The Canadian PressLB Kiser back from nasty injury, eyes starting job with Rams
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — During the Los Angeles Rams' training camp one year ago, Micah Kiser was a fifth-round pick who had barely played as a rookie. The young linebacker knew he had to make a big impression in August, and he was well on his way to winning more playing time, perhaps even a starting job.And then his left pectoral muscle completely tore off the bone while he made an ordinary preseason tackle against the Dallas Cowboys.Kiser felt searing pain, but his determination overrode his common sense for a moment. He stayed in the game for several most snaps and only reported his injury to the training staff after the defence got a stop.“I was like, 'I’m not trying to waste this opportunity,” Kiser said. “They were going to have to pull me out of the game for me to come out. I was ready to go out on my shield.”The injury was season-ending, but Kiser had done enough to keep the Rams' attention. One year later, he looks like a favourite in a four-man derby for two starting jobs at inside linebacker and the chance to effectively replace leading tackler Cory Littleton, who left for Las Vegas as a free agent.“You see the instincts, you see the awareness,” coach Sean McVay said of Kiser. “Great communication ability. He’s been attacking the football. ... His feel for the game, he’s got an innate feel. Football makes sense to him, and it’s been good to see him out here healthy, and we’re optimistic that he’s going to be a big contributor this year.”Filling Littleton's always-moving shoes is a tough assignment, but recovering from a badly torn chest muscle is no picnic, either. Kiser, who led the ACC in tackles three times at Virginia, feels capable of just about anything after surviving that setback.“I guess the easiest thing was just to feel sorry for myself,” Kiser said. “It took a while to get over that, honestly. Going to the games was really tough, knowing like, man, I wish I can be out there, and just not really being in the thick of it, not really being in the foxhole. That’s the kind of guy I am. (I was) just trying to get over the feeling of feeling down on myself and feeling sorry for myself.”Kiser did it in part by spending time with Carrie Hastings, the Rams' sports psychologist. His five-month physical recovery wrapped up near the end of the Rams' 9-7 season, and he worked out obsessively alongside his girlfriend during the months of coronavirus quarantine, cutting weight for the season well before training camp began.The cap-strapped Rams elected not to sign any veteran inside linebackers in free agency, deciding to replace Littleton and Clay Matthews, who started 13 games before getting cut, with the prospects already in the building. Kiser is competing with Travin Howard, Kenny Young and Troy Reeder for two starting spots.The wisdom of the Rams' strategy will depend solely on how well Kiser and his fellow competitors perform, since linebacker can be a difficult position at which to identify quality NFL contributors. Just look at Littleton, an undrafted free agent from Washington who grew into a pillar of LA's defence.Reeder started eight games last season, while Young and Howard played as backups and on special teams. The Rams couldn’t afford to keep Littleton, but they also dropped Matthews and Bryce Hager, who started four games last year before a season-ending shoulder injury.McVay and new defensive co-ordinator Brandon Staley have been careful not to name favourites in this competition, perhaps because they didn't have any.“There is a group of guys there that have not played a lot of football in the NFL,” Staley said. “I think that we are optimistic about who they are as competitors, who they are as people.”This green group of remaining inside linebackers still has the confidence of the rest of the Rams' defence.“You say that there’s a lack of experience, but Micah Kiser, he has the all-time ACC record in tackles or something like that,” said Rams safety John Johnson, who played in the ACC for Boston College while Kiser was at Virginia. “If we’re on the same page, I know we’ll have success.”NOTES: The Rams made several personnel moves when they returned to practice Tuesday, signing rookie LB Daniel Bituli from Tennessee and CFL veteran LB Derrick Moncrief. ... The Rams also waived rookie QB Josh Love and rookie LB Bryan London. ... Love's departure left fellow undrafted free agent Bryce Perkins as the Rams' third-string quarterback. Los Angeles still seems set to head into the regular season with John Wolford and Perkins behind Jared Goff. Neither backup has ever thrown an NFL pass.___More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFLGreg Beacham, The Associated Press
The Canadian PressFormer NFL player Berger forever grateful for late father's influence
Mitch Berger will forever be indebted to his father — and he's trying to remember the good times after his dad's death during an extremely challenging stretch.The 48-year-old Canadian, who played 16 NFL seasons (1994-2009) as a punter with 11 teams, was twice named an All-Pro and captured a Super Bowl in 2009 with the Pittsburgh Steelers.Berger says he owes it all to his father, Donald, who died July 19 at age 80 in Vancouver following a long battle with Parkinson's Disease."My whole football life, everything I have, is because of my dad," Berger said in a telephone interview. "We started watching games together when I was four . . . he coached me, he taught me how to kick out of a handbook, he put field goal posts in our back yard."My dad was with me every single day, he kicked with me every single day, he worked with me every single day. He never said no, he never quit, he never got tired. Everywhere and anywhere, he was my entire life."The pandemic created no shortage of challenges for Berger, who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz. Initially, he couldn't travel to Canada and when he could, he had to self-quarantine for 14 days upon his arrival.Berger was in quarantine when his father passed away."I was five minutes away from him and couldn't go see him," Berger said. "It was very, very difficult being down the street but being unable to hug my mom or dad."Thank God for Facetime but, really, it was awful."Don Berger was a native of Homestead, Pa., who joined the Air Force at age 17 and met his wife, Evelyn, in 1960. The senior Berger was a diehard Steelers fan and a career highlight for Mitch Berger was having his entire family present to watch Pittsburgh defeat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., in Super Bowl XLIII."That was the last time my family was together, it (Super Bowl) brought my whole family together," said Berger. "After we won, families were allowed on the field but my dad, with his Parkinson's, couldn't come down."So we have a video of me running into the stands and telling my dad I got one for him. It's the first time I'd seen my dad cry in his whole life and that was amazing to see."Mitch Berger also lost his older sister, Melissa, to Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease, last year.Following Pittsburgh's Super Bowl victory, Berger got to visit the neighbourhood that his father grew up in."He never talked much about growing up because he never talked about himself," Berger said. "We ended up learning about his hometown, the street where he played football with his best buddy, Tommy."We went to his neighbourhood bar. He was going down the street telling everybody who I was. It was amazing."But Don Berger did more than just mentor his son. He created the Mini Basketball League in North Delta., B.C., and served as a coach and president of the North Delta Minor Football League.He received the Orange Helmet award in 2010 from the CFL's B.C. Lions and in 2018 joined Mitch Berger in the BC Football Hall of Fame, making them the only father-son tandem in the shrine.Mitch Berger has also been named for induction into Tyler Junior College's sports circle of honour. Berger played at the Texas school in 1990-91 before transferring to Colorado and ultimately being drafted in 1994 by the Philadelphia Eagles.Berger said his dad was instrumental in his landing at Tyler Junior College."My dad took me to camps in the U.S. to compete against American kids because he knew if I was ever going to make it in the NFL I needed to get to the U.S. somehow," Berger said. "When I wasn't recruited, he put every cent he had into a video to send out to colleges."When I told my kicking coach in the U.S. that, he found me a scholarship to junior college in Tyler, Texas. It was an awful start as I wanted to go home but my dad talked me into staying and sticking it through and was I glad that I did."It's clear Don Berger's drive and determination were passed on to his son, who had to persevere through being released throughout his pro career."That and my ability to fight," Mitch Berger said. "He had Parkinson's for over 20 years and he always had a good fight and spirit about it."He'd always ask, 'What do I have to do to get out of this hospital? How many reps do I have to do of this?' He always grinded and worked hard. My dad would tell me, 'It's not the work you put in when everybody was watching that counted but it was the work you put in when no one was looking that made you the best.'"Sadly, Parkinson's remains within the Berger family as Evelyn was diagnosed with the disease about two years ago. But perspective is helping Mitch Berger take the future in stride."I'm the worst when it comes to perspective," he said. "But when stuff like this happens, you always have to appreciate what you have and realize there's always someone who has it worse than you." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2020.Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
The Canadian PressCFL Players' Association says it has tentatively secured assistance for members
There will be no pro football in Canada in 2020, but the CFL Players' Association says it has tentatively secured its membership some financial help.The union told players in an email Wednesday those under contract would be eligible for wage subsidy from July through December. The CFLPA added the benefits could go beyond that if the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) is extended.A CFL source said league teams will make applications to the subsidy program on their players' behalf. The union added it is hoping to finalize matters in the next day or so.The CFLPA also says CFL players will have their medical coverage extended through to the start of training camp in 2021.Those are significant developments for CFL players. The league cancelled the 2020 season Monday after being unable to secure a $30-million, interest-free loan from the federal government.The union also said CFL players in the final year of their deals can be released immediately if they wish. But those that are won't be entitled to "the ongoing medical coverage."Calgary linebacker Nate Holley, the CFL's top rookie last season, has exercised that right and was released Wednesday to pursue NFL opportunities.While the CFL did not secure a loan from Ottawa, it has been receiving government aid. Two sources familiar with the situation told The Canadian Press on Wednesday the league was to collect between $7 million and $9 million in wage subsidy from March to August. And if the program remains intact, that number could climb to as high as $12 million by year's end.One of the sources said if the CFL had staged a shortened '20 season, it was expecting to generate as much as $45 million in revenues. But even with that, the league was destined to incur substantial financial losses in 2020, expected to be at least $50 million."The fact is the federal government eventually chose not to fund the proposal it requested from the CFL for a return to play in 2020," the league said in a statement. "It is also a fact the CFL and its clubs have participated in the wage subsidy program along with thousands of other employers."The CFL is one of many businesses accessing the wage subsidy program. The government says the CEWS has provided $27.53 billion in subsidies to more than 290,000 employers."While we regret we could not find a way to stage a season in 2020 in the face of COVID-19 and the loss of our No. 1 source of revenue, fans in the stands, we value our relationship with the federal government and provincial governments across the country and we have now shifted our focus to 2021 and our long-term future," the CFL said in a statement.CEWS is aimed at helping employers protect jobs and rehire by covering 75 per cent of an employee's wages (up to $847 weekly) for businesses hit hard by the pandemic.The funds for the CFL are reportedly earmarked to pay coaches, football and business operations staff.The sources were granted anonymity because neither the CFL nor the federal government have divulged details of the loan request or CEWS information.The CFL had repeatedly stated that money from Ottawa was required to salvage a shortened '20 season. The inability to reach an agreement with the federal government was bitterly disappointing for many league officials, including Winnipeg Blue Bombers president Wade Miller, who was upset with how long the entire process took."I'm not sure if you don't help in a pandemic, when you're going to help," Miller told TSN 1290 radio in Winnipeg. "When you work with the government for over four months, you think you're going to get somewhere by the end, twice they asked us to come back in different ways and the federal government support never materialized."Nobody plans for a pandemic, so I would suggest nobody is in great shape. We'll most likely figure this out on our own and come up with CFL made solutions is my guess."The CFL sent Ottawa the $30-million request Aug. 3 after asking for $44 million in July. In April, the league had presented the federal government a three-tiered financial-assistance proposal that began with $30 million immediately, more in the event of a shortened season and up to $150 million for a cancelled campaign.Sources have said the $30-million request fell through when the assistance couldn't be provided to the league under the terms it sought. And last month, the CFL ruled out a loan from the Business Development Bank of Canada because it felt the interest rate was too high.Ottawa has maintained its willingness to help the CFL through existing programs and not league-specific funding. It's an approach the government has already taken with Canadian businesses requiring assistance as a result of the pandemic."There are over 97,000 restaurants, bars and cafes facing the same challenge as the CFL, having their revenues plummet due to this pandemic," said Liberal MP Bob Bratina (Hamilton East-Stoney Creek), who spent 20 seasons broadcasting Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts games. "Our government’s response has come in the form of programs such as the wage subsidy, CEBA and others accessible to businesses across the country."CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie has stated the league collectively lost upwards of $20 million in 2019.Following the CFL's decision to cancel its season, Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault said the league did benefit from some existing government programs but never provided specifics."Our government helped the CFL navigate through the existing COVID-19 emergency response programs that are helping tens of thousands of businesses across Canada with revenue and liquidity challenges during this time," he said in a statement. "Although the league was able to benefit from some of these programs, its board members ultimately made the decision not to pursue the upcoming season." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2020.Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
