WitP: Ingram, Veikune, Chad Owens

Long snapper Jake Ingram has signed with the New Orleans Saints.

DenverBroncos.com has a few quotes from their new linebacker David Veikune.

After being waived by Cleveland, he never lost hope that he would find a new club.

“I always had a good outlook,” he said. “I think a big part of this game is being able to fight through adversity, and I definitely pushed through everything and stayed motivated and it helped me out.”

He said he played inside linebacker in Cleveland, but he doesn’t know what plans Defensive Coordinator Don Martindale has for him. At his first practice on Wednesday, he did his best to keep up.

“They’re throwing as much as they can at me, and I’m just trying to learn it as fast as I can,” he said.

Chad Owens and the Toronto Argonauts face the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL's East Final. There are a lot of articles about Montreal's efforts to stop Mighty Mouse:

Argos’ Owens anticipates lots of action against Alouettes, by Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star

“They’re going to come at me hard, just like they always do,” the Argonauts kick returner/receiver said Thursday after he and his teammates finished practice at Mississauga’s Hershey Centre in preparation for Sunday’s CFL East final in Montreal.

He doesn’t anticipate Montreal punter Damon Duval directing a lot of kicks at the sidelines to limit his options, the way Hamilton did late in the season.

“I expect to see the ball,” the league’s most dangerous returner said. “If there’s one thing I know about Montreal, it’s that they’re a very confident team. They don’t fear anybody.”

If the Alouettes don’t fear Owens, they have very short memories.

Won't be burned by dynamo Owens, Alouettes' Cox vows, by Herb Zurkowsky of The Montreal Gazette

"He's dangerous every time he gets his hands on the ball," Cox said. "He's elusive and deceptive. He can have a strong influence, but one man can't beat a team.

"I don't fear him, because I don't fear anybody."

Alouettes look for ways to stop Argos' Owens, the kick returner they let get away, by Bill Beacon of The Canadian Press

''He presents the biggest challenge for a guy in my position right now,'' said Alouettes assistant coach Andy Bischoff, who has been plotting kick coverages to stop Owens. ''He's a great young man.
''We have a plan and it involves our best talent that we've put on the field in those coverage units, and it involves being smart about where we put the football.''
Angling kicks to the sidelines to make it easier to box him in, or getting punts to roll out of bounds and nullify any return, are likely to be part of that plan.

Als on a manhunt — for Owens, by Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun

If the Als game plan for the 2010 Eastern Conference final was turned into a movie, it would be titled “Get Chad!” That’s how much of a threat the Argos kick returner/wide receiver poses to the Als, who are just two wins away from another their Grey Cup title.

“He’s so shifty, if you were in a phone booth with Chad for five, 10 minutes, you wouldn’t touch him,” Als defensive lineman Anwar Stewart said after practice Friday. “That’s how elusive he is. If he gets just a little bit of a crease, he’ll hit it. He’s a very talented returner, very fast, and a good receiver too.”

Montreal rues letting Owens go, by Mark Masters of the National Post

In 2008, while playing for the Colorado Crush in the Arena Football League, Owens tore the ACL in his knee.

“I was on my way back to the NFL,” Owens said. “I had a couple teams waiting on me and wanting to sign me and then I got injured.”

Owens viewed the CFL as his last shot at professional football. He signed a practice-roster contract with Montreal last year and played one game.

“I came into this season like it was an all-or-nothing year where I was either going to come back and be the player I know I can be or it’s not going to happen and I’m going to have to move on,” he said.