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Key Battles to Watch as the BC Lions Get to Work in Kamloops

May 28, 2016 By Brian Wawryshyn

Veterans report to Kamloops today for physicals prior to the start of main camp on Sunday as the BC Lions prepare for their 63^rd Canadian Football League Season.

Instead of a BC Lions preview (we’ll save that for when the roster is determined) we’ll take a look at some of the positional battles to keep an eye on as camp gets going at Thompson Rivers University. While a few areas like linebacker are pretty much set, others are ripe for change and Wally Buono has never been a coach that has been afraid to make an ‘unpopular’ move to make the team better.

Translation; you better not rest on your laurels if you’re trying out for a Buono football team.

Quarterback

Jennings vs Lulay

With good reason, Jonathan Jennings comes into camp as the front-runner for the Lions starting pivot job. The Lions “quarterback of the future” ignited the offence last season going 3 and 3 in his six starts before injuring his collarbone in the West Semi-Final. All his intangibles, age, skill, poise, all suggest that Jennings is the man to lead the Lions back to prominence, but there must be growth and consistency shown as he starts the 2016 campaign.

For Travis Lulay, camp is a chance for him to show what he has left in the tank following an off-season that saw him able to train fully versus rehabbing his shoulder. That can make a huge difference, and Lulay has stated this is the best he’s felt in years. At worst, he will backup Jennings and has already discussed his acceptance of a mentorship role to his good friend Jennings. Lulay understands the cycle of life for a quarterback and knows he’s near the end of that cycle. Yet, he’s fully supportive of his younger counterpart and the Lions are fortunate to have that relationship.

Buono has stated the number one spot is not set in stone and that the pecking order will be determined in Kamloops and through the pre-season. That Jennings will have to be awfully bad and Lulay will have to turn some heads for Buono to consider a switch. The team needs to sell tickets, and they are banking that Jennings, and the excitement he can bring to the offence will be a big part in bringing fans back.

McGhee vs Price

Second year Lion Greg McGhee will be in for a fight with newcomer Keith Price who some felt showed more during the team’s mini-camp in April.

While McGhee was on the Lions roster last season, he doesn’t have as much CFL playing time as the newcomer. There is probably more pressure on McGhee as a returning player, mostly because Wally Buono expects you to be that much better in year two than you were in year one.

Price comes to the Lions after time with the Riders in Saskatchewan where he went 32 of 50 for 407 yards, 3 TD’s and 1 INT in limited playing time.

Buono isn’t averse to carrying four QB’s on the roster, but the battle for number three should be an interesting one to watch.

Offensive Line

It seems every training camp we are talking about the battle for jobs on the offensive line. That’s probably because on every football team the o-line is the core of your success on offence. If it’s great, you can do great things. If it’s not, you’re going to be in for a long season.

The Lions addressed this area both in free agency and the draft by adding the likes of Levy Adcock from the Riders and drafting Charles Vaillancourt (Laval) and Dillon Guy (Buffalo).

Longtime Buono confidant Dan Dorazio returns to the Lions after a one-year tour with the Riders, and is high on Adcock. So much so that the Lions released last year’s starter Tommie Draheim who was quickly snapped up by the Redblacks.

The Lions will look to move perennial all-star Jovan Olafioye to the left tackle spot and slot Adcock in on the right.

In the middle the Lions went out and picked up BC boy Tim O’Neill who at 36 brings a ton of experience at centre, but also a short-term solution. Both Vaillancourt and Guy have some experience playing the position, and the Lions also looked at the recently released Cam Thorn for the centre spot, but early indications are they would like to start grooming Guy in that position for the future.

Also front and centre will be the health of the promising Hunter Steward, who needs to show he can get through a training camp, not just a season. Steward could be a huge piece of the Lions o-line if he can do that and he says his foot problem is behind him heading into 2016. Kirby Fabien will also be another year removed from his devastating knee injury and hopefully now has the confidence again to bring a nastier streak to his game.

Players lCody Husband and T-Dre Player and Surrey native Jas Dhillon are also going to need to show well, especially with the depth the Lions have added through the draft.

Receiver

Once Jennings took over the offence last season the passing game started to come alive. Manny Arceneaux in particular started on a tear that had people forgetting about his less than productive first half of the season.

But the Lions will be looking to improve the unit, and a name to watch is Boise State alumni, Geraldo Boldewijn, who caught the Lions eye last year and spent time on their expanded practice roster before playing in the final regular season game last year. Boldewijn was given his release to pursue NFL work this off-season and the Lions were thrilled to get him back. He’s a tall receiver who has great hands and decent speed and should be ready to make a contribution this season.

The Lions also went out and brought back Nick Moore as a free agent signing from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Moore brings experience and another potential 1000-yard receiver to the Leos lineup, if he can stay healthy. Add Moore to the likes of Lavelle Hawkins and Bryan Burnham, and there will be some interesting choices to make here on cut down day.

Canadians Shawn Gore, Stephen Adekolu and Marco Iannuzzi will welcome draft picks Shaquille Johnson and Brett Blaszko into the group and both will be looking to show they are still the best option at the national receiver spot. Derek Yachison will need to show what he’s learned over the last two Lions camps to stay in consideration for a roster spot.

Running Back

Life after Andrew Harris begins and the Lions have stocked up on international players for the position to try and replace that offence. Jeremiah Johnson and Anthony Allen were brought in from Ottawa and Saskatchewan receptively while the Lions are also hoping Chris Rainey can play a bigger role in the offence. Shaquille Murray-Lawrence returns and will compete for reps.

Newcomer J.C. Coleman turned heads at rookie camp and while the Lions knew he was quick and explosive, Buono praised Coleman for his ability to block as well. If Coleman continues to impress, the Lions may choose to keep him around, making either Johnson or Allen expendable.

The Secondary

The Lions enjoyed many years of continuity to their secondary until the last couple of seasons, when they were forced to start to get younger. Ryan Phillips is the sole survivor from the trio of Dante Marsh and Korey Banks and is coming off a strong season. Phillips, along with free agent signing Brandon Stewart (Hamilton) will be the leaders of the group.

Mike Edem (Hamilton) was signed as a free agent and is a player the Lions are excited to get their hands on. There will likely be a battle there for the starting safety spot with Eric Fraser, who played well for the Lions after joining them last season, and possibly Keynan Parker as well.

The unit lost Josh Johnson over the winter but got Steven Clarke back from NFL tryouts last week. TJ Lee, Ronnie Yell and Darious Lane return, but keep an eye on newcomers Loucheiz Purifoy, Davarus Shores, Dino Teague and drafted national Anthony Thompson.

Kicker

Richie Leone comes in as the incumbent and will once again compete with Anthony Fera, who spent last season on the Lions practice roster before seeing action in the last game of the regular season. Leone will look to improve in his consistency, particularly on field goals and converts, while Fera will look to show he’s just as capable and force Buono into a tough decision.

Others to Watch

Defensive Line: Darius Allen, Andrew Hudson, Ese Mrabure, George Uko, Jacques Smith

Receivers: Kendrick Ings

2016 BC Lions CFL Draft Recap

May 10, 2016 By Brian Wawryshyn

The 2016 CFL Draft is now in the books and the BC Lions had eight picks in the eight round draft. The Lions made a couple of deals with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to get an extra pick, and did not have a pick in the fifth round of the draft. Here is our recap of all their picks.

Trades: B.C. acquired the 5th and 23^rd picks from Hamilton for the 3rd and 30^th picks. They then reacquired the 30^th pick and acquired the 32^nd pick from Hamilton for the 21^st pick.

Round One: 5th Overall

Player: Charles Vaillancourt Position: Offensive Line University: Laval

The Lions took a small risk when they selected a player that many had at the top of the mock drafts. Charles Vaillancourt was one of the big three players available from the offensive line factory of Laval, and has drawn some NFL interest. He’s already tried out for the NY Giants and was not offered a contract, and he has a workout scheduled with the Oakland Raiders this weekend.

Still, it was nice to see the Lions pick a guy who could start for them for years to come and not go off the board as they have done in previous years. Holding the number three pick, the Lions moved down to five, swapping picks with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats who selected offensive lineman Brandon Revenberg out of Grand Valley State.

Vaillancourt should compete for a job right away in BC. He measures up at 6’4″ and 329 pounds and has a fan in TSN draft guru Duane Forde.

“The offensive linemen out of Laval are technically sound. He has the size. They all did well at the (CFL) Combine, but he was the most-consistent of the three.”, said Forde, who had Vaillancourt projected in his top three.

Vaillancourt should have little trouble getting comfortable at Lions’ training camp should he be there, as his coach at Laval, Carl Brennan, has been invited as a guest coach.

“I know Carl likes Dan Dorazio (the Lions’ offensive line coach) a lot,” Vaillancourt said. “He teaches a lot of Dan’s techniques, which is great. I’m going to know a lot more now. Carl Brennan and coach Dorazio are pretty much the same. It’s good for me. Having Carl there is going to be incredible.”

Wally Buono expects good things from Vaillancourt, saying, “He’s a very imposing guy and I felt at the (draft combine) he was the dominant player. Not only did he carry himself well, physically, but when we interviewed him, he was impressive.”

The Lions see Vaillancourt as a possible future centre, and he’s played that position in the past. With the addition of veteran Tim O’Neill for this season, the Lions will have the luxury of easing him into the role at the pro level.

CFL.ca Profile

Wally Buono Speaks on the Selection of Charles Vaillancourt

Round Two: 12th Overall

Player: Anthony Thompson Position: Defensive Back University: Southern Illinois

The Lions added depth to their secondary when they selected Anthony Thompson out of Southern Illinois with the 12th overall pick and Geroy Simon says the 6’1 208 defensive back will ‘Compete right away.’

I like this selection because the Lions needed to address their Canadian depth in the secondary and they did that with this pick. While I was hoping that Michael Corture would fall to the Lions at 12, Thompson joins fellow nationals Eric Fraser, Mike Edem, Keynan Parker and newly drafted Brennan Vannistelrooy in the Lions secondary.

Thompson was the 15th ranked player and third highest rated DB in Central Scouting’s final rankings. He has good size and in 2015 played in all 11 games and starting in eight. He racked up an SIU best 55 tackles and posted a season-best eight tackles versus Missouri State and Youngstown State while recording at least one tackle in every game he played.

Thomson is a physical player and has great pursuit speed. Checkout some of his Southern Illinois Highlights here:

Round Three: 21st Overall

Player: Brett Blaszko Position: Receiver University: University of Calgary

Brett Blaszko addresses another need for the Lions and that was their national depth at receiver. He’ll have a chance to contribute right away if he has a strong camp. At 6’4″ and 215 pounds, Blaszko has the size and body type to add solid weight and be a dominant receiver. Following a recent tryout with the NY Giants, the University of Calgary Dino felt he wasn’t out-of-place.

“Honestly, I found I fit in well and competed well and showed what I had to show,” said Blaszko . “I didn’t feel out-of-place whatsoever. I think the biggest difference between guys from Canada and the guys there are the finer things. They’re just a little bit more polished.”

“Brett’s an outstanding athlete, he has incredible football talent,” said Dinos head coach Wayne Harris Jr. “He definitely has great hands and he’s deceptively fast. He doesn’t look like he’s running that fast but then you see him running past people and you know he’s quick.”

While he got off to a slow start in 2015 due to injuries, Blaszko was named an All-Canadian in 2014 and has been hitting the gym hard in preparation for his graduation to the pro game, and the Lions could have a beauty if his talents grow and flourish.

Round Four: 30th Overall

Player: Dillon Guy Position: Offensive Line University: Buffalo

This is where things get interesting. The Lions selected Dillon Guy out of Buffalo after health concerns likely dropped his stock. When healthy, Guy is a player that plays with a nasty streak and could be one of the steals of the draft.

The big concern is a knee injury that kept him off the field in 2014, but the Lions had him thoroughly examined by the best in the business, Dr. Bob McCormack, when they brought him in 10 days ago. Combined with the addition of Vaillancourt the Lions have two promising prospects to beef up the interior of their defensive line and to push current projected national starters Kirby Fabien and Hunter Steward, who is trying to overcome his own injury issues.

Guy certainly doesn’t lack confidence, telling CFL.ca’s Justin Dunk, “I know I’m the best prospect in this draft. It may sound arrogant, but that’s the way I think.”

Round Four: Shaquille Johnson Position: Receiver University: London (Juniors)

Not content with having one Shaq on their roster after drafting running back Shaquille Murray-Lawrence last year, the Lions went out and got another one in 6’0″, 190 pound receiver Shaquille Johnson.

Johnson’s stock rose after a solid combine performance where he posted 4.39 time in the 40 and was impressive with his route running and catching.

It’s been a bumpy road for Johnson on his journey to the pros. The native of Brampton, Ontario was the nation’s top rookie for the McGill Redmen in 2012 after making 61 catches for 792 yards and five touchdowns. Those 61 receptions broke the CIS rookie record of 57, which was set by Andy Fantuz, who of course has gone on to a great career in the CFL.

Following that however, he failed a course during his freshman year, and wasn’t able to afford to take the course again. That made him ineligible to play in 2013, and he eventually transferred to Western. After playing for the Mustangs in 2014, when he caught 20 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns, he was forced to leave school and work full-time to support his family. Not ready to give up on his football dreams, Johnson joined the Beefeaters last fall and made 30 catches for 606 yards and eight touchdowns in seven games.

Johnson might be somewhat of a project, but his addition adds to the national depth the Lions needed at receiver.

Round Five: No pick (Traded to Hamilton)

Round Six: 48th Overall

Player: Brennan Van Nistelrooy Position: Defensive Back University: University of Alberta/Calgary

Again looking for depth in their secondary the Lions drafted former Okanagan Sun standout Brennan Van Nistelrooy. Van Nistelrooy brings impressive credentials with him accumulated while playing four seasons with the Sun in the British Columbia Football Conference. He was a four-time BCFC all-star defensive back and was named the BCFC’s top defensive back for three seasons (2013, 2014 and 2015).

In 2016 he committed to the University of Calgary Dinos, and it’s likely that’s where he will play in 2016 after attending Lions camp in June.

“Brennan is a mature physical player with outstanding football instincts. He was a leader on a very successful team and we look for him to contribute immediately,” states Dinos’ Head Coach Wayne Harris.

If Van Nistelrooy makes the Lions roster, it would likely be as a special teams player, but playing a year of CIS in a solid Dinos’ program would likely be beneficial before jumping to the pros.

Round Seven: 57th Overall

Player: Nathan O’Halloran Position: Fullback University: Windsor

Rolly Lumbala isn’t going anywhere, but he isn’t getting any younger either, so the Lions plucked fullback Nathan O’Halloran in the seventh round out of Windsor. The 6’1, 226 pound O’Halloran looks to be a north/south runner and is good at catching balls out of the backfield. He also looks to follow his blocks well. O’Halloran also plays special teams, which is where he will need to cut his teeth with the Lions.

He’ll have a solid mentor in Lumbala who is a true professional. Here are some highlights of O’Halloran’s work at Windsor.

Round Eight: 65th Overall

Player: Boyd Richardson Position: Defensive Line University: University of British Columbia

For their final choice, the Lions looked in their own backyard, selecting Vanier Cup Champion and UBC Thunderbird, Boyd Richardson.

The 6’3 235 pound defensive lineman projects to be a special teams player to start his pro career. He has solid strength and was among one of four players at the combine to do 27 reps on the bench. Justin Dunk of CFL.ca says, “Richardson showed some power and with his current build he could be an interesting special teams type. If he added some thickness and bumped inside that might ultimately be his best spot in the CFL.

Richardson is a native of Regina, Saskatchewan.

Grade: A

As a BC Lions fan you have to be pleased that the Lions targeted three areas where they needed to improve their depth. The offensive line in particular has some promising selections in Vaillancourt and Guy, while the secondary and receiving depth were also improved. With the exception of Vaillancourt the Lions didn’t risk a pick on a player that was NFL bound, and hopefully for them, things will pan out with the Laval stud.

It was a good day at the office for Wally Buono, and the only thing that would have made it better was maybe adding the likes of BC products Taylor Loffler, Michael Corture or Terrell Davis.

Let the games begin!

Lions Notebook: Mini-Camp Begins, Back in Black…or Not?

April 28, 2016 By Brian Wawryshyn

BC Lions mini-camp got under way today at the club’s training facility in Surrey on Thursday signalling the beginning of the end for the long CFL off-season. With the draft just around the corner, the Lions are wrapping up the last of their free agent camps as well, with the last stop in Seattle on Sunday, May 1^st.

Let’s get caught up on recent developments in the CFL, and of course the BC Lions in this edition of the Lions Notebook.

Mini-Camp Begins

Comprised of mainly first and second year players, the BC Lions hit the field in Surrey for OTA’s. With the exception of a few veterans, the club wants to use the two day sessions to evaluate what players will advance to main camp and also to have those players up to speed on the schemes the club wants to deploy. The idea is there would be less teaching at training camp and more working on systems.

Neither of the club’s top two QB’s are involved, and the Lions will try and determine the pecking order of the returning Greg McGhee and freshly signed Keith Price, formerly with Saskatchewan. Cam Tucker has written a good piece on that here.

Some of the more recognizable names on the roster are offensive linemen Hunter Steward and T-Dre Player. Steward is looking to rebound from two injuries in two seasons, both to the same foot. His promise as a player is huge, but he has to stay healthy this year. Player has seen time as a starter and as a backup in his first two seasons with the club, and the Lions would love to see him continue to evolve to provide national depth on the offensive line.

Linebacker Bo Lokombo is also in camp and after making great strides last season, he looks to make an even bigger contribution this year on the Lions defense as part of a linebacker group that includes the hard-hitting Solomon Elimimian and Adam Bighill. Lokombo is joined by free-agent national DB Mike Edem, who is also participating looking to get up to speed with his new club.

Speaking of Elimimian, Buono told reporters that judging by everything he’s seen and has been told, the CFL record holder for tackles in a season has recovered 100% from the ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered last season, which would be a quick recovery. Let’s hope that’s the case and Solly returns to terrorize CFL offences once again.

The first day of mini-camp also marked the official return of Wally Buono to field as head coach once again. Buono called it an ‘exciting’ day and Lowell Ullrich has some thoughts here.

On a negative note there is concern that highly touted off-season signing, running back Mikel Leshoure, was a no-show. No further information was provided by the club.

You can download the full mini-camp roster at BCLions.com.

The Draft

Of course, the Lions are also preparing for the 2016 CFL Canadian College Draft on May 10^th. The Lions hold the third overall pick and Wally Buono has been quoted as saying it’s the deepest draft in recent memory.

Who the Lions will pick is anyone’s guess, and I certainly don’t have an informed opinion on who they should. But my hope is they lock in on a player who can help them right away, preferably on the offensive line, defensive line or receiver positions.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are said to be considering offers for the number one pick, and Buono has moved up in the draft before. But if the draft is deep and with the Lions sitting with a good pick at three, I expect they will let the cards fall where they may and pick the best player left on their draft board.

Following the first round, the Lions will pick fourth in five of the next six rounds (Winnipeg forfeited their first rounder in the supplemental draft last year when they chose Garrett Waggoner) and don’t have a pick on the fifth round.

Back in Black?

Following a teaser video and some still shots that surfaced this week, it appears that the Lions will indeed returning to black as a prominent colour in their new Adidas uniforms. The official unveiling for all teams will be held at an event in Montreal on May 12^th.

But is the uniform black? After further analysis of the video the club released there is an orange tinge on the player’s body as he emerges from the shadows. The shoulders and pants are definitely black and the helmet is believed to be as well.

The suspense is real!

General consensus from those that have seen the new threads is that the Lions have a pretty sharp new look. Shawn Lemon of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who has seen all the new jerseys had this to say about the Lions new look.

“B.C. won. B.C. by far has the best uniforms. They’re slick. They’re nice.”

Here is the teaser video the Lions released, so you can make your own assumptions.

Player Safety

Finally, the CFL announced new initiatives in regards to player safety on Thursday. The league has put more emphasis on the effect of concussions, assigning an ‘injury’ spotter for every league game, continuing to take part in new testing and research and will give players the option of seeing an independent doctor with concussion in cases if they are diagnosed with a concussion.

Player safety, especially surrounding concussions is becoming more and more of an issue, not only in football, but all contact sports. It’s nice to see the CFL taking steps to make sure the game is as safe as possible for its players.

The BC Lions Den Pawdcast – Episode 72

March 3, 2016 By Brian Wawryshyn

After an extended break we are thrilled to be back talking BC Lions and CFL football on the Pawdcast. Brian and Mojo review the Lions off-season so far and then dive into CFL round table stuff with Andrew Bucholtz of Yahoo Sports and the 55 Yardline Blog.

Andrew gives his thoughts on the Lions, and a variety of CFL topics including the new drug testing policy recently announced by the Canadian Football League.

Subscribe:

Follow our guest:

Andrew Bucholtz, CFL writer for Yahoo Sports and the 55 Yard Line Blog.

Twitter: @AndrewBucholtz

This show was recorded on November 18th, 2015.

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?