TORONTO

Bear Woods looked around at his new Argos teammates lining up in the huddle and then watched as they ran to the ball.

He then became aware of a hairstyle he'd become synonymous with during his days in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and in the CFL with the Alouettes. It suddenly dawned on Woods that he was surrounded by players sporting dreadlocks, prompting the newest Argo to anoint the unit with an unofficial handle.

"The Dreaded D," said Woods, who has long flowing locks of his own.

Marcus Ball, Ken Bishop, Johnny Sears Jr., Rico Murray and Akwasi Owasu-Ansah are fellow proponents of dreadlocks.

If all six, including Woods, emerge as starters, half of Toronto's defence will feature the dreadlocks look.

‘The Dreaded D' has a certain ring to it, the kind of defence that suits Woods beyond the choice in hair ware.

Saturday marked the first time Woods practised with the Argos, who came to an agreement with the all-star middle linebacker late Wednesday.

He was on the sidelines for Thursday's pre-season opener against his former team, taking mental reps and trying to acclimate himself with life as an Argo.

"Philosophy-wise, I'm learning the terminology," began Woods following his first day of contact. "I'll look at the practice film (Saturday night) and make the necessary corrections, but I did not feel stressed. They didn't throw me out there that they hadn't already prepared me for.

"They looked out for me there and I got to play a little football (Saturday) and, more importantly, I got to put my hat on someone during padded practice. It felt good."

Contact and playing with a physical edge is what Woods is known for, besides his hair, a fundamentally sound tackler with a high football IQ and now with a chip on his shoulder following his unexpected release by Montreal.

"It's the game," said Woods of the physical nature of football. "A lot of people can look good in shorts, can run and do indie (individual) drills, but football comes down to playing football and that's what everybody is doing out here. One thing about this locker room is that they do love the game. I'm grateful for the opportunity to possibly be part of this team."

The dreadlocks, meanwhile, are dear to Woods.

"I've got to say the defence is looking pretty scary with all the dreads swinging out and more importantly the guys are real players. These are notable guys," added Woods.

Corey Chamblin becomes the fourth defensive co-ordinator Woods has worked with in the CFL and the two have hit it off quickly.

"Corey made it smooth," said Woods. "As a man, you get to talk to him as a man. The transition philosophically was smooth, even off the field we really gelled together. On the field, his passion for the game, his attention to detail, those are things I also pride himself in as a player.

"I look forward to working with him. Truth be told, it hasn't been that big of a deal. Being in Montreal, my linebackers coach was Greg Quick and he's worked with coach Chamblin. I already knew some bit about him (Chamblin) because this league is small.

"Coach Quick was telling me: ‘You're going to love this guy.' I'm looking forward to learning. The one thing about life is that you're always learning. I can see football from another great football mind. This guy has had success at the highest level in this league and I'm going to try to absorb as much as possible from him, on and off the field."

FRESH START FOR EX-WOLVERINE

From the ‘Maize and Blue' to Double Blue, it's been quite a journey for William Campbell, who went from the bright lights of playing for Michigan to the NFL, but is now hoping to crack the Argonauts roster.

Campbell never gave up his dream of wanting to resume his playing career, but he began to settle in as a substitute high school teacher in Belleville, Mich.

The offensive lineman was coaching the school's football team and was out on the field with his players when his agent called.

"We were just running, doing some cardio and some light drill work," said Campbell. "I was running with my guys when one of my coaches told me I got a call. At first, he (agent) hung up and then he called back. He told me it was Toronto."

Campbell has a degree in sociology and a minor in English.But football has always been in the back of his mind.

"I still worked out and my agent told me to be ready for any opportunity and this one came," said Campbell. "I'm blessed to have it and I'm glad they (Argos) brought me in."

His agent had spoken to him of the CFL in the past. One of Campbell's teammates at Michigan was Thomas Gordon, who started at linebacker and safety for the Argos last season. He was released this off-season.

In high school, Gordon was Campbell's quarterback. And when Gordon made the grade last season in Toronto, Campbell found himself watching the Argos on television.

When the Argos contacted Campbell, he reached out to Gordon, who was working as a substitute teacher in Detroit's inner city.

Campbell drove from Michigan to Toronto, woke up the next day and practised for the first time.

The team had Campbell at right tackle and then switched him to the left side, where je started Thursday night in their pre-season win over Montreal.

"The guys they grouped me in with, Tyler (Holmes), Sean (McEwen), Corey (Watman) and Chris (Van Zeyl), you can't get better than that," said Campbell. "It was to the point where they told me where to go and I just did my job."