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Running over opposition
Lumsden earns high praise from Stampeders' Armour
DAN TOTH, FOR METRO NEWS
July 16, 2008 02:12
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Calgary Stampeders linebacker JoJuan Armour refuses to be baited by questions about Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Casey Printers, his teammate last season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
No explanation, just an insistance he'll not utter "even one word about Casey" prior to the Ticats' visit to McMahon Stadium tomorrow night at 7 p.m.
Mention Jesse Lumsden, on the other hand, and it triggers a rapid-fire dialogue from the Stamps linebacker on the Ticats' burly back who has earned the respect of teammates and opponents for his hard-nosed running style and resistance to tackling.
"Jesse is an outstanding back, I've played with Jesse and against him and he's always been one of the top one or two backs in this league," said Armour, a teammate of Lumsden's the last two seasons in Hamilton.
"He can cause you problems running the ball and on screens, he's a guy you've got to gang-tackle and know how to hit him.
"The guys in this league know that you have to bring your lunch pail and your hard hat when you face him, there's nothing you have to tell them."
Lumsden leads the Canadian Football League with 362 yards rushing and a sensational 7.5-yard average, well ahead of Calgary's own Joffrey Reynolds, the No. 2 back with 277 yards through three games. Armour is quick to praise Lumsden's powerful style having seen him up-close in practice and as an opponent from across the line of scrimmage.
"Whenever Jesse has the ball in his hands he's dangerous," Armour said. "He's one of the best downhill runners (breaking to the sidelines) I've seen in a long time. When I played with him I could see he'd always make the first person miss. The first person is always going to have trouble with him, so that's something I always complimented him on when we played together.
"It's not elusive speed, he's just fast. For a big man, he moves."
Lumsden, a former Canadian College sensation with McMaster who wasn't drafted into the NFL but had a free agent shot with both the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins. His failure to stick, Armour suggests, has much more to do with the politics of NFL football and less about Lumsden's skills.
"It surprises me but there's a lot of favourÂÂitism down there," said Armour, who was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 1999.
"I was lucky to get four years in (in the NFL) and fortunate to have coaches down there who liked me."
btw Armour is a black LB.Edited by: Gi-15
Running over opposition
Lumsden earns high praise from Stampeders' Armour
DAN TOTH, FOR METRO NEWS
July 16, 2008 02:12
AnswerTips-enabled
Calgary Stampeders linebacker JoJuan Armour refuses to be baited by questions about Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Casey Printers, his teammate last season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
No explanation, just an insistance he'll not utter "even one word about Casey" prior to the Ticats' visit to McMahon Stadium tomorrow night at 7 p.m.
Mention Jesse Lumsden, on the other hand, and it triggers a rapid-fire dialogue from the Stamps linebacker on the Ticats' burly back who has earned the respect of teammates and opponents for his hard-nosed running style and resistance to tackling.
"Jesse is an outstanding back, I've played with Jesse and against him and he's always been one of the top one or two backs in this league," said Armour, a teammate of Lumsden's the last two seasons in Hamilton.
"He can cause you problems running the ball and on screens, he's a guy you've got to gang-tackle and know how to hit him.
"The guys in this league know that you have to bring your lunch pail and your hard hat when you face him, there's nothing you have to tell them."
Lumsden leads the Canadian Football League with 362 yards rushing and a sensational 7.5-yard average, well ahead of Calgary's own Joffrey Reynolds, the No. 2 back with 277 yards through three games. Armour is quick to praise Lumsden's powerful style having seen him up-close in practice and as an opponent from across the line of scrimmage.
"Whenever Jesse has the ball in his hands he's dangerous," Armour said. "He's one of the best downhill runners (breaking to the sidelines) I've seen in a long time. When I played with him I could see he'd always make the first person miss. The first person is always going to have trouble with him, so that's something I always complimented him on when we played together.
"It's not elusive speed, he's just fast. For a big man, he moves."
Lumsden, a former Canadian College sensation with McMaster who wasn't drafted into the NFL but had a free agent shot with both the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins. His failure to stick, Armour suggests, has much more to do with the politics of NFL football and less about Lumsden's skills.
"It surprises me but there's a lot of favourÂÂitism down there," said Armour, who was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 1999.
"I was lucky to get four years in (in the NFL) and fortunate to have coaches down there who liked me."
btw Armour is a black LB.Edited by: Gi-15