Lionbackers.com

The Lions have activated kicker Jimmy Camacho and punter Stefan Flintoft from the practice roster for their hole opener Thursday against the 0-2 Edmonton Elks.

RB Shaq Cooper gets his first start as a Lion in place of James Butler. The depth chart shows no other changes in the starting lineup from last week although QB Michael Reilly is listed as questionable. Global DE Nik Gustav is activated from the practice roster for his first CFL game. He is the only Global player on the roster.

With the new Lions ownership revealed today and the fact that this is Vancouver’s first major sporting event with spectators in year a half, it should be a fun evening.

Lions’ depth chart and roster

This will be a test for Rick Campbell in ensuring his club doesn't get full of itself after shockingly holding the Stamps out of the endzone in their own ballpark. In reality, that felt like more of a 24-9 or 27-9 game given the way we moved the ball. With the excitement of the home opener and a new owner, it may be easy to overlook the 0-2 Elks.

But this will be a challenge. The Esks have a solid front four, even though they will be without disruptive defensive end Kwaku Boateng. Look for them to try and test right tackle Kent Perkins, who gets his 2nd start over Ryker Mathews (head....not sure what that means).

The Esks are 2nd to the Leos in yards per game on offense with plenty of weapons such as Derel Walker (3rd in the CFL in receiving) and RB James Wilder (CFL leader in rushing yards). They will be missing receiver Armanti Edwards (knee).

Speaking of knee injuries, Lamar Durant is listed at the starting slot, but don't be surprised if we see a lot of Jevon Cottoy as Lamar has been limited in practice due to a knee injury.


DH

Club expects to sell out (12,500) sometime Thursday, according to club President Rick LeLacheur. Tickets "going a mile a minute" earlier Wednesday.

(1:19:50).


DH

Are the Lions restricting attendance to 12,500 ?

David wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 19, 2021 2:01 am

But this will be a challenge. The Esks have a solid front four, even though they will be without disruptive defensive end Kwaku Boateng. Look for them to try and test right tackle Kent Perkins, who gets his 2nd start over Ryker Mathews (head....not sure what that means).
DH

Took in Tuesday's practice. Mathews was fully dressed but never put on his helmet or participated in any o-line drills. Must be some kind of concussion protocol but not to the point where he is completely avoiding the practice field.

Durant did all first team reps but hope to see Maksymic work Cottoy's skillset into the the playbook more as the season progresses. You can tell Maksymic and Reilly are tight from their days in Edmonton together.

TheLionKing wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 19, 2021 9:09 am

Are the Lions restricting attendance to 12,500 ?

The Lions are following COVID protocols for Step 3--the number allowed is currently 12,500 if you are only using the lower bowl. (The Whitecaps will have to do the same for their "home opener" on Saturday).

Back in the halcyon days of the June 15th Restart Plan, Sept 7th was (and still is) the earliest possible day for Step 4.

The criteria for moving to Step 4 is more than 70% of the 18+ population vaccinated with dose 1, along with low case counts and low COVID-19 hospitalizations. The earliest date we move to Step 4 is September 7.

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covi ... fo/restart

Can't wait for some Lions home game football. Heading down for the September game against the Riders.

Has anyone heard whether AM730 (Radio Home of the BC Lions) will follow TSN1040's example and broadcast (re-broadcast?) their AM signal inside PC Place on an FM frequency? With all the concrete/rebar in the building the AM signal will be spotty (unless you're near a window - HAH!) and it would be nice to actually HEAR Giulio and the Moj. Those guys are great, as long as you don't mind their frequent off-topic ramblings about their favourite restaurants in various CFL cities.

David wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 19, 2021 2:45 am

Club expects to sell out (12,500) sometime Thursday, according to club President Rick LeLacheur. Tickets "going a mile a minute" earlier Wednesday.

(1:19:50).


DH

Good interview--covers the sale of the Lions in detail. Apparently, only a few people in the organization knew this was going to happen before the announcement--they really did succeed in keeping it under wraps.

LeLacheur admitted that he has no idea what the seating density allowed will be from Sept 11 onwards. He awaits word from Dr Henry on Step 4 being brought in or not on Sept 7. (So they must be still selling those games on the assumption it will be 12,500 for the time being.)

500 covid cases a day lately wont help

We were supposed to go today, but a couple in our party were uneasy with current restrictions and lack of vaccine requirement so we are pushing back until the next home game to see how this one goes. With numbers staying pretty high AND Delta punching through a significant enough portion of the vaccinated population, it is still a risky proposition to attend, especially if you are around children who cannot be vaccinated yet.

My wife and I are dbl vaccinated, but our 3 & 4 year olds cannot be yet and our concern is catching it and spreading it to them.

Asked my ticket rep whether the Lions are entertaining the idea of restricting access to people who are vaccinated like the Canucks are doing. His response was No

I have 5 game credits to use from 2019, and decided to pass on this one and the 2nd CGY game in November. I'm also dbl vaccinated, and my work doesn't involve much contact with others. When it does, I put on a mask , and I never stopped wearing a mask in stores. I don't have any unvaccinated dependents/friends.

The reason I passed on tonight (made the decision when the Lions sent out the pick your games "survey" a month ago) was the typically warmer temperatures in August. (Thankfully, Wally isn't around to insist on the roof being closed). Also, there is bound to be some teething issues with the new ticketing format.

For those who are going tonight: Enjoy the first game of a genuinely new era for the Lions (and Chilliwack at halftime--still very much a vestige of the old era of community ownership in the '70s-'80s).

Michael Reilly threw a few passes in warmups and returned to the locker room. He didn’t come back out with the test of the team. Coaches took over passing drills.

EDIT: Reilly has now rejoined his teammates on the field.

One of the factors I appreciated from last game and look forward with anticipation for tonight's game was the work of the d-line, one vital aspect becoming clear in the stat sheet indicating the defence had 6 knockdowns---well 5 or 6, I can't be certain now, working from memory. That's such an effective way to disrupt the play of the opponent. More of the same please! It looked good on them. Great entertainment. That kind of play pulls me out of my seat. Go Lions! And stay safe everyone.