Edmonton Journal Articles - June 8, 2007
looks like there's more hockey in the Journal (at least online) than football 
...2+ pages of hockey stuff (10 articles) yet only 2 articles on the Esks....anyway
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjourna...7-6c46abb318a1
Perryman a Ray of light early into Esks camp
Phoenix product had a tough upbringing as youngest of three boys
Vicki Hall, The Edmonton Journal
Published: Friday, June 08, 2007
EDMONTON - Through six days of training camp, Ray Perryman is the undisputed curator of violence at Edmonton Eskimos training camp.
The physical linebacker sees trash talk as an art. He's not shy about introducing himself to receivers and running backs with bone-crunching tackles.
The 28-year-old has toned down his verbiage since rookie camp. A bit. But don't expect him to remain silent when the Eskimos travel to Calgary next week for an exhibition tilt against the Stampeders at McMahon Stadium.
"I always use my fire to keep up my spirits," he said. "It helps me pull through and it helps my team pull through practice. I'm very aggressive. That's what I bring to the table, and that's why I think I'm here.
"I've hurt a couple of people, served up a couple of concussions. It comes with the territory. I love it. That's why I play the game."
Deep inside, Perryman is still the baby of the family -- a little boy who took beatings from his older brothers growing up in Phoenix. So there's a limitless supply of pent-up aggression in the six-foot, 213-pounder tasked with replacing the injured Steven Marsh at outside linebacker.
"Stuff, as they say, always runs down- hill and I got all of it from Day 1," said Perryman, the youngest of three boys. "The worst was when they caught me sleeping and poured hot sauce in my mouth. I got up and tried to wipe my face and there was whipped cream all over my hands. It's something you kind of have to deal with and be tough and start fighting back."
Through six days of training camp, Perryman has already fought off CFL journeyman Ricky Bell for the starting job in the linebacking corps.
Thanks to the strong impression created by Perryman and his camp roommate Siddeeq Shabazz, the Eskimos cut Bell on Thursday, citing the need to give the newcomers more playing time.
"Shabazz and Perryman, they need to see as much action as possible," said head coach Danny Maciocia.
"That's a position that requires someone to play with a lot of speed. Ricky is a veteran of many seasons, and I personally thought he wasn't as quick as the other guys I mentioned."
Perryman's mouth moves as fast as his feet, and he's not shy about walloping his teammates if they dare to catch a ball in his territory.
"He's a guy I'm extremely excited about," said defensive coach Dan
Kepley, who knocked out an opponent or two in his CFL Hall-of-Fame career.
"He comes to work every day as a professional. He's an incredibly intelligent young man. Very physical and very fast.
"From what we've seen so far, as early as it is in camp, he possesses it all."
But what about the mouth?
"I think he knows when to talk and when to listen," Kepley said. "I told him, 'God was highly intelligent. He gave you one mouth and two ears. He wants you to listen twice as much as you talk.'
"We got the point across."
The Oakland Raiders drafted Perryman in the fifth round of the 2001 draft, and he played two years with the Jacksonville Jaguars before taking last year off to coach high school football and work as a personal trainer.
"I've got to be mean," he said. "You've got to have that person to push you. That's what a trainer is. And, sometimes, a personal trainer is also a psychologist, because sometimes your home life also goes into the gym and a lot of people use the gym to vent a little bit."
Perryman prefers to vent his emotions on the football field. And for that, the Eskimos don't mind a bit.
"I like him an awful lot," Maciocia said. "He's a guy with a motor that runs all the time."
vhall@thejournal.canwest.com
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjourna...f-d556147712af
'Maybe I'm done' -- Ricky Bell
Vicki Hall, The Edmonton Journal
Published: Friday, June 08, 2007
EDMONTON - Ricky Bell sounded philosophical Wednesday as he stopped to talk to a reporter via cellphone en route to his home in South Carolina.
The Edmonton Eskimos made Bell, 33, their first cut of training camp.
"There was something about me they didn't like," Bell said, while his plane sat on a tarmac in Washington, D.C.
"They felt like I couldn't contribute. They felt my personality didn't mix well with the team or something.
"The player is powerless in those types of situations. It's totally up to the discretion of the coaches. There's nothing I can do about it."
Bell is a CFL journeyman with stints in Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Montreal over his seven-year career. He played all 18 games last season for the Alouettes as a defensive back.
The Eskimos wanted to move Bell to linebacker.
"I wasn't comfortable there," he said."They gave me every opportunity to play and start there, but it's not my natural position.
"It's just an unfortunate situation, but I think they're going to have a good team. I wish them well. Maybe I'll catch on with another team and maybe I won't. Maybe I'm done."
To add insult to injury, Bell said he had five stops on the trip home. Talk about a milk run.
"I guess they showed me," he said.
GAYLOR PROVING HE'S READY TO PLAY
Danny Maciocia doesn't know if the old Trevor Gaylor got kidnapped by aliens or just vanished without a trace. And he doesn't care.
Trying to shake off the inconsistent label, Gaylor looks like a new man at the Eskimos training camp, catching everything thrown his way and making big play after big play.
And, every single time, he calmly drops the ball and heads back to the huddle for further instructions.
"I'm just hoping he keeps it up," said Maciocia, the head coach and director of football operations.
"I have to restrain myself from hugging him. I just don't want him to lose the edge he has right now. He's really come back and approached it with an attitude. If he keeps this up, he's going to be interesting to watch."
Interesting in a good way, of course.
"Instead of coming to camp and getting in shape, I'm coming to camp and getting better," said Gaylor, who spent much of last year on the bench after racking up 929 yards in his first season with the Eskimos.
"I came here in shape and ready to play. I feel like I have a lot to prove."
Rookies wage friendly competition Siddeeq Shabazz and Ray Perryman are battling it out for the starting job at strong-side linebacker, but that hasn't stopped the two from becoming friends.
They room together at the team hotel and spend more than 12 hours a day together in the meeting rooms and on the football field.
"I'm probably a lot quieter than Perryman," said Shabazz, who made several big plays in Thursday's practice. "He's got a loud voice on the field just naturally. We can just be talking in our room, and he's loud.
"I'm quieter. I let my pads do the majority of the talking."
FAN DAY FEATURES FORGOTTEN INTRASQUAD GAME
The Eskimos are reaching back into their history by hosting a Green and Gold intrasquad game for fan day on Sunday.
The offence will take on the defence in a scrimmage from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Clarke Park.
"It doesn't mean we're going to tackle people from
behind or cut block people," Maciocia said. "That's not smart. We wanted to get them in an environment where they can compete against each other but, hopefully, it's going to be controlled.
"We're going to ask them to hopefully stay on their feet -- to enter contact, wrap up and keep the ball carrier on his feet."
The game will feature officials and yard makers to give the event an authentic feel.
The players will be available to sign autographs from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Admission is free.
According to Eskimos super fan Jack Morrow, the Eskimos haven't played a Green and Gold Game since 1986. The intrasquad clashes took place during training camp from 1952 to 1966, 1973 and 1983-86.
vhall@thejournal.canwest.com
...2+ pages of hockey stuff (10 articles) yet only 2 articles on the Esks....anywayhttp://www.canada.com/edmontonjourna...7-6c46abb318a1
Perryman a Ray of light early into Esks camp
Phoenix product had a tough upbringing as youngest of three boys
Vicki Hall, The Edmonton Journal
Published: Friday, June 08, 2007
EDMONTON - Through six days of training camp, Ray Perryman is the undisputed curator of violence at Edmonton Eskimos training camp.
The physical linebacker sees trash talk as an art. He's not shy about introducing himself to receivers and running backs with bone-crunching tackles.
The 28-year-old has toned down his verbiage since rookie camp. A bit. But don't expect him to remain silent when the Eskimos travel to Calgary next week for an exhibition tilt against the Stampeders at McMahon Stadium.
"I always use my fire to keep up my spirits," he said. "It helps me pull through and it helps my team pull through practice. I'm very aggressive. That's what I bring to the table, and that's why I think I'm here.
"I've hurt a couple of people, served up a couple of concussions. It comes with the territory. I love it. That's why I play the game."
Deep inside, Perryman is still the baby of the family -- a little boy who took beatings from his older brothers growing up in Phoenix. So there's a limitless supply of pent-up aggression in the six-foot, 213-pounder tasked with replacing the injured Steven Marsh at outside linebacker.
"Stuff, as they say, always runs down- hill and I got all of it from Day 1," said Perryman, the youngest of three boys. "The worst was when they caught me sleeping and poured hot sauce in my mouth. I got up and tried to wipe my face and there was whipped cream all over my hands. It's something you kind of have to deal with and be tough and start fighting back."
Through six days of training camp, Perryman has already fought off CFL journeyman Ricky Bell for the starting job in the linebacking corps.
Thanks to the strong impression created by Perryman and his camp roommate Siddeeq Shabazz, the Eskimos cut Bell on Thursday, citing the need to give the newcomers more playing time.
"Shabazz and Perryman, they need to see as much action as possible," said head coach Danny Maciocia.
"That's a position that requires someone to play with a lot of speed. Ricky is a veteran of many seasons, and I personally thought he wasn't as quick as the other guys I mentioned."
Perryman's mouth moves as fast as his feet, and he's not shy about walloping his teammates if they dare to catch a ball in his territory.
"He's a guy I'm extremely excited about," said defensive coach Dan
Kepley, who knocked out an opponent or two in his CFL Hall-of-Fame career.
"He comes to work every day as a professional. He's an incredibly intelligent young man. Very physical and very fast.
"From what we've seen so far, as early as it is in camp, he possesses it all."
But what about the mouth?
"I think he knows when to talk and when to listen," Kepley said. "I told him, 'God was highly intelligent. He gave you one mouth and two ears. He wants you to listen twice as much as you talk.'
"We got the point across."
The Oakland Raiders drafted Perryman in the fifth round of the 2001 draft, and he played two years with the Jacksonville Jaguars before taking last year off to coach high school football and work as a personal trainer.
"I've got to be mean," he said. "You've got to have that person to push you. That's what a trainer is. And, sometimes, a personal trainer is also a psychologist, because sometimes your home life also goes into the gym and a lot of people use the gym to vent a little bit."
Perryman prefers to vent his emotions on the football field. And for that, the Eskimos don't mind a bit.
"I like him an awful lot," Maciocia said. "He's a guy with a motor that runs all the time."
vhall@thejournal.canwest.com
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjourna...f-d556147712af
'Maybe I'm done' -- Ricky Bell
Vicki Hall, The Edmonton Journal
Published: Friday, June 08, 2007
EDMONTON - Ricky Bell sounded philosophical Wednesday as he stopped to talk to a reporter via cellphone en route to his home in South Carolina.
The Edmonton Eskimos made Bell, 33, their first cut of training camp.
"There was something about me they didn't like," Bell said, while his plane sat on a tarmac in Washington, D.C.
"They felt like I couldn't contribute. They felt my personality didn't mix well with the team or something.
"The player is powerless in those types of situations. It's totally up to the discretion of the coaches. There's nothing I can do about it."
Bell is a CFL journeyman with stints in Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Montreal over his seven-year career. He played all 18 games last season for the Alouettes as a defensive back.
The Eskimos wanted to move Bell to linebacker.
"I wasn't comfortable there," he said."They gave me every opportunity to play and start there, but it's not my natural position.
"It's just an unfortunate situation, but I think they're going to have a good team. I wish them well. Maybe I'll catch on with another team and maybe I won't. Maybe I'm done."
To add insult to injury, Bell said he had five stops on the trip home. Talk about a milk run.
"I guess they showed me," he said.
GAYLOR PROVING HE'S READY TO PLAY
Danny Maciocia doesn't know if the old Trevor Gaylor got kidnapped by aliens or just vanished without a trace. And he doesn't care.
Trying to shake off the inconsistent label, Gaylor looks like a new man at the Eskimos training camp, catching everything thrown his way and making big play after big play.
And, every single time, he calmly drops the ball and heads back to the huddle for further instructions.
"I'm just hoping he keeps it up," said Maciocia, the head coach and director of football operations.
"I have to restrain myself from hugging him. I just don't want him to lose the edge he has right now. He's really come back and approached it with an attitude. If he keeps this up, he's going to be interesting to watch."
Interesting in a good way, of course.
"Instead of coming to camp and getting in shape, I'm coming to camp and getting better," said Gaylor, who spent much of last year on the bench after racking up 929 yards in his first season with the Eskimos.
"I came here in shape and ready to play. I feel like I have a lot to prove."
Rookies wage friendly competition Siddeeq Shabazz and Ray Perryman are battling it out for the starting job at strong-side linebacker, but that hasn't stopped the two from becoming friends.
They room together at the team hotel and spend more than 12 hours a day together in the meeting rooms and on the football field.
"I'm probably a lot quieter than Perryman," said Shabazz, who made several big plays in Thursday's practice. "He's got a loud voice on the field just naturally. We can just be talking in our room, and he's loud.
"I'm quieter. I let my pads do the majority of the talking."
FAN DAY FEATURES FORGOTTEN INTRASQUAD GAME
The Eskimos are reaching back into their history by hosting a Green and Gold intrasquad game for fan day on Sunday.
The offence will take on the defence in a scrimmage from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Clarke Park.
"It doesn't mean we're going to tackle people from
behind or cut block people," Maciocia said. "That's not smart. We wanted to get them in an environment where they can compete against each other but, hopefully, it's going to be controlled.
"We're going to ask them to hopefully stay on their feet -- to enter contact, wrap up and keep the ball carrier on his feet."
The game will feature officials and yard makers to give the event an authentic feel.
The players will be available to sign autographs from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Admission is free.
According to Eskimos super fan Jack Morrow, the Eskimos haven't played a Green and Gold Game since 1986. The intrasquad clashes took place during training camp from 1952 to 1966, 1973 and 1983-86.
vhall@thejournal.canwest.com
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