Lemar Durant Archives | BC Lions Football

Mike Reilly - BCLions.com — Mike Reilly: Photo BCLions.com

The worst kept secret in the CFL was finally unveiled by the BC Lions shortly after the opening of CFL Free agency. Ed Hervey got his man, and could barely wipe the smile off of his face.

Mike Reilly is back with the BC Lions, where he said he intends to play until he’s at least 40. His current deal will take him to the age of 37.

A four year deal worth $2.9 million is what it took to get the man many consider to be the premier quarterback in the CFL. That and the vision of Ed Hervey, who Reilly has complete confidence in to build the Lions into a contender for years to come. The added bonus of having his family near by was the clincher.

The deal set off a chain reaction through the league, as the Eskimos immediately shifted gears, successfully targeting Trevor Harris in Ottawa. Bo Levi Mitchell put a scare into Stampeders fans by listening to the Argos and Riders, but in the end chose to stick with the familiarity of Calgary, inking a deal similar to Reilly’s at four years, $2.8 million.

Judging by reaction on my Twitter feed, the signing of Reilly has fans excited about Lions football again, and don’t think that didn’t factor into the signing as well. The market here needed a shakeup, and this should provide it. Reilly is a proven winner, a consistent performer, and durable. He’ll also have no problem getting out in the community to be the face of the franchise. The club wasted little time getting Reilly’s face out there.

He's back.#CFLFA @Rikester13 @CFL pic.twitter.com/wxLXJ1YToC
— BC LIONS (@BCLions) February 12, 2019

“This is a historic day for our organization and for fans of the B.C. Lions,” said Lions general manager Ed Hervey. “Acquiring one of the CFL’s elite quarterbacks is an extremely rare opportunity and we’re thrilled to welcome Mike home to the Lions.”

Reilly seemed extremely confident and excited to be joining Ed Hervey in BC.

“It’s an amazing feeling for me, my wife and our extended families to know I am back with the Lions,” said Reilly. “I am grateful for my time in Edmonton and it will always hold a very special place in my heart, but the opportunity to rejoin Ed and return to Vancouver to be part of what he is building was too good to pass up at this point in my career.”

Mike Reilly can’t win games on his own, and the Lions added some pieces today that will help with that. Let’s break down day one of free agency in the Lions Den.

Additions

Mike Reilly	International	QB	(EDM)
Sukh Chungh	National	OG	(WPG)
Lemar Durant	National	WR	(CGY)
Aaron Gymes	International	DB	(EDM)
Duron Carter (Unofficial)	International	WR	(TOR)
Chris Edwards	International	DB	(EDM)
Josh Stanford	National	WR	(MTL)
Josh Woodman	National	DB	(EDM)

Obviously when you’re looking to protect your new shiny quarterback, you’re going to need to make sure he’s protected. The Lions took steps towards doing that by re-upping Hunter Steward the day before free agency and added some nasty to the interior of the line by plucking Sukh Chungh out of Winnipeg and inking him to a 3-year deal at a reported $250,000/year.

Chungh is exactly what Hervey is looking for.; an extremely physical presence on the interior of the offensive line. Still to be decided is the spot at centre and right tackle, where I’ve been told the Lions will audition for the position, moving on from Jovan Olafioye.

Many feel that national receiver Lemar Durant started to break out in Calgary last season. Like Chungh, the BC player comes home to play for the Lions, and will likely slot in for Shaq Johnson, who I’ve been told the Lions may move on from.

To help stretch the field the Lions went out and have reportedly signed the colourful and controversial Duron Carter. Carter spoke with the Lions last year after being released by the Lions. Hervey made overtures that it might be something he would look at in the future, and he’s done just that.

Carter is of course a risky signing. For whatever reason, he hasn’t been able to find a place to call home, but Hervey is gambling that BC will be the place. He definitely fits into that image Hervey is moulding for the Leos. He wants them to have swagger, and Carter fits that bill, and oh yeah, he’s a pretty good player as well.

It’s hard to imagine DeVone Claybrooks or Mike Reilly putting up with any nonsense in their locker room, so maybe this will be a good fit for Carter to buckle down and play some football.

Aaron Grymes is one of the best cover DB’s in the Canadian Football League and he’s now a BC Lion. Another former Hevery employee from Edmonton, Grymes brings a physicality that will be exciting for Lions fans to watch.

The club re-signed TJ Lee prior to free agency, but lost Anthony Orange to the Eskimos. They were rumoured to be in on Taylor Loffler, but he ended up with the Alouettes. Hervey went back to Edmonton to sign DB’s Chris Edwards and Josh Woodman. Anthony Thompson, Otha Foster, Winston Rose and Garry Peters remain unsigned.

Rounding out the signings was the addition of national reciever Josh Stanford (MTL) who adds national depth at the position for the Lions, and who very well could cost 3rd year Danny Vandervoort, who hasn’t seen a lot of playing time, a roster spot.

Departures

Boseko Lokombo	National	LB	(MTL)
Anthony Orange	International	DB	(EDM)
Ricky Collins Jr.	International	WR	(EDM)
Chris Rainey	International	KR/RB	(TOR)
Dyshawn Davis	International	LB	(SSK)
Devier Posey	International	WR	(MTL)

The biggest surprise for me here was Bo Lokombo, who really started to show signs last year that he’s ready for a full time starting role. He’s a special teams demon, a local guy as well and the Lions lost a good one here. But as was the case with Adam Bighill, linebacker isn’t a position where Hervey likes to spend a lot of money and Montreal was happy to snap him up.

Chris Rainey was no surprise, after seeming to fall out of favour in the second half of last season, even being taken out of the lineup a couple of times. He’s still a legitimate threat and a fresh start in Toronto might do him good.

Lots Of Work To Do

Hervey got a lot done today, but what you didn’t see was any guys on the current roster who are now free agents, re-signed except for running back Brandon Rutley. The Lions GM dished out some strong hints that Lions fans are going to be saying goodbye to some familiar faces. In his words, “You have to rob from Peter to pay Mike”.

Names like Manny Arceneaux, Jovan Olafioye, Travis Lulay, Jonathan Jennings, Shawn Lemon etc. are likely gone. Other have likely been offered deals and now have to decide whther they want to be part of things going forward.

It’s a new era of BC Lions football, and it’s only just beginning.

More:

The CFL Draft is one of the biggest crap shoots in all of sports and it’s also one of the biggest factors in building a winning team. The BC Lions have 8 picks to utilize in the 7 round draft picking 5th in each round, with an extra pick obtained in the deal with Hamilton for S.J. Haidara last week.

What players will be available to the Lions when they pick in the five-spot remains to be seen. Most people putting out mock drafts expect an early run on offensive linemen, which is one of the Lions more pressing needs.

That said, there could be some other nice options available if that happens and Wally Buono continually preaches the method of drafting the best football player available and not drafting for position.

With an extra pick in the draft, the Lions could possibly try to move up in the first round as well and talk on social media Monday suggested that there was plenty of talking going on between CFL General Managers.

Rather than try to predict who will be taken ahead of their fifth pick in the first round, let’s take a look at some of the players we would like to see pull on the orange and black tomorrow evening and why.

Sean McEwen – OL – University of Calgary

“Sean is maybe the most talented offensive lineman I had during my tenure at Calgary.” – Former Calgary Dinos and current UBC Head Coach, Blake Nill.

That’s pretty high praise from one of the most successful CIS coaches around. Sean McEwen sounds like the perfect pick for the BC Lions.

Since the retirement of Angus Reid, the Lions have struggled to get a consistent performance at centre and are said to be considering replacing Matt Norman in that spot for 2015. They re-signed OL Cameron Thorn this off-season and will look at him as an option, but obtaining the services of McEwen could set them up for Jamie Taras or Angus Reid type stability at the position for years.

McEwen is pegged as a “pro-ready” prospect, and if he is there at five, I would be shocked if the Lions didn’t snap him up. But Monday, a wrench was thrown into the mix:

U of Cgy C Sean McEwen letting #CFL teams know he’s undecided about playing in CFL this season. Wants to finish degree. Projected 1st rounder

— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) May 11, 2015

Will that news scare some teams off? It might, but the Lions were in a similar position the year they drafted Norman, who left the team a few games into the season to go and finish his degree. If the Lions really think McEwen is the player they want, I would expect they would welcome a similar arrangement.

The fact that McEwen played with current Lion Kirby Fabien on the Dinos is a bonus too, as the two players would have a strong built-in understanding of each other. Cohesiveness is a huge part of any successful offensive line.

Chris Ackie – DB – Wilfred Laurier

Chris Ackie impressed many at the CFL Combine and is described as a player that can play anywhere on the field. Like centre, the Lions have been searching for an answer at safety since Barron Miles retired. J.R. LaRose will not be back in 2015 and the Lions signed Chris Rwakuwamba as a free agent this off-season. Matt McGarva returns from a second knee surgery to try to stake claim to the position as well. Ackie could be the one they’ve been looking for.

Offensive line is an important need, but Ackie’s talent is undeniable, and may be too good for the Lions to pass up if he’s there and the offensive lineman they wanted is gone.

Jacob Ruby – OL – Richmond

At 6-7 and 315 pounds, Jacob Ruby has the size to be a tackle. Canadian starting tackles are gold in the CFL, a position that is often filled by internationals. The Lions depth chart will likely have Jovan Olafioye and Hunter Steward as the bookends when camp starts. Steward fared pretty well in a limited audition last season before he broke his leg. Olafioye is one of the league’s best. But Ruby would provide solid depth behind Steward, and give the Lions the option to move either of them inside if needed.

Sukh Chungh – OL – University of Calgary

Chungh could be an interesting option for the Lions on a few fronts. One he’s a physical guard who could really help the interior of the offensive line. Two, he’s a BC boy of Indo-Canadian decent, he could be a great role model in many communities across the lower mainland. But Wally Buono cares about the football player first, and if he were to land Chungh it would be a solid pick.

As with McEwen, Chungh played with Fabien in Calgary, but the two are both guards. Could they utilize both of them in the middle of the line? There is some thought the Lions might try to convert him to centre if they were to draft him.

The Lions offensive line has lacked some physicality since Rob Murphy and Jason Jiminez departed and drafting the physically gifted Chungh would address some of that need.

Lamar Durant – WR – SFU

The Lions are pretty deep at Canadian receiver, but they could be tempted to take Lemar Durant who may be the most pro-ready offensive player in the draft. Last season he was hampered by mononucleosis which limited his numbers, and Durant hasn’t played much on special teams during his college career which is where he would likely have to cut his teeth with the Lions.

Still, his talent is undeniable, he’s a home town boy, and he would be a welcome addition to an already deep group of Canadian receivers. There were games when he was a man playing among boys at the CIS level. He possesses good speed and great size, and loves to battle for the football in the air.

Who the Lions end up with is anyones guess, but if they were to land any one of these five players with their first pick, they would be doing alright.