Aug
Lions rookie finds out what it takes
Courtesy Vancouver Province:
Jason Arakgi flew with the B.C. Lions to Montreal on Wednesday night, back to the town where his dad is still revered as a 6-foot-7 all-star receiver. To say he’s excited is to say his dad Nick is tall.
“It’ll be great to see my family,” said Jason, a Lions special-teams player and understudy at safety.
“And some friends are going to be there, too.”
A couple dozen of them.
It’s the most excited the 6-foot-2, 200-pound 23-year-old has been since Friday, when he was a twisted ankle or tweaked knee away from being inserted into the Lions secondary, with Dante Marsh then Lavar Glover going down to injuries.
It sounds funny to say it, but almost getting to play was a maturation point for the player who is being converted by the Lions from the ball-hungry linebacker he was with the McMaster Marauders.
“His growth is continuing,” said defensive co-ordinator Mike Benevides. “Last week, when he was one snap away from playing in the secondary, was a real growth experience.
“He’s a great athlete. He just needs, like all young players, knowledge and understanding of the CFL game.”
Like other young players, Arakgi found out it’s one thing to try to focus during meetings when you aren’t getting the reps, it’s another thing to be thrust into a situation where your number might be called the next play.
“That made it more real,” said Arakgi. “It made me realize I’ve got to stay on top of stuff. If something happens, I’ve got to know what to do. It’s a lot different when you’re watching film, [when] you can zone out. But when you know there’s a good chance you can [get into a game], there’s more of a sense of urgency that you know your stuff.”
Arakgi has some ties to the Lions other than being drafted in the third round, 20th overall, this last spring.
