2012 Training Camp
June 8, 2012
Chris O’Leary
Edmonton Journal
The life of a rookie in the Canadian Football League is often one that involves more visual stimulation than physical.
Five days into the Edmonton Eskimo training camp, Justin Capicciotti is well on his way to disrupting that dust-collecting pattern.
The Eskimos’ 14th overall draft pick this year has gone straight from Simon Fraser University into CFL training camp and next looks to be headed into game action.
Eskimo Head Coach Kavis Reed has raved about the six-foot-three, 235-pounder this week and the team’s coaching staff seems to grow fonder of the 22-year-old on a daily basis.
“He reminds us of Jed Roberts,” Reed said on Wednesday, comparing Capicciotti to the Eskimo defensive end and linebacker who spent 13 years with the team.
“He’s the guy that can come in and be a rotational guy as well as a key special teams contributor. The one thing he’s done so far in this training camp is he hasn’t looked out of place,” Reed continued.
“He has not seemed intimidated by the size of the guys, intimidated by the standards of the guys, in terms of having some years on them. For that reason, he’s competing exceptionally well and he’s earning his way into a very good situation.”
At SFU, Capicciotti spent his first two years with the team in Canadian Interuniversity Sport. The Clan hopped over to Division II NCAA for his third and fourth years, which he said has helped give him an edge in his first taste of the CFL.
“It was a step up in competition,” he said. “It was a combination between playing the Canadian game and a higher level of competition that helped me (succeed) in here.”
While the victories were few and far between – the Clan went 0-9 against NCAA opponents in 2010 and 3-7 in 2011 – the elevated competition helped Capicciotti become better. Even with the sun glaring down on him in Eskimo garb on Thursday morning, the suggestion of a trade-off of wins for self-improvement didn’t sit well with him.
“It definitely matters,” Capicciotti said. “You obviously want to win, but you have to develop as a person, too, and individually (on the field).”
Kit Lathrop, the Eskimo Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Line Coordinator, said the improvement is jumping out at both him and Reed in training camp.
“I think Kavis knew what he had (at the draft),” Lathrop said. “(Capicciotti’s) got great eyes, great quicks off of the ball, he’s been coached well. He’s got good fundamentals, good basics.”
A look at the Eskimo rookies of a year ago – second overall pick Scott Mitchell and fifth overall pick Nate Coehoorn – will tell you how much a draft pick can expect to play in Year 1. Capicciotti may not work his way into a starting linebacker or defensive end job, but the Eskimos are already expecting special teams contribution from the Toronto native.
“For Americans coming up from the NFL it takes a year for them to adjust, too,” Lathrop pointed out. “So, he’s been coached well and he’s a very intelligent kid, picks things up very quickly. He’s going to be a player for us.”
Capicciotti said he had set the same standard for himself heading into the camp.
“I came in with high expectations, I’m not surprised at all,” he said. “I’ve been working hard all off-season, preparing myself for this. When I came in I had high expectations for myself.”
Lathrop wouldn’t go as far as to say Capicciotti would have an impact this season, but he does see him having a busy 2012 season.
“Is he going to contribute a ton? Yeah,” Lathrop said. “Impact, to me, is a guy who changes the complexion of the game. Does he have that ability down the road? Yeah. I hope he’s an impact player this year, but if not, he’s a good kid. (He’s) sharp, too. I was really impressed.”
To be able to line up alongside defensive ends Marcus Howard, Rashad Jeanty and Julius Williams; to be able to stand toe-to-toe with an offensive line full of men and not flinch is an intangible. Reed knows you can’t instil that sort of confidence in a player.
“He’s competed right with those guys and he’s made these decisions tough,” Reed said. “He’s given us a very difficult option if he continues to improve and impress as he has been.”
coleary@edmontonjournal.com
Twitter.com/olearychris
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