Why B.C. Lions’ core is built for more
ALLAN MAKI Vancouver— From Tuesday's Globe and Mail Nov. 28, 2011
There wasn’t so much as an overturned trash bin to be seen on the streets of Vancouver Monday morning. If there were rioters at work following the B.C. Lions’ Grey Cup win, they must have come with the Good Housekeeping seal of approval and cleaned up after themselves.
Then again, maybe they saw all the carnage they needed watching the Lions beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
A nearly dominant performance by the Lions. They left points on the field. They allowed the Bombers to sort of hang around. A couple of more TDs and it would have been a blowout. This is not complaining. The game and the win were very, very satisfying.Whatever the 34-23 championship game Sunday lacked in pulse-quickening drama, it made up for in decisiveness. The right team won; the weaker team got its windows kicked in.
But "windows kicked in"? Nah. The Bombers played tough also. For 57 minutes however we pretty much snuffed out any attempts at offence by them. And we nearly blew them out with our offence. Geroy dancing down the sideline, just stepping on the line. Andrew just stepping on the line in the endzone.
And we did kind of let them get fairly close. If Willis had hung onto that near Int. that would have made the game way too close. We allowed them 2 quick TDs with 3 minutes left. We would have been hard pressed to make the recovery on the onside kick if it had gone far enough.
34 - 23 about says it. Not a blowout. But convincing.
Well, suddenly, even though we saw it week by week, Travis Lulay is the face of the CFL. He is the star. And he is the right guy to carry that mantel. Whatever ego he has is very much under control and in step with team first.The Lions, as they had during the regular season, overcame their rough moments with a punishing assault and a quarterback who did the right things when needed to lead his teammates. It was well after the game that head coach Wally Buono revealed the true measure of Travis Lulay as a quarterback.
Somewhere along the way, likely in the West Division final, Lulay had reinjured his groin. It curtailed him from running against the Bombers and made it harder for him to set up and throw properly. As a result, in the first half, Lulay misfired with several receivers open, leaving many to wonder if the Lions would come to regret those wasted opportunities. The players and coaches said that never entered their mind.
“Travis played hurt. Did it affect him? Yes,” Lions coach Wally Buono said at his postgame news conference. “Did it affect his composure? No. Did the players around him and coaches understand what was going on? Yes. … There were throws there, there were opportunities, but in the end the character that got us through the regular season got us through this game.”“Travis played hurt. Did it affect him? Yes,” Lions coach Wally Buono said at his postgame news conference. “Did it affect his composure? No. Did the players around him and coaches understand what was going on? Yes. … There were throws there, there were opportunities, but in the end the character that got us through the regular season got us through this game.”
Lulay played smartly enough to be named the game’s outstanding player. He worked his offence, throwing to nine receivers for 320 yards and used Andrew Harris, voted the Grey Cup’s top Canadian, to squeeze out a ground game. Polished at 28, Lulay has the makings to be the league’s top quarterback for years to come. The rest of the Lions don’t look so bad, either.
Yep, character.
"all of its major pieces" ... Hmmmm ... Not so sure about that. It would not be possible to fully replace Jovon Olafioye. When last did you hear about an offensive tackle that gave up zero sacks during the year? Not only that but he caved in the defence on short yardage plunges. He did dominate.Offensively, B.C. will have all its major pieces back – receivers Geroy Simon, Arland Bruce, Shawn Gore, Kierrie Johnson, running backs Harris and Tim Brown plus an offensive line that is expected to return at least four starters.
Not so sure Arland Bruce will be back either. At what price? Can the cap afford him?
It is highly likely that we will lose Khalif Mitchell to the NFL along with Jovon Olafioye. And Solomon Elimimian will no doubt get consideration as well. IMO the NFL will decide he is not as big as they like. Hopefully for us ...Defensively, what’s not to love? The front four was a runaway locomotive, the linebackers were active and the secondary was tight. There are always personnel changes made during the off-season but the Lions’ core is strong and ready for more championship runs.
As with Olafioye, when last did you see a defensive tackle just constantly cave in the offensive line as did Khalif Mitchell? For me, never. And I don't recall ever seeing a player play with such overpowering emotion. His post game comments on TV showed the heart and inner strength of the man. Just awesome.
As a fan, I would certainly support Wally as GM and Mike B as Head Coach. Be nice to keep Jacques on board as well.The key question is: what of Buono? He is 63 and tied with Don Matthews and others for the most Grey Cup wins (five) by a CFL head coach. He has two years left on a contract with the Lions and may give up his head coaching title to concentrate on being the general manager.
The belief here has always been that defensive co-ordinator Mike Benevides would replace Buono, who has given no definitive word on what he plans, although last Friday in a quiet moment he did acknowledge he was leaning in one direction and would announce his decision soon since there were other people to consider, such as the assistant coaches.
IMO Wally's best job of leadership ever. Kept the faith. Adjusted. Found ways to get the ship righted.He sounded comfortable with the way he was leaning. If that was his last game as a CFL coach – and it sure seemed like it when he hugged his wife and two daughters afterwards, watching them wipe away tears – Buono exits in style and on top, with a Cup-winning team to hand over.
Yep. Winnipeg could not run the ball. And for 57 minutes they could not pass and catch either. And they had little or no success stopping Travis Lulay, who played hurt, and did not have his usual mobility, and had some mechanical problems throwing some passes.The testimonials to that team could be heard in the Bombers’ dressing room, where the players’ comments were unified: Winnipeg couldn’t run the ball, couldn’t get anything going offensively until it was too late and couldn’t break down the Lions on either side of the ball.
The Bombers showed up and played hard. Some of the antics and tweets of their defence were far below the character of its less ego-centric players, but they all played tough.As the Lions accepted their Grey Cup on the turf at B.C. Place, Winnipeg receiver Greg Carr stood from afar and watched it all. He later told a TV reporter he wanted to remember every moment so he could use it to empower himself next season.
Maybe then the Blue Bombers will win a Cup and knock over a few trash cans in celebration.
Special kudos to Buck Pierce, who will always have many fans in B.C. And to Doug Brown, local boy who should go straight into the CFL Hall of Fame.
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About the Lions' core, it is indeed formidable.
Geroy Simon. Travis Lulay. Ben Archibald. Keron Williams. Solomon Elimimian. Anton McKenzie. Anthony Reddick. Korey Banks. Paul. And many, many more. The team should survive the possible personnel losses and still be near or at the top of the league. IMO ...
Sure wish Cam had been able to slip a ring on his finger during his time here.....
