ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF

MISSISSAUGA-- Day four kicked off with a fresh face on the field. #6 Zach Collaros was taking snaps under center. Collaros was dropped by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers May 7 following the teams mini-camp, and will now battle with fellow CFL rookie Trevor Harris for the third spot on the depth at quarterback. 

Twelve-on-twelve started like it has every other day this week, with completions by Ricky Ray. First, it was Jason Barnes up the right side of the field, and then Chad Owens down the middle. With Maurice Mann out of the line up, Mike Bradwell stepped in on the first team for offence. Ray was spreading the ball around well but had a clear new number one target, and that was Barnes. 

Some interesting training methods were used on defense. A day after receivers were using "matrix" glasses, a few DBs had oven mittens on. Yes, those kind of Oven Mittens. Ahmad Carrol and Raymond Brown looked like they were ready to bake some cookies, not cover receivers. It was a simple strategy used by the coaching staff to prevent them from holding on to jerseys. The players seemed to embrace the additions to their uniforms and practices just as hard with them. 

It was all defence during the first half of one-on-ones. 19 year old Jamaan Webb was giving the receivers fits. His great athleticism and ridiculous speed going down the field had the wideouts puzzled. The more comfortable Webb gets out there, the better he looks.  

Newcomer Collaros got his first reps towards the end of the drill. He looked good early connecting with Jason Barnes on his first pass. A few of his throws were behind the players, but that’s understandable considering that he had literally gotten off a plane 6 hours before. Kudos for the effort, though. 

The biggest bright spot of the day was WR Dontrelle Inman. He was completely unconscious, catching every ball in every drill. He most notably made a beautiful over the shoulder catch 30 yards down the field with a DB in his back pocket. With all the injuries plaguing the receiving core, it gives players like Inman the chance to shine, and he did just that today. 

During the linemen duels both offence and defence had their moments, but there were two notable standouts. Ronald Flemons and Kevin Huntley were, not surprisingly, dominating their match-ups. 

The first play of the second twelve-on-twelve saw Brandon Isaac pick off Ricky Ray on a ball tipped by Sean Smalls. However, Ray came back with three consecutive completions to end the day on a positive note. 

After three days of high-paced practices, Scott Milanovich decided to end the day early and not hold a second practice. Giving the players a chance to nurse there bumps and bruises. His message to the team: "We told you we'd take care of you". 

They will, however, be back on the field bright and early tomorrow morning. Practice will once again be on the upper field of UTM starting at 7:30.