I was talking to my brother (Tyron Brackenridge) while he waited to board the plane to bring him back home from the mini-camp today. Bossy (our family nickname for him) told me that the coaching staff had him at FS (Free Safety) all camp. I asked how he felt there he said “I kinda lke it, I’m cool with it, but I felt natural out there at FS.” He also said he was worried about IF he were to play FS, who would play the LB position he played last year? He also said “I REALLY like our group we have this year it’s going to be trouble for teams around the CFL!”
Like our other brother (JaQuwan), Bossy is a natural safety and will bring a different element to the position. I do have some trepidation with the move due to the success he (and more importantly the defense) had last year. Unless the Riders draft a LB to fill that position in the upcoming weeks, or sign a FA (which I think is HIGHLY unlikely) the OLB position will be a weakness going forward.
From my past football knowledge & playing experience, I think it would be wise to move Bossy around the defense (like the Green Bay Packers used to do with Charles Woodson). This way it would utilize his skill set to the maximum of his abilities.
I tweeted out last week (my twitter account: @joearrigo) the following tweets:
[i]I'll share this w #RiderNation, when @TBrack41 & I had lunch 2 weeks ago he was as excited as ever about the opportunity to lead the D![/i]
[i]#RiderNation he's also excited about all the changes & thinks this team can win a Grey Cup. I expect a huge season from @TBrack41[/i]
[i]Last thing #RiderNation ; I haven't seen @TBrack41 this focused & ready to go EVER! He's pumped up about the 2013 season & loves the fans![/i]
For those that doubt the validity of myself, please check my twitter account for some pics of me & Bossy.
Like my brother, I’m excited for the upcoming season and share his belief that this is the year the Riders will hoist the Grey Cup!!
He won't be playing safety. It is an Evaluation Camp, and there is nothing to evaluate with him at LB, but they do need to see other guys there, as there will be more cuts at LB and DL. They also had more walk-ons/invites at LB than other positions.
They also took the opportunity to drop him back into more a coverage position so he so he could see the D from a different perspective...a good way to develop a guy's skills and overall knowings of the D...ie woodson reference.
Butler is safety. They 'might' be looking at him as rotating LB / Safety with Butler so they can change formations up on the fly...something they were building towards last season...move Butler up for a play, drop someone to his spot...confuse the O a bit. He will not be starting Safety though. Note also that Butler is the only natural Safety on the roster, so they want to evaluate jic guys there.
oh yes...and I may as well add...Coach Chamblin from day 1 has been adamant and preached that players on his D will be diverse and capable of playing multiple positions to fill gaps. We saw him move guys around a little last season. He wants the option that if a guy goes down, even for 3 plays, that he can shuffle the guys out there who are in the heat of the game and make an opening for the next strongest guy on the bench...ie, if say Kromah was for some reason on the sideline, it might make sense to move TB back to S because Kromah can fill in strongly for TB...he may not want to rotate say McCall, unless he was strapped by ratio...just a lose example. On top of all of that, shuffling a player a bit can really open eyes, give them a chance to see some different looks, then return to their normal duties in the same game with some extra intel.
JBrack keep the good info flowing.
I have to hedge agreement with Depop. #41 will be playing close to the line. He's just so good covering the slots (usually the leagues best receivers).........and plugs the run. They need him close to the line and making plays.
Butler is safety. But I can see the defense moving these two guys around. Butler loves to hammer people and he'd like to play closer to the line. He'll blitz a fair amount. So I can see these two moving around for a variety reasons already made by Depop.
Keep us informed. The next 7 weeks between now training camp will go slowly. CFL draft coming in 3 weeks. But aside from that we just wait for camp and the season to get here.
I wrote an article about Bossy last night. I'll post the link below. It touches on his life, our life and the value of family and the role it's played in his life.
When we spoke yesterday he wasn't sure if the move was permanent or not (and I asked, believe me, like you I want to know what's going on with my little brother). He'd welcome any move to any position to help the team win, that's his main goal, bringing a Grey Cup to the Riders and Rider Nation.
We're gonna have lunch this week (possibly today) and he'll fill me in on more stuff about camp and what not.
Here is the link to the article:
"A Look At Tyron Brackenridge: Sports & Family" on http://MABSportsNetwork.com%20:%20http://ning.it/Zu1LIP
That link didn't seem to work for me. Here is another one.
[url=http://mabsportsnetwork.com/profiles/blogs/a-look-at-tyron-brackenridge-sports-and-family]http://mabsportsnetwork.com/profiles/bl ... and-family[/url]
Also just for future reference, its Roughriders, one word. There used to be an Ottawa team with Rough Riders.
Good read, I've been a fan of TBrack since those first 2 games he played in 2011. I'm interested how they deploy him this year, but I would bet that he will be back in the SAM position.
Typically they play a Canadian at safety whenever possible. Having him play safety at mini-camp is a great idea for being able to fill in whenever a guy goes down. TB can play the position but I’d be surprised to see him there. Team is looking GOOD, I see great things happening this year. If the chemistry is there, look out!
Doubtful that he will be starting at free safety he mastered one of the hardest positions to fill in the CFL in the SAM LB. Canadian Players who know the position from University are not good enough to cover a SB and for import CB/DB coming into the CFL that position does not exist in the American game as it is part LB and part safety with the 5 receiver set being the norm now in the CFL.
So when a plyer comes along like Brakenridge who was one of if no the best SAM in the CFL in his 2nd season you don't move him to safety. Butler is a pretty good Safety and Canadian who tend to play that position well with the extra receiver in the mix. Most times import players who play safety are usually CFL veterans who are now familiar with the extra receiver.
Down the road as he gets older and another SAM may come along then he would be most likely b a great safety but not this year.
Just look at all of the trouble that Winnipeg had last year without having anyone to play the SAM spot it killed there defense.
If the CFL ever modernizes the LB spots for all star selections to be specific to Wil MLB and SAM everyone will begin to see the importance of the having a good SAM LB and could become one of the more higher paying import starting positions