“Life was never easy for me, and I will never expect it to be. To God be the glory!”- Lions defensive end Dequin Evans
He aspires to one day be a professional wrestler, and even has experience in the ring with former Cincinnati Bengals teammate Adam “Pacman” Jones at a TNA match in 2013. That tells you all you need to know about the kind of character we have in DeQuin Evans.
Signed as a free agent in hopes of replacing some of Alex Bazzie’s production at rush end, the University of Kentucky product has come as advertised in Kamloops. And perhaps his most likeable trait is the fact he is dead serious about football to go along with the wrestler-like persona he carries off the field.
“I’m super hungry to win! I got to win man, come on now. It’s all about the Grey Cup,” said Evans in his best Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson voice.
“I knew this was a Grey Cup-calibre team and that’s what I am here for. These are the things you have to do to get to the Grey Cup right here. The grind out here and two-a-days.”
Evans earned a ring with the 2014 Calgary Stampeders, but was sidelined for the Grey Cup game with an injured calf. He appeared in five games with the Montreal Alouettes last season. His move to the west coast also represents somewhat of a homecoming as most of Evans’ immediate family resides just across the border in Washington State.
“Usually I go on a seven-month spree and won’t see my mother. So it will be good for my Mom and my sisters, I’ll be able to see them throughout the season.”
His mother Penina Maefau originally hails from Samoa and recently beat cancer. Along with the close proximity to his loved ones, daily battles with the offensive line in Kamloops have the Compton, California native excited for a potential championship run.
“We get after it every day, man. We’ve got a real good offensive line and I am glad that these guys are on my team,” explained Evans.
I’m glad I’m not facing them because these guys are good men, they’re angry players and I am just thankful I get to battle against them. When I go out there and play against other people I am very well prepared.”
If there was one big takeaway from last week’s pre-season loss at Calgary it was the fact this defensive line should be taken seriously. Evans had two of the Lions’ the four quarterback sacks.
“I’m out here just grinding every day, trying to get better. I have some awesome teammates and a great group of fells on the d line. We hold each other accountable.”
We have a hunch you wouldn’t want to face him in the ring either.
Training Camp Day 16 Report
It was the start of a new week with a ramped up focus for the players and coaches in Kamloops. Monday marked the first padded session since Saturday night’s live scrimmage and perhaps the entire defence was motivated or a bounce back. Evans and the defensive line once again performed well with linebacker Micah Awe shooting the gaps nicely. The entire secondary tightened up its coverage with most completions being limited to short gains. Anthony Gaitor and Mondo Williams had perhaps their best outings so far. Bryan Burnham made some nice catches underneath, while rookies Danny Vandervoort and RJ Harris caught some nice deep balls thrown by Alex Ross. With only three full days between now and the final pre-season tilt, you get the sense the pressure is on.
Battles Brewin’
A couple of interesting positions to watch between now and the end of the Saskatchewan game. Kelvin Palmer has been taking plenty of reps. at starting right tackle, ahead of the incumbent Antonio Johnson. On defence, Anthony Thompson has emerged as the starting field corner with fellow non-imports Keynan Parker and Matt Bucknor behind him. Obviously nothing is set in stone yet, but it speaks to how hard Thompson has worked in the off-season. The real beauty here is any one of those three Canadian DB’s can play a variety of positions, including safety.
Quotable
“You definitely have to change your mindset. The old mindset from that year (2016) didn’t get you to the top where you really wanted to be. You have to put more into that mindset, just be hungry every day and don’t take anything for granted.”- wide receiver Shaq Johnson on goals for the rest of camp and the fact it is a whole new season.
Injury Report
Parker sat out various drills to heal some bumps and bruises. Defensive linemen Dylan Ainsworth (neck) and Luther Maddy (broken hand) remain on the shelf. Defensive back TJ Lee took the day off with a minor foot issue, non-related to the achilles injury he suffered in 2016. A close eye continues to be on kicker Swayze Waters. The free agent addition continues to deal with a quad issue after not getting any work in at Calgary last week. No official word yet on his status for Friday night. It could mean Ty Long gets another chance to showcase himself.
Tuesday Schedule
They will be back at Hillside Stadium for a padded practice from 3:30-5:30PM.
Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com