QUESTION 9
Salut Scott j'aimerais savoir avec qui tu t'entend le mieux dans l'equipe?
Cynthia From Montreal, Quebec
Cynthia,
Je dirais que je suis le plus proche avec les autre member de le ligne offensive. Nous sommes un groupe tres serre, qui font beaucoup de choses ensemble.
I would say I am the closest with my group of guys, the other offensive lineman. We are a very tight group who do a lot of things together, both on and off the field. Our jobs depend on each other so much that I think it is very important to have that bond and trust each other. Football is the ultimate team sport, but you also have groups within the team that need to function so the whole team can effective. They depend on us and we depend on them, but we depend on our other offensive lineman the most.
QUESTION 8
Rob Kerr From Regina, Saskatchewan
Rob,
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to brag about a living legend, and I like to think a friend of mine. I actually grew up in the same part of Regina where Roger lived. He lived right across the street from one of my friends, and I played minor football with his son Chris. Roger would come out to our practices when I was a kid, and it was awesome. He was so big and such a nice guy. It was no big deal for Chris because it was his dad, but it was a huge deal for us. I would see Roger at the gym in the off seasons and always talk with him.He is a great man who is still in phenomenal shape. Him and Bob Poley still play handball, and can move better that guys half their age.
Back to the question, I am not sure how much he had to do with my career choice. I would have to thank my parents for my size, but there is no doubt his work ethic and gentle demeanor are something to be emulated.
QUESTION 7
How good are the rookie olineman that are attending this years training camp? Be specific.
Trent Christie From Spruce Grove, Alberta
Trent,
The rookies this year are definitely the best bunch I have seen in a long time, both on and off the field. They are all great guys with unique personalities, and we have all got along so far. Jeff Perrett, Darryl Conrad, Sean Brown, and Ryan Karhut all could have a future in this league. Perrett is a big strong kid who can move. Conrad and Karhut are both guards with good technique, and both have a little bit of a mean streak to them. Brown is a centre who moves very well, and should develop into a solid player.
They are funny, smart and attentive guys who will hopefully stick around. You can never have to many good guys on your team.
QUESTION 6
Scott which is the toughest DLine player have you done battle with and why?
Eric Lavoie From Montreal, Quebec
Eric,
First off, great question. It is also a very hard one to answer. I will give you two answers for the two types of player I go against.
1. Nose guard. This is more of a run stopper, who is usually your biggest and strongest defensive lineman. For me, Scott Schultz of the Saskatchewan Roughriders gives me the most fits. He is a very good, strong and active d-lineman with great instincts. He will always give you his best every down, start to finish.
2. Tackle. These guys are usually a little smaller and quicker than the nose guards. For this one, I will go back a few years to a guy by the name of Joe Fleming. In his prime, he was one of the best pass rushers I have seen. He could make guards look silly by running around them, but also had the power to run you over as well. As with Scott Schultz, he had a motor that never stopped. A sign of a great lineman. He was well deserving of all his accolades.
QUESTION 5
Which pass rush move do you find the most difficult to stop? Who in the CFL has the best straight up pass rush move?Leonard McCoshen From Edmonton, Alberta ("old" dog 82-87)
Leonard,
First off, it is great to have a question from a Huskie Alumnus.
As for the most difficult pass rush move to stop, I would say the spin move. If done right, obviously all pass rush moves are hard to stop. Good defensive lineman will always keep their feet moving, and keep them moving up the field. They usually try to get to the hips of the offensive lineman because at that point o-lineman have no power. The spin move is hard to stop because there is no clean surface to punch off of. A 'spinning top' is hard to hit, where as when a d-lineman comes at you with his chest it is usually easier.
I don't know who in the CFL has the best one move, but the best players have ALL the moves. They have the ability to use power, speed and finesse. Good d-lineman are strong enough to 'bull rush' you and get you worried about getting pushed back, and then come on the next play with a swim move just as you are bracing for contact.
QUESTION 4
Is there any "minimum salary" in the CFL for a player?Chris From Montreal, Quebec
Chris,
Yes there is. The CFLPA (www.cflpa.com) has worked hard over the years to improve the working conditions of professional football players in Canada. The PA negotiates numerous things on behalf of all players. Items such as pension contributions, health benefits (especially for our American players), total team minimum spending, travel per diem, etc. The minimum salary for 2007 is $39,000, and goes up in the coming years.
QUESTION 3
Who was the best offensive lineman you played with?Philippe Dunn From La Prairie, Quebec
Philippe,
Since there is one person who I had the pleasure of playing with who is now in the CFL Hall of Fame, it has to be Pierre Vercheval. When I came into the league, Pierre was in his last few years. He was a great teacher and mentor to me over those three seasons I played with him. He was a classy guy on and off the field, and he deserves every accolade he gets.
Thanks for everything Pierre, and thank you Philippe for letting me mention him.
QUESTION 2
Hey Scott, I play for the bisons and this year coming up is my draft year, any tips on training that you could give me? They would be greatly appreciated.Trevor Lefrancois From Winnipeg, Manitoba
Trevor,
This is going to be a big year for you. You will no doubt want to have your best season to get noticed by the scouts. How can you do this? First and foremost is hard work. As much as being a good football player, you need to have a strong work ethic and have good character.
Your work ethic is shown on the field and in the weight room. On the football field, go as hard on the last play of the game as you do on the first. There is a reason scouts want to see full games, not just highlights. If you are only trying half the time, what does that say about you? Your character is shown by all the things you do away from football. This means both in school and in society.
To physically get yourself prepared, I am a fan of the traditional lifts as well as position specific training. For o-line that means bench press, squats and core work. Along with the traditional barbell bench press, it is also good to work single arm dumbbell bench press. Strong shoulders are also very important for playing o-line. You need to have the strength to keep defensive lineman in front of you, and your core strength connects it all. Having a strong core will make you a better football player. <
Defensive lineman move around, so you need quick feet. To be light on your feet, you need to be able to redirect fast. Some player may see the move in time, but cannot react because their feet are too slow. To work on this, just find a line on a gym floor and use your imagination. Two foot hops over the line and back, single leg hops over and back, side to side over the line, etc. Work on being explosive and spending the least amount of time on the ground with your feet.
In all your training it is important to use good technique. Piling on the weight and using bad technique may impress others, but it will not make you stronger and you might hurt yourself.
Good luck and have a great season.
QUESTION 1
Would you consider yourself the greatest player ever to play for the Saskatchewan Huskies football team? If not who is the greatest Huskie of all time?Michael Roberts From Fort Francis, Saskatchewan
Michael,
This is actually an easy question to answer. NO. I have many reasons and explanations for this.
1. The U of S has a rich tradition of not only winning, but producing high quality athletes and people. Just to be thought of with the likes of some of the greats who went to the U of S and had so much success is an honour unto itself. Some of those greats being Gene Makowsky, Jerry Friesen, Marshall Toner, Dan Farthing, Travis Serke, etc.
2. Football is the ultimate team sport. It is the only contact sport in which the combatants can vary so greatly in size. Lineman can get as big as 6'7" 315 lbs. (Dave Mudge), and receivers can be as small as 5'9" 188 lbs. (Ben Cahoon). How can you compare two totally different athletes who have two totally different jobs? It is way too hard.
I just hope that I will be able to give back to the football program and university that gave me so much. I am forever indebted to the coaches and people I played with who made me the player I am.