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Thread: BC Lions Thread

  1. #281
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    In an interview below Wally discusses the upcoming season.

    “The whole thing is going to be slightly different, but not so different,” he said, as he contemplated a Canadian Football League team with four starting Canadian offensive lineman, game-breaking receiver Chris Williams, an improved defensive front and a secondary bolstered by the return of Ronnie Yell and T.J. Lee and a potential new starter in non-import Keynan Parker.
    Beyond that, the Lions are holding three days of OTAs next week in which they hope to uncover at least one pass rusher, then there’s the CFL draft in early May in which the Leos hold the third- and seventh-overall picks.
    “This is the fun stuff,” Buono said, before pausing and, without any prompting, pivoting to what was really on his mind.
    “But you know what’s not fun? When you restructure your team, you’re changing people’s lives like we did with Jovan (Olafioye, the much-decorated veteran offensive lineman who was traded to Montreal this off-season for salary-cap reasons).”

    This, apparently, has been weighing on Buono and when it was pointed out he’s been making those tough decisions for 30 years, he bristled.
    “You never get used to it. I hate it. I will never, ever miss making those decisions then having to follow through on them. I’ll be so happy when I don’t have to do it anymore.”
    But look at the bright side, Wally. At least that day is coming soon. ...

    As the Lions prepare for 2017 and the promise of a new season, there appears to be much which is unsettled about the franchise and the status of their resident coaching icon. In an extraordinary move, owner David Braley took to the Lions’ website a couple of weeks ago and announced the team, “has to be sold,” and that sale could occur, “this year, next year or the year after.”
    Yes, that narrows it down.
    Buono for his part, has a contract that runs to 2018 but it’s believed the coaching portion of that deal expires at the conclusion of this season. So is this finally it for the old Lion? Will he hang around to oversee the transition to the new owner?
    Or, and here’s a good one, will he sign an extension out of loyalty to Braley while the sales process unfolds?
    You have to admit, that’s a lot of questions and with those questions come a sense of uncertainty. But in his five decades in the CFL, Buono has also adopted a Zen-like approach to those things which are beyond his control. He trusts Braley. The future will play out as it will play out.
    In the meantime, where are we going to find a good Canadian receiver?
    “What I’m worried about is improving this football club so when we go to Calgary or someone else, we don’t embarrass ourselves,” Buono said. “What’s going to happen is going to happen. I learned that a long time ago.” ...

    If he’s fazed by the Lions’ sale or his future, he does a convincing job of hiding it. Then again, he’s had some experience with this sort of thing. Last year, for example, Buono dusted himself off after four years in the GM’s office, took over a team that was coming off a semi-disastrous 7-11 campaign under Jeff Tedford and rallied them to a 12-6 mark. Before you ask, the Lions were for sale in 2016, too. ...

    He’s already identified the defence as his priority and, to that end, he’ll announce a new secondary coach in the near future.
    The revamped offensive line and the possibility of Parker starting allows him to play around with the ratio. The offence, which was potent in 2016 under first-year starter Jonathon Jennings, should be more explosive with Williams in the receiving corps.
    If the fans return to The Dome, so much the better but even there, the early indicators for sponsorships and season-ticket renewals are strong.
    All of this — the improvement on the field, the excitement over the product — is tied directly to Buono’s return as coach which raises another question: How much is this franchise worth with Buono compared to without him?
    Yes, that’s an interesting one even if the coach doesn’t share in the fascination on the subject.
    “It’s like I told David, it’s not fair to be focusing on that stuff today,” he said. “It’s not fair to the coaches, the players and the fans. So let me focus on what I know. We have to get a good football team up and operating. I’ll know at the end of the season. I can’t say today I know.”
    http://theprovince.com/sports/footba...-back-to-lions

  2. #282
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    Director of CIS Scouting and Personnel Assistant Gerry Simon and Director of US Scouting Ryan Rigmaiden break down the Lions' Dallas Free Agent Camp below.


  3. #283
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    OL David Foucault's, obtained from Montreal in the Olafioye trade, has signed a two year contract with the Lions, consisting of a $25,000 signing bonus, a possible $97,000 (including $18,000 in bonuses for playing time) in 2017, and $117,000 in 2018 with a similar bonus system.

    http://3downnation.com/2017/04/17/da...ails-bc-lions/

  4. #284
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    Two sports reporters who covered the CFL and the Lions have retired recently after long careers, probably further reducing the coverage the league will get as their era included the era when the league had a higher public profile.
    While Cam Cole has just been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, he also covered football to a large extent, as evidenced by his 33 Grey Cups.
    One of Mike Beamish's favourite stories is about former Lion HC Vic Rapp.

    His time as a football writer began in 1978 when, as Lyndon Little’s backup on the Canadian Football League beat, Beamish was sent to a Lions practice and noticed that rookie quarterback Joe Paopao was participating even though he had been cut by coach Vic Rapp. The Lions, as all CFL teams did, were bending the roster rules.
    “Joe got very nervous and told me ‘you better go over and talk to the coach,’” Beamish recalls. “I put my hand out to Rapp and said: ‘Hi, Vic, I’m Mike Beamish.’ And he goes: ‘Beamish, I disliked you from the moment I saw you. You really piss me off.’”
    The quote is funnier when Beamish tells it in Rapp’s southern drawl.
    Apparently, Mike continued to piss off Rapp because when Beamish briefly left sports for a parliamentary bureau posting in Ottawa in 1982, the Lions’ coach noticed.

    “Ottawa, huh?” Rapp told Beamish’s replacement, Elliott Pap. “That’s a good place for him.”
    http://theprovince.com/sports/footba...-in-retirement

  5. #285
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    The Lions have signed International RB Amir Carlisle.

    Carlisle (5’10”, 195) saw action in 37 games at both running back and receiver while at Notre Dame from 2012 to 2015 tallying 60 carries 288 yards on the ground with another 62 receptions for 690 through the air and 998 yards on 46 kick returns. He was an undrafted free agent signing of the Arizona Cardinals in 2016 and attended training camp with the club.
    http://www.bclions.com/2017/04/25/li...amir-carlisle/

  6. #286
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    BC Lions have signed three players for their mini-camp.

    The B.C. Lions pool of defensive players just got a little deeper.
    The team announced three signings on Wednesday: former NFL defensive lineman Josh Shirley, as well as recent NCAA graduates and defensive backs Adrian James and Vicente Stafford. All three will join the team for a mini-camp for new signings and second-year players, which begins at noon today at the Lions’ practice facility.
    The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Shirley spent two years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears after a college career that saw him record 17 sacks and 59 tackles in 51 games with UNLV and the Washington Huskies. He also spent time with the Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders organizations.
    James racked up nine tackles and three interceptions in six games with the Indoor Football League’s Spokane Empire in 2016, which came on the heels of a college career at UTEP where the six-foot, 195-pounder had 52 tackles and two interceptions in 45 games.
    Stafford’s college career was spent at a small Div. II university in North Carolina — the 1,500-student Chowan University in Murfreesbro — where he had 65 solo tackles and four picks, while returning 18 career punt returns for 217 yards and a touchdown with another 170 yards on seven kickoff returns.
    http://theprovince.com/sports/footba...ini-camp-opens

  7. #287
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    As a 5-11, 220 lb LB Cameron Ontko in college started developing his playing style on some CFL video of a similarly built LB, Adam Bighill, only to later become his teammate and offseason practice partner.

    Ontko began researching the Canadian Football League during his senior season with the Cal Poly Mustangs in 2014, came across some tape of the undersized, workhorse linebacker Bighill and started to model his game after him.
    When Ontko signed with B.C. last season, he told Bighill of the connection. The pair became fast friends and training partners. They worked out together extensively this off-season and now the 25-year-old Ontko is in the hunt for a starting spot with the Lions that’s up for grabs due to Bighill, 28, signing with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints. “I was just talking to him last night,” the 5-11, 220-pound Ontko said after the Lions wrapped up a three-day mini-camp on Friday morning at their Surrey facility. “He’s someone that I can go to about anything. He’s a true role model in my life.He taught me how to pay attention to detail, put in the work and trust the process.”

    There are various options to take Bighill’s spot alongside Solomon Elimimian at the centre of the Lions’ defence come the June 24 season opener against the visiting Edmonton Eskimos. There’s Tony Burnett, 26, who signed with B.C. as a free agent in February after spending the previous two seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. There’s Dyshawn Davis, 24, who spent last season on the B.C. practice roster. And there’s newcomer Micah Awe, 23.
    Of course, there’s Ontko, too. He led the Lions in special teams tackles last season with 18. He’s also tutored under Bighill, a 5-10, 230-pound all-star who recorded a whopping 489 tackles over 99 games through six Lions seasons.
    “I’ve never worked so hard in my life,” Ontko said of his time this off-season with Bighill and trainer Rob Williams of Sportcore Performance. “It took me back to the college, 6 a.m. workout days. Right when you think you’ve got nothing left in the tank, that’s when Bigs would pick me up or Rob would pick me up. Physically, it’s a night and day difference with me from last year. Last year was good. I had a solid base, but I didn’t know how to use my entire body. I was mainly focusing on my extremities. Now I’m learning how to move from the centre, the biomechanics of the body, how to move efficiently. I’ve learned so much about being more explosive. It was six, seven days a week, all off-season. That’s why I stayed up here. I was preparing for this season.”
    Ontko, originally from the Cleveland suburb Seven Hills, got into four games with the Calgary Stampeders in 2015. They released him before last season and B.C. ended up signing him.
    He says that when he met Bighill he told him, “Man, this is crazy. I studied you. I respect so much.” Ontko added: “He’s so humble. He’s so modest about it. He’s got the ultimate underdog mentality. He doesn’t want to accept that he’s a great linebacker. He’s always looking for things to improve on. He accepted it with a smile and, after that, he was awesome.”
    http://vancouversun.com/sports/footb...bout-toughness

  8. #288
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    Mark Washington discusses how Steven Clarke looks at mini-camp after his serious injury in the video below.


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    The Lions focused on defence at their mini-camp as the team needs to replace six starters on defence this year.

    Suffice it to suggest that the Lions mini-camp at their Surrey practice facility (above) did not start with much back-slapping and reacquainting high-fives, because their success this season will be predicated on replacing the mass exodus, and they have no choice but to project some starting candidates from the group assembled this week.No fewer than six regulars who started last season’s West Division final debacle in Calgary must be replaced in the next two months, with a minimum of seven defensive roster spots overall available. ...
    Coach/GM Wally Buono rolled the dice on the contract which allowed Adam Bighill to escape and try to crack the roster of the New Orleans Saints which constitutes the biggest hole. BC must also replace Ryan Phillips, Brandon Stewart and Anthony Gaitor in the secondary, a Canadian rotational starter to replace Jabar Westerman plus NFL hopeful Alex Bazzie on the defensive front. Backup linebacker Bo Lokombo was no slouch either, even if the Lions never really gave him a chance to be a starter.
    By contrast, down time for offensive coordinator Khari Jones turned out to be an actual holiday. Jones got receiver Chris Williams this winter in free agency and only has to replace tackle Jovan Olafioye, who was dealt by Buono to Montreal when the coach/GM of the CFL couldn’t reconcile his contract value.
    Washington easily has the toughest challenge of his coaching career, and has had to decide whether the time has come for major alterations to his defensive structure with so many changes required.
    “When you start losing pieces you got to take a step back and ask if you have the same type of players coming in,” he said. “You want to bring in the same type of players but that’s not always going to happen. If you have different types of players you have to revise your scheme.”
    There won’t be significant change for the likes of the league’s top defensive player last year, linebacker Solomon Elimimian, but there’s a chance to be flexible if you’re the Lions in almost every other defensive position outside safety.
    That explained why the Lions had no fewer than eight defensive linemen on the field for starters at minicamp. Some years in the past they didn’t bring in a single pass rusher at this time of year. Three candidates were working out to replace Bighill. That position hasn’t required attention for six seasons.
    It’s a daunting challenge for a team that has been touted highly because of Williams and the return of 5,000-yard quarterback Jon Jennings, which is why Buono had no fewer than 38 players on the field, easily the most in Lions mini-camp history. Facing a substantial challenge in a marketplace where the hiring of Travis Green by the Canucks Wednesday left them all but ignored, there were few thoughts of pina coladas and glistening beaches around the Lions as they got started in earnest.
    http://3downnation.com/2017/04/26/de...ons-mini-camp/

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    Former Lion DE Alex Bazzie has been released by Indianapolis.

    Bazzie, who is now a free agent, notched a career-high 11 sacks and 31 tackles to go with a forced fumble last year for BC and he was named a West Division all-star. He’s posted 29 sacks in 50 career CFL games, all with the Lions. The six-foot-one, 228-pound Marshall product has found a way to consistently rush and disrupt the passer in the CFL.
    http://3downnation.com/2017/05/01/cf...-waived-colts/

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    Wally is claiming that honesty is what led to the CFL fining the Lions.

    Too much honesty has resulted in a fine levied by the CFL to the B.C. Lions for their part in allowing linebacker Adam Bighill to try to make an NFL roster.
    In a release stating all nine teams were compliant with the salary cap in 2016, BC was docked $2,500 Friday for a violation of by-laws pertaining to the contract of the CFL all-star, who was released last December and subsequently signed with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.
    The Bighill release caught onlookers by surprise after last season given that he had signed a three-year contract that was good through the 2017 season. The Lions asked Bighill to rework his deal prior to the 2016 season in a move that was not made public, and in exchange was granted an NFL option window.
    The Lions wanted to allay fan concerns about the window granted to a key component of their defence and offered an explanation just before Christmas in a release: “We have an agreement in place with Adam which allows him to seek out potential NFL opportunities between now and Jan. 27, 2017. If he is not signed by an NFL team, he has agreed to return,” coach/GM Wally Buono was quoted as saying.
    Guilty as charged.
    It was a provision granted by Buono to at least one teammate, fellow linebacker, Solomon Elimimian in the past during contract renegotiations, to say nothing of other clubs over the years. However, at least one CFL team asked the league why Bighill wasn’t a free agent if he had been released, and on that score the Lions had to take their medicine.
    No matter how deserving, don’t expect the Lions to be reworking the contracts of any player in the future, said Buono, whose team also likely won’t be as forthcoming with information as a result of the sanction.
    “It was part of trying to keep fans in the know,” said Buono, who said the CFL is investigating ways to increase flexibility that was successfully reduced for veterans in negotiations which led to the last collective bargaining agreement.
    http://3downnation.com/2017/04/28/ho...-bighill-exit/

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    Wally summarizes the mini-camp.


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    Safety Tevin McDonald talks about what he learned at Lions TC.


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    BC Lions have cut the following players to get down to the 75 man roster.

    DB Vicente Stafford, DB Matt Smalley, DB Robert Brown, DB Brennan Van Nistelrooy, WR David Richards, WR Darrin Peterson, RB Amir Carlisle, DL Louis Palmer, DL David Perkins, QB Bryan Scott
    http://www.cfl.ca/2017/05/01/roster-...deadline-hits/
    Last edited by jerrym; 05-02-2017 at 08:06 PM.

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    Lions have added a new assistant DB coach.


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    Although Mike Edem was not cut on Monday, that does not mean he is likely to stay with the Lions, as rumours of his being traded or cut abound.

    B.C must make four roster cuts by Monday and Buono suggested in passing that Edem might be one of them, to say nothing of how the club wants to formally part ways with the retiring Shawn Gore.
    Getting a signed contract with non-import offensive lineman David Foucault, obtained in the Olafioye deal, has forced a rethink of the way the Lions might line up their Canadians this year. B.C could have only one Canadian on defence as a starter and go with an extra Canuck in their receiving corps regardless of the Gore move, and might be a precursor to their thinking prior to the May 7 Canadian college draft.
    The Lions only had four interceptions among their defensive backs last season, and are taking early steps to rectify things.
    "The objective on defence is to get more turnovers. We led the league in sacks and we were good against the run and pass, but when you barely had a turnover a game how can you be excited?" Buono asked. "Obviously we know we have to balance the ratio; you have to have things in place whether its the field corner or four Canadian (offensive) lineman or a defensive linemen. Then you can make the best choices."
    That means what figured to be a tough haul to land a starting spot is suddenly looking much brighter for Clarke, who ended last season on the sideline thanks to a torn ACL alongside fellow imports Ronnie Yell and T.J. Lee and this year could be a starter alongside both of them,
    "It kind of came up last-minute," Clarke acknowledged when asked about the position switch and his appearance at the voluntary mini-camp.
    Now there's already a race to become a major award winner.
    "We definitely all got a chip on our shoulder. All three of us are competing to be comeback player of the year," Clarke said.
    It's a considerable shift for the Lions potentially from the days when Phillips, Dante Marsh and Korey Banks all lobbied Buono to make safety an import spot so they could extend their careers, and likely will make second-year Canadian Anthony Thompson wonder about his place on the depth chart as well. Thompson was the player selected by the Lions ahead of UBC's Taylor Loffler, much to the delight of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
    But its a sure sign the Lions may not be willing to limit the reconstruction of their defence to the three players who left for the NFL in the off-season and three more who were pushed overboard.
    http://www.tsn.ca/radio/vancouver-10...afety-1.736858

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    The Lions are hoping German League star Tyler Davis will also star in the CFL. His versatlity as a WR, RB and DB, is one of his strong points that may help him make the final roster against a lot of stiff competition.

    He has ventured overseas and agreed to play a position he only tried once in high school on opening day of mini-camp. That tells you all you need to know about how passionate Tyler Davis is about football.
    As the three-day event came to a close in Surrey, the versatile wide receiver felt confident about his first taste of CFL action.
    The product of Missouri Valley now has his sights set on main camp and perhaps turning a few more heads in Kamloops next month.
    “Going from a defensive player to receiver to running back, I thought it would be a lot more difficult to grasp the concept, “ said Davis on Friday. ...

    “Offensive play books are a lot more detailed but I picked it up pretty fast. Coaches liked that they saw so that was pretty big for me.”
    His versatility came into affect on opening day when running back Amir Carlisle was dealing with a concussion and they needed someone to share reps with Josh Harris.
    But let’s talk more about that versatility and how Davis ended up here.
    After going unselected in the 2014 NFL Draft and a brief tryout with the Miami Dolphins, he managed to land as a free agent with the Cowboys. That would be the Munich Cowboys of the German Football League.
    It was there where he discovered his true calling on the other side of the ball.
    “We had a receiver go down and I ended up playing both sides of the ball for the remainder of that, “recalled Davis.
    “My offensive co-ordinator then brought me to a new team, the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes, and to save money he kept me on both sides to he didn’t have to get another import.”
    2015 brought a European League Championship for the Hurricanes and MVP honours for Davis after he tallied 94 receptions for 1,733 yards and a whopping 24 touchdowns.
    For those scoring at home, he also chipped in with six interceptions as a defensive back. ...

    Davis has lots of studying to do between now and the start of rookie camp. A quick glance at the roster would indicate the club is stacked at receiver, especially with non-imports, but these types of stories are always intriguing to follow once the competition begins for real.
    “I like to compete. Everybody out here is trying to get a job and going 110 percent. It was a lot of fun.”
    http://www.bclions.com/2017/04/28/in...ional-flavour/

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    DL Frank Alexander hopes he can put his NFL substance abuse violations and ACL injury behind himself with the BC Lions.

    After a remarkable four years at Oklahoma, where he helped the Sooners reach the 2009 BCS Championship Game against Florida, Alexander was a fourth round selection of the Carolina Panthers in 2012.
    It all came crashing down when a fourth violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy resulted in a one-year suspension. This came on the heels of a torn Achilles tendon suffered in a pre-season game against Miami in August of 2015.
    After seeking help for his problems with marijuana, Alexander is just grateful to be strapping on the pads again. And he won’t use the word “redemption” when asked about his motivation to migrate north.
    “I’m not trying to put too much pressure on myself, “said Alexander after Thursday’s practice in Surrey.
    “I’ve been playing football since I was five so the thing I know about is just getting back out here and getting in the rhythm and then it’s all about execution. I just want to play football. Everything else that happened, happened.” ...

    f first impressions are important, then Lions fans can be in for a real treat. Alexander is a beast. At 6’4 and 270 pounds is has shown all the explosiveness you want in a defensive lineman.
    “When I am on the field I am a different person. Off of at I am a gentle giant,” said Alexander with a chuckle. ...
    Perkins, Jackson, Ken Boatright, Louis Palmer, Luther Maddy and Josh Shirley are all dealing with the same adjustments to the Canadian game with second-year man Andrew Hudson there to guide them along. ...
    “That one yard of the ball doesn’t seem like a big adjustment but it is, ” explained Alexander.
    “They have made their adjustments, “ said defensive coordinator Mark Washington.
    “The biggest thing is you don’t want to become a mental block for them. You want them to get it and let it become a part of what they do naturally. They get it and they have been progressing well.”

    http://www.bclions.com/2017/04/27/frank-and-the-gang/

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    In addition to announcing Shawn Gore's retirement, the Lions also announced the release of DB Eric Fraser.

    BC Lions receiver Shawn Gore has retired after seven CFL seasons, the team announced Thursday.
    The national pass-catcher out of Toronto played 113 games for the Lions since being drafted 10th overall in the 2010 CFL Draft.
    “Shawn has informed the club that he has decided to retire and pursue a new path,” said Lions head coach and general manager Wally Buono. “He is an outstanding husband and father and we are very grateful for his many contributions to our organization both on and off the field. We wish Shawn and his entire family the very best.”
    The Lions have also released defensive back Eric Fraser, who the team says requested his release.
    Gore, a graduate of Bishop’s University, was the club’s second round selection in the 2010 CFL Draft and joined the Lions midway through the regular season after attending training camp with the Green Bay Packers.
    Through seven CFL campaigns, he appeared in 113 regular season games recording 307 receptions for 3,911 yards with 20 majors. The Ontario native also enjoyed a Grey Cup win in 2011.
    “I am proud to have played my professional football career with the BC Lions,” said Gore. “Wally Buono and the entire Lions organization gave me the opportunity to excel on the field as an athlete and off the field as a mentor, husband and father. My family and I thank the entire BC Lions family for a great seven years.
    “My fellow teammates, coaches and fans have made this a truly memorable experience. I give all the glory to God who has blessed me with the opportunity to play football and I am excited about making the transition to the next chapter of my life.”
    http://www.cfl.ca/2017/05/04/lions-g...7-cfl-seasons/


    Eric Fraser, who played 120 games for Calgary, Ottawa and BC over seven seasons, however only had 2 DT and 9 ST in 18 games last year, making him expendable.

    https://www.cfl.ca/players/eric-fraser/151355/

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