1 training camp wish for every team

With the start of training camps from coast-to-coast, the mind tends to wander about what could be.

Everyone is 0-0 and hope springs eternal this time of the year, but the construction of rosters with personalities and playing styles mashed together is a beautifully imperfect experiment that will yield results previously unforeseen once the games begin.

For now, let’s daydream about some theoretical decisions each club will make.

Here is my wishlist for 2025’s training camp.

BC LIONS

FIND YOUR FIT

The BC Lions of 2024 were in a tough spot sorting through who was the team leader as Vernon Adams Jr. played admirably and Nathan Rourke splashed back on the scene mid-campaign. With VA off to Calgary and Rourke more active than ever in the BC Community, the time has come in Kamloops for this group and their revamped coaching staff to figure out how to get back to the unreasonably entertaining brand of football we saw in 2022.

What will that take? Everyone getting on the same page with Rourke offensively and Mike Benevides getting the defence to understand where they are expected to be in every possible situation.

EDMONTON ELKS

GITTENS UP

Maybe it was the side effect of a tumultuous quarterback situation last year, or Eugene Lewis going on a post OK Tire Labour Day Weekend rampage, but Kurleigh Gittens Jr.’s 2024 made me long for his 2022 Double Blue season. That’ until you realize last year he actually had more targets, catches and equal touchdowns to that monster Argo effort!

The takeaway here? It’s time for Kurleigh to become a true superstar in Edmonton with Tre Ford at the controls and double down on last season while becoming a team leader throughout camp setting the tone for all around to follow. If he can do that his already impressive career numbers will begin touching rarified air and his leadership should help the Elks get a few more wins so those big stat seasons get the respect they are owed.

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

TAKE IT TO THE MAX!

The Stamps selected OL Max Von Muehldorfer in the seventh round of the 2025 CFL Draft (Arthur Ward/CFL.ca)

Short and sweet on this one. Max von Muehldorfer was a late round pick out of Western, but a Stampeders homecoming deserves a true opportunity.

Max is a great player, a freaky athlete and has the chance to be a true fan favourite. Give him as many reps as possible in his first CFL training camp and smile as he continues to prove he should have been taken much earlier in the 2025 CFL Draft.

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

SET THE TONE

Enough of playing second fiddle to the Bombers, having to play road playoff games or be distracted by anything other than proving it’s the Riders time to shine.

This group has a veteran quarterback, a tough as nails running game and a defensive head coach in Corey Mace who has plenty of toys to play with while infuriating opposing offences. The time is now and training camp needs to set that tone.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

STICK TO THE PLAN

The 112th Grey Cup is coming to town, everyone has a target on Winnipeg and the championship ifs and buts are all around.

Who cares? What Winnipeg has been doing works and despite quarterback Zach Collaros being suspended for the first game of the year I believe Winnipeg just needs to stay the course. They are still one of the elite teams in the CFL.

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

LOCK AND LOAD, AND FORGET

Last year was one for the record books as Bo Levi Mitchell set the league on fire. Great lessons were learned on that that journey that could surely help in 2025 but there is no need for Hamilton to be held to the 2024 standard of statistical performance because that is a collision course for disappointment.

They need to take the 2024 tape, use it for good and craft a new way to greatness this season. The joy here for Bo & co. is the opportunity to start training camp fresh with energy and enthusiasm born from feeling a playoff game should have been there last fall.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS

WEAR THE CHIP

Players left in free agency, everyone says you got hot for three games and didn’t feel like a championship team, the buzz around camp will be about the Tiger-Cats getting Kenny Lawler, or Montreal getting acquainted with Davis Alexander or..

You get the idea. Let everyone talk about the rest, use it as fuel and go to work. Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie is one of the best at convincing players they are being slighted and teaching them to use it as motivation. This year that’s a team wide energy that should help Toronto start the season hot if implemented starting in camp which is back in Guelph once again this year.

OTTAWA REDBLACKS

HOME WINNIN’ MEETS ROAD TRIPPIN’

All of those home wins in 2024 mean nothing now, and the REDBLACKS hit the road for training camp in Kingston for the first time. It should be an awesome environment for Ottawa to shake off the bad taste of their second half of last season and road playoff loss in Toronto.

My wish for Ottawa is to soak up the college vibes at Queen’s, play the game with energy, happiness, enthusiasm and kick off the season with joy knowing that the sky is the limit for a really impressive roster. Training camp is about setting a philosophy as much as systems and the REDBLACKS feel like a club who will be at their best when playing loose and free, that starts now.

MONTREAL ALOUETTES

GET DAVIS DIALLED

Cody Fajardo is gone, McLeod Bethel-Thompson is in, but Davis Alexander is the leading man. I would absolutely LOVE to watch Als training camp to see the daily progression of Alexander with his receivers.

Jason Maas and his staff will without doubt be hammering away at finding consistency with this group in training camp and the little moments on the side of the field where Davis is working on very specific throws with receivers will be just as important as the team sessions.

Source link