Montreal Archives | BC Lions Football

The BC Lions Den Pawdcast: Episode 60

August 20, 2015 By Brian Wawryshyn

With Mojo Kemp taking the week off, Brian flies solo in Episode 60, but has plenty of company with BC Lions beat writer Lowell Ullrich, 3DownNation.com Alouettes blogger Clifford Pine and our friend Ryan Ballantine of the CFL Horsemen, who stops by to talk about the Jasper Simmons Twitter fiasco.

Follow our guest on Twitter:

Lowell Ullrich: @Fifthqtr

Clifford Pine: @CliffyD

Ryan Ballantine: @PodcasterRyan :: CFL_Horsemen: @CFL_Horsemen

This show was recorded on August 18th, 2015.

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Karma Sinks Lions in Montreal?

September 13, 2009 By Brian Wawryshyn

Do you believe in Karma? Well, I am sure that fans of the Montreal Alouettes do today, after their club snatched a victory from the BC Lions in the final minute by a score of 28-24 in front of the 91^st straight sellout at Molson Pervical Stadium in Montreal.

Last weekend a league error robbed the Als of a touchdown that would have potentially tied the game, but this week there would be no question, as Avon Cobourne crossed the goal line with 50 seconds left on the clock to put the Alouettes ahead to stay.

The game was the story of two halves, with the defenses on both teams dictating the tempo in the first half, and the offenses taking over in the second to make for an exciting game that went down to the wire for the second straight week.

The Lions started off well, with an interception by corner Dante Marsh on the Als first drive, but the offense couldn’t take advantage of the play, and the teams traded punts for the first quarter, and Lions kicker Sean Whyte hit the upright on a 27 yard field goal. The two teams entered the 2^nd quarter scoreless.

The Alouettes opened the scoring at 8:53 of the second quarter after a 5 play 72 yard dive culminated in an Anthony Calvillo completion to Jamal Richardson in the end zone to give the Als a 7-0 lead, the teams would three field goals, two by the Als that would see the score 13-3 Montreal at the half.

In the second half the Lions started things off with a bang and a turnover, sacking Anthony Calvillo and setting up great field position for the Lions. The Lions would strike on the next play with Jackson hitting former Alouette O’Neill Wilson in the end zone to make it a three-point game.

The Lions got closer when Larry Taylor bobbled a punt that was recovered by Jason Three plays later, Grice-Mullen scored on a one-yard reverse at 3:37 of the fourth.

Then on their very next possession, the Jarious Jackson hit Geroy Simon on a 43 yard catch and run, and the Lions has a 24-20 lead late in the fourth. The Als got what would be an important single off a Duval punt, and then facing a second and long on their own 29 yard line, Calvillo found a wide open Kerry Watkins on a 56 yard strike that would set the stage for the Als to complete the last minute comeback.

Wally Buono agreed, that was the key play of the game. ““I thought the big thing was making that key play on second down,” said B.C. coach Wally Buono. “I think if we could have stopped them there, the game would have been ours.” said Buono, who missed a chance to set the all-time CFL coaching record in his home town in front of friends and family.

Mark Trestman wasn’t so sure how much last weeks result helped his club.

“This game had nothing to do with vindication or getting our just desserts,” said Trestman. “This was a team that got off the plane and worked very hard this week.

“They played hard and we played hard and we were fortunate enough to win.”

Extra Yards:

The loss denied Buono a chance to become the most successful coach in CFL history. He remains tied with Don Matthews at 231 career victories.
The Als held Martell Mallet, who had a team-record 213 rushing yards last week to 66 yards on 14 carries.
Jarious Jackson completed 16 passes for 228 yards, including 128 yards on seven catches by Geroy Simon.
The Lions wore their retor uniforms for the the second time this season, both times on the road. It sure would be nice if the hometown fans got a glimpse of them at BC Place.

The Elite, The Average and The Weak

July 26, 2009 By Brian Wawryshyn

After the first four weeks of the 2009 CFL season teams are starting to show their true colours. And while there are still some perennial powerhouses at the top, some stronger teams of the past are spiraling to the basement of the league as they struggle to find new identities amongst the changes they have made. Here’s a look at how I see the teams after the first four games of the year.

The Elite

Montreal (4-0)

No doubt they are the class of the East, they always are. This year though they are clearly the class of the league, which couldn’t always be said in the past. The Als look balanced, consistent, and they’ve already knocked off two west opponents, including the Stamps. It’s amazing how the Als restock and reload year after year and never seem to “rebuild”. There should be nothing standing in their way of getting to the Grey Cup (again). Mark Trestman looks like his rookie CFL coaching debut was no fluke. He is respected by his players, and his peers and has his team prepared to play each and every week.

Calgary (2-2)

The Grey Cup hangover appears to be wearing off and the Stamps annihilation of the Lions Friday was impressive and decisive. Henry Burris looks confident, and in my opinion is he best QB in the league right now. The Lions offensive line had no answers for the Calgary pass rush led by Labinjo, and whether that is more of a reflection of the Lions themselves remains to be seen, but this is a solid group and I see the Stamps getting stronger as we go.

The Average

Saskatchewan (2-2)

The Riders offseason changes on defense were supposed to set them back, but they haven’t missed a beat. Picking up Stevie Baggs from Winnipeg was brilliant and their new linebacking core is getting the job done. What’s hurting them is inconsistency on offense and turnovers. Sound familiar? QB Darian Durant looks great on one drive, average the next and downright brutal on others. The Riders have a great back in Wes Cates, outstanding receivers, and their defense is playing well but until they get solid production from the QB spot, they’ll continue to be an average team.

Hamilton (2-2)

As a CFL fan I am loving the fact the Ticats are off to a better start this year. Their latest loss to Montreal was tough, but they were the first club to hold the Als under 40 points, under 30 for that matter, and it looks like O’Billovich is starting to add some nice talent, as we all knew he would after having the time to do so. Quinton Porter is a work in progress, but Kevin Glenn has added a nice backup option off the bench. The Ticat defense looks to be much improved as well, with Otis Floyd fitting in nicely from BC and providing some nice leadership as he did with the Lions. Western teams can’t be assured a cross-over spot this year, and a win over the Lions next week at home could propel this team to even bigger and better things in the East and possibly even a home playoff game which would be outstanding for their long suffering fan base.

Toronto (2-2)

Toronto went the route of the Alouettes and hired a coach with NFL experience in Bart Andrus in the offseason. They also tried to beef up their offensive line with the addition of Rob Murphy from the BC Lions. To date the results have been mixed, and that’s to be expected. Andrus has laid down the law in Toronto with Adriano Belli and more recently Arland “Terrell Owens” Bruce. That move resulted in a big win on the road in Winnipeg. I expect the Argos may continue to improve. They have some nice pieces to work with and a coach with fresh ideas and philosophy’s

Edmonton (2-2)

The Eskimos barely avoided the “weak” category, and only did so with a gutsy character filled comeback in Regina yesterday. After getting it handed to them at home against the Lions, the Eskies could have easily packed it in after getting down 22-0 at Mosaic. But they stuck with it and battled back to take over the game and get a win in a stadium where it’s tough to do so. The Eskimos overhauled defense has been hot and cold. Their biggest issues remain on offense, but that could change if they finally clue in and use Calvin McCarty as their featured back. Ricky Ray has taken a lot of heat from Eskimo fans, but without an established running game, and an average offensive line performance he hasn’t had a chance to be effective.

The Weak

Winnipeg (1-3)

New head coach Mike Kelly made a lot of enemies early on, and from day one I questioned the appointment of Stefan Lefors as the Bombers number one QB. To put all your faith in a QB that has never been more than a backup was dangerous move. Things have gotten so bad the Bombers are now airlifting in Michael Bishop at QB. Can Casey Printers be far behind? Four of the teams next five games are on the road, and if the Bombers don’t solve their offensive woes quickly, their season could be over quickly.

BC (1-3)

Last and possibly least, my own BC Lions. Yes, there have been a ton of offseason changes. But there are still enough veterans on this team that there should have been no excuse for the no-show at home versus the Grey Cup champs,who owned you last season. If they had put up a fight maybe they squeak out of the “weak” label. This team seems to have an overconfidence problem that is reflecting on it’s leadership. Turnovers, missed assignments, dumb penalties…you name it the Lions have done it this season. How many players does Buono have to axe to get his point across? At some point the players in the room have respond and take responsibility, buckle down and play inspired football.

There are questions about the coaches as well, including Buono himself, with many wondering if the game is passing him by. Is he too stubborn to change his ways? Why does he show such loyalty to his coaches, but is quick to axe his players? The defense under Mike Benevides hasn’t been the same since Dave Ritchie retired, and Jacques Chapdelaine continues to call the offense despite his title of receivers coach. At what point to the coaches become responsible?

The offensive line is struggling, there’s a new running back with promise trying to find his way, and QB’s who have zero time to set up not producing. The Lions need to figure it out quickly because at 1-3 and in the West division, there is not a whole lot of margin for failure. It will be interesting to see if the Lions can rebound in Hamilton like the Eskimos did in Regina after their embarrassing loss at home.