Forde: A Look Back At The Performances At CFL E-Camp

14/03/2009 18:24

With the 2009 CFL E-Camp in the books and a few days to digest all the information it provided, here are a few impressions of what went on last weekend.

OFFENSIVE LINE

The Good: O-Linemen are typically known more for their appetites than their conditioning but, as a whole, this year's group appeared to be about as physically fit as a herd of 300 pound men can be.

The Bad: One-on-one pass rush drills always favor the defence but the matchup shouldn't be as one-sided as it was on Sunday.

Bull Market: This unit certainly didn't produce any Cinderella stories but one pleasant surprise was Christian Jacques (Sherbrooke). Invited to the camp as an injury replacement, he didn't look out of place, especially in terms of athleticism.

Bear Market: Steve Myddelton (St. Francis Xavier) had a particularly tough time during the one on one drills.

Questions Answered: Matt Morencie (Windsor) dominated the O-Line testing. More importantly he looked good in his first test at centre, after playing tackle throughout his university career.

The Jury Is Out: Consensus number one prospect Simeon Rottier (Alberta) had trouble with a couple of speed rushes during the one on ones, which underscored one of the few concerns scouts have with his game. Nonetheless, he'll still be a high pick in this draft. It just raises the question of whether he'll be projected as a tackle or guard.

Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover: On Sunday, the O- and D-Lines started their day with a 6:30 a.m. wake up call and were on the field shortly after 8:00 a.m.. That doesn't sound horrible until you consider that some players in the group had travelled to Toronto from the Pacific and Mountain Time zones, and that the workout was on the first day of Daylight Savings Time. In other words, players like Mike Morris (British Columbia), Dylan Steenbergen (Calgary), and Rottier were on the field with their bodies feeling like it was 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning. It's tough to imagine that they were at their best under those circumstances.

SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:

For the rest of CFL football analyst Duane Forde’s thoughts on the CFL evaluation camp, click here.