THE THREE KEYS
1 Home fires
After visiting teams held sway in the early going of the 2016 CFL season — away teams were 12-3-1 heading into Week 5 — teams playing at home have won nine in a row and 13 of the past 14 meetings heading into Week 15. That’s a good omen for the Lions, whose once close-to-impregnable fortress at B.C. Place Stadium has been breached repeatedly by attacking hordes in recent years. A lack of dominance at home — the Lions are 11-12 since the end of the 2013 season — could be a contributor to declining attendance. “It’s still a point of emphasis,”says Ryan Phillips. “To me, there’s no point in hosting a playoff game at home if you’re not dominant in the regular season at home.”
2 Bigfoot sighting
Being tall and thick has its advantages on the basketball court and football field, but it’s no coincidence that big people often have recurring foot and ankle problems because of their sheer size. Injuries (sprained knee, foot fractures) have plagued first-round pick Hunter Steward, he of the customordered Size 15, triple-E cleats early in his CFL career. So there was relief this week when the jumbo-sized starting left guard was able to take reps in practice after being sidelined last Friday against Edmonton because of an ankle sprain. “I wouldn’t say I dodged a bullet,” Steward said.“I still got hurt. I rolled the ankle. But it turned out it was nothing out of the ordinary. It’s taken a pretty dramatic turn for the better.”
3 Loneliest number
In 2011, an in-season trade with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for veteran receiver Arland Bruce helped a 1-5 team reverse course and pull off an improbable Grey Cup championship run for the Lions. Bruce wore No. 1, as does Terrell Sinkfield, another former Ticats receiver who joined the Lions as a free agent signing on Sept. 16 and started last Friday against the Eskimos after just three practices. Sinkfield’s debut wasn’t promising. He was targeted on Jonathon Jennings’ first throw and promptly dropped it. Sinkfield was invisible the rest of the evening. That doesn’t faze coach Wally Buono. “He has to understand the offence. I wouldn’t judge him until the end of the season. He might not be effective for us — until the playoffs.”