Hampton's McDaniel has breakout game in Hamilton Ti-Cats win

Hamilton, Ontario Canada - Hamilton Tiger-Cats head coach Marcel Bellefeuille spent 30 minutes this week talking to his players about pressure. Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Greg Marshall may be asking for a copy of that speech.

The Ticats dominated the Roughriders 33-3 on Saturday in front of 22,245 fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Hamilton improves to 1-2, while Saskatchewan falls to 0-3. It is first time the Roughriders have opened a Canadian Football League season with three consecutive losses since 2000, when they finished 5-12-1.

"We got our . hats handed to us," Marshall said. "I told the guys at halftime (that), if they weren't embarrassed by their performance in the first half, then they were in the wrong business. We have to do a better job of coaching, and they have to do a better job of playing." Hamilton led 23-0 at the break and did not let up.



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In addition to Hampton University's WR/KR Marquay McDaniel, other former HBCU players on the roster of Hamilton are: DB Marcell Young - Jackson State; DE Darius Power - Fayetteville State (Practice Roster); and DE Stevie Bragg - Bethune Cookman. For Saskatchewan, DL Remond Willis - Tennessee State and Patrick Brown - Bethune-Cookman made the Roughriders' practice roster.

Former Alcorn State receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux headed to Minnesota Vikings

VANCOUVER - It might be a long, long stretch to suggest that Emmanuel Arceneaux is going to become the next Donald Driver. But Driver too was undersold when he was drafted in the seventh round in 1999 by the Green Bay Packers out of Alcorn State, a small, historically black university in Lorman, Miss. Driver went on to become the Packers all-time leading receiver.

Arceneaux, another unheralded Alcorn State prospect, from the NFL's perspective, will have his signing with the Minnesota Vikings officially confirmed today after he and his agent, Bardia Ghahremani, reached agreement on a three-year, $1.8 million deal early Saturday morning with the club.



New receiver took Canadian detour to NFL

Emmanuel Arceneaux wondered if his football career was over when he wasn't selected in the 2009 NFL draft after his career at Alcorn State.

He figured he might end up "sitting at home on the couch and just working a normal job." He chose a different path and headed to the Canadian Football League. Now, after two productive seasons with the B.C. Lions, Arceneaux is set to sign a three-year deal with the Vikings.

The contract could be worth as much as $1.8 million and includes a $75,000 signing bonus.

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B.C. Lions: Printers' game was figuratively lame

Sacked quarterback kept bum knee under wraps to the point it crippled his skills. Former Florida A&M University Rattlers quarterback Printers played for Lions after 3rd game with a partial tear of his ACL and a torn meniscus in right knee, while B.C. Lions kept info on the hush-hush from league.

CALGARY - Quarterback Casey Printers still hasn't lost the ability to excite and inflame the passion of Lions fans, even when he is no longer a Lion.

On Thursday, TSN reported that Printers had undergone surgery on his right knee, eight days after his release by the Lions, and the news spurred those who believed Printers had stoically suffered in silence during his disappointing second go-round with the team to view him in a much different, more heroic light.

"I suspected all along that he was suffering the effects of his knee injury," said a blogger known as the Lion King, just one of many who weighed in on the lionbackers.com web-site. "Doesn't say much about [Wally] Buono blaming Printers for the Lions' offensive woes."

Printers agreed with team MD's recommendation

Time heals old wounds. It also distorts some facts, Wally Buono said Tuesday. Though Casey Printers is no longer with the B.C. Lions, the coach/GM of the CFL team is still having to answer questions about how the club handled the medical file of his former starting quarterback.

The ACL surgery performed on the right knee of Printers last week again raised questions about whether the Lions put pressure on him to play through the injury, which caused him to sit out three weeks after he was hurt July 16 against Montreal.

Pouncing on Printers no more

There was one less Cadillac Escalade with Texas plates in the parking lot, one less quarterback with an orange jersey at practice and one more open stall in the locker-room. Otherwise, life -- post-Casey Printers -- moved forward for the B.C. Lions Thursday.

"Honestly, it's still very recent," said Travis Lulay, the acknowledged starting quarterback following Printers' release two days ago. "I don't think a ton has changed. It's so new. I wouldn't say the atmosphere is dramatically different without Casey. But I do feel the team and the locker-room is in a good place. And I'm not saying that's because Casey is gone, or if the team would be in a good place with Casey here. It's impossible to say."



Lions release Casey Printers‎

VANCOUVER -- The British Columbia Lions released quarterback Casey Printers on Wednesday. The 29-year-old started the first three games of the season before suffering a knee injury. He returned as a starter for Week 8 loss to Calgary, but had been relegated to backup status for the last two games against Winnipeg.

"At this time, we believe it's in the best interest of our club to part ways and move forward," said Lions head coach and general manager Wally Buono. "We wish Casey the very best." Printers finished his 2010 tenure at B.C. with 1,731 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Former Lions QB Printers speaks about his recent release

After being released by the B.C. Lions on Thursday, Casey Printers' CFL future is up in the air. A statement from Printers passed on through his representative to CFL Insider Dave Naylor expressed his thoughts on the Lions' decision, the team's playoff chances and what comes next for the 29-year-old quarterback.

"It was with surprise and disappointment that I received the news of my release," said Printers. "I remained confident that we had an outstanding opportunity to challenge for the Grey Cup down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Casey under the knife

The next team to take a shot with Casey Printers will have to wait until he recovers from ACL surgery he underwent Thursday. A report by TSN, which had the first word on Printers last weekend, indicated the former Lions quarterback underwent the procedure in Vancouver, which would hardly come as a surprise to Wally Buono.

Though he did not provide details at the time of his release a week ago, Buono told Printers the club would look after the costs of his medical recovery as he was going out the door.

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Former CFL Star Baggs Preparing for NFL

Warren Moon, Doug Flutie and Jeff Garcia dominated the CFL for years before becoming stars in the NFL. Joe Theisman, Raghib “Rocket” Ismail and Mike Sellers used the CFL to mature before having very successful NFL careers. Marv Levy cut his teeth as the head coach in Montreal before taking the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowls.

Cardinals’ linebacker Stevie Baggs hopes to be the next CFL success story as he’ll look to make an impact for Arizona’s pass rush in 2010.

After three straight All-American seasons at Bethune-Cookman, Baggs, nicknamed “Shakespeare” in college, spent time on the practice squad for Detroit and Jacksonville.

Baggs then moved north and was a run-of-the-mill player for four seasons in Winnipeg, Edmonton and Saskatchewan until last season. The Ft. Lauderdale native broke out in 2009, tallying 55 tackles, 11 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception. Those efforts earned Baggs Defensive Player of the Week honors on three different occasions.



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FAMU's Printers suffers hamstring injury in Lions' loss to Riders

Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) - British Columbia Lions starting quarterback Casey Printers suffered an apparent leg injury in the final minute of the first half of Saturday's 37-18 loss against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Printers was taken down by defensive end Brent Hawkins when he was hurt and limped gingerly off the field. Travis Lulay played under center for the second half. "I could've played but I couldn't risk making it worse. It was a precautionary thing to sit back. It's a long season," Printers said. Prior to suffering the injury, Printers completed 10-of-14 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown.

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Video Highlights: SSK 37, BC 18

BC Lions' had a brilliant night – except for the football

VANCOUVER — It was a great night for the lions. Stoic and noble, glorious and indomitable – those were the lions on the North Shore mountains. For the Lions down on the field, playing the first outdoor regular-season Canadian Football League game since 1982, B.C.'s football team was far eclipsed by its stadium. The Lions were far eclipsed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders, too, losing 37-18 in a game that dulled the nostalgia of returning to Empire Field for the 2010 season.

The two best lions were those peaks in the Coast Range overlooking English Bay and Burrard Inlet. The only B.C. Lion close to them was Geroy Simon, whose first-half jumpball catch on Casey Printers' 32-yard heave-ho and a garbage-time grab of Travis Lulay's bomb for a 98-yard touchdown gave his team an illusion of competitiveness.

Roughriders spoil Lions' return to Empire lands before a sold-out crowd

VANCOUVER — The Empire didn't strike back, it struck out. Saskatchewan Roughriders stopped a five-game Lions win' streak against them at Hastings and Cassiar - albeit one that stretched back 28 years - as they crushed B.C. 37-18 before a sold-out crowd of 27,500 at Empire Field Saturday night. The game was the first CFL game played outdoors in Vancouver since the 1982 season at the former site of Empire Stadium, demolished after the Lions moved to BC Place a year later.

And demolished pretty much described the state of the Lions after their first regular-season game at Empire Field, the temporary, $15 million structure that is the team's contingency home while BC Place undergoes renovations for a retractable roof.

The Lions lost starting quarterback Casey Printers late in the second quarter with a strained quad muscle after he was flushed out of the pocket by defensive end Brent Hawkins, who was a monster all evening for the Roughriders. Besides his constant raids into the Lions backfield, Hawkins forced a fumble when he tackled Travis Lulay - Printers' replacement - then picked up the loose ball to score Saskatchewan's fourth touchown on 40-yard fumble return.


#1 Quarterback Casey Printers (FAMU)

CFLGame Video:

• Week 2: Roughriders vs. LionsPlay

Highlights: CGY 23, HAM 22

Highlights: TOR 36, WPG 34

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Former FAMU's Printers serves up completions and contradictions

There is a wariness to Casey Printers born out of an unshakable belief that he's been plagued throughout his turbulent football career by the ill-formed perceptions of others. It's why, we suspect, that when approached after a long practice the other day by a reporter with whom he has no prior experience, he does not lay down his helmet and orange jersey-covered shoulder pads. No point it seems in conveying an "I've got time, ask away" message.

So he keeps shifting his equipment from hand to hand as the questions come and his arms tire. And even as he relaxes a bit and begins to let his guard down slightly as he surprisingly allows the minutes to tick on, he never does let the equipment drop. The 29-year-old Texan with the diamond stud earrings and engaging smile is about to embark on the first full season of his second stint with the B.C. Lions. And he remains as complex and contradictory, as puzzling and presumptuous, as ever.

Deciphering Printers is like peeling an onion. One layer gives way to another. The core of who he is remains buried. Few people in life get a second go-round as intriguing as the one Printers has been handed.

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Printers and BC Lions lose a thriller at Empire Field

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Fans at Empire Field were pleased with the facility but not with the result of the game. In their first game in their new temporary home the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League lost 36-32 to the Edmonton Eskimos. It was a last second touchdown pass from Jason Maas to Skyler Green that proved to be the winner for the Eskimos. Overall, the Lions had a pretty good game as starting quarterback Casey Printers (Florida A&M University) got a feel for some of his new receivers and running backs. Printers hooked up with Jamal Robertson twice for a couple of scores.

Big plays also came from Printers as he connected with Jamall Lee for a 95-yard play that resulted in a touchdown. Eskimos linebacker T.J. Hill picked off a Casey Printers pass that went off of Jamel Robertson's hands and went 60 yards for a major score on just the second play from scrimmage for a 7-0 lead 54 seconds in. Printers guided the Lions through the first half and finished the day completing 13-of-22 passes for 263 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Attendance at the first ever game at Empire Field was 24,763. The B.C. Lions ended pre-season with a 1-1 record.

Next Game: SEASON OPENER - Sunday, July 4 at Edmonton Eskimos, 4 p.m.

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Former FAMU Quarterback Casey Printers starter for B.C. Lions

BC Lions look to the past to prepare for 2010 football season‎

With the B.C. Lions set to play home games outdoors for the first time in nearly three decades, much of the talk around the team’s 2010 Canadian Football League season will focus on its past and its ties to the original Empire Stadium on the Pacific National Exhibition grounds. But as the Leos get set to kick off training camp in Kamloops on June 6, head coach and general manager Wally Buono intends to take a different path down memory lane. The man with more CFL coaching wins than anyone else is far more interested in recent history than in nostalgia.

Buono spent much of the off-season trying to figure out how to get his 2010 football club to look and play like the teams he had here four, five, and six years ago, when the Lions truly were kings of the CFL jungle, getting to the Grey Cup in 2004 and winning it all in 2006. Last year, the Lions lost their way as they stumbled to a forgettable 8-10 record. While they managed an overtime win in Hamilton in their playoff opener, they suffered an embarrassing 56-18 thumping one week later at the hands of the eventual champion Montreal Alouettes.

And, of course, there is Casey Printers (Florida A&M University), who comes to camp as the starting quarterback after his much-ballyhooed return to the club late last season. Unlike last year, though, Printers will have the luxury of a full training camp to begin putting his stamp on the Lions. Buono believes that Printers can get his game back to the level it was at in 2004, when he was the CFL’s most outstanding player.

“When he came here last year, he worked hard and won the locker room, and not only excited the players in the locker room but everyone in the organization and the fans,” says Buono. “He wants to lead this team. It’s the number-one position on any football team, and we feel right now we’re in excellent hands. Casey is in the prime of his growth and development as a quarterback.”

"You talk about offence, you talk about excitement, you talk about a guy who raises everybody else up, and the guy that did that for us last year was Casey Printers. I think he excited not only the players in the locker-room, but everybody in the organization and our fans. It was something we needed." -- Coach Wally Buono on his No. 1 QB.

Lowered expectations for once mighty Lions

VANCOUVER — The once-mighty B.C. Lions have fallen from the “expectant” category in the Canadian Football League into the “hopeful” group. In an eight-team league, that’s a precipitous drop and a significant change as the rookies gather on the Hillside Stadium fields of the campus of Thompson River University in Kamloops, B.C., for the beginning of training camp on Wednesday.

There are, of course, reasons and explanations for the downgrade. Foremost is team performance the last two seasons in which the Lions, firstly, were bumped from the top perch by the Calgary Stampeders (2008); then forced to qualify for playoffs by crossing over to the East Division when their ugly 8-10 record was superior to two woeful teams in the have-not division.

Heading to camp, instead of grand expectations, the Lions are hoping quarterback Casey Printers is, indeed, the answer to revitalizing a moribund offence. They are hoping they have the line protection needed so Printers or Jarious Jackson or Travis Lulay will have time to look off their primary receiver without fear they are going to be killed by the blind-side rush. Heading for Kamloops, they are hoping that, at 33, running back Jamal Robertson has one more good year in him or until Jamall Lee can get his feet under him. They are hoping they discover another Emmanuel Arceneaux to augment established stars Geroy Simon and Paris Jackson.

LIONS ROAR INTO HILLSIDE

Local football fans are in for a treat. For the next 17 days, the B.C. Lions will be at Hillside Stadium preparing for the upcoming Canadian Football League season. The action gets underway today (June 2) with the beginning of the team’s rookie camp, followed by full two-a-days beginning this weekend. Between June 6 and June 19, the squad will practice twice each day on the artificial turf at Hillside. The only exception will be June 13, when the Lions face the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a CFL exhibition game in Regina.

Jeff Putnam, sport development and business operations manager with the City of Kamloops, said the fact the Lions are holding training camp in the Tournament Capital speaks volumes about the city’s facilities. “It means a lot with an outward perspective,” he said. “It solidifies the fact that our facilities are at a professional calibre.” And it means a lot for local football fans. On-field training camp practice sessions are open to the public — and there’s no charge.

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CFL Game of the Week, Eastern Semi: BC 34 ...

Starring Casey Printers, B.C. Lions, (FAMU); Hamilton WR Marquay McDaniel (Hampton University) and Hamilton RB Martell Mallet (Arkansas-Pine Bluff). Mallet is now 2010 member of NFL Philadelphia Eagles.

Click here to listen to Casey Printers on the TEAM 1040

B.C. Lions sign quarterback Casey Printers to contract extension ...

Just as he was during a magical run in the summer of 2004, Casey Printers is once again the go-to guy for the B.C. Lions. The Canadian Football League's Most Outstanding Player in that 2004 season returned to the Lions Den late last year and showed enough in limited action for the team to anoint him its starting quarterback moving forward. That was made official when the two sides agreed to a new contract on Sunday (March 7).

It's been an interesting six years for Printers since he left the Lions to pursue his dream of playing in the National Football League. When that didn't pan out, he returned to the CFL and had a less than successful stint with the Hamilton Tiger Cats. Printers looked like he may have played himself out of professional football at this time last year when there were no takers for his services. But when the Lions ran into injury problems at the most important position on the field last September, they reached out to Printers, who jumped at the chance to resurrect his career and led the Lions to a playoff win in Hamilton and showed enough to earn the new deal.

He's only 28, an age when many pro quarterbacks are coming into their primes. It seems the professional hardships he's been through may have given Casey Printers some perspective and allowed him to mature. He's got the physical tools to play the game as he displayed with his electrifying performances six seasons ago. And now he's got the contract he was looking for and the starter's job that goes with it. He's taken a less than conventional route to return to his roots, but Casey Printers is back to lead the B.C. Lions in 2010.

Lions release Champion

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The B.C. Lions' remake of the quarterbacking depth chart continued Monday with the release of Zac Champion.The Louisiana Tech grad was mostly a third-and fourth-stringer in his two years with the Lions, although a rash of injuries last season meant he saw action in one game. He went four-of-14 for 35 yards with two interceptions.

Earlier in the off-season, after re-signing Casey Printers to a long-term deal, the Lions released former starter Buck Pierce. He later signed with Winnipeg. Jarious Jackson, also a onetime starter, and Travis Lulay are the other quarterbacks currently on the depth chart behind Printers. General manger/ head coach Wally Buono expects to add one more thrower before the start of training camp June 6 in Kamloops.

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Saskatchewan Roughriders' training camp: Battle in trenches heated for MEAC stars

Defensive lineman Stevie Baggs (90) and offensive lineman Andrae Townsel have been doing battle at training camp. Baggs and Townsel both played in the MEAC. Baggs, 27, played with the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats and was a three-time all-American. Townsel, 25, played with the Howard University Bison and was an all-MEAC honorable mention in his senior year.

The trenches have already produced some memorable battles during the early days of the Saskatchewan Roughriders' training camp. Some of the more impressive tussles have featured veteran defensive end Stevie Baggs and rookie offensive tackle Andrae Townsel. One can barely step into Mosaic Stadium without hearing that the two have engaged in another epic struggle during one-on-one drills.

"The battles on the field are as intense as they get,'' Townsel said Tuesday after the Riders completed the third day of training camp. "It's almost like game preparations but it's all love. There isn't anything personal. They get it all on film and afterwards we walk to the sideline and tell the guy, 'Good rep, good rep.' ''

From the safety of the sidelines, it doesn't look like a lot of affection is being shown when the offensive and defensive linemen collide in one-on-one drills. It's an intense 20-second battle of wills. "We're just trying to make each other better,'' said Townsel. "He's making me a better offensive tackle and I'm making him a better defensive end.'' Townsel has the size advantage. The native of Detroit is 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds. Baggs, who hails from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is 6-foot-1 and 241 pounds. It's about Townsel's might versus the speed of Baggs. The collisions and skirmishes after the contact are must-see viewing during training camp.

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BC Lions ink receiving trio

(Vancouver) - The BC Lions Football Club announced today that import receivers Dereck Faulkner, Jason Jones and Eric McCain have signed with the team. Faulkner attended Hampton University and recorded 75 career receptions for 1,017 yards and five TD's over four seasons (2003-'06). The native of Lundstuhl, Germany signed as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2007. Jones played three seasons at Arkansas-Pine Bluff where he became just the fifth player in NCAA history to average more than 20 yards per catch for his career. The two-time All-SWAC selection signed as an undrafted free agent with the Buffalo Bills in 2008.

McCain spent two seasons at Glendale Community College ('04-'05) and starred in the 2005 NJCAA championship game notching six catches for 177 yards earning MVP honours. After going undrafted in 2007, McCain most recently spent time with Quad Cities of the Arena2 Football League.

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Printers and Hamilton Ticats have claws after all

Video Highlights: http://watch.tsn.ca/cfl-news-and-highlights/clip64416#clip64416

Excerpt from article:

Led by Jesse Lumsden's 189-yard, two-touchdown rushing night and Casey Printers' smooth-and-patient quarterbacking, the sadsack Ticats looked like a different kind of team: a suddenly dangerous one. The Argos, in contrast, who drew 30,822 for the biggest home-opener head count since 1992, were stunningly ineffective for much of the night. Kerry Joseph, the starting quarterback coming off a championship season in Saskatchewan in which he ran for about 43 yards a game, looked only slightly more mobile than Michael Bishop, the backup QB, and Bishop spent the entire evening standing on the sideline.
















Photo: Former Florida A&M University quarterback Casey Printers lead the Tiger-Cats to a 32-13 victory over the Toronto Argonauts on the road (photo courtesy JOHN SOKOLOWSKI).

The Ticats, meanwhile, attacked with an efficient use of both ground and air, Printers making good on 16 of 23 for 171 yards passing. And it made one wonder how a team that looked positively disorganized a week before – turning it over three times in ceding Montreal the early momentum – could look so estimable. Printers and Lumsden ran zone-read fakes with convincing precision. Lumsden, held to 36 yards on nine carries in the opening-week loss, rushed for 86 yards in last night's first half alone, and the Ticats – who got 75 rushing yards from Tre Smith – tallied 313 yards on the run all told. Lumsden leant two hands on another key play, helping to push Printers into the end zone after Printers – in a quarterback sneak not far from the goal line – hit the wall and needed a little more oomph on his second-effort thrust for six points.

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Big Shoes to Fill, Ti-Cats taking a big step forward

QB Casey Printers (Florida A&M University) rivals some of his offensive linemen. He wears a size 15 shoe, as well.

CFL Hamilton Tiger-Cats starting quarterback Casey Printers


Say this about Hamilton Tiger-Cat offensive line prospects, they certainly have big shoes to fill. Literally. One common trait among six-foot-five-inch pass blockers who tip the scales at 325 pounds is huge feet. We're talking human aircraft carriers here. And a size 15 or 16 football cleat takes an inordinate amount of shoe leather.

Ticat offensive line coach Jeff Bleamer, a former offensive lineman himself and a size 15, said those who ply their trade in the trenches need a set of flatbed trailers to carry the load. "They need big feet for a good base. You don't see too many offensive linemen walking around with a size 10. Most offensive linemen have size 14 and up," Bleamer said, adding the big cleats are a source of power.

Bleamer said the biggest feet he ever saw belonged to one-time Tiger-Cat, Alouette and Philadelphia Eagle offensive lineman Ed George. Size 17. "You could probably fit a small family into size 17," Bleamer quipped.

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QB Casey Printers, 2004 CFL MVP (Age: 27, 5 Year CFL/NFL Veteran)

Getting feel for CFL, Cleve McCoy eager to learn at Bomber camp

Our balls are indeed bigger, our fields more expansive and there are bigger crowds on our gridiron. So, the biggest adjustments to the CFL game have to be made by quarterbacks who grew up with four-down football. And both highly-touted Blue Bomber pivots Bryan Randall and Cleveland McCoy got their first taste of it at Winnipeg's rookie camp before about 200 interested onlookers at Canad Inns Stadium yesterday afternoon.

"It's a different-size ball," said Randall, who still fired some zingers at practice. "The NFL ball's a little thinner than the CFL ball so that will take a little getting used to. But you keep throwing the ball over and over with more reps, you get a better feel for it.

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(Casey Printers) Ticats expect to be right in thick of it

Photo: Former Florida A&M quarterback Casey Printers will try to jump start his CFL career with the extra baggage of being the highest paid player in the Canadian Football League for the lowly Hamilton Ti-cats.

We expect to be right in there competing with them," Taaffe said. "We played very competitively most of the time. That's part of the growing process. When you've got a chance to win in the fourth quarter, that's the next step, learning how to close the deal."

The feeling is having Casey Printers at quarterback from the start of the season (he joined the Cats mid-2007) could go a long way to this team's return to the post-season. But will an improved Printers be enough to make up for weaknesses throughout the roster?

That's where veteran CFL talent guru Bob O'Billovich enters the picture, taking over as Hamilton's GM. Known for unearthing talent, most recently for the B.C. Lions, O'Billovich has also been forced to address a losing climate in Steeltown.

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New Blue QBs can run like the wind

Photo: Former South Carolina State University QB Cleve McCoy is now a Winnipeg Blue Bomber.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers' playbook is about to get a little fatter and -- Doug Berry has his fingers crossed -- the offence a whole lot more difficult to defend.

The Bombers finally made official on Tuesday what has been speculated for days when they announced the additions of quarterbacks Bryan Randall and Cleve McCoy, both Canadian Football League neophytes. But what's intriguing about the two transactions isn't just the addition of QB depth behind incumbents Kevin Glenn and Ryan Dinwiddie, it's about the skill set they will both begin showcasing with the opening of rookie camp next Wednesday.

Simply put, both Randall and McCoy tore it up in college by using their legs to help open up the pass -- McCoy rushed for 823 yards last year for South Carolina State; Randall had 511 yards along the ground as a senior at Virginia Tech in 2004.

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Casey Printers mania grips CFL Tiger-Cats fans

Former Florida A&M University quarterback Casey Printers is the CFL highest paid player and the starting QB for the Hamilton Tiger- Cats.

The new face of the Hamilton Tiger-Cat franchise has filled soup bowls for the poor, built houses for the homeless, phoned season-ticket subscribers and yesterday drove the lane to score points in a charity basketball game.

Actually scoring points is what Casey and his sunshine band of Ticat promotional, media and community staff have been doing a lot of. During and after a Cops and Cats charity basketball tilt yesterday against the Hillfield-Strathallan Trojans, quarterback Casey Printers was mobbed by throngs of smiling school kids.

Printers said he has a few more trips to Hamilton planned from his home in Houston before camp.

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Printers transferred to FAMU in 2002, from Texas Christian University where he led the Horned Frogs to three straight BCS bowl games. He was attracted to playing in FAMU's high powered 'Gulf Coast Offense' under legendary Coach William "Billy Joe."

After graduating from FAMU, Printers signed with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League, where he rose from third-string quarterback in 2003, to be named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2004 season, leading the Lions toward an appearance in the 92nd Grey Cup. The CFL MVP threw for 5,088 yards, 36 touchdowns in 2004.

Printers left Canada in 2006, and signed a free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL. He spent the 2006/07 seasons on the Chiefs practice squad, never getting activated to play in a regular season game.

In September 2007, the Tiger-Cats put an offer on the table that lured Printers back to the CFL. Printers said good bye to Herm Edwards and the K.C. Chiefs practice/developmental squad, and then signed a three contract worth $500,000 per season that includes an option for a fourth year and makes him the highest-paid player in the league.

Casey Printers and Quinn Gray (Houston Texans) are the only FAMU quarterbacks currently playing at the major level of professional football. Both played under Coach Billy Joe and his famous Gulf Coast Offense.

Casey is 26 years old and a native of DeSoto, Texas.

Website: http://www.ticats.ca/

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Former FAMU QB Casey Printers now highest paid player in CFL

The report coming out of Canada this afternoon indicates that former Florida A&M University and MEAC quarterback Casey Printers has returned to the Canadian Football League to continue his pro football career. Printers had signed in February 2006 with the NFL Kansas City Chiefs and had remained on the practice squad. He was cut this past Saturday and was offered an opportunity to resign with the Chiefs as a practice squad player for the current season at about $200,000 annually. He was only activated for one game at the number three QB spot for the Chiefs during last season.

Printers gave the Chiefs a kindly good bye and was being courted by five of the seven CFL teams. It is reported that Printers has signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at about $500,000 per season, making him the highest paid player in the CFL. Hamilton out-bid both Montreal and Toronto for the services of the 26-year veteran quarterback.

Printers player previously for the British Columbia Lions from 2003 to 2005 and was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player in 2004. He is considered a franchise player in both skills and the ability to put butts in seats in the CFL.

For more information on this developing story, please check back later.

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