| Rams ready for new season |
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by Greg Urbanoski the Carillon The Rams are growing into contenders University of Regina Rams Head Coach Frank McCrystal hopes a little togetherness will go a long way for the 2005 edition of the team. “I think the changes from last year that you will see this year is [sic] that our young guys are a year older, a year bigger, stronger, faster, and they played for nine games last year,” said McCrystal. “You will see a much improved team in the sense they have a year under their belt for a whole bunch of reasons. Physically, mentally, technically, these players are much improved.” One of the biggest differences between the 2005 edition of the Rams and those of previous years is the centralization of the team’s locker room, training facility and offices all under the same roof at the U of R. With the team able to set up off-season workouts for the players so they can train together and build team unity, McCrystal said the new facilities for the Rams are probably the biggest asset to the new team. “The facility has made a huge difference for a couple of reasons,” said McCrystal. “Certainly physically it’s made a difference because everything is here, and working out here in the athletes weight room we’ve managed to book time in the winter in the gym where they are catching the football all the time. “Beyond the physical element, the players are together all the time. We have our study hall here, they are in and out and we can track them more easily academically because they are here every day. With the supervised training we see them all the time, five days a week, whether it is lifting weights or running. The team-building has been very much a part of what this facility has brought to us. This is the very full and complete essence of the word team, that’s what this is. They are together all the time.” McCrystal said with the new facility, the Rams will be a much more cyclical team than they have been in the past. He said moving the Rams from junior football to Canadian Intercollegiate Sports football was a greater challenge than what he and the rest of the Ram brain trust had originally envisioned. McCrystal said the Rams started off with players who had played for seven to nine years, leaving a gap at the younger edge of the scale as players exhausted their university eligibility. There’s wasn’t room on the roster to bring younger high schools on to help provide depth and groom players for the future. “We have become cyclical where guys are in their second or third year and they are starting,” said McCrystal. “So a real true CIS team and competitors will be guys who red-shirted in 2003. You will see a maturing process that will be very much what this program is noted for.” McCrystal said the team has good depth because of the quality of players. He points out the Rams do not dress 90 players, and they will enter the season with 65 players on their roster. He expects any one of the players will be able to compete if they are called upon. “We didn’t have a huge recruiting class because we took our lumps with those guys in 2003 and in part 2004,” said McCrystal. “You are going to see guys who are impacting now who were with us before as red-shirts. “Some of the very good players we got out of high school are Jon Gardner, a running back from Riffel who is outstanding. We also got Brandon Ganne, from Campbell, a linebacker who was a two-way performer in high school who is a tremendous student-athlete. He is someone who we believe will not only impact this football team sooner than a lot of players, but will be a leader for us. He will be a captain for us.” McCrystal is not seeing the departure of offensive lineman Kyler Jukes for the Calgary Stampeders as a major problem. “The offensive line will be fine,” said McCrystal. “It will be interesting to see someone like Mike Sache, who has worked pretty hard to be able to physically compete at this level. Mentally he is a 90 per cent average guy and he is very good. Kyle McNeil is a very young kid from Medicine Hat who we red-shirted and played a little bit last year but we expect he is going to challenge for a starting position on the offensive line, maybe centre.” The Rams graduated Mike Thomas at receiver and will miss his big play ability. McCrystal said fans should look for Chris Bauman to step up and have a big year, and expects big things from receiver Chad Goldie. Chris Stevens has returned from his missionary work with the Mormon Church and adds some depth to the mix. Teale Orban endured a baptism of fire last year, and Tim Feasby and Evan Hoffman will back up the Rams starting quarterback. Feasby, from Brandon, has been with the Rams for three years and Hoffman is a prize recruit, joining the team from LeBoldus High School. McCrystal said both are capable back-ups. Ryan Leurer from Yorkton is another QB who will be tried out at defensive back because McCrystal wants to get his talent on the field. “It’s a bit challenging at that back-up quarterback because everyone sees Teale as our quarterback for the next four years so why would you come here as a back-up,” said McCrystal. “The good ones want to come to be the starter, but Evan is coming in here and has an opportunity to contribute not just as a quarterback but at other positions like a receiver.” McCrystal wanted his defensive line to become bigger, stronger and faster for this season. McCrystal said players like Sean Brimacombe have had an outstanding off-season along with Jon Labonte. McCrystal said players like Paul McDill, who will turn 20 years old are full of promise. Others include Jon Baker who is very physical and Bjorn Person from Preeceville, who red-shirted last year and is 280 pounds, 6’3”, bench-presses over 300 pounds and runs a 4.9 40 yards. On the receiving corps, Chris Getzlaf, who starred with the Prairie Thunder, has joined the Rams for this season. Chad Goldie will be an impact player along Chris Bauman and Chris Stevens. New additions include Jared Ralko, Brent Vancise who has great hands, and Chris King from Sheldon Williams. “What they need to do is play and play with Teale some more,” said McCrystal. “I think you will see some of those guys hit their stride in mid-season.” The Rams upgraded their kicking game with the addition of Perry Scarcelli, formerly of the Calgary Colts of the Prairie Junior Football Conference. Scarcelli will be handling place kicking and punting and the Rams sent him to the Pelford Kicking School, like Mike Lazecki, Jon Ryan and Matt Kellett, former Rams kickers of the past. Also making the trip to the kicking school was Rams new special teams coach Chris Warnecke. “Last year I thought we had a real stab at winning a couple of games and at the beginning of the season we had a chance to win four games and four games gets you into the playoffs,” said McCrystal. “[It is] important for us to get the first win,” said McCrystal. “That will build confidence and lend credibility to all the things that we have going, preparing us for a run for the national championship, which we want to take with this group of guys. This group of guys have the capacity and they are skilled enough to do that. Once we get that first win, we will improve by leaps and bounds after that.” |