Jim Popp wont have to go very far to check in on his first round CFL draft pick. With Popp caring for his wife who is recovering from a shark bite suffered in Hilton Head, South Carolina, Universite de Montreals David Foucault has done the general manager the favor of choosing a team just 20 minutes away for his NFL free agent tryout. “Thats the calculated risk we take,” admittted Popp of Foucaults decision to work out with the Carolina Panthers. “Im going to try to sneak in and see if I can watch him a little bit.” CFL agent Darren Gill calls the 6-foot-7 Foucault “electrifying,” with “stud freak athletic ability,” adding, “people gravitate to him and his sense of humour." Gill also confirmed Foucault -- who would have had the no. 1 NFL combine vertical jump for O-linemen-- drew interest from the Miami Dolphins along with several other NFL clubs. “What were comfortable with is he grew up an Alouette fan, he always wanted to be an Alouette and hes from our home town,” Popp said. “Hes one of the best players in the draft and we know if he doesnt stick in the NFL hell be happy to come to us.” The fact the no. 5 selection overall is a lifelong Alouettes fan whose favorite player is Anthony Calvillo is only a bonus. With the retirements of Andrew Woodruffe and Scott Flory, the Als still feel they have time to groom him at guard, with the succession plan to ultimately keep the tackle position Canadian, which currently remain the undisputed domains of Josh Bourke and Jeff Parrett. While defense was the Alouettes strength in 2013, co-ordinator Noel Thorpe has to be pleased three of the teams next four selections were invested on the defensive side, including 10th overall pick Andrew Lue of Queens, a possible Mike Edem clone. “Hes very physical, puts his hands on receivers,” Popp said. “We think he can have an impact immediately on special teams and can move around from corner to halfback and possibly to ‘Will or Sam linebacker.” Looking for talent in the middle and late rounds is a Popp speciality, and once again the only architect the Alouettes have known since their rebirth in 1996 is pleased with his third and fourth round picks. “I call him ‘Quadzilla,” Popp said of James Tuck, a fourth rounder from York. “He has massive thighs. He may be able to play defensive end or linebacker for us.” Tuck has already realized a life-goal, becoming the first Lion since CFL veteran Ricky Foley (coincidentally the D-lineman who concussed Anthony Calvillo) to be drafted. “Im ecstatic, I cant even measure,” Tuck gushed over the phone soon after receiving a call from the Alouettes. “Foleys been pretty inspirational, taking me aside at spring workouts, showing me little things,” Tuck said. An admitted Argos fan in the past, Tuck has also trained with James Yurichuk.“I look up to him. Hes got a high motor and I like to think I have one as well.” Popps annual sleeper may be third round selection Jeff Finley from the University of Guelph. “Hes the ‘Klassen of this draft,” insisted the GM. “Michael Klassen took it to the next level for us last year and we really feel Finley is that guy.” Last November, Finley was cheering against the Als in their playoff loss to the Ti-Cats. Hed met several, including Henry Burris and as a St. Catherines, Ontario-native was a longtime Hamilton supporter. Finley promises to be a quick study on Alouette culture thanks to fellow Gryphon alums Ryan Bomben and Jake Piotrowski. Finleys defensive co-ordinator at Guelph was Kevin MacNeill, a former Alouette, who was with the team for all of three days on a free agent tryout. “I dont think I even had a cup of coffee,” MacNeill chuckled. But Finleys work ethic is no joke. “Hes extremely physical, quick and hardworking.” McNeill mentioned. Finley should also be a quick study since hes a science student studying advanced anatomy. “He knows his way around a cadaver,” revealed MacNeill. With that being the case, getting his hands on live quarterbacks should be no problem. Brandon Bolden Jersey . -- John Senden never imagined it would take more than seven years to win again. Vincent Taylor Jersey . Jeff Green and Jordan Crawford each scored 19 points, Bass added 15 points and had a game-saving block in the closing seconds Saturday, and the Celtics held on for a 103-100 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. http://www.cheapdolphinsjerseysonline.com/?tag=jakeem-grant-jersey-online .com) - Stephen Currys jumper with 3. Nat Moore Jersey . During the furious first few hours of free agency Tuesday, the team agreed to terms with strong safety Donte Whitner, a Cleveland native who cant wait to play in his hometown. T.J. McDonald Jersey . Its the second straight year he has decided not to play as he cuts back his schedule. Stricker was replaced in the field by Ryo Ishikawa of Japan.TORONTO – The shootout has proven a viable saving grace for this years edition of the Maple Leafs. When Reid Boucher shot wide in what would be the Devils final attempt on Jonathan Bernier in the third round of the skills competition Sunday, he handed Toronto its eighth victorious decision in the shootout this season – tied for the most in the NHL. In fact, the Leafs have more victories in the shootout since the start of November (six) than they do in regulation/overtime (five), a fact thats masked, until recently, just how poorly the team has performed in the past two-plus months (12-16-5). But for a team that was teetering on a four-game losing streak – the second longest this season – the winning decision at the ACC, in a reality divorced from the game itself, was nonetheless needed and important. "Well, we can breathe," said Randy Carlyle, following the 3-2 victory, the second in two tries against the Devils this season, both wins coming in the shootout. "Theres been a lot of gasping going on, and even in this game there was a lot of gasping going on how tight it was." It was not a pretty performance in many regards – the Leafs were outshot 38-25 and out-attempted 83-48 – but one that at least offered some of the requisite intensity and desire that had been missing amid the recent slide and quite often throughout whats been a disappointing campaign to date. And they might very well have won it in regulation had it not been for a blown call on Tyler Bozaks apparent go-ahead goal in the second frame. "Guys are a little looser tonight already," Mason Raymond told the Leaf Report shortly after the win. "It feels good. It feels good to get a win." "Hopefully this relieves a little bit of the stress thats involved for our hockey club, and they can get back playing to the way were capable of playing," added Carlyle. Consistency has been a foe of his team so far. The Leafs have reeled off exactly one winning streak since October – it lasted three games, two of which were won in shootouts – winning back-to-back games on just two other occasions. Stringing together heartier efforts against the Capitals and Devils in recent days then is just a mild step in the right direction. The teams response in an upcoming back-to-back with the Bruins and Sabres will indicate whether, in fact, a corner is gradually being turned. "I dont think its an exact recipe you can follow," Raymond said of achieving consistency. "Youve got to build off the things, in my opinion, that you did well, stay positive and believe. I think thats a big part of it is just believing that we can get the job done and go out there and get wins." "I think the last few games our compete level and effort has been way better," said van Riemsdyk, who scored for the second straight game, "and I think if we continue to play in that same mold well have some more results that we want." Five Points 1. Gardiners Development Pt. 1 Carlyle labeled 23-year-old Jake Gardiners performance in Washington Friday night as "the model in which wed like him to play. Gardiner, who had been scratched for just the second time all season one night earlier in Carolina, raised his performance in the eyes of the coaching staff against the Capitals. "Much different Jake Gardiner," said Carlyle, observing improved strength and intensity in the defensive zone as well as better decision-making with the puck. Such is the road to development for a young defender in the NHL. Many ups come with many downs. "Jake is a talented young player and there are steps that he has to continue to take," said Carlyle, who met with Gardiner briefly at the end of Sundays morning skate. "With Jake, he has the ability to move the puck both with his hands and with his feet – he can skate. He would like to make more consistent decisions with the puck and so would we. Weve struggled to find a consistent level for him over the last probably five or six games." That inconsistency led Carlyle to scratch Gardiner last week, a questionable move that blew up in a 6-1 loss to the Hurricanes. But if the sit-down was designed to spark a reaction then it may have achieved some success the next night in the U.S. capital. "I think what happens with young players is they find that theyre always trying to do one thing and maybe trying to do too much of one thing and that sometimes turns into where you skate the puck into areas where you shouldnt and turn over the puck," said Carlyle. "But hes a young player that has got a tremendous upside." 2. Gardiners Development Pt. 2 What Carlyle has done additionally, in the meann-time, is remove Gardiner from the teams top two pairings – he and 19-year-old Morgan Rielly formed the third grouping for the second straight game against the Devils – and thus lighten the burden he is exposed to on a night to night basis.dddddddddddd Speaking to the Leaf Report on Sunday morning, Gardiner described his decision-making with the puck as one needed improvement, an issue again at times on Sunday night. "Dont try and force anything," he said. "I think I was trying to make plays that werent there and I was maybe trying to move the puck a little bit too quickly. When theres not an open guy, maybe just be patient and hold onto the puck a little bit." Gardiner, who played over 24 minutes against the Devils, is averaging nearly 22 minutes per game this season, second on the team. 3. Bolland Front Dave Bolland hasnt played since Nov. 2, when his left ankle was sliced by the skate blade of Canucks forward Zack Kassian. The 27-year-old has missed 32 games with the injury, but is due to finally start skating with the team on Thursday. Bolland recently traveled to Montreal in hopes of having a new boot designed specifically to support the injured area. That boot was due to arrive in Toronto on Monday with the Mimico native then expected to skate before joining the Leafs on a four-game road trip next week. An exact timeframe for return remains unclear. 4. Harder to Play Against? Asked before the game if this version of the Maple Leafs was as difficult to play against as the one that ended a lengthy playoff drought last season, Carlyle responded flatly in the negative. "Nowhere near," he said. "Weve been scratching our heads and trying to figure out why." And if there was one element that remained constant from a Friday loss in Washington to Sundays win in Toronto, it was the intensity of his group. The execution may have been lacking at times, but the compete Carlyle has been prodding for remained. "Thats one thing that weve really tried to put at the forefront in the last three weeks to a month is that our compete level has to go to a level where were satisfied," said Carlyle on Sunday morning. "Thats the one thing that weve said is our compete level has to go up." Carlyle pointed to the simple will required to win puck battles. "We have been guilty of just standing around in those situations," he said. "I call it getting inside. I think to be inside in todays NHL is the key because you cant hook and hold, you have to skate your way to get inside. "When we do it we can play effective hockey and give ourselves a chance to win. And when we dont do it were receiving the game, were standing around. I would say thats the biggest mystery for the coaching staff." 5. Stunted Starts Toronto has exited the first frame with a lead in 12 of 47 games this season, trailing, by comparison, on 17 occasions. Substandard starts have been a source of considerable trouble, often requiring the club to dig out from an early hole without much ultimate success. "All year long, weve [had] pretty poor starts," said Gardiner. "We try to dig ourselves out of it and then we start playing well and its too late by that time so if we can play almost desperate and aggressive I think well have better starts and itll lead to a better outcome." The Leafs started slowly again on Sunday – outshot 7-1 in the opening 10 minutes – but rebounded during the back half of the period, finding the games first goal from Tyler Bozak, his seventh this season. "We were rusty, I thought, for the first 10 or 12 minutes of the game," said Carlyle. Stats-Pack 8-4 – Leafs record in the shootout this season. 13 – Points in the past 11 games for Tyler Bozak, who has 19 points in 23 games this season. 8 – Shootout wins for the Leafs this season, tied with the Capitals for the most in the NHL. 1 – Goals in the past 14 games for Nazem Kadri. 24:23 – Ice-time for Jake Gardiner against the Devils, second on the team to Dion Phaneuf. 62% - Leafs success rate on the draw against the Devils. 2 – Consecutive games with a goal for James van Riemsdyk, who had two in the preceding 15 games. Special Teams Capsule PP: 1-4 Season: 21.8% (5th) PK: 3-4 Season: 77.4% (27th) Quote of the Night "I asked him if he could watch it after the game and maybe next time he has a game [with us] he can apologize or something because that was pretty brutal." - James van Riemsdyk, on his conversation with an official following Tyler Bozaks waved off goal in the second period. Up Next The Leafs visit the Bruins in Boston on Tuesday night. 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