Buono’s sights are set on football
Lions head coach/GM shrugs off questions about club’s future with focus squarely on roster
During a wide-ranging conversation on a wet Wednesday afternoon in Surrey, Wally Buono ran inventory on the 2017 edition of the B.C. Lions.
“The whole thing is going to be slightly different, but not so different,” he said as he contemplated a CFL team with four starting Canadian offensive lineman, game-breaking receiver Chris Williams, an improved defensive front and a secondary bolstered by the return of Ronnie Yell and T.J. Lee and a potential new starter in non-import Keynan Parker.
Beyond that, the Lions are holding three days of OTAs next week in which they hope to uncover at least one pass rusher, then there’s the CFL draft in early May in which the Leos hold the third- and seventh-overall picks.
“This is the fun stuff,” Buono said before pausing and, without any prompting, pivoting to what was really on his mind.
“But you know what’s not fun? When you restructure your team, you’re changing people’s lives like we did with Jovan (Olafioye, the much-decorated veteran offensive lineman who was traded to Montreal this off-season for salary cap reasons).”
This, apparently, has been weighing on Buono and when it was pointed out he’s been making those tough decisions for 30 years, he bristled.
“You never get used to it. I hate it. I will never, ever miss making those decisions, then having to follow through on them. I’ll be so happy when I don’t have to do it anymore.”
But look at the bright side, Wally. At least that day is coming soon.
As the Lions prepare for 2017 and the promise of a new season, there appears to be much that is unsettled about the franchise and the status of their resident coaching icon. In an extraordinary move, owner David Braley took to the Lions’ website a couple of weeks ago and announced the team “has to be sold” and that sale could occur “this year, next year or the year after.” Yes, that narrows it down. Buono, for his part, has a contract that runs to 2018, but it’s believed the coaching portion of that deal expires at the conclusion of this season. So is this finally it for the old Lion? Will he hang around to oversee the transition to the new owner?
Or, and here’s a good one, will he sign an extension out of loyalty to Braley while the sales process unfolds?
You have to admit that’s a lot of questions and with those questions come a sense of uncertainty. But in his five decades in the CFL, Buono has also adopted a Zen-like approach to those things that are beyond his control. He trusts Braley. The future will play out as it will play out.
In the meantime, where are we going to find a good Canadian receiver?
“What I’m worried about is improving this football club so when we go to Calgary or someone else, we don’t embarrass ourselves,” Buono said. “What’s going to happen is going to happen. I learned that a long time ago.” Well, that and a few other things. On this day, Buono is looking disgustingly tanned and fit for someone who just turned 67 and if he’s fazed by the Lions’ sale or his future, he does a convincing job of hiding it.
Then again, he’s had some experience with this sort of thing.
Last year, for example, Buono dusted himself off after four years in the GM’s office, took over a team that was coming off a semi-disastrous 7-11 campaign under Jeff Tedford and rallied them to a 12-6 mark. Before you ask, the Lions were for sale in 2016, too.
True, they were punked in the Western Final by the Stampeders in Calgary, but after four years in which they lost their place in this market, the Leos at least offered the promise of better days ahead.
And that’s what has Buono engaged these days. The business of the game has always been a nuisance. But the game itself is his sacred place.
He’s already identified the defence as his priority and, to that end, he’ll announce a new secondary coach in the near future.
The revamped offensive line and the possibility of Parker starting allows him to play around with the ratio. The offence, which was potent in 2016 under first-year starter Jonathon Jennings, should be more explosive with Williams in the receiving corps.
If the fans return to The Dome, so much the better, but even there, the early indicators for sponsorships and season-ticket renewals are strong.
All of this — the improvement on the field, the excitement over the product — is tied directly to Buono’s return as coach, which raises another question: How much is this franchise worth with Buono attached compared to without him?
Yes, that’s an interesting one even if the coach doesn’t share in the fascination on the subject.
“It’s like I told David, it’s not fair to be focusing on that stuff today,” he said. “It’s not fair to the coaches, the players and the fans. So let me focus on what I know. We have to get a good football team up and operating.
“I’ll know at the end of the season. I can’t say today I know.”
That’s OK. It can wait. Right now there’s work to be done and that’s more than enough to keep him occupied.