It’s not very exciting, but I like the concept. It gives the players a chance to adapt to the new schemes and that kind of stuff before this afternoon’’s full practice. It’s a big change from the old days of football when camp opened with hitting.
With that in mind, here are a few musings and mutterings after the first, er, workout.
– There were about 100 folks on hand for the walk through. I expect more fans to be here for the afternoon session, which starts at 3 p.m.
– The Riders announced their guest coaches before the morning session. Angus Reid is among the most notable of the four guest coaches. He’s a two-time Grey Cup champion and spent 11 seasons as centre Dan Dorazio with the Lions. The two are reunited here for training camp. Reid looks like he could still play.
– The Riders also announced the signing of international kicker Ray Early and international defensive lineman Cameron Sheffield.
– Darian Durant was the focus of attention, as expected. He said his elbow is ready, but added he still has to test the arm in pre-season action. The Riders aren’t concerned about the health of Durant’s elbow, but they will watch how much he throws during mini-camp.
– LS/DE Levi Steinhauer watched the walkthrough with an undisclosed injury. Head coach Corey Chamblin suggested it was something that happened during training for training camp. Steinhauer’s status is expected to be day to day.
– Rams head coach Mike Gibson was among the interested observers at the walk through. Gibson, who said he would never say the University of Saskatchewan during his introductory press conference earlier this year, said he was only up north to look at the some players.
– Kevin Glenn is a going to be a valuable addition to the Riders. I asked him about his role and he said he was here to be a teammate. Glenn and Durant were already good friends before training camp started. There isn’t any doubt that Durant is the No. 1 quarterback. The Riders just have some backing with a proven veteran in Glenn.
– Remember to head over to leaderpost.com later for all of our training camp coverage. I’ll also be providing blogs and video blogs throughout training camp.
