STAMPING OUT THE LIONS
Calgary completely dominates B.C., advances to Grey Cup vs. Ottawa
As an organization, the B.C. Lions aren’t exactly virgins to crushing losses in the Canadian Football League playoffs.
Sunday’s 42-15 thrashing by the Calgary Stampeders in the West Division final is the latest in a series of faceplants which the Lions have experienced in November.
T.S. Eliot was wrong. Forget April, the 11th month is the cruelest. Nasty, brutish and short when it comes to playoff success for B.C.
Last year, it was a 35-9 loss to the same Stampeders at the same venue, McMahon Stadium, in the West Division semifinal. Before that, the Lions were humbled 51-17 by the Montreal Alouettes in the East Division semifinal, the final game coached by Mike Benevides.
Indeed, the Lions are just 1-5 in playoffs, since they defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 34-23, in the 99th Grey Cup game played at B.C. Place Stadium five years ago.
On Sunday, the Lions answered that age-old question: Which team has the advantage in the playoffs? Is it the team with momentum — Lions had won four straight, including a semifinal victory over the Blue Bombers — or the first-place team with the bye, rested and lying in wait?
The Stampeders, who hadn’t played since Oct. 30 after clinching first place in the West Division on Oct. 10, showed not a speck of rust. They looked more like a welloiled machine, scoring on just four plays after the opening kickoff. Their opponents had that deer-caught-inthe-headlights look. The Lions simply had no response.
“For whatever reason, we weren’t as electrifying as we have been,” said quarterback Jonathon Jennings. “Playing like we did, against a team that can score like that, it’s going to be hard for you to win.”
Jennings stood toe-to-toe with Bo Levi Mitchell, the presumptive CFL most outstanding player, in a July 29 game at McMahon, the Lions’ previous visit to Calgary. After falling behind 17-3, B.C. had the lead, 41-26, in the fourth quarter after Jennings rallied his team. But he gave away an almost certain victory with two late-game interceptions, one in overtime that sealed a 44-41 Stampeder victory.
The response this time just wasn’t there.
The Stampeders poured it on, taking a 25-0 lead, before Jennings fell on his sword, throwing an interception that Jamar Wall took 42 yards to the end zone to give Calgary a 32-0 halftime lead. It was a nightmare first half for the Lions but a sports writer’s dream. Game stories were being composed at intermission.
“I just didn’t get enough on it. My feet weren’t set right,” said Jennings of the interception. “It was a bad throw. That was it.”
Last year, in his first playoff start, the first 30 minutes were just as abysmal for Jennings. He was sacked twice, threw an interception and injured his shoulder, before he was replaced by Travis Lulay.
Lulay came in again Sunday, to start the third quarter, and threw a four-yard touchdown to Manny Arceneaux, in what proved to be a futile gesture. Jennings returned and tossed a 13-yard touchdown to Chris Rainey which only served to make the final lopsided score less so.
Running back Jeremiah Johnson, one of the few Lions who still had some try left at the end, was in tears as the season came to a close. Most of his team simply had the look of pervasive disillusionment, players wondering what hit them.
“I love this game, man,” Johnson said. “It’s all I got. Family and football. When you lose like this, it takes food out of my family’s mouth. I promised my kids a Grey Cup. It’s personal, a loss like this. Football is my life. When you realize you’re not going to the big one (Grey Cup), it hurts.
“It really hurts.”
While Garbage Bag Day, the traditional cleaning out of lockers, is scheduled for Tuesday morning, the Lions were already embracing, saying their goodbyes and bearing the look of family departing after an emotional family reunion.
“There’s nothing but future and promise ahead for J.J. (Jennings),” Johnson said. “I just hope to be here next year to see the process evolve, to see how great he and this team can be.”
Greatness is a word that may be stamped on Jennings one day.
It’s certainly one that applies to the Stampeders, now 16-2-1 and in need of one more victory to confirm it.
“We weren’t consistent enough,” said linebacker Adam Bighill. “Calgary is a great team because they’re consistent. We were a good team (the Lions finished 12-6 during the regular season). But a great team is more consistent. We’re not there yet.”
Consistently numbing Novembers is what the Lions must overcome.