Here’s what’s happening at Ticats’ practice today:
• there are a number of players sitting out or doing limited work due to injuries suffered in the pre-season win over Ottawa on Monday. Receiver Terence Tolliver did some drill work but didn’t participate in the team sessions while Terrell Sinkfield sat out altogether. Starting halfback Rico Murray isn’t practicing at all. Both fullbacks are down, with C.O. Prime and Preston Huggins both watching from the sidelines. Linebacker Erik Harris is dinged and didn’t do much. Running backs C.J. Gable and Mossis Madu are both sidelined and Madu has been placed on the six-game injured list. Canadian defensive tackles Brian Bulcke and Martin Pesek are both out as well. Safety Neil King, defensive tackle Evan Gill, receiver Giovanni Aprile and Madu did on-field rehab work with the medical staff during a portion of the morning session.
• on the plus side, Canadian defensive tackles Mike Atkinson and Hasan Hazime are both practicing today, with Atkinson taking reps with the second team defence. Will Bulcke’s return date still uncertain – there are concerns his injury is worse than previous thought – both become key depth players behind starter Ted Laurent.
• with the team’s running backs ravaged by injury – I don’t think Nic Grigsby is 100 per cent either, the club has signed Michael Ford.who appeared in 12 games with the Chicago Bears in 2013 as an undrafted free agent, returning five kickoffs for 37 yards and collecting three special teams tackles. The 5-foot-10, 216-pounder played 37 games at Louisiana State University from 2009 to 2012.
• the team has also signed 23-year-old defensive lineman Sean Daniels, who appeared in nine games with the Iowa Barnstormers of the Indoor Football League in 2015 and played his college ball at Temple.
• Jeff Mathews took the second-team reps at quarterback again today and I think the back up job is now his to lose.
• During the first of two practices, the Ticats ran a little competition between the first team offence and defence that featured 13 plays in the red zone: the defence won 7-6.
• with tornado warnings for Hamilton and thunder and lightning in the area, the Ticats cut the second of two practice sessions short… then re-started after the weather cleared.
