Some football accomplishments are rarer than others.
In high school, Toronto Argonaut linebacker Adarius Pickett rushed for 255 yards and 4 touchdowns in a sectional championship game. Impressive, but games like that happen from time to time.
Rookie linebacker Jordan Pollard’s final game at Boise State was even more impressive. He recorded 19 tackles and had a 58-yard interception return for a touchdown. No question that that’s not normal.
A couple of years ago kicker Lirim Hajrullahu set an Argo record with 8 field goals in a game. Unique, but other kickers have done it across the league.
What rookie offensive lineman Desmond Bland did make the others pale by comparison in terms of things you don’t expect to see on a football field. The 6’4”, 300-pound lineman once received a kickoff and ran it back for a touchdown.
Now, there are a couple of things to consider here. One, it was last year with the Vegas Knight Hawks of the Indoor Football League, and two, kickoffs in that league are from a team’s goal line, and the team kicking off was attempting an onside kick. It only went nine yards as Bland attacked it on the bounce, caught it, and sprinted to the end zone.
“I’m pretty fast for ten yards,” he said with a laugh, recalling his moment of glory for Argonauts.ca. “I was actually supposed to hit the man in front of me, and the person next to me was supposed to grab the ball. Nobody went for the man that was supposed to get the ball, nobody touched the ball at all, and everybody ran around me. I saw the ball and said why not? So, I took it.”
It’s a great story, but not as impressive as the one that he’s writing for himself at the Argos training camp at the University of Guelph. He’s found himself playing well at right tackle with the first unit since the release of Josh Donovan, who had worked with the offensive starters for the first three days of camp.
Lining up with the starting group on Day Four wasn’t something the native of Flossmoor, Illinois – located due south of the south side of Chicago – saw coming.
“Honestly, I couldn’t believe it for a second,” he told Argonauts.ca. “But it felt great to get the opportunity to compete. I feel great, I’m getting adjusted to playing tackle again and I’ve been playing indoor football so it’s great to be back outdoors.”
Head coach Mike Miller also looks after the offense and has been impressed by what the product of West Florida University has brought to the o-line.
“I think he’s had a good start,” Miller said of the CFL rookie. “He’s physical, he seems to be a good teammate and a good leader. He’s working on techniques that we want and he’s showing improvement. He’s not a finished product by any means, but we’re really encouraged by his work ethic, his focus, and his leadership. We’re really excited about where he is to this point, but we’re all about tomorrow and continuing to improve.”
Getting better is something the group must do this season. The running game was non-existent in 2025 and breakdowns in pass protection were not a rare occurrence. The club signed a Canadian, NFL veteran Dakoda Shepley, to improve the interior, but the tackle positions were a question mark in the off-season.
It was hoped Donovan could grab one of those spots, but that obviously wasn’t the case. Miller admitted to Argonauts.ca that he was curious to see which two players would step up and win the jobs.
“It’s fun.” Miller said of being able to see the players compete. “You sit there for months in the off-season, and you look at that personnel board, and you start moving the (players) around, but it’s a different world when those Xs and Os start breathing.
“We’re in that process right now,” he continued. “We’re finding right combinations and the guys keep working really hard. It’s making for some tough decisions.”
The players have another two weeks to make their case, as final cuts will be made following the Argonauts final pre-season game, at Guelph against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, on Friday, May 29 at 7:00. Tickets available at Argonauts.ca.
ARGO NOTES: Friday was the day of the full camp that was sunny and warm. That was not lost on either players, coaches, or staff…It was a day that was at times dominated by the offence, then a session later the defence would take over. On the first series of the opening scrimmage, Chad Kelly looked the part of a former MOP. He was precise with his throws and picked the defence apart. A series later, with the offence going run heavy in red zone reps, the defence pitched a shutout, rallying en masse to the football on every play. Among those making plays were Isaac Darkangelo, Ethan John, Akili Arnold, and Anthony Wilson. Quarterback Anthony Guercio showed off his speed on a run up the middle. After the period was over, head coach Miller came over and praised the group for what he called their “stellar work”. During that session the team was running the new 35-second clock to get players used to the tempo…In the next session of skelly (no linemen), rookie Louis-Philippe Gauther had solid knockdowns on back-to-back plays. Owen Goss also made a nice play to break up a pass. Three newcomers had touchdown catches during the session: Nolan Ulm, Tyriq Quayson, and Dymere Miller. All the quarterbacks rotated through the period…The strangest play of the day came during the late scrimmage period. On a ball thrown behind the intended receiver, SAM linebacker Adarius Pickett tried to stop to make an interception but lost his balance in the process. He was able to knock the ball up in the air, then as he was falling he kept it airborne with his foot, kicking it over his head toward his own goal line like it was a hacky sack. It went right into the hands of a trailing Darkangelo for a bizarre interception…At the end of practice the three field goal kickers got some work in as a crosswind picked up. As the special teams lined up for the play, members of both the offence and defence crowded around the kickers making as much noise as possible. The wind seemed to give the kickers more trouble than the attempted distraction, as the wind blew kicks wide for each of the three, though each was able to connect on long attempts…There is no practice on Saturday, just a walkthrough prior to Sunday’s Double Blue game. The controlled scrimmage will take place from 3:45-4:45 at Alumni Stadium at the University of Guelph. Admission is free.