Visiting Lions lose one star, Add Another
Star running back Johnson is in, but Elimimian out, writes Todd Saelhof.
One star in. One star out.
It’s not exactly the kind of math the B.C. Lions want to subscribe to in trying to stop a four-year regular-season skid at McMahon Stadium. But it’s where they stand heading into Saturday night’s tilt against the host Calgary Stampeders (7 p.m., TSN/770 CHQR).
While top-shelf running back Jeremiah Johnson returns from injury to the Lions, teammate Solomon Elimimian — one of the CFL’s premier defenders — will not.
“He’s just such a good player,” said Stamps head coach Dave Dickenson about Elimimian, who had wrist surgery in mid-July and is projected to be out until mid- September. “I thought (Jordan) Herdman’s done a nice job (filling in for Elimimian) though. Herdman’s a good football player, and he moves good side to side.
“But obviously, you’re going to miss Solomon — he’s a great player. You just move on.” Easy for Dickenson to say. The Lions defence isn’t exactly stacked like that of the Stamps, a unit that dominates pretty much every statistical category.
And without middle linebacker Elimimian, the 2014 CFL Most Outstanding Player, the B.C. defence is in much tougher than usual against the Stamps offence.
“If they’re able to change things up ratio-wise, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see different defensive linemen in the game, so we’re preparing for that,” Dickenson said. “Maybe they’ll make a change at other positions as well.”
The Stamps already know they’ll be seeing a key change in the Lions offence from one they’ve seen on film from their last game, a 29-25 loss in Week 6 to the host Ottawa Redblacks.
A wonky ankle kept Johnson from playing in the nation’s capital. He’ll try to get back on track against the Stamps in what’s already been a 222-yard rushing season for the fifth-year star.
“He’s a really good running back,” said Stamps middle linebacker Alex Singleton. “Obviously he’s one of the top backs in the league — and he’s been tough against us all the time. So you’ve got to bring your hard hat to work this week.”
Travon Van also rejoins a Lions backfield that’s been in motion the last few weeks. Van, a fourthyear CFLer, sparkled in training camp and in pre-season before leaving the team to attend to family matters in San Diego. His mother, suffering from dialysis, needed a change in care facilities, so Van went there to attend to the matter.
“It’s always interesting with Van. We played against each other in college, so there’s a little history going back and forth,” Singleton said. “But it’s always fun playing against those good backs.”
The Stamps, however, won’t have to contend with at least one of the Lions’ other contributing backs. Brandon Rutley tore his ACL against the Redblacks two weeks ago after starter Chris Rainey left — and then was forced to return — with a bangedup ankle.
Rainey’s up-in-the-air status could also affect the Lions’ special teams unit since the shifty veteran is tops in kick-return yardage, with 558 on 21 runbacks, and is among the best punt returners, with 255 yards on 20 returns.
No matter if it’s a Johnson-Van or Johnson-Rainey combination, Singleton & Co. expect to see quarterback Travis Lulay handing off the ball to the Lions running backs.
With two straight starts under his belt, the veteran Lulay is getting the majority of play ahead of struggling Jonathan Jennings, and Lulay has made the most of it with 651 yards passing and three touchdowns.
“I think Lulay is going to be the starter,” Singleton said. “But both quarterbacks have been playing over the last two years. Both are really good players. But whoever shows up, we’re going to play them and we’re going to be playing them hard.
“Really, we don’t care who comes here,” Singleton added. “We’ll play anybody who shows up here any Saturday. If we execute our game plan and don’t make a lot of mistakes with our defence getting better every week, it’s about us and never about them.”
If they’re able to change things up ratio-wise, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see different defensive linemen.