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The BCLionsDen.ca Pawdcast – Episode 48

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matt-sIn 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

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Why Skulsky’s Guarantee is Brilliant

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Social media erupted Thursday following a guarantee from BC Lions President Dennis Skulsky that the Lions would win Sunday against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Most of the uproar came from Rider Nation who took great offence to Skulsky’s declaration, but really they’re being a bit hypocritical.

The Riders recently bought some billboard space near BC Place Stadium proclaiming that “Green is the new Orange”. It’s not the first time the Riders have felt the need to invade other teams’ markets; they’ve been buying billboards in opposing prairie cities for years. They don’t need to do it, they sell more merchandise than all other teams combined and their fanbase is dedicated and loyal. Yes there are many Saskatchewan ex-pats who now reside in beautiful British Columbia who still bleed green. None of them needed to be reminded that the Riders are coming to town by a billboard.

The Riders are holding a “Riderville” party at the Commodore Ballroom prior to Sunday’s game and if they had used the billboard to advertise that instead of taking a perceived shot at the fan base here, perhaps the Lions would not have felt compelled to jump into the fire.

But they did, and good on them for doing it. This is their market, their stadium, their fan base and Skulsky stood up for his club and this province.

“Bulletin board material” screamed Rider Nation. How dare they be so cocky against the mighty Riders! Even former Lion Ricky Foley got riled up on twitter…thanks for drumming up the hype Ricky! If this serves as bulletin board material for the Riders, than make no mistake the billboard serves the same purpose for the Lions and it should be one intense game, not that it wouldn’t have been anyway in a big West division clash.

Meanwhile talk radio and social media have been flooded by talk of the guarantee. The Lions are the biggest story in town because of it and that doesn’t happen very often in hockey crazed Vancouver.

Skulsky is really in a no lose position here. He doesn’t care about putting himself on the line if it means getting more butts in the seats. With the biggest crowd of the season expected Sunday, many will be casual fans who come out for the bigger games of the season. And many more who weren’t considering the game Sunday as an option, now may do so.

This was a marketing move, plain and simple. The Riders felt a need to be cocky with their billboard, the Lions responded with a guaranteed win, and they’re putting their money where their mouth is. Who knows, those “thousands” of Rider fans may even get a free game out of it…maybe a few of them will decide that ORANGE is the new GREEN.

Well played Mr. Skulsky, well played, and for the record, I’m not expecting my free ticket. ROAR YOU LIONS ROAR!

From the Stands – Lions 36 Ticats 29

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There was a cat fight Friday at BC Place and when the fur stopped flying, the BC Lions had ground out a hard-fought win 36-29 win over the Tiger-Cats of Hamilton. Here’s how I saw the game, From the Stands.

Kevin Glenn

glenn-ticats_740x300Friday night could have very well been Kevin Glenn’s last start for the Lions for the foreseeable future with Travis Lulay very close to returning. But Glenn made a statement in this game, throwing for over 400 yards and also using his legs more than we’ve seen him do thus far in a Lions uniform. Yes there were two more interceptions (both tipped passes) but Glenn turned in a gutsy performance and the veteran QB looks to be settling in as a Lion. Should he be needed down the stretch, the Lions look to be in good hands behind centre.

The Receivers

With just nine catches coming into the game, Shawn Gore had his best game of the season to date, with 5 catches for 117 yards, including a huge 43 yard catch in the fourth quarter that gave the Lions a little breathing room after a Paul McCallum field goal extended the lead to a touchdown.

Manny Arceneaux also had a 100 yard game that included his fourth touchdown of the season, and the Lions were able to spread the ball around, even getting Rolly Lumbala involved in the offence at key moments in the game.

Defence

The biggest problem the defence had on the night was giving up the big play. But as they old cliché goes the Lions bent but didn’t break, once again allowing just one touchdown as a unit. Newcomers Alex Bazzie and Ronnie Yell continue to impress. The latter replaced Dante Marsh at corner back after the hamstring that had bothered Marsh at practice earlier in the week sent him to the sidelines for the night. Yell seems to be all over the field and is becoming a key piece of a good Lions defence.

The rushing of Dan LeFevour and the receiving of Sam Giguere gave the Lions the most trouble, but in the end they played well enough to prevent touchdowns, something they’ve done all season long for the most part.

Special Teams

Brandon Banks had a strong game returning the football for the Ticats, including a punt return for a touchdown. He averaged over 20 yards on both kick-offs and punt returns but the Lions also benefited from the strong leg of Ricky Schmitt and the veteran field goal kicking of Paul McCallum whose reduced role this season may have contributed to a 47 yard field goal on the way to going five-for-five on the night. While chasing Banks on his TD return, Schmitt seemed to tweak something in the shoulder he injured in his scooter accident a few weeks ago, but managed to finish the game and should be ok.

Cause for Concern

The Lions trainers were a busy unit Friday, with injuries to four starters a cause for concern. The most concern revolves around the ankle of Andrew Harris, who picked up the injury on his first touch from scrimmage. Harris gutted it out long enough to give the Lions one more touchdown in the third quarter, before shutting it down for the night. With nine days between games the Lions will hope the player responsible for about a third of their offence this year will be ready to go against the Argos.

Another concern is the injury to new offensive guard Jermarcus Hardrick who had been settling on the left side and playing well. It sounds like he may be out long-term, so second year guard Kirby Fabien will regain the starting role next week. If Harris can’t go next week, the Lions would likely activate Tim Brown which they could do by starting Fabien.

Josh Johnson and the previously mentioned Dante Marsh were the other casualties on the night.

Atmosphere

As the Lions continue to fight great summer weather when to comes to putting bums in the seats this season, Friday’s crowd of 24,236, the smallest of the season, was probably the loudest so far. The fans got a lot of encouragement from the Lions sideline as well, especially when Khalif Mitchell wasn’t in the game. The passionate and colourful Mitchell ran up and down the sideline all night getting fans out of their seats to make some noise for the Lions defence.

But give some credit to the Lions as well, who have been trying to educate fans right from the start of the league to bring the Roar Factor and get loud on defence. It’s starting to hit home in the stands and that can only serve the club well down the road this season when crowds traditionally get larger and louder in the fall.

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on the game. Post a comment, or hit me up on Twitter @BCLionsDen. Make sure to check out BCLionsDen.ca for all of our Lions coverage and Pawdcasts as well.

BC Lions Consistency With Player Discipline Should be Applauded

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Ray Jacobs, Khalif Mitchell, Yonus Davis, and now Jabar Westerman. What do all of these players have in common? All of them were disciplined by the BC Lions following incidents that brought negative attention to the club and the community it represents.

Under Wally Buono, the BC Lions have remained consistent when it comes to player discipline over the years and that’s something you have to respect, as they put community over wins on the football field. They have worked hard in the community with programs that take a stand against bullying and violence against women.

Last season when three Saskatchewan Roughriders players were charged in an alleged assault at a Regina night club, they allowed those players to stay on the roster without ramifications. Receiver Taj Smith, the only one of the three who will stand trial for the alleged assault and is a major piece of the Riders offence, remains on the roster to this day.

Each team is free to operate how they wish of course and the Riders certainly don’t have to worry as much about perception in their community as the Lions do. But the Lions have shown time and time again that to be a member of this team you not only have to play well in the field of play, you also have to represent the organization in a positive light in the community.

Jabar Westerman is the latest athlete to find himself under the microscope after an alleged assault at a Vancouver night club. There are currently few details available, but it is known that Westerman will appear in court to answer for these charges in the near future. What that means for his future as a BC Lion is unclear, and the national defensive lineman is currently in the last year of his contract with the Lions.

Players have to be smarter when putting themselves in these situations and the examples of this transcend to all sports. Who knows what sparked the incident, and a lot of times players become targets in these environments. These are young men, who obviously like to enjoy the same freedoms and fun that anyone their age would, but when you represent a professional team as a player, you have to realize the ramifications of your actions.

In a blog posted by Lowell Ullrich of The Province newspaper, the Lions are hoping for the best result for Westerman in court, but are also stating he needs to redeem himself with the club as well as his teammates in the locker room before there will be consideration of putting him back in the lineup.

Khalif Mitchell came back to the Lions, so there is an example of a player getting a second chance and I am sure the Lions are hoping that the same happens for Westerman. But he will have to show he has learned from his mistake and understand what responsibilities you need to uphold to be a BC Lion.

Kudos to the Lions for putting community before wins on the football field.

BC Lions 3rd Jersey Changes Will Be Technical Not Cosmetic

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Don’t worry BC Lions fans, that spiffy grey 3rd jersey you bought isn’t going to be out of date any time soon.

Earlier today club President Dennis Skulsky announced on the TEAM 1040 that the team would be wearing their immensely popular 3rd jersey in back to back games in August. The Lions will first wear them August 17th when they visit Toronto. The following week they will wear them at home on August 24th against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Skulsky also mentioned that there would be changes to the jersey to accommodate fans, media and television who found the numbers on the jerseys hard to read. That sparked concern among some fans, myself included, that those of us who purchased them last season would be wearing outdated versions not even one year later.

This assumption was incorrect, as the Lions have informed me that the changes are more technical than cosmetic. A different material will be used to outline the numbers that will reflect light better and show up more clearly in the stadium and on television.

So go ahead and get that blank 3rd jersey numbered and continue to wear the coolest jersey in the CFL with the pride of a Lion!

Our thanks to the BC Lions for clarifying this with us and giving us a chance to get the word out.

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