Foster keeps calm
Receiver tunes out questions about potential
The question has been asked of Akeem Foster so often that he says he’s practically tuned it out. Friends. Teammates. The occasional opponent, too. How rich would the starting non-import wide receiver of the B.C. Lions be if he had a dollar for every time he is asked about his unbridled potential?
“I probably wouldn’t be in the league,” Foster said, smiling. “I’d probably be somewhere on an island.”
What has been known for a while about the pass-catcher, whose size is unrivalled on the CFL team, is that he has the potential to excel, if only he had a chance to catch a ball that doesn’t develop icicles because of how long it takes to reach his wideside spot on the field.
But a subtle off-season change that reduces delivery time by occasionally lining Foster up closer to quarterback Travis Lulay began to pay dividends for the Lions in their last game against the Calgary Stampeders.
And if Foster can repeat his five-catch, 72-yard performance, which was only the second time in his career he’s caught more than three passes in a game, the Lions can begin to think positively about the long-term prospects for their offensive output.
Foster’s 6-foot-4, 212-pound frame could certainly be utilized against a beefed-up defensive secondary of the Toronto Argonauts when the Lions next play Monday.
After two seasons where Foster was used almost exclusively as a wideside wideout, offensive co-ordinator Jacques Chapdelaine redesigned a portion of the attack in the off-season to make more of a blocker out of Foster at times.
It was an adjustment for a receiver who only a couple of years ago was the primo target at St. Francis Xavier, because for any receiver coming out of college, blocking has about as much cachet as playing special teams.
But added blocking has been among the reasons Lulay has been successful, and Foster has been more than willing to do his part.
“If your editor asked you to write a story about something or someone you didn’t like, you take it with a grain of salt and you do it,” he said. “It’s not even like it’s a bad thing. I’m the biggest guy on the field. Why not [block]?”
It was impossible for Lulay not to notice his rangy receiver open behind coverage for the Lions’ first touchdown throw Saturday. More important for the long-term success of the Lions, however, was that Foster also demonstrated against Calgary how to get open in zone coverage, and when Lulay was scrambling.
Still, no starting receiver has made fewer catches than Foster, who is still one grab away from double figures after five games. And there are more than a few import receivers on the Lions who likely wish they had a different passport and the extended opportunity that allows them to explore potential.
Ernest Jackson continued to work at practice on offence in place of Nick Moore, who got his chance when another import, Kierrie Johnson, was injured. Next up if Jackson can’t deliver is Courtney Taylor.
Foster, meantime, goes quietly about his work. “Maturation has been a big part of his growth, but it’s also been to get healthy,” said coach Mike Benevides of Foster, who reported to training camp still suffering from the effects of a knee injury suffered late last year.
The Lions believe Foster can still be in the conversation with fellow non-import receiving picks Shawn Gore and Marco Iannuzzi.
“It’s great to see people believe in potential, but at the same time that’s my motivation,” Foster said.
You certainly want to be remembered in a manner other than how Benevides described Foster after practice Wednesday. “He’s got so much potential,” Benevides said.
One loonie, please.