DeVier Posey is not a household name among Argonaut fans – yet.
If there is one member of this year’s offence best positioned to become easily recognizable, it’s this 27-year old receiver from THE Ohio State University.
The Cincinnati native had a rather mundane debut in Double Blue in 2016, catching 13 passes for 161 yards. This year he’s put himself in a position to start, giving him the opportunity to show off his rather impressive skill set.
He recognizes the opportunity here.
“I’m thankful almost to tears every morning as far as what God is doing for me,” admitted Posey. “I don’t want to take a moment for granted.”
Posey appreciates the people within the organization— Tommy Condell, Marcus Brady, S.J. Green, Ricky Ray and the “double cherry on top,” head coach Marc Trestman.
“I think he’s ascended since we saw him at (mini-camp),” said Trestman of Posey. “He loves football, he’s on top of the offence, he’s bright-eyed in meetings. I think he’s going to be a really good teammate.”
Trestman stopped short of calling him ready for prime time.
“I would say we have a long way to go,” cautioned the coach, “But he’s ascending and that’s a good sign.”
Those bright eyes of Posey’s lit up when he started talking about the opportunity to line up on the same side of the field as slotback S.J. Green. The five-time all-star is joining the Argos after spending a decade in Montreal.
“I’m really enjoying our inter-personal relationship,” said Posey. “I’m getting to know him a lot better and getting to know his history and how he plays the game. It’s been awesome.”
Ditto Ricky Ray.
The QB seems almost as excited to start working with Posey as the receiver is about working with Ray.
“He’s really easy to read, he runs routes really crisp,” said Ray. “This year coming back he’s got a better feel for what we’re doing out there, more comfortable with defences and our offensive system. He’s having a good camp so far.”
The connection between quarterback and receiver is complex. Sometimes the two players are on the same page immediately, while other times it never happens.
How is the chemistry between Ray and Posey developing?
“With Posey, it came pretty quickly,” said the QB. “With some guys, it takes a lot longer, with some guys you just never get that chemistry, and with other guys, it comes right away. With Posey, I felt pretty comfortable with him from the get-go because he’s so crisp with his routes and when he’s breaking you know right where he’s going to be.”
Posey saw his first game action as a player when he suited up for four games with the Argos in 2016, but it was not his first CFL experience in Toronto.
“My first time seeing a CFL game, my brother (Julian) was playing for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers against the Toronto Argonauts in the last game of the season,” Posey told argonauts.ca. “So I got to see the Argonauts history, they showed a video at halftime, I was taking it all in.”
“So when I found out the Argonauts had my rights I said hey, that’s a no-brainer,” he continued. “It’s a good organization with a lot of great history and who doesn’t want to live in Toronto for a little bit in their lifetime?”
Extra Points: There weren’t too many unhappy faces as the Argos held Fan Day on Saturday at York. The weather was perfect and the players seemed to appreciate the post-practice meet and greet as much as the fans did…Perhaps the loudest ovation during the scrimmage was for U-of-T product Llevi Noel. He made a one-handed, juggling catch in the end zone. Not to be outdone, Brandon Whitaker made the same kind of catch a couple of plays later…Perhaps the fastest Argo on the field was head coach Marc Trestman. After Aaron Berry made an outstanding defensive play, Trestman sprinted some 40 yards to slap his hand and shout encouragement. When asked if the sprint was in the 4.4-second range, Trestman smiled and replied: “It was no 4.4 40, now you’re really being silly so I’m not even going to answer the question.”…GM Jim Popp did answer a question posed by Argonauts.ca. When asked for an update on the status of free-agent linebacker Bear Woods, Popp replied that the Argos offer is still on the table and it won’t change…Among those in the running to replace Winston Venable is Cassius Vaughn, who made his first CFL start for the Ticats in last year’s Labour Day Classic. He ended up starting nine games for Hamilton.