BRADENTON, FLA. — A slow start turned into a solid first day of football for the Toronto Argonauts, who kicked off their path to the 104th Grey Cup on Sunday with the start of their annual rookie mini-camp.
IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., is the site of the three-day camp, as rookies and tryout players vie for an invite to training camp next month and ultimately a chance to make the active roster.
“It was good and bad,” Head Coach Scott Milanovich said on a hot Sunday afternoon in Bradenton, located on Florida’s Gulf Coast just north of Sarasota. “The first practice is always tough, the second practice they get a better feel for what you’re doing.
“Tempo picks up, they get their feet back under them. It was a typical first day.”
Quarterback Logan Kilgore, now in his third CFL season, was also in attendance among rookies, as Milanovich and his coaching staff assembled for the first organized team activity of 2016. By the end of the day’s second practice, the fifth-year head coach came away happy with some of the talent on hand.
“There’s definitely some talent out here,” said Milanovich. “Guys are going to be able to be able to compete for spots when we get to training camp.”
“You can’t simulate running to scale against a live defence,” added Kilgore. “It’s hard to do that. A lot of these guys it’s the first time ever running some of these routes with the waggle and just kind of understanding the game.
“I like that we were running around a lot and a lot of intensity out there, so that was great to see.”
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Among those who turned heads was recent addition Devon Wylie, a 5-foot-9 receiver who the Argos added going into the weekend. Wylie was originally a fourth-round pick by the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs in 2012 and while it’s early, Milanovich says he expects him to compete for a roster spot.
“Devon’s got great speed, great change of direction,” said Milanovich, who stopped short of comparing him to star receiver Weston Dressler but said the skill-set is similar. “Really great hands. He’s gonna be a guy for sure that’s going to compete for a spot.
“Even though he’s not the tallest guy — he’s 5-foot-9-and-a-half — he has the ability to elevate. He plays bigger than his size.
“One day I hope we can make that comparison, I think it’s a little early.”
While the three days in Florida provide the defensive players a chance to get a head start learning Defensive Coordinator Rich Stubler’s system before the vets do, another player taking advantage of some rare playing time is the 25-year-old Kilgore, now entering his third year as an Argo.
Kilgore, a graduate of Middle Tennessee State, enters the season competing for a chance to back up starting quarterback Ricky Ray. He’s had a chance to develop the last couple of years behind Ray and the departed Trevor Harris on the depth chart, but hasn’t had much of a chance to perform on the field.
“He’s getting to that point where he knows [the offence] in the room and on the board and the playbook; he knows it inside and out and he can probably teach it,” said Milanovich. “And now it’s a matter of him getting the reps.”
Kilgore spent last season not only learning an offence that continues to evolve each season under Milanovich, but also how to be a professional.
“Just watching Ricky last year in a situation when he wasn’t playing and how he wasn’t any different than when he was as a starter – it shows a young guy how you need to prepare in this offence and in professional football as a whole.”
In what could be a make or break mini-camp for the 6-foot-3 gunslinger, known for his pocket presence and strong arm, it appears Kilgore has started off on the right foot.
“HE KNOWS IT INSIDE AND OUT AND HE CAN PROBABLY TEACH IT. AND NOW IT’S A MATTER OF HIM GETTING THE REPS.”
“He just seemed a little bit quicker, which comes with experience at the quarterback position,” said Offensive Coordinator Marcus Brady. “You can tell that he has a good understanding of our offence, he knows where to go with the ball. He makes a mistake here and there too, and that’s going to come with it, but I can tell he’s developing, which we want to see.
“He’s just seeing the field a lot quicker and making decisions a lot quicker. It’s good to see him now taking what he learned throughout the year, getting to this mini-camp and getting physical reps.”
The Argos wrap up mini-camp on Tuesday, then next on the off-season schedule comes training camp late in May. They will then open the regular season on June 23 in the first game at BMO Field against the rival Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
– With files from Argonauts.ca