Pre-season win does little to change Lions roster
In reality, Wally Buono had made up his mind about most of the B.C. Lions’ battleground positions before Friday’s pre-season game against the visiting Saskatchewan Roughriders.
On the offensive line, it appears Canadian Football League rookies David Foucault, the giant Montrealer by way of the Carolina Panthers, has won the left guard spot and import Kelvin Palmer beat out veteran Antonio Johnson at right tackle.
At one wide receiver position, Shaq Johnson — last year’s fourth rounder — has claimed a job until Chris Williams gets healthy.
Beyond that, the Lions hope to keep running back Josh Harris to back up Jeremiah Johnson.
The defence picture is a little murkier with Buono trying to chose between four defensive ends in incumbent Craig Roh, Andrew Hudson, Josh Shirley and DeQuin Evans. One outside linebacker spot is also up for grabs, although newcomer Micah Awe has impressed. And in the secondary, second-year man Anthony Thompson appears to have wrestled the wide-side corner spot away from veteran Keynan Parker.
At least that’s the way things looked before the Leos’ second and final pre-season outing which raises the question: Did Friday’s 42-10 B.C. victory change any of that?
Probably not. But it was still a necessary exercise for a couple of reasons.
The affair offered the usual pre-season hodgepodge of inspiration, ineptitude and comic relief.
Lions quarterback Jonathon Jennings, on who so much is expected this season, threw three touchdown passes in his almost two quarters of work, but was also sacked three times and failed to convert on three cracks from the Roughriders’ threeyard line.
Defensively, the Lions put up a stout effort but they were also going against the ever-present Kevin Glenn, Canadian Brandon Bridge, Bryan Bennett and Marquise Williams.
In the final analysis, the Lions’ dress rehearsal was more about preparing the starters than auditioning four or five players who aren’t going to materially change their season.
Thus, the more important story on this night was Jon Jennings going 10 of 14 for 197 yards and three touchdowns, Jeremiah Johnson running for 55 yards on nine carries behind the revamped offensive line, and a dominating performance by the defence — particularly the boundary-side secondary tandem of Ronnie Yell and T.J. Lee, who missed the bulk of last season with injuries.
Those are the players who will determine the Lions’ fortunes this season and that reality isn’t lost on Buono. “Having two or three new players doesn’t make your team better,” the coach said before Friday’s tilt.
“The roster has to be better and I believe we’re better. Jonathon Jennings is better, Bryan Burnham is better, our offensive line is better, (linebacker) Loucheiz Purifoy is better, our kicking is better. It’s the guys who grow who make you better and those are the guys who are going to make us better.”
At the outset of this season, those are great stories for those young players. It’s just that the Lions hope to be telling different stories over the next 18 games.