Knowlton, Johnson, Kirk

[Rammer]

They sure looked good again with the Tiger-cats. Big win and the Eskimo loss leaves the sad start the Lions have, only two points out of first regardless of the Stamps outcome. Of course I would enjoy the company in the basement, but that would be an unexpected bonus.

[Toppy Vann]

It is good to see them in the CFL still and doing okay. Knowlton made the final tackle today to get their win vs Esks.

I thought the guy might pull a dunnigan and punt to the end zone rather than go down and end the game. Teams should do that Calg Dunnigan play more.

[SammyGreene]

Kirk showed more with that sack in the final minute of play than anytime as a Lion. Then again opportunities were few and far between behind Williams and Hunt.

And thanks to Ricky Ray for dumping off to Stamps on the game's FINAL PLAY rather than throwing up a 50/50 ball into the end zone from 35-yards out. Does he have a bonus regarding how many INTs he throws? Unreal.

Stampeders will most likely blow out the Bombers tonight but to gain ground on 2 of 3 division rivals this week and being just 2 points out of 1st is a very productive Week #6.

[Coast Mountain Lion]

Well Winnipeg's first half against Calgary (apart from Serna's field goal) was as pathetic as the Arrrrgos were last night but Fred Reid just showed that they do have some life. Dare to dream.

[Sirona]

Yes, Matt Kirk had an great game. He improves more every week he plays. There was a thread here a while back where some posters laughed about Kirk starting with TIcats, saying its no wonder Hamilton is a loser team. Now Hamilton is the team to beat ,they beat BC twice. Maybe some posters here shouldn't be so quick to judge young players. The problem is most canadian players are in packages and special teams and in for a short play here and there. If they were allowed to make some mistakes and learn from them and allowed to keep playing they would develop into better players, Case in point, Matt Kirk. BC has lost several potentionally great players buy not giving them the time to develop.
Maybe don't be so quick to discount the player before he has adequate time to grow into his position.

[Rammer]

Yes, Matt Kirk had an great game. He improves more every week he plays. There was a thread here a while back where some posters laughed about Kirk starting with TIcats, saying its no wonder Hamilton is a loser team. Now Hamilton is the team to beat ,they beat BC twice. Maybe some posters here shouldn't be so quick to judge young players. The problem is most canadian players are in packages and special teams and in for a short play here and there. If they were allowed to make some mistakes and learn from them and allowed to keep playing they would develop into better players, Case in point, Matt Kirk. BC has lost several potentionally great players buy not giving them the time to develop.
Maybe don't be so quick to discount the player before he has adequate time to grow into his position.

I understand where your loyalty lies, however, you do have to appreciate that Matt was in tough with the Lions on two fronts. One, he wanted to get nearer to home, which is perfectly acceptable. Secondly and most importantly, who was he going to bump for starting time in BC with Hunt and Williams ahead of him during his time with the Lions? I am pleased that he has found a spot with Hamilton, it is good for the league and nice to see that he learned a few things from his time with the Lions.

[Sirona]

Thanks for you reply, I am simply stating my opinion as all others are allowed to. My opinion was not directed at you personally but the few others who laughed at Matt and made jokes about him starting with the Ticats. Simply making a valid point...... not saying he should have started with BC but others who laughed at his success after leaving the Lions should learn to think before they type what they know nothing about.

[Game Day, Baby!]

I think that the next to join this list of ex-Lions who do well elsewhere because they got no playing time stuck behind favourite incumbents here in BC will be Crawford, who could be starting at safety right now on half the other teams in the league IMHO. C'est la vie.

[Solar Max]

Thanks for you reply, I am simply stating my opinion as all others are allowed to. My opinion was not directed at you personally but the few others who laughed at Matt and made jokes about him starting with the Ticats. Simply making a valid point...... not saying he should have started with BC but others who laughed at his success after leaving the Lions should learn to think before they type what they know nothing about.

I am from Ottawa, and as such Matt has been a player of interest to me since his days as a Renegade, and I agree that he was going to start sooner or later, and it should have been sooner, imo.

Trouble is, he was behind some very good D linemen here in BC, and were we to use your logic, he was indeed developing by being behind those same people; his performance as a TiCat is partially a product of his time as a Lion.

As for voicing opinions, why would you chastise others for saying what they think, and belittling them for that? Seems to me that you're sinking to their level, right?

Good luck, Matt Kirk, not that you will need much. You are a very good football player.

[David]

Isn't this all moot anyway? Matt Kirk no longer wanted to play for the B.C. Lions. It is my understanding that he wanted to play in the East, closer to home.

Whoever doesn't want to play in Vancouver for the B.C. Lions, I say good luck and sayonara.

DH

[Toppy Vann]

Yes, Matt Kirk had an great game. He improves more every week he plays. There was a thread here a while back where some posters laughed about Kirk starting with TIcats, saying its no wonder Hamilton is a loser team. Now Hamilton is the team to beat ,they beat BC twice. Maybe some posters here shouldn't be so quick to judge young players. The problem is most canadian players are in packages and special teams and in for a short play here and there. If they were allowed to make some mistakes and learn from them and allowed to keep playing they would develop into better players, Case in point, Matt Kirk. BC has lost several potentionally great players buy not giving them the time to develop.
Maybe don't be so quick to discount the player before he has adequate time to grow into his position.

This is very definitely true about opportunity to play. I recall now deceased Canadian wide receiver John Senst who came out of SFU into the CFL in 1970 and played for the Bombers that year winning west rookie of the year. John was a friend from university who said after making Winnipeg how he was a bit surprised as he felt others there trying out were just as good if not better than he. His take was that the coaches gave him the opportunities and cut others. That is the way as every coach has his own idea as to what makes a good player or who is a good player.

Coaches don't always get it right especially when it comes to giving young players an opportunity either. I know coaches who'd rather eat a jersey than play a young player and let him learn while playing. These coaches can be so in love with their vets they can't see these guys get too slow and become weak links.

Wally Buono has got to where he is - AND STAY THERE - by not rushing players into starting roles if Canadians and if he can be accused of anything it is not giving guys a chance. But for him he has to feed his family and he knows without success he can no longer keep his job so he does it the way he believes to be best. I don't think he gets it right all the time, but then again he is a winning coach who will retire someday with a record of wins that might never be beaten. Don Matthews too had his own views on who he liked and didn't and he is the guy who Wally will pass by IIRC.

When you rise or fall on success you learn to balance listening to others with some good guiding principles. On the way to making VP of my old company, I was confronted at times by decisions which would please my staff but that I felt might lead to shortening my career there. In those few rare moments, I'd invoke my privilege as a boss and be honest that if I had to go home and tell my wife and kids that I got fired, I didn't want to be adding to that I got fired following advice that I truly didn't believe in. The same exists for these pro coaches who decide to play certain people or not play others. They don't get it right as they didn't here with these guys maybe, but it is good to see old Lions do well and stick in the league.

Playing for money is not always the easiest way to make a living as it can all be over so quickly or it may never start even for some good players.

by always heeding this one guiding principle (there were others) when in moments where I strongly believed my staff to be wrong I'd tell them

[B.C.FAN]

I always thought that, at 265 pounds, Kirk was undersized for a defensive tackle in the CFL. This season he has continued to amaze me with strength and speed that I didn't know he had. He was the least celebrated of the players who left B.C. in the offseason but he and Jamall Johnson have probably had the biggest impacts on their new team. Congratulations to him, and to Bob O'Billovich and Marcel Bellefeuille for recognizing his potential.