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You are here: Home / Archives for Hunter Steward

BC Lions General Manager has Improved the Team for the Coach

February 11, 2016 By Brian Wawryshyn

Not one training camp snap has been taken, but it’s safe to say the BC Lions backfield has been transformed in the last 24 hours by general manager Wally Buono.

allen-riders-cp-740x300
Anthony Allen fends off the Lions BC Lions Solomon Elimimian – Photo: Darryl Dyck (Canadian Press)

Wednesday the club signed former REDBLACK Jeremiah Johnson, who led the league with 9 rushing touchdowns in 2015. They followed that up Thursday by inking former Saskatchewan Roughrider power back Anthony Allen.

Both players are internationals of course, which stayed true to Buono’s desire to move away from using a national running back. When you look at the Lions roster and see Allen, Johnson, Chris Rainey and Shaquille Murray-Lawrence, you can see an array of different talents they have at their disposal.

There will also likely be a couple more brought in to join newcomers Mikel Leshoure and Sam Ojuri. Not everyone will likely make it to main camp, particularly after the work the general manager has done here this week.

Both Allen and Johnson are versatile players who can also provide protection in passing situations. Allen is a tough runner, similar in size and style to Calgary’s Jerome Messam. Johnson is somewhat shiftier and has a nose for the end zone. Interchanging them during games will keep them fresh as well, a luxury they couldn’t employ to the same degree with Andrew Harris.

When you want to change things up with a scat back, Rainey and Murray-Lawrence come into play.

Harris will be missed, not only on the field but in the locker room and the community. But Buono has instantly given the Lions depth at running back, which should provide hope for fans who have often called the Lions boring and predictable. Stop Andrew Harris, and you had a good chance of beating the BC Lions.

Buono is also abandoning the idea of starting a Canadian at left tackle with the signing of Levy Adcock who comes to the Lions from the Saskatchewan Roughriders and at the urging of offensive line coach Dan Dorazio who liked what he saw from the 6’6” 325-pound tackle. This will have the Lions start three Canadians inside, with Cam Thorn the leading candidate to assume the role of centre.

Hunter Steward and Kirby Fabien will be slotted into the guard spots, with the hope that Steward can finally put his health issues behind him and build on what started out as a promising career. Cody Husband and T-Dre Player will also be in the mix.

While Buono hasn’t signed any of the “big names” in free agency that teams like Saskatchewan and Winnipeg have, he has improved his roster with his six signings so far.

So far, the general manager is doing for the head coach exactly what he said he was going to do and free agent camps haven’t even begun yet.

Is it June yet?

Filed Under: BC Lions Den, Featured Tagged With: Anthony Allen, BC Lions, BCLionsDen.ca, Brian Wawryshyn, Cam Thorn, CFL, CFL Free Agency, Chris Rainey, Cody Husband, Hunter Steward, Jeremiah Johnson, Levy Adcock, Shaquille Murray-Lawrence, T-Dre Player, Wally Buono

The BC Lions Den Pawdcast – Episode 51

June 4, 2015 By Brian Wawryshyn

steward_400x489Episode 51 finds the BC Lions training camp is in full swing and Brian and Mojo check in with Mike Beamish of the Vancouver Sun as well as Lions radio colour man Giulio Caravatta who are both in Kamloops. We discuss the latest rash of injuries surrounding the Lions including tackle Hunter Steward who is once again on the shelf, re-injuring the same foot he hurt last season.

Follow our guests on Twitter:

Mike Beamish: @sixbeamers

Giulio Caravatta: @caravatta2

This show was recorded on June 2nd, 2015.

Subscribe to the BC Lions Den Pawdcast on iTunes.

Filed Under: BC Lions Den, Featured Tagged With: Andrew Harris, BC Lions, BC Lions Den, Brian Wawryshyn, CFL, Giulio Caravatta, Hunter Steward, Jeff Tedford, Mike Beamish, Mojo Kemp, Podcast, Training Camp, Travis Lulay

Class of 2013: Recap Of The BC Lions Seven Draft Selections

May 6, 2013 By Brian Wawryshyn

Hunter Steward in action for Liberty University (Photo: Liberty University)

The 2013 CFL Canadian College Draft has come and gone and it will likely be sometime before the BC Lions see what they got from this year’s group of picks. Some are projects, some may look south of the border. Let’s take a look at the newest members of the Pride as we try and learn a bit more about them.

Hunter Steward – Offensive Lineman – Liberty University of Lynchurg, Virginia. (1st pick, 6th overall)

Heading into the draft, the Lions were looking to address their non-import offensive line depth. The club saw three of its top choices plucked by other clubs by the time their pick came up, and rather than take a risk on a player that was drawing interest from the NFL, the club went off the board somewhat to select Steward, a 6’7” 290 pound lineman from Liberty where he will return next season to complete his final year of collegiate eligibility. The Lions project that Steward; a converted defensive lineman, could develop into a tackle in the CFL, but they will have to wait until 2014 to make that assessment.

His coaches say:
• Very athletic
• Plays with a lot of energy
• Is still learning the position, but is going to be a great football player.

Liberty University Profile

Seydou Junior Haidara – Wide Receiver – Laval University (2nd pick, 12th overall)

Widely regarded as one of the best receivers available in the draft, the Lions selected Haidara with their second pick of the day. At 6’1” 215 pounds, he’s a big bodied receiver who the Lions feel can play multiple positions in the offense, be it wideout, slot or tight end. Head coach Mike Benevides added that Haidara was also at the top of the class in special teams where his career will likely begin with the Lions if he impresses enough at camp, giving him a chance to hone his skills under an already solid set of receivers. If that doesn’t work out, he still has another year of CIS eligibility left.

Haidara speaks about his experience at the CFL Combine.

Bo Lokombo – Linebacker – Oregon (3rd pick, 21st overall)

With their third pick the Lions certainly rolled the dice a little bit, taking Abbotsford native Bo Lokombo, who plays for a solid program in Oregon and is already drawing interest from NFL teams. It may be awhile if ever, before the Lions see Lokombo in black and orange,

Being a local product the Lions have seen a lot of Lokombo and the club simply felt that at that time in the draft, there was too much upside to pass up taking the chance.

With Adam Bighill and Solomon Elimimian in place, the Lions have time to watch the Lokombo story play out, and if it ends up in their favour, they probably drafted one of the best prospects in this year’s class. He and DL Stefan Charles (who was drafted by the Eskimos) were consistently at or near the top of the prospect rankings. Lokombo will be returning to Oregon for another season, with his sights set firmly on next year’s NFL draft when he will be eligible for selection.

Oregon Ducks Profile

Matt McGarva – Defensive Back – Windsor (4th pick, 33rd overall)

The Lions dipped into some family genes with their selection of DB Matt McGarva of Windsor. McGarva’s brother, Sean is a Community Relations coordinator for the club. With the loss of Cauchy Muamba in the off-season, an aging secondary and the departure of Byron Parker, defensive back was another area the Lions were hoping to address.

At 6’0”, 191 pounds, the Surrey native is a hometown product who lists himself on his Twitter account as an “avid BC Lions fan”, so he should be thrilled with today’s events. He was named a second team all-Canadian in 2011 after finishing the season with 48 tackles for the Lancers.  He went on to earn his second-straight OUA all-star nod last fall in his final year of eligibility with Windsor, despite playing just four games.

McGarva is a fitness nut and will “cut his teeth” on special teams according to Lions DB coach Mark Washington as the club tries to groom him for a non-import spot in the secondary one day.

CIS Profile

Matthew Albright – Offensive Lineman – Saint Mary’s (5th pick, 42nd overall)

The Lions went back to the offensive line with their 5th pick of the day; selecting 6’5” 295 pound Matthew Albright from Saint Mary’s. Winner of a Russ Jackson award in 2012, presented to the player best exemplifying the attributes of academic achievement, football skill & citizenship, Albright played tackle for the Huskies and was named a conference all-star in 2012. His offensive line with the Huskies gave up just 10 sacks last year in 8 games and averaged a league best 201.4 yards a game.

Matt Walker –Defensive Back – UBC (6TH pick, 50th overall).

The Lions stayed local with their next pick selecting UBC’s Matt Walker, who had an impressive invite camp with the Lions in April. Walker will get a taste of the CFL at training camp this season, but will likely return to UBC where at 21, he still has three years of eligibility left.

Walker played high school football in Vernon & from there went to University of Saskatchewan Huskies as a WR.  He played one season with the Bratislava Monarchs in Slovakia in the spring 2011  In the fall of 2011 he came to the Okanagan Sun about 4 games in as a WR but transitioned to DB in his 2nd game. Walker played in one exhibition & 1 regular season game in 2012 for UBC before an ACL tear ended his season.  He fully rehabbed the injury and is back at full speed (4.59 40 at April e-camp).

(Thanks to Heather Foster for the info on Matt).

UBC Profile

Cameron Thorn –Defensive Lineman – Guelph (7th pick, 58th overall)

With their final pick in the Lions added a natural defensive lineman who they hope to covert to the offensive line, selecting Guelph’s Cameron Thorn. The Ontario native also possesses ability as a long-snapper, a valuable commodity in the CFL.

This past season the 6-foot-5, 290lb fourth year player appeared in eight regular season games for the Gryphons and racking up 19 tackles, and one sack. In 2012, Thorn played in the East West Bowl at Western University on the West Team.

Guelph Profile

More Draft Coverage:

  • CFL.ca Draft Board
  • BCLions.com Draft Coverage
  • BC Lions getting good at rolling the dice. (Lowell Ullrich, The Province)
  • Linden Gaydosh selected first overall (TSN.ca)
  • Behind The Scenes At The CFL Draft (Kate McKenna – TSN.ca)
  • Looking Ahead: Recapping the CFL Draft (TSN.ca)

 

Filed Under: CFL/League, CIS Football, Drafts/Prospects, Featured, From The Stands, Uncategorized Tagged With: 2013 CFL Canadian College Draft, BC Lions, Bo Lokombo, Cameron Thorn, Hunter Steward, Matt McGarva, Matt Walker, Matthew Albright, Seydou Junior Haidara

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