Same Duron Carter, different setting in B.C.

He’s now with his fourth CFL team in B.C., but he says he’s the same Duron Carter we’ve come to know.

“Nothing’s different,” smiled Carter at Lions’ camp at Hillside Stadium. “You can ask some of the coaches that have been my teammates or I played against. Nothing really changes, just the perception of things sometimes. When you come in with a fresh start and everybody’s loving it. We haven’t won or lost any games yet. It feels really good.”

Carter, the big personality he is, will bring energy to the Lions and we’re already seeing that during training camp in Kamloops.

“I bring energy. I feel like with my style of play, I save score really quickly. When things are going down, I like to be that guy to give that jolt of energy, be that lightning bolt,” said Carter.

The Lions’ veterans and coaching staff aren’t worried about any distraction that could come from Carter. The group feels he’ll fit right in and be mentored by guys like Mike Reilly, his new quarterback.

“His personality is different and colourful, but that’s part of what makes him special,” said Reilly. “He’s in a unique situation in his career. I don’t think he’s had the type of stability with the veterans that we have, the coaching staff that we have, the GM that we have, the quarterback that I am and my experience. That’s all setting him up for the perfect opportunity.”

New Lions’ head coach DeVone Claybrooks says Carter has bought into the program so far.

“Even with everything else, nobody ever said he was a bad teammate,” he said. “We did our research and background on him. He’s a great kid. He works hard. He does the little things. He’s understanding what we want and he’s helping to facilitate that.”

The Lions have a talented receiving core with the likes of Carter, Bryan Burnham, who’s been over 1,000 yards in the last three seasons, Lemar Durant who comes over from Calgary.

But the 28-year-old receiver says he doesn’t need to be the primary target to be happy in B.C.

“No, not at all. You’ve seen some of the great CFL offenses have three, four, five guys over 1,000 yards, and that’s the pinnacle you want to hit as a starting receiver in the CFL,” said Carter. “To get to where Mike Reilly throws for 5,000 yards, we’re going for 6,000 yards this year, we need all of our guys getting the ball and getting the most of it. So there’s no competition between us.”

by Chad Klassen

Same Duron Carter, different setting in B.C.

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