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Lions Have Three Key Areas to Address

February 26, 2015 By Brian Wawryshyn

With the BC Lions gearing up for the Canadian Football League draft and about to start free agent camps all over the US, the club has three major areas of concern heading into the season. New head coach Jeff Tedford is already bearing fruit for the Lions with his US connections, as evidenced by the signing of a highly regarded QB prospect in Greg McGhee. Hopefully the Leos can uncover a few more gems over the next few months, but here are three key areas they need to address before training camp.

Quarterback:

Minus Kevin Glenn, the Lions have chosen to stick with what they had last season, while adding McGhee as a work in progress. The condition of Travis Lulay is a huge and legitimate concern that has yet to unfold. The Lions would dearly love for Lulay to be strong from the start of camp, but they also want him to realize he has to change if he’s going to stay healthy.

That’s a feat that will be easier said than done with a competitor such as Lulay, but at this point in his career he really has no choice, and he’s a lot more valuable to the Lions with his knowledge, leadership and experience than he is trying to recover a fumble or getting that extra yard.

Behind Lulay the depth chart likely goes like this; John Beck, Travis Partridge, Jordan Rodgers and Greg McGhee. While that will likely be the order heading into training camp, Jeff Tedford comes to the Lions with the reputation of being able to develop quarterbacks, and Wally Buono is no slouch in that department either. The Lions obviously feel they have some good options here, and will get their first chance to evaluate them at their offensive mini-camp in April. Don’t be surprised if the pecking order changes over the first few weeks of training camp.

The Offensive Line:

Paramount to the success of Travis Lulay will be the ability to keep him protected, and the Lions took the first step in that direction by going in a new one with new offensive line coach Doug Malone. Malone was in charge of a pretty good offensive line in Saskatchewan, both at protecting the QB and opening holes for the run. Contrary to some opinions out there the cupboard in BC isn’t bare, it just has to stay healthy and have a chance to get cohesive.

The Lions are solid with Jovan Olafioye at left tackle, while Jermarcus Hardrick showed he could play last season. Hunter Steward also did well at right tackle last season before getting hurt. The real question is what happens on the interior of the line. The Lions really need solid contributions from both Steward and Kirby Fabien. Fabien showed such promise in his rookie year before his devastating knee injury, but struggled last season both physically and mentally. T-Dre Player will also be a season wiser, after spending much of last season on the practice roster. The Lions extended Cameron Thorn and there is talk of him competing with Matt Norman at centre, perhaps giving the Lions the option to use him at guard. Dean Valli will also return, but the Lions need to have their youth start to emerge and succeed while also looking to add to this pool in the draft.

Kicker/Punter

Paul McCallum is the only kicker currently on the roster, which will no doubt change before training camp. The future hall of famer is a safety net for the Lions, but they would dearly love to find someone who can handle all the kicking duties. They hoped they had found that with Richie Leone, but lost him when he found work with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

McCallum’s leg certainly isn’t what it used to be, but he is a solid directional punter. The Lions will give up field position and long field goal attempts if he is the best option. Look for at least two bodies to join him in Kamloops.

Lions Not Busy But Talent Is There

February 12, 2015 By Brian Wawryshyn

rwabukamba_740x300 — Chris Rwabukamba should give the Lions ratio flexibility.

The first three days of CFL free agency are done, and the BC Lions appear to be finished sifting through what’s out there and will now focus their efforts on the draft and upcoming free agent camps.

While they only added one player from the available pool of league talent, the addition of Chris Rwabukamba is one the Lions have been trying to make for a couple seasons now.

The former Edmonton Eskimos DB has the flexibility to play the corner or at safety and with comfort of having Canadian Matt McGarva, the Lions may finally have that national safety they’ve been coveting for two years. McGarva is coming off a second major knee injury, but if he can have a solid return to the lineup it gives the Lions great roster flexibility.

In the loss column, the Lions say goodbye to Ernest Jackson, who in the second half of last season took on a major role in the offence. The Lions wanted to have him back, but the money paid by the Redblacks closed that window. While Jackson may continue to thrive, the body of work didn’t necessarily reflect his new deal with Ottawa. The Lions have Lavasier Tuinei and Bryan Burnham waiting in the wings and both showed promising talent in their appearances last season. The off-season signing of Austin Collie, a healthy Courtney Taylor and Manny Arceneaux, combined with improved numbers from Shawn Gore and Marco Iannuzzi should mean that the Lions should be ok without Jackson.

The Lions might have wanted to add an offensive lineman and were reported to be talking to Stanley Bryant prior to Winnipeg securing the two-time all-star. But most of the top tier players had already re-signed with their clubs or found NFL deals south of the border. While fans (including myself) are pining for improvement with the offensive line, I don’t think the cupboard is as bare as people think.

The key for the Lions will be to have their young guys make strides of improvement, while at the same time, stay healthy. Hunter Steward impressed in his limited action last year and Kirby Fabien was having a stellar rookie season before his injury. Last season, Fabien struggled both mentally and physically returning from that injury, and will hopefully rebound. T-Dre Player also showed some promise and will be attending his second training camp. After a strong rookie season, Matt Norman will be under scrutiny at training gamp with talk that the Lions may try Cameron Thorn under centre. At tackle they are solid on the left with Jovan Olafiyoe and on the right Jermarcus Hardrick provided some stability in the second half of last season.

The Lions would also like to find a kicker after releasing Ricky Schmitt and losing prospect Rich Leone to the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers. Of course Paul McCallum will be back at camp, but to ask him to both jobs will be a stretch. Ideally the Lions would like to find a kicker that can handle all duties.

Of course the big question is at quarterback and the status of Travis Lulay. The Lions have spoken with Dan LeFevour and Lowell Ullrich reported that they will wait and see what they have at their April offence camp before deciding if more help is needed. John Beck will return with a better knowledge of the CFL game and newcomer Jordan Rodgers will be evaluated as well. Should LeFevour still be out there, and the Lions decide they need help, don’t be surprised if they look at bringing him in.

There will be more players added through the draft and free agent camps and don’t underestimate the contacts that new coach Jeff Tedford has south of the border. The Lions may not have been busy to start CFL free agency, but they do have the nucleus to make strides in 2015.

And that will be critical in the tough CFL West Division.

The BCLionsDen.ca Pawdcast – Episode 48

February 8, 2015 By Brian Wawryshyn

In Episode 48 we catch up on most of the BC Lions and CFL news of the off-season. The Lions have signed receiver Austin Collie, and have a new coaching staff. Matthew Seymour of the New Westminster Hyacks joins us to talk about signing his NCAA Letter of Intent with Ohio University.

To stay up to date with our podcasts, blogs and other Lions news, follow us on Twitter @BCLionsDen Please leave us a comment on the site and let us know how we’re doing. You can also leave us a ranking and a review on iTunes, we would really appreciate it!

You can follow our guest on Twitter: Matthew Seymour: @MattSeymour_85

Listen and Subscribe on iTunes

Fans Love Football: It’s Time To Take Pride In Our Local Teams

January 30, 2015 By Brian Wawryshyn

Call it coincidental timing or a shrewdly calculated media release, but the BC Lions posted the results of a survey that suggest the football club is the team of choice for sports fans in the province of British Columbia.

With Seahawks fever gripping the lower mainland ahead of this weekend’s Super Bowl, the survey says that football is growing in popularity in BC and that the Lions come out on top. 30% of BC residents surveyed said they are hard-core or regular fans of the Lions, while 21% indicated the Seahawks were their team of choice.

Clearly football has a solid following in the province and it continues to grow. 51% of the fans surveyed claimed to be hard-core or regular fans of football, a higher number than the 40% the Canucks garnered, or the Vancouver Whitecaps at 15%. Of course that number includes both CFL and NFL fans, but the fact that football came out on top has to be encouraging for the Lions.

The release of the survey results were well timed. The cities of Vancouver and Victoria raised 12^th man flags earlier in the day, an honour that to my knowledge as never been bestowed on the Lions or Whitecaps. The city of Surrey also raised a flag in tribute to our NFL neighbours, but at least did so in tandem with a BC Lions flag. Fitting since Surrey is the city the Lions call home for their practice facility.

It’s disappointing that these cities would make such a show of support for a team that doesn’t play in our country, our province, or our city. The BC Lions have won six Grey Cup championships for this region, yet they can’t even garner a parade when they bring home the hardware. The last big parade this city saw for a sports team was in 1979, when the Whitecaps won the NASL’s Soccer Bowl.

The Lions have hosted two recent Grey Cups, both times bringing massive revenues to the city and its local hotels and businesses, yet they don’t seem to warrant the same support of a team in another country that doesn’t even play here.

It’s time to change that. It’s time for our governments to get behind local teams and encourage the support they deserve. The Lions are constantly in the community, and that doesn’t stop in the offseason. There are very few days that players who are in town are not at a function for sick kids, talking on the subject of violence against women, bullying or various other initiatives. The Lions give back to this community in many ways.

And this doesn’t apply to just the Lions. The Whitecaps, Vancouver Canadians, Vancouver Giants, Vancouver Stealth all deserve the same treatment. It shouldn’t be reserved for the flavour of the day or a method to get votes, tourism dollars and publicity from rabid Seahawks fans.

Of course the Lions have to do their part in terms of marketing to capitalize on this popularity of the sport. Their work in amateur football in this province has been outstanding. The Orange Helmet Awards, the creation of the late Bob Ackles, have raised over $750,000 for amateur football over the 12 year history of the event.

But it’s time to take pride in the teams in our own backyard. For what they provide for our communities and our province, it’s the least we can do.

Two Heroes, Different Endings: Geroy Simon & Anthony Calvillo

December 15, 2014 By Brian Wawryshyn

If you’re a BC Lions fan, you can’t help but feel a little jealous today.

The Montreal Alouettes have announced that Anthony Calvillo, pro football’s all-time leading passer will be joining their coaching staff. It’s natural progression for one of the greatest players in their history, who took a year to step away from the game he had conquered over a 20-year CFL career.

Alouettes fans got to watch their hero retire in their sweater, they got to celebrate him as an Alouette, and now they get to have him part of their day to day football operations again.

This is a far different ending than Lions fans saw at the end with Geroy Simon. Simon of course didn’t retire because of injury. He went out on top like all star players hope to do. He won his third Grey Cup to end his career and played a big part in that championship game as well. Of course the sad part is, he didn’t do it in a Lions uniform.

Certainly the situations were different. Simon still wanted to play a key role when he left the Lions. A role the Lions weren’t willing to offer, and certainly not at the salary Simon had commanded for many years. They had a young crop of receivers they wanted to play more, and in the end the two sides decided to part ways, with the Lions facilitating a trade to the Riders.

Outside of the Grey Cup game, Simon didn’t do much to prove that the Lions were wrong in their assessment on the football side of things. But if you take what he did in the final, and the words of praise and thanks directed at him by Darian Durant after the game, they may have under estimated what he brought to the locker room.

Clearly there was a fracture in the relationship between Simon and the Lions, one that was repaired somewhat by the retirement of his number and his addition to the Lions ring of honour this past season. But the Riders pounced on the opportunity to keep Simon in the organization, adding more salt to the wounds of Lions fans who want him back in BC as an ambassador if not more.

Of course the financial perks of being a football player in Regina, that played a big role in winning them a Grey Cup at home, are pretty attractive as well and Simon has continued his community work in the area with coat drives and many appearances representing the Riders.

The core of this team that Lions fans have been used to for so many seasons is eroding. Paris Jackson, Dante Marsh and Korey Banks are another three examples. On the other side of the coin, Brent Johnson and Angus Reid got to finish with the Lions.

Perhaps it’s just a matter of timing and Wally Buono is known for making tough decisions with popular players. That’s probably never going to change because his job depends on winning, and he has do make decisions that he feels are best for the club not only for the current season, but down the road as well.

There are signs that Simon will one day return to BC. He still lives here, as does his family. He was a VIP guest as the Lions’ Den party during Grey Cup week and of course time can heal most wounds and I think most, if not all of them have been healed.

All that’s needed is the right situation, and of course the invitation to be extended. Until then, you have to feel that Als fans are pretty pleased with the way their hero’s story ended. Time will tell if Lions fans will get to feel that way in the future about Superman.