Canadian Football League: Hampton's McDaniel shines in win over Alouettes

Pre-Season Recap: Montreal 20, Hamilton 57


HBCU Players on defending Grey Cup Champion Montreal Alouettes Roster:
34 Marc, Emmanuel RB Import 5.11 200 17-11-1982 Delaware State
29 Jones, Kitwana DE Import 6.00 240 07-07-1981 Hampton

HBCU Players on Hamilton Tiger-Cats Roster:
37 Young, Marcell DB Import 6.02 200 1987-09-02 Jackson State
97 Powell, Darius DE Import 6.03 225 1988-09-17 Fayetteville State (Practice Roster)
6 McDaniel, Marquay WR Import 5.10 205 1984-04-20 Hampton (Injured List)
55 Baggs, Stevie DE Import 6.02 240 1981-12-30 Bethune-Cookman

Edmonton Eskimos trade for former N.Carolina A&T O-lineman

Edmonton, AB Canada - The Edmonton Eskimos have acquired import offensive lineman Junius Coston from the Calgary Stampeders in exchange for future considerations.

Coston (6-4, 325 lbs) was a fifth round selection by Green Bay in the 2005 NFL Draft. The North Carolina A&T State University Aggies product played 16 games for the Packers from 2005 – 2007. He also had stints with Detroit and Oakland. He most recently played with Omaha in the UFL in 2010.


#72 WR Patrick Brown, first year free agent player from Bethune-Cookman catches first TD of 2011 pre-season for Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The versatile Coston played guard, centre and tackle during his collegiate career and was invited to play in the 2005 Senior Bowl. He signed as a free agent with Calgary on May 18, 2011.

Junius Coston
OL
North Carolina A&T
(Import)
Height 6.04 Weight 325 lbs
Born: November 5, 1983, Framingham, MA
Yrs Esks: 1st
Yrs CFL: 1st

By ESKS.com Staff

Former B-CU QB Matt Johnson signed by CFL BC Lions

VANCOUVER, Canada - The BC Lions have added a fifth quarterback for training camp with the signing of Matt Johnson. Johnson played four seasons with Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida where he led the Wildcats to a school-best record of 10-2 and a share of the 2010 MEAC Championship.

The Lions are expected to add a sixth quarterback before rookies report to camp June 2 in Kamloops. BC is talking with University of California-Berkeley quarterback Kevin Riley. Lions coach and general manager Wally Buono says if a team "is going to be in excess at any position, it should be at the quarterback position."


Videographer: rbcoach2

BC Lions Signs Former Bethune-Cookman QB Matt Johnson

Vancouver - The BC Lions Football Club announced today that quarterback Matt Johnson has signed with the team.

Johnson appeared in 32 games over four seasons at Bethune-Cookman throwing for a total of 3,283 yards on 243 completions as well as 18 TD’s. As a senior, Johnson led the Wildcats to a program-best 10-2 record and a share of the 2010 MEAC Championship. He led the conference in total offense with 2,514 total yards and passing average, connecting on 65.1 percent of his throws (140/215). He also ranked second in the MEAC and FCS in passing efficiency (152.5) and sixth in the MEAC in scoring touchdowns (20).

The Lions also added import running backs Tim Brown and Michael Smith. All three signings will attend BC Lions rookie camp slated to begin in Kamloops, BC on Thursday, June 2nd.

Matt Johnson described as a Damon Allen type

VANCOUVER - Three years ago, the B.C. Lions added a rookie quarterback to their training camp roster who was billed as the next coming of Tracy Ham, a 2010 inductee into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

But the book on Omar Haugabook turned out to be more baloney than prosciutto. The “electrifying” Haugabook short-circuited in rookie camp and was released before the CFL team’s main camp opened.

Thus, Tuesday’s announced training camp addition of a “Damon Allen type” quarterback – Matt Johnson from Florida’s Bethune-Cookman University – must be greeted with not a pinch, but a pickup truck load of salt. Johnson will arrive at training camp in Kamloops 72,381 yards in arrears of Allen, pro football’s all-time passing leader and a four-time Grey Cup winning quarterback.

For now, the only area of comparison is their ectomorphic body types. Johnson is listed at 5-10, 175 pounds. Allen was a will-o’-the-whipish 6-1, 175, and almost impossible to hit squarely because of his elusiveness.

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VISIT: BETHUNE COOKMAN UNIVERSITY
VISIT: B-CUATHLETICS
VISIT: BCLIONS

B-CU's Baggs chooses stability over NFL spot

Former Bethune-Cookman standout Stevie Baggs got a taste of the National Football League this fall, but found life north of the border more to his liking. The Canadian Football League's sacks leader last year, Baggs spent all of training camp and the preseason with the Arizona Cardinals before being released in the final cut of players Sept. 3.

The Cardinals initially asked the 28-year-old to hang around on their practice squad before doing an about-face and going with younger players. "My main objective was to see if I could go play in the NFL, and I proved to myself that I could do that," Baggs said. "I've been with several teams, but that was my first (NFL).



It's all in the Baggs

Free agent defensive end Stevie Baggs has come to terms with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on a two-year contract plus an option. Baggs, formerly of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders, was a final cut of the National Football League's Arizona Cardinals.

The Ticats gave Baggs a $50,000 signing bonus with a weekly salary of $5,000 ($400,000 over 3 seasons). The Roughriders were in play for Baggs' services, offering the same weekly salary, but a signing bonus of just $25,000. The Alouettes were also in the running, having contacted Baggs three times and had a compensation package similar to Hamilton's.

Shakespeare pens a CFL hit

Stevie Baggs will not tell you the name of the New York Giants scout that he swears told Baggs he should forget about playing football because he was pigeon-toed. But he can rattle off a list of athletes like him: Bullet Bob Hayes, Dominique Wilkins, Jackie Robinson, Ed Reed …

“Pigeon-toed,” the Hamilton Tiger-Cats defensive end said, as he peeled away from a sideline scrum at Ivor Wynne Stadium for a separate 1-on-1 interview. “All of them. I’ve researched this. I’m serious. [Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker] Barrin Simpson is, too. It doesn’t hinder me at all.”

In seven games with the Ticats, Baggs has 23 tackles, five sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and three fumbles recoveries, as well as two touchdowns.

Ticats' Baggs takes defensive honours

HAMILTON, — Stevie Baggs could be in Arizona, he might be making National Football League money but it’s doubtful he could be having more fun than he is with the Ticats. “The biggest thing I see here is that its actually a team and guys get along off the field,” said Baggs after being named the CFL’s defensive player of the month, Tuesday.  “It’s not about egos. It’s not about who is the better player, who does this or that. I feel a genuine camaradarie among the guys and that’s something that’s different here.”

Ticats try to explain missed opportunities

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats cleaned out their lockers at Ivor Wynne Stadium on Tuesday while still processing how their once promising season came to an end. Hamilton lost to the Toronto Argonauts 16-13 on Sunday in the Canadian Football League East Division semi-final. The Ticats made a number of mistakes during the game, which allowed the Argos to steal a victory even though they did not complete a pass longer than 12 yards. Hamilton players addressed some of the issues that contributed to the disappointing result on Tuesday. Here is a list of the miscues and what the players had to say about each one:

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Bruised, battered, but winners: CFL B.C. Lions 38, Montreal 17

Former FAMU quarterback Casey Printers returned to action from a knee injury as the Lion starter and completed 14 of 28 passes for 235 yard and two touchdowns over the East Division leader, Alouettes.

It still made a lot of sense to look the other way when watching the Lions as has so often been the case during the torturous first half of their CFL season. But for a change it had nothing to do with what they did while slapping around everyone on the Montreal Alouettes with the exception of injured quarterback Anthony Calvillo, whose value to the Grey Cup champions was never more apparent in the Lions' 38-17 win Friday.

The area around the B.C. bench was not for those troubled by misplaced body parts, nor did you want to be around coach/GM Wally Buono trying to figure out how many healthy bodies he will have to replace when his boys face the Toronto Argonauts Saturday at Empire Field.

Korey Banks was first. He had four fingers on his right hand going one way and his ring digit in a different location after an injury in the third quarter. Trainer Bill Reichelt had Banks look somewhere other than the field when he realigned the finger so he could continue.

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Former JCSU football standout fits in with Montreal Alouettes

Former Johnson C. Smith University All-America De’Audra Dix (#35 in photo) is in his second season with the Canadian Football Leauge’s Montreal Alouettes.

De’Audra Dix is making the transition to playing cornerback in the Canadian Football League. Learning a new language, however, is more challenging.

Dix, a former Johnson C. Smith All-America, is in his second season with the Montreal Alouettes. After sitting the bench during the Alouettes’ 2009 Grey Cup championship run, he’s earned a spot in the starting lineup. Getting past the language hurdles in predominantly French-speaking Montreal is a different matter.

“I’ve learned a little French, but I kind of talk fast and my teammates don’t understand me anyway,” the Merritt Island, Florida, native said. “There are guys on the team who speak French and when you hear it enough you kind of understand what they’re saying, but I’m not fluent in it at all.” Dix, 26, is becoming more fluent as a cornerback in the pass-oriented CFL. Because the Canadian game is played on a field that is longer and wider than the American standard, defenders have to be quicker to compete. In his first start, a 54-51 loss to Saskatchewan in the season opener, he was credited with a pair of tackles and forced a fumble.

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MEAC/SWAC/CIAA/SIAC Players in the CFL.

# Name Pos I/N HT WT Birthdate College

B.C. Lions
1 Printers, Casey QB Import 6.02 225 1981-05-16 Florida A&M University
63 Olafioye, Jovan OL Import 6.06 325 1987-12-16 N.C. Central
84 Arceneaux, Emmanuel WR Import 6.02 211 1987-09-17 Alcorn State

Edmonton Eskimos
99 Pettway, Kenneth DE Import 6'3 248 1982-11-13 Grambling State
37 Williams, Roderick DB Import 5'11 180 1987-05-27 Alcorn State (Practice Squad)

Calgary Stampeders
94 Landry, Mike DL Import 6.03 266 1978-12-12 Southern University

Saskatchewan Roughriders
14 Patrick, James S Import 5.11 175 1982-06-07 Stillman College
26 Jones, Kitwana DE Import 6.00 227 1981-07-07 Hampton University
19 Byrd, Willie DB Import 6.03 198 1983-07-19 Miles College
(Practice Squad)

Winnipeg Blue Bombers
None

Hamilton Tiger-Cats
6 McDaniel, Marquay WR Import 5.10 205 1984-04-20 Hampton University

Toronto Argonauts
7 Carpenter, Dwaine DB Import 6.02 207 1976-11-04 North Carolina A&T
84 Lucas, Chad WR Import 6.01 201 1981-11-07 Alabama State
5 Heard, Denatay DB Import 5.09 169 1984-03-13 Stillman College (Injured)

Montreal Alouettes
35 Dix, De'Audra CB Import 5.10 160 1984-03-03 Johnson C. Smith
34 Marc, Emmanuel RB Import 5.11 200 1982-11-17 Delaware State (Practice Squad)

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.

PHOTOS ( 10 )

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.

Video: Click Here--

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

‎

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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CFL Calgary adds pair of MEAC stars

Former Norfolk State University quarterback Dennis Brown, #10 from Miami Central High School (Florida) has a legitimate shot with the Canadian Football League Calgary Stampeders.

Two more quarterbacks and one more defensive back have been added to the Calgary Stampeders' training camp roster. The Stamps announced Wednesday that quarterbacks Michael Desormeaux and Dennis Brown, as well as DB Jason Horton, have signed contracts with the team and will be at training camp, which kicks off with rookie camp a week from today.

Brown, meanwhile, completed his college eligibility at Norfolk State University last fall, passing for 2,228 yards while throwing for 18 touchdowns; he also set a school record with 571 yards in rushing and five touchdowns.

Horton will be trying to resurrect a career that started promisingly. After a brief stint with the Toronto Argos in 2003, the 30-year-old North Carolina A&T State University product played two seasons with the Green Bay Packers in 2004 and 2005, and has since spent time on practice rosters or injured reserve with Houston, Kansas City and Oakland without playing another game.

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Bombers Sign Former Delaware State Hornets Running Back Emmanuel Marc

WINNIPEG, MB - The Canadian Football League (CFL) Winnipeg Blue Bombers announce today they have agreed to terms with import running back Emmanuel Marc. Marc (5-10, 205, Delaware State '06) was in B.C.'s training camp in 2009. He played his College football at Delaware State where he notched 1,401 career rushing yards on 237 carries and added 14 touchdowns, along with 25 receptions for an additional 242 yards. He also returned 29 kickoffs for 633 yards.

In 2006, he ran for 1,230 yards, the fourth-best single-season total in team history, and 12 touchdowns to help lead the Hornets to an 8-3 record. He was an All-MEAC Second Team selection that year. Marc is a native of Spring Valley, New York.

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