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The BCLionsDen.ca Pawdast – Episode 35

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pawdcast-featured_ep35We look back at a disapointing 20-16 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders on guaranteed win night at BC Place Stadium with Belton Johnson of the Green Zone in Regina. It’s report card time at the halfway point in the season as we grade the Lions and their 5-4 record.

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You can follow Belton Johnson on Twitter, @BJizzle56.

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From the Stands – BC Lions 16 Roughriders 20

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Guarantees in sports get thrown out the window as soon as the first whistle blows, and after three quarters of tough defensive football, the Saskatchewan Roughriders were the team that found the plays they needed, coming from behind to defeat the BC Lions and give 33,196 fans a free ticket to another game. Here are my thoughts, From the Stands.

No Offence

The Lions exploded out of the gate thanks to the spark plug known as Tim Brown, but sadly he was the only player could provide a Lions touchdown on the night on a first quarter punt return. Kevin Glenn and the offence had no response to a Riders defence that contained Andrew Harris and Stefan Logan. There were slips on receptions that looked promising, dropped balls and untimely penalties. In a game that featured no turnovers for either side, the offence failed to deliver the points the Lions needed.

The offensive line did a decent job protecting Glenn for the most part despite giving up three sacks, none of those to John Chick who was held to just one tackle. What they were unable to do was open holes for the running game which was stymied all night. Andrew Harris had just 11 yards on 8 carries, while Logan only had just 1 carry for 1 yard, a stat that is hard to fathom after Logan’s success last week. But with Glenn and the Lions unable to sustain drives, there wasn’t many opportunities to establish the run, much to the credit of a stingy Riders defence.

Second guessers are wondering if the Lions should have given Travis Lulay the second half but with the bye week coming up, now is the time to hand over the torch. Glenn didn’t have a strong game and the Lions playoff hopes are starting to look in doubt in the tough CFL West. Lulay has to return and return ready to go when the Lions take on Ottawa on Sept. 5th.

Big Plays Given Up

In the second half it was Riders backup Tino Sunseri that ran on the field after an injury took Darian Durant to the bench. Sunseri almost made an immediate impact but had a sure touchdown pass dropped by a wide open Rob Bagg. But Sunseri made multiple big throws to keep Riders drives alive and the Riders started to have success with their running attack, which was often gaining solid yards on first down. A huge run by Will Ford setup the touchdown the Riders needed and they rode it out for the win.

The Riders running game really took hold with the loss of Solomon Elimimian, and Lions fans hope the bye week will be enough to mend whatever took him out of the game.

The Riders made a few big plays, the Lions didn’t make any, and that was the difference in the game.

Random Thoughts

Whenever the Riders come down the atmosphere is always ramped up and Lions fans were ready to their part. Riders fans were there as usual but were fairly quiet until the final two minutes of the game, but certainly had a lot to say outside of the stadium after the game.

Officiating was in no way the reason the Lions lost this game, but there was more mind boggling stuff on pass interference reviews, as a play very similar to what was deemed pass interference in the Bombers/Alouettes game was ruled as insufficient evidence in this contest. It’s become a crapshoot for coaches and the league is going to have to really look at whether this experiment is helping or harming the game.

Just how many yards does a receiver have to be offside before a linesman throws a flag? If anyone has the answer, please let me know.

The Lions are doing a good job establishing the “Roar Factor” among the fan base. Fans are making noise on their own most of the time, or at least they were on Sunday. It was also great to see the B-C chant slowly returning to BC Place, a tradition that has been lost for several years now.

The guarantee aside, 33,196 football fans will get a free ticket courtesy of the home side and if that turns a few more onto the game on a regular basis, a positive can be taken from the loss.

The Lions may have lost the game, but they secured the season series against the Riders on point differential. It could be a valuable tool to have in their back pocket, but they’ll have to rely on other teams to bring the Riders back to the pack, and they’ll have a lot of work of their own to as well.

It was the best tailgate of the season in Tailgate Empire. The lot was packed and a great time was had by all with many football traditionalists getting to the lot around 10:30 am. Kudos to all who attended for another great party, and another spotless lot after the game.

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.

An Important Message for Tailgaters

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On Saturday June 28th, BC Lions fans enjoyed another great Tailgate party in Tailgate Empire, otherwise known as Easy Park Lot 16 at Quebec and Terminal. Rain didn’t dampen our spirit and a great time was had by all.

Following last weekend’s game, I was contacted by Easy Park who has asked me to relay a reminder to all tailgaters that each stall you use must be paid for. On Saturday because of the weather, several tailgaters brought pop up canopies and set them up in the stall next to their vehicle, but only paid for the spot their vehicle was in.

Easy Park recently changed the metering system in our lot to a license plate registration system. Only one license plate can be registered for a given time period. I have been asked to tell tailgaters that if you need a second stall, you must purchase a second ticket using the number that is painted in the stall, and you must be prepared to show the attendant your ticket for that second stall if requested. You must purchase a ticket for the amount of time you wish to use the second stall.

Easy Park has been incredibly cooperative with us, allowing us to do what we love before BC Lions games, and to ensure we are allowed to continue to do so in the future, I ask that all tailgaters follow this rule, without exception. They will be speaking with their enforcement officers to let them know this will be the case.

I want to thank all of you who have joined us and continue to join us each game for following our few simple rules. The lot continues to be spotless after the game, and that is a testament to you the fans who value what we have built here.

I want to send thanks to Easy Park for working with us and for their patience with this matter. Let’s not let them down. I would also ask that if you’re parking downtown, please try to give this company your business, it’s the least we could do after all they have done and what they continue to do for us.

To refresh yourself on the other rules we follow, please visit our Tailgating Page.

Thank you,

Brian Wawryshyn

BCLionsDen.ca

Tailgate Empire lives on in downtown Vancouver as we return “home”.

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Remember the days of tailgating at the PNE fondly Lions fans…it’s unlikely you’ll ever have it that good again. That said, Tailgate Empire will live on in the streets in Vancouver thanks to our friends at Easy Park.

The BC Lions sent out e-mails to their season ticket holders yesterday offering parking 6 blocks away from the stadium under Pacific Centre Mall. And while the price is definitely right at $21.36 including taxes for all four games at BC Place, an underground parking lot obviously can’t facilitate tailgating.

The Lions staff took some much appreciated time to speak with me yesterday and while they wished us the best of luck in our tailgating future, there isn’t much they can do about it. Parking lots around the stadium are disappearing at the expense of real estate development and those that remain are privately owned lots that refuse to allow tailgating.

The PNE model proved once again that if tailgating is done with planning and some simple rules in place, it provides a great game day atmosphere for fans and even creates new ones for the team. Tailgate Empire will continue to pursue this tradition in Vancouver until we simply have no options left.

With that said, our regular group of tailgaters will be setting up shop at the Easy Park lot at Main and Terminal. The great folks at easy park gave us this lot during the last season at BC Place, and have graciously offered it to us once again on our return. The lot is one skytrain stop or a 10 minute walk to BC Place.

This is a small lot so spots are limited. Also there are some critical rules you must adhere to of we wish for this to continue.

1) Your spot must be paid for apon arrival. If that means you pay extra for arriving early, that means you pay extra.

2) NO CHARCOAL BBQ’s

3) All garbage must be removed by tailgaters. COME PREPARED.

4) All beverages must be in plastic cups.

5) There are no washrooms on site. Do not make the lot your washroom.

6) Eachl tailgater vehicle can only take up one parking spot.

There is another option for Lions fans pregame entertainment and that is the official club Street Party outside of Terry Fox Plaza on Beatty Street. The Lions staff have put a lot of effort into providing a great atmosphere for fans of all ages and on September 30th it will be their biggest event yet to celebrate the reopening of BC Place stadium.

I want to thanks the great people at Easy Park, in particular Greg Watrych who has gone out of his way to give us a home! Whenever you park downtown, please consider their lots for your parking needs!

So Tailgate Empire, we’ll see you on Sept. 30th at our new/old home!

An open letter to the PNE and the BC Lions

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Dear PNE and the BC Lions Football Club,

We started off with a blip and ended with a bang and as avid tailgaters we are here to say thank you.

After our rocky start, you stepped up to the plate and gave football fans in Vancouver the best tailgating experience this city has ever seen. There have been large tailgate parties in the city before. But nothing compared to what you provided for us. It was real, it was encouraged and it was awesome.

You proved beyond a doubt that tailgating is not an evil activity. You proved that with the foresight to provide garbage cans and washrooms and a few non-meddling authorities to watch over the proceedings that tailgating is an activity that just adds to the game day experience of fans, and boy did Lions fans have it good for the last year and a half.

Great steaks, prime ribs, homemade burgers, crepes, French toast, cedar plank salmon and other delicious meals were created in Lot 9. Footballs were thrown around, new friends were made and the BC Lions game experience rivaled that of our friends in Calgary, where the standard for this pastime has been set in the CFL.

The tailgaters in your lot were mostly season ticket holders, many who have never tailgated before. They are now wondering why they never did this before, and where they will do it when the games move downtown. They may be in for a shock.

We’re hopeful that those involved will make something happen downtown. It can only fill the parking lots, and create new fans if it’s done the way you showed them how to do it.

To the BC Lions we thank you as well. We know that both the PNE and the club worked together to make this happen for the fans. We hope you can work with your new partners to make sure this great football tradition doesn’t disappear in Vancouver. Your fans are now hooked.

Lastly to all the fans that came out and joined the tailgate experience thank you as well. You picked up your garbage. You respected the lot and your fellow tailgaters and you showed all the parties involved how great this can be.

We’re all members of the Tailgate Empire and it was a great ride!

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Signed,

Tailgate Empire

We invite you to share your memories of the great tailgates at Empire Field, we would love to hear them.

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