It takes being a veteran of a few training camps in the NFL to know your place, which is why David Foucault isn't stressed about his status with the B.C. Lions at their mini-camp this week.
"I'm a rookie," he says, without hesitation. "You have to be treated like a rookie. Everybody every year has to have a mindset like a rookie. No spots are guaranteed."
The fishbowl in which the 28-year-old offensive lineman has played, however, is one in which status is often defined by the number of zeros at the end of your paycheque, and on that basis alone the new left tackle of the CFL team might have a case to think differently.
Even though he spent two seasons on the practice roster of the NFL's Carolina Panthers, Foucault still took home more cash than a good portion of his new teammates.
That's all in the past now, and having made a three-year commitment to the Lions he is finally in position to validate the faith placed in him by the Lions as part of a reconstructed offensive line. And yes, Foucault knows quite well that he will be compared to the player who went to the Montreal Alouettes in order to obtain his rights, six-time all-star Jovan Olafioye.
On that level alone, the trade for Foucault was rightly mocked simply for his lack of playing experience relative to a fixture at tackle like Olafioye. The Lions, however, saw what unfolded during the winter through a completely different prism.
While many saw Olafioye as a dominant rock up front, coach/GM Wally Buono saw a player who was rocked on several occasions during last year's West Division final by Calgary Stampeders defensive end Cordarro Law.
To B.C the trade wasn't Foucault for Olafioye but a swap of salaries for an established piece of high-octane offence, receiver Chris Williams.
"To us, it was always Jovan for Williams," one Lions insider said. Foucault also subsequently signed a three-year deal which will reportedly earn him an average of $130,000, including incentives, according to 3Downnation.com. That represents roughly a saving of $75,000 on what the Lions were on the hook for with Olafioye.
Nobody needs to ask Buono twice whether he thinks his team came out better on the overall exchange.
With the accounting bloodbath complete, what remains to be seen is whether the Lions actually end up with adequate offensive line protection for franchise quarterback Jon Jennings, not only with Foucault but with the fellow Canadians who'll comprise the front line of the protection unit.
Foucault took reps at both guard and tackle during this week's minicamp, but when Hunter Steward shows up to camp next month in Kamloops he will not be asked to be an immediate starter.
Steward, Charles Vaillancourt, Cody Husband and Kirby Fabien figure to be the four starting Canadians, with Foucault only an injury away. That's always been standard procedure for the Lions under Buono. Give the newcomer some time, however, and he'll be treated like everyone else, which is another way of saying Buono doesn't think the fact Foucault has only one NFL regular season under his belt will ultimately represent a deterrent.
"After six months off, we're all rusty. I am. You are," Buono said. "When you get a guy who was in the NFL for two years the culture of football is big and that's helped him to understand football."
Remember though, Foucault's still a rookie. Just ask him. Coffee and donut duty at training camp for the veterans is only a few weeks away.
LIONS TALES: Transparency was a casualty Friday, according to the Lions, when the CFL fined the club $2,500 for violating league by-laws pertaining to the contract of Adam Bighill, who used a window in his agreement to eventually jump to the NFL's New Orleans Saints. It was noted in the press release involving the all-star linebacker that Bighill had an agreement to return to the Lions if he doesn't stick with the Saints, which drew a red flag of protest from at league one club which wondered why he wasn't a CFL free agent. "When Adam asked for the window it was good for both sides but yet he made it clear that if things didn't happen in the NFL this was where he wanted to go," said Buono. "When we put the release out we probably shouldn't have tried to be informative which got us in trouble"... BC concluded its minicamp sessions Friday by hosting a handful of players who are eligible to be taken in the May 7 CFL Canadian college draft. B.C has two picks in the first round, a scenario which has resulted in the Lions trading one of their picks in the past or taking a gamble on a player who could be signed as a priority free agent after the NFL draft, which concludes Saturday. However Lions player personnel director Neil McEvoy said it was more likely the team will take players who have a chance to stick in early rounds this time.... Stanley Franks, whose Lions career was cut short in 2010 as a result of a gruesome injury which nearly resulted in leg amputation, will be announced as the club's new defensive backs assistant once he completes his contract Saturday with the conclusion of spring practice at Idaho State.
