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You are here: Home / Archives for Offensive Line

Lions would do well to add to O-line depth in the draft.

April 24, 2015 By Brian Wawryshyn

To win in the CFL, Canadian depth on the offensive line is a must. You only need to look at the reigning Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders to see the impact a solid line can have on a team. The Stamps have not only regularly plucked solid offensive linemen from the draft, but guys that can often step right into their lineup and contribute, like Brett Jones (now in NFL), Brander Craighead, Dan Federkeil and Billy Peach.

Jovan Olafioye Dean Valli Cameron Thorn
The Lions must get better results from their offensive line in 2015: Photo: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

The Lions offensive line have had their issues the last few seasons, in large part because of the revolving door that’s been spinning because of injuries. But they do have some solid national talent to work with; Kirby Fabien is another season removed from his horrific knee injury, while Hunter Steward showed great promise in his limited action last season. Both have outstanding potential and if they can stay healthy it would be a huge boost to the line and for their continued development.

The Lions might not be satisfied with Matt Norman at centre, and could audition Cameron Thorn for the position at training camp, possibly shifting Norman to a guard spot.

BC are fairly well set at the tackle position, with the traditionally solid Jovan Olafioye and 2014 addition Jermarcus Hardrick, but the interior of the O-line is what they need to shore up with Canadian depth.

T-Dre Player, Cody Husband and veteran Dean Valli round out the group heading into training camp, who will have a fresh face as new offensive line coach Doug Malone comes in from Saskatchewan replacing long time predecessor Dan Dorazio.

The Lions haven’t brought any offensive linemen so far this off-season, so I would be shocked if they didn’t select one with their first pick (5th overall).

National Holdovers from 2014:

No. Name P Status   Height WT Born School
50 Fabien, Kirby G National 6.06 295 1990-09-07 Calgary
54 Valli, Dean G National 6.05 300 1983-10-05 Simon Fraser
58 Thorn, Cameron G National 6.05 290 1990-04-16 Guelph
59 Norman, Matthew C National 6.03 317 1988-06-20 Western
62 Husband, Cody G National 6.07 307 1988-03-19 UBC
67 Steward, Hunter G National 6.06 315 1991-12-23 Liberty
68 Player, T-Dre G National 6.06 275 1992-92-04 Northwestern State

Given the Lions have the fifth overall pick, they should be in line to get one of the six top ranked offensive linemen in the draft, if they decide to go that route with the pick.

Top ranked National offensive linemen (final CFL Scouting Bureau Rankings):

Rank Name P School
2 Boyko, Brett OL UNLV
3 Mateas, Alex OL UCONN
5 Groulx, Danny OL Laval
6 Chungh, Sukh OL Calgary
10 McEwen, Sean OL Calgary
13 Ruby, Jacob OL Richmond

Protecting Travis Lulay or potentially an inexperienced replacement is going to be paramount for the Lions if they hope to compete in a tough Western Division, never mind an improved Eastern side. They also need to inject life into a running game that hasn’t been as productive as it should be the last couple of seasons, even with one of the best in the game, Andrew Harris, in the lineup.

The draft aside, expect some new bodies from south of the border to be brought in prior to the start of training camp as well.

If history has proven anything, Wally Buono will draft the “best player available” with the 5th pick. But the Lions would do well to come away from this draft with a blue chip hoggie to add to the Den.

Follow Brian Wawryshyn on Twitter: @BCLionsDen

Filed Under: BC Lions Den Tagged With: 2015 CFL Draft, BC Lions, BC Lions Den, Brian Wawryshyn, CFL, Offensive Line

Lions Have Three Key Areas to Address

February 26, 2015 By Brian Wawryshyn

With the BC Lions gearing up for the Canadian Football League draft and about to start free agent camps all over the US, the club has three major areas of concern heading into the season. New head coach Jeff Tedford is already bearing fruit for the Lions with his US connections, as evidenced by the signing of a highly regarded QB prospect in Greg McGhee. Hopefully the Leos can uncover a few more gems over the next few months, but here are three key areas they need to address before training camp.

Quarterback:

lulay_gm_740x300

Minus Kevin Glenn, the Lions have chosen to stick with what they had last season, while adding McGhee as a work in progress. The condition of Travis Lulay is a huge and legitimate concern that has yet to unfold. The Lions would dearly love for Lulay to be strong from the start of camp, but they also want him to realize he has to change if he’s going to stay healthy.

That’s a feat that will be easier said than done with a competitor such as Lulay, but at this point in his career he really has no choice, and he’s a lot more valuable to the Lions with his knowledge, leadership and experience than he is trying to recover a fumble or getting that extra yard.

Behind Lulay the depth chart likely goes like this; John Beck, Travis Partridge, Jordan Rodgers and Greg McGhee. While that will likely be the order heading into training camp, Jeff Tedford comes to the Lions with the reputation of being able to develop quarterbacks, and Wally Buono is no slouch in that department either. The Lions obviously feel they have some good options here, and will get their first chance to evaluate them at their offensive mini-camp in April. Don’t be surprised if the pecking order changes over the first few weeks of training camp.

The Offensive Line:

bclionsParamount to the success of Travis Lulay will be the ability to keep him protected, and the Lions took the first step in that direction by going in a new one with new offensive line coach Doug Malone. Malone was in charge of a pretty good offensive line in Saskatchewan, both at protecting the QB and opening holes for the run. Contrary to some opinions out there the cupboard in BC isn’t bare, it just has to stay healthy and have a chance to get cohesive.

The Lions are solid with Jovan Olafioye at left tackle, while Jermarcus Hardrick showed he could play last season. Hunter Steward also did well at right tackle last season before getting hurt. The real question is what happens on the interior of the line. The Lions really need solid contributions from both Steward and Kirby Fabien. Fabien showed such promise in his rookie year before his devastating knee injury, but struggled last season both physically and mentally. T-Dre Player will also be a season wiser, after spending much of last season on the practice roster. The Lions extended Cameron Thorn and there is talk of him competing with Matt Norman at centre, perhaps giving the Lions the option to use him at guard. Dean Valli will also return, but the Lions need to have their youth start to emerge and succeed while also looking to add to this pool in the draft.

Kicker/Punter

Paul McCallum is the only kicker currently on the roster, which will no doubt change before training camp. The future hall of famer is a safety net for the Lions, but they would dearly love to find someone who can handle all the kicking duties. They hoped they had found that with Richie Leone, but lost him when he found work with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

McCallum’s leg certainly isn’t what it used to be, but he is a solid directional punter. The Lions will give up field position and long field goal attempts if he is the best option. Look for at least two bodies to join him in Kamloops.

Filed Under: Den Talk, Featured Tagged With: BC Lions, BCLionsDen.ca, Brian Wawryshyn, CFL, Doug Malone, Jeff Tedford, Offensive Line, Paul McCallum, Travis Lulay

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