Lions head coach won’t settle for ‘fine’ from secondary
Lions head coach says team needs shutdown pass defence against lethal attacks of CFL rivals
KAMLOOPS — In 2016, the B.C. Lions finished third in the Canadian Football League in scoring defence, fourth in passing yards, fourth in completion percentage and second in touchdown passes allowed.
True, they were dead last in an area we’ll get to later but, all things considered, the Lions’ pass defence would receive a passing grade from most adjudicators. Just not Wally Buono. “They were fine,” the B.C. Lions head coach sneered.
“But I don’t want to be fine. If we’re going to be fine, we’re going to be second fiddle again.”
Buono, in fact, has grander ambitions than second fiddle this year, which is why the Lions’ secondary has become a focal point for the coach and the team. On paper, the group sets up as a difference maker for the Leos, with a collection of young veterans who, theoretically, should be in their primes.
But that group, for a variety of reasons, hasn’t been together as a collective entity, which means they represent something of an unknown.
Buono, as you might guess, is as excited about unknowns as he is about second fiddles.
The challenge for defensive coordinator Mark Washington and his charges is as simple as it is daunting.
It usually takes years to create the level of cohesion Buono requires.
In 2017 the Lions will have to do it on the fly, with as many as three new starters, which means things aren’t going to be boring for the foreseeable future.
“There is an extreme amount of talent here,” said Washington. “This group is very deep, very competitive. That’s going to help our defence and it’s going to help our offence when they have to go against them every day (in practice).” Great. So when will they be ready? “We’re still feeling that out,” said Washington. OK. At the very least, that feeling-out process has made for some intrigue at Lions’ camp. Heading into Kamloops, the plan was to start import Steven Clarke at safety with vets Ronnie Yell and T.J. Lee operating on the short, or boundary, side and Buddy Jackson, a free agent signing from Saskatchewan, and Canadian kid Keynan Parker on the wide, or field, side.
That configuration would mean Clarke, Jackson and Parker were all first-year starters and it could be the Lions will line up that way when they open the regular season.
But there are other options to consider.
Buono wants to look at second-year man Chandler Fenner, another import, at safety. Canadian Anthony Thompson has had an impressive camp. Newcomer Tevin McDonald is also in the mix.
Then there’s Anthony Gaitor, another returnee, and CFL veteran Matt Bucknor. To further complicate matters, rookie Junior Luke, the Lions’ first-rounder, is threatening to win a job on the defensive line, which could have a ripple effect on the ratio.
“We’re always in competition,” said Washington.
“The scheme can change from day to day. Sometime we change it from drill to drill. It’s getting certain people comfortable playing with other people.”
That isn’t a problem with Yell and Lee whose partnership was disrupted by injuries last season. Lee ruptured his Achilles four games into the season and Yell broke his foot in the 10th game.
In their absence, the Lions finished last in the CFL with nine interceptions, which is something else that didn’t thrill Buono about his secondary.
“We compete for everything,” said Lee.
“I plan on being the comeback player of the year and I know they plan on the same thing. Let the competition begin.”
“They’ve been the leaders of this secondary,” Washington said of Yell and Lee. “They’ve taken it over. They’re dominant football players.”
They’ve drawn comparisons to former Lions Dante Marsh and Korey Banks, who manned the boundary with distinction for eight years. Lee is flattered by the connection, but says he and Yell have their own story to tell.
“This is about me and Ronnie and what we can bring to the table,” said the 28-yearold Eastern Washington product.
Whatever the case, the Lions are hoping they bring a lot. In the wide open West, the secondary will go up against lethal passing attacks in Calgary and Edmonton, and dangerous ones in Winnipeg and Saskatchewan.
The CFL is first a passing league and the Lions’ offence will score this season. But any chance this team has returning to the Grey Cup rests with its ability to neutralize the opposition’s offence, specifically the Stamps, who have made the Lions their personal plush toy since 2012.
And, no, that’s not fine with the head coach.