BC Lions Thread

[jerrym]

University of Arizona Wildcat and Detroit Lions TC WR/RB Samajie Grant has signed with the BC Lions.

Samajie Grant signs with British Columbia Lions https://t.co/DI3r4QOV2X via @azdesertswarm

— CFL Headlines (@CFL_Headlines) March 31, 2018

[jerrym]

Nine year veteran WR Cory Watson talks about his leadership style, how he sees his new teammates in the Lions receiving corps and how he got into football in the article below.

https://www.bclions.com/2018/04/10/j...talented-crop/

[jerrym]

The Lions have signed International seven year veteran DB Marcel Young, who was cut by the Eskimos at the end of March. Young spent two years with Hamilton before signing as a free agent with the Eskimos in 2013.

[jerrym]

The Lions have signed QB Ricky Lloyd and released Internationals QB Alex Ross, who went 5/12 in 4 games in his own year with BC, and DL DeQuin Evans who also played with Calgary and Montreal for 4 years, primarily in a backup role.

Lloyd, 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, impressed the club’s scouting staff at a recent workout in Los Angeles following a three-year, 33-game career at Minnesota State. The Concord, Calif. product threw for 3,379 yards with 36 touchdowns for the Mavericks and led the school to the NCAA Division II National Championship Game in 2014.
“Ricky definitely stood out at our camp in Los Angeles,” said GM Ed Hervey. “He has a strong, accurate arm and possesses plenty of athleticism making him well suited to our game.”

https://www.cfl.ca/2018/04/12/lions-...k-ricky-lloyd/

[jerrym]

Second year Nationasl Lion LB/ST Frederic Chignon and Jordan Herdman sees an opportunity to win the WILL LB position following the departure of Micah Awe for the NFL.

It will once again be one of the biggest questions going into camp: who will the defence count on at WILL linebacker? Micah Awe solved that problem in year one of post-Adam Bighill. Now with Awe trying his hand at the NFL, there is no shortage of candidates on both sides of the ratio coin. Should the unit look to play a Canadian in certain packages, Chagnon and Herdman could see some opportunities providing they show enough in what should be an intense training camp battle.

https://www.bclions.com/2018/04/13/c...-year-two-den/

[jerrym]

International free agent RT Jeremy Lewis, who attended the Argo's 2014 TC and then went on to play for Hamilton and Montreal, talks about the lure of Vancouver attracting him to the Lions when he played in the 2014 Grey Cup with Hamilton.

Spending Grey Cup week in Vancouver also opened his eyes as to how cool it would be to one day move here and play for the Lions. That was one of the first things that crossed his mind when the club’s director of player personnel Torey Hunter reached out to him in free agency.
“This was the best fit for me. I have now been in Canada almost four years and Vancouver was always my favourite place to visit,” explains the University of Miami product.
“A lot of factors play into that, from the city to the stadium. I always loved it every time I played you guys.”

https://www.bclions.com/2018/04/18/j...ovin-football/

[jerrym]

WR/ST Tyler Davis discusses why the violence in many American cities, especially against African Americans, led to him staying in Vancouver in the offseason working with local kids.

“I just love interacting with kids. I’m a big kid myself so I kind of get it,” he said. "It’s easy for me to interact and communicate with them. I love getting my face out there and giving back. I didn’t have all of this when I was younger and in a community that wasn’t so well off. Meeting professional athletes at such a young age was very rare for us. Getting to see smiles on all the kids’ faces and making their day is just life-changing. I love it.” ...


Davis spent his youth going back and forth between St. Louis and Oakland where his Mom and Dad lived separately. Some of the recent unrest south of the border was another motivating factor that led to him staying in the lower mainland this winter. He had spent the last few offseasons in St. Louis teaching math and working as a personal trainer.
“St. Louis is the murder capital of the United States. There’s a bunch of greed there and it’s not a very good place for someone of my demographic,” Davis said.
“People there have an ‘I don’t care’ type of attitude and will do whatever it takes to get stuff from you. If I was still there I would probably still be teaching because once you pass along that knowledge to kids and see that it is starting to click, that is one of the most fulfilling things in the world.”

https://www.bclions.com/2018/04/20/g...ark-community/

[jerrym]

Wally talks about his decreased workload following the hiring of GM Ed Hervey what will be his final season (haven't we heard that before?) below.

https://www.bclions.com/2018/04/23/g...on-final-year/

[jerrym]

Former Argo Kevin Elliott is paying his own way to the BC Lions mini-camp on April 25-27 in the hope he can make the team.

[jerrym]

In the video below, OC and QB coach Jarious Jackson discusses his two rookie QBs, Michael Birdsong and Ricky Lloyd, after their first practice at mini-camp.

https://www.bclions.com/2018/04/25/j...-at-mini-camp/

[jerrym]

The Lions have taken a very low key approach to their mini-camp.

Well, make that, a lot more low key. If it started off any quieter, new general manager Ed Hervey could be accused of operating a witness protection program and chances are he’d smile at that suggestion to boot. With the majority of their rivals setting up shop in more posh destinations working with an unfavourable exchange rate, the Lions held their first mini-camp session under cloudless 25C skies at their Surrey practice facility Wednesday. That they made no attempt to let the outside world know by announcing things like practice times, outside of their own web portals, is just one sign that life under Hervey is going to be a lot different than when coach Wally Buono called all the shots. ...

Of course, that was already apparent a few months ago when Hervey did a serious rebuilding of Buono’s roster in free agency. But also new is the approach, plus the large number of players on hand for the first of four sessions, some 51 in all and almost everyone with no prior three-down experience.
Buono only reluctantly engaged in mini-camp sessions when they became part of the league’s collective bargaining agreement with the CFLPA a few years back. It’s much different now, and not just because there’s a new sheriff in town. Hervey and Buono have elected not to use the allowable three-day period to evaluate rookies prior to the start of training camp in Kamloops May 20. Buono also maintained his practice of not attending most of the team’s winter free agent tryout camps, meaning this week represents a first, last and only look for the head coach of a team which will already have to make cuts to reach a 75-man limit Tuesday.

A safe wager might be that at this time next year, Hervey will have the Lions setting up for three days of mini-camp somewhere like Las Vegas, where a CFL operation can work in complete anonymity, as he did during his days in charge of the Edmonton Eskimos. ...

Doing more in a smaller time frame just made sense for the Lions. “We felt in the last year or two we didn’t get as much out of it. Ed and I talked about increasing the number of players so coaches can get a better understanding of who they are and so we have a hot list of players if something occurs,” said Buono.

http://www.3downnation.com/2018/04/2...n-opportunity/

[jerrym]

As the CFL Draft approaches, Matt Baker reviews who he considers to be the top ten BC draft picks of the last twenty years.

https://www.bclions.com/2018/05/01/d...last-20-years/

[jerrym]

Ed Hervey discusses his trade for Winnipeg's first round pick below. He also confirms that in early talks with the Als, Montreal wanted an experienced player in return for its first overall pick and therefore a trade with BC did not go through, strongly suggesting that Montreal's primary goal was to use their draft picks to get immediate help for a weak roster.

Hervey spent much of the morning and early afternoon working the phones and eventually swung a trade with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the seventh and 16th selections on Thursday. In return, the Bombers received our second round pick (12th overall) and own first round pick in 2019. The new football operations head honcho says having a pair of selections in the top seven is essential for what they want to accomplish this year and beyond.
“Our approach was to be aggressive,” said Hervey on Wednesday afternoon.
“We felt that there are some quality players in this draft that we wanted the opportunity to select. With just one pick in the first round and then nothing until 12th overall, we weren’t quite sure we would get the type of player that we want or necessarily need. We made a pitch to move up, it was met by Winnipeg with openness and we were able to get a deal done. It gives us flexibility as far as being able to select the players we want and we’ll wait to see how the draft unfolds.” ...


Hervey now admits they made overtures to the Alouettes, but there was nothing his brass was willing to pull the trigger on.
“We had a conversation, nothing overly exciting and nothing extensive,” explained Hervey.
“From what I understand, they wanted a player. We weren’t able to provide that. It was nothing to the point that we were going to make that kind of move. Considering where we are, I think we’re in a good position.”

https://www.bclions.com/2018/05/02/e...ons-good-spot/

[jerrym]

By trading up to get two first rounders, GM Ed Hervey says the Lions got the players they wanted in OL Peter Godber and DL Julien Laurent because they needed a quality OL and DL. Hervey wasn't worried about Godber's lack of testing because he bases his choices on film and Laurent was rated the best DL available.

[jerrym]

Here's a look at the second to seventh round Lions' draft choices:

Round 2, 16th overall- David Mackie, FB Western
The Skinny: Mackie was a versatile member of the Mustangs, serving as a blocking back, long snapper and even caught a few balls out of the backfield as a receiver. Along with an appearance in the U Sports East-West Bowl, Mackie was named an OUA First-Team All-Star in 2017. Mackie has a few solid vets to learn from in his first camp, whether it’s Jeremiah Johnson and Brandon Rutley in the backfield or the long snapper extraordinaire Mike Benson on special teams.

Round 3, 21st overall- David Knevel, OL Nebraska
The Skinny: At 6’8′ and 325 pounds, he already looks the part. Geroy Simon attended Knevel’s pro day at Nebraska and came away quite impressed. Knevel became a Cornhuskers starter in his junior season of 2016 and would help quarterback Tanner Lee reach the 3,000-yard passing mark this past season, starting eight games for the best pass blocking unit in the Big Ten. Knevel will very much be a factor come training camp as the squad continues its goal of having the best Canadian depth up front.

Round 4- 34th overall- Isaiah Guzyluk-Messam, DB Laurier
The Skinny: Hervey began the night without a pick in the fourth round, then flipped his 38th and 46th overall selections to Montreal for this pick. The goal was to complete the deal once they knew Messam would still be on the board. Guzyluk-Messam recorded 82 tackles and ten pass breakups in his 24 games with the Golden Hawks. As is the case for many Canadians taken in the later rounds, his biggest rookie contribution will likely come on special teams
.
Round 6- 47th overall- Rashari Henry, DL Laurier
The Skinny: Henry was a force on the Golden Hawks’ defensive line, racking up 32 tackles and 7.5 sacks in 30 games. You’ve listened to Hervey preach the importance of depth. Henry provides even more competition on what is shaping up to be quite the battle on that side of the ball.

Round 7- 54th overall- Will Watson, WR UBC
The Skinny: They went local with their last pick of the evening and it could prove to be an intriguing move. T-Birds head coach Blake Nill took to Twitter and pointed out Watson’s hands and route running were two major strengths of his game. Watson was thrilled to receive a call from Simon informing him he was indeed heading to his hometown team. You can never have too many quality Canadian receivers. The Surrey native provides an intriguing project.

https://www.bclions.com/2018/05/04/d...ver-continues/

[jerrym]

The Lions have signed National LB/ST Bo Lokombo to a one year contract. After BC drafted him in 2013, he remained with the Lions through 2016 before trying the NFL in 2017. There he bounced around the NFL with four teams before being cut by the SF 49ers last week.

[OV Argo]

The Lions have signed National LB/ST Bo Lokombo to a one year contract. After BC drafted him in 2013, he remained with the Lions through 2016 before trying the NFL in 2017. There he bounced around the NFL with four teams before being cut by the SF 49ers last week.

Wonder if Lokombo gets a legit shot to start at Wil OLB there or if Wally & Mr. Ed have the position pencilled-in for imports only ?

BC have a pretty good collection of Canadian talent IMO - maybe league best; if draft picks Godber & Knevel shake free early from NFL looks - they would add to Husband, Steward, Foucault & Vaillancourt on the O-line (any maybe former draft pick Boyko could report if he gets NFL cut?). No real room for all of those Canadian O-linemen though if Wally's pencilled -in plan is to with imports only at OT ?

Draft pick Laurent shows up and adds to Menard, Luke & Forde on the D-line - very good there = could easily start 2 on the D-line.

And vet Cory Watson, plus young guys Shaq Johnson & Vandervoort = should easily be able to start 2 NI receivers.

Anthony Thompson has a lot of potential to be a very good CFL safety IMO.

Wally could probably go with at least 10 Canadian starters - but he won't . GOBness ;o)

[jerrym]

Former Argo International WR Kevin Elliott, after paying his own way to Lions mini-camp, impressed Buono enough to earn a contract and to get attend TC with BC. Since being cut by the Argos in 2016, he played five games in 2016-17 with Hamilton before being released. He then signed with Ottawa but got into only one game.

[jerrym]

Wally is saying he is going to let his inner Don Mathews out in this, his final season as HC.

“I have been thinking about being a little more reckless,” he said Wednesday. “I’m going to adopt Don Matthews’ mindset, about letting go a little bit … Not being dumb … (but) being more aggressive, being more courageous, be more willing to take risks.
“This is my last year, I’m working to work harder at trying to win. If that means I have to take more risks, what are they going to do — fire me? If they do, God bless ’em,” he added, chuckling. “I’ll just have an earlier retirement than I already have.
“I want to win, Ed (GM Hervey) wants to win, the coaches want to win, and the players want to win. If that means I have to be a little more outside the box, I’m going to do that.” ...


“The thing that I’ve always believed in, and still do to this day, is you win with good people and great players. The chemistry in the locker-room is critical. The two have to be a big part of what wins you not just games, but championships,” said Buono.
“Last year, we did not win a close game. I think all six or seven that were close, we lost. The difference between having a good season and a bad season, I think, is just that in itself. ...


Having Hervey take the GM’s load off his shoulders has been liberating for Buono.
“It’s already been freeing. It’s been very good for me, because I haven’t had to go through the ordeal of being the GM, which puts a lot of pressure on you, emotionally, physically, mentally. It’s a grind,” he said.
“Ed’s given me the right to have input without the pressure or aggravation. I’ve thanked him about a 100 times for that.
“The only thing I have the final say on is what time I get up, and what time I go to bed. It’s been very refreshing having Ed here. He’s given me some time to reflect, and done an awful lot of hard work in making us into, I think, a good football team.”

http://theprovince.com/sports/footba...as-lions-coach

[AngeloV]

Former Argo International WR Kevin Elliott, after paying his own way to Lions mini-camp, impressed Buono enough to earn a contract and to get attend TC with BC. Since being cut by the Argos in 2016, he played five games in 2016-17 with Hamilton before being released. He then signed with Ottawa but got into only one game.

Prediction: He'll get cut after catching a meaningless 6 yard pass, down by 3 scores and proceeding to spin the ball in the DB's face that he just "beat".