Can Lions restore the roar?
Team looks to repeat 2011 turnaround after confidence-building win over the Eskimos
The comparison might be imperfect, but so too are the B.C. Lions.
Back in 2011, the Lions lost their first five games and six of their first seven. Talent wasn’t the issue with that team. But there was something missing from its makeup, some fatal flaw that would reveal itself when the temperature was hottest and result in another infuriating defeat.
Quarterback Travis Lulay remembers that feeling. He also remembers what happened next.
“I remember being 0-5 and thinking, ‘Man, we’re better than 0-5,’ ” said Lulay. “I think what happens is that losing, in general, becomes a habit. And it’s a scary habit. You almost default to that position.
“A lot of times, the difference between an average team and a good team is self-belief. It’s hard to find, but it makes a huge difference when you find it.”
In 2011, the Lions found that belief. They also found their way to the Grey Cup. In 2018, they’re still searching but they appeared to take a step toward whatever they’re looking for on Thursday night at B.C. Place Stadium.
While you would like to see it for more than one half, the Lions might have altered the course of their season with a 31-23 win over the Edmonton Eskimos, a team that generally schedules the Leos on guaranteed-win night.
The win was a balm to a team that was in danger of falling to 2-5 and losing contact in the West Division. But its greater significance might have been in installing that sense of self-belief the Lions discovered en route to their title seven years ago.
“You talk about being close and believing you’re better, but you get sick of talking about it,” Lulay said. “Somewhere along the line you have to prove it.
“For the standings, and keeping pace in the West, (the win) was important. But for the psyche of the football team, that belief is more important.”
The next question is; Will that belief sustain itself over the course of this season, or was this win a momentary respite from the drumbeat of another losing season?
The Lions, after all, looked like the same outfit for the first two quarters that started 2-4 and took delight in beating itself. They fell behind 14-3 early, came back after getting a spark from Chris Rainey’s 79-yard punt return, then suffered a 14-point swing in the space of three plays when a Lulay touchdown pass to Bryan Burnham was called back and the Lions’ QB served up a room-service interception on the next play, leading to a third Eskimos’ touchdown.
But, about the time the obituary writers were crafting game reports, a different Lions’ team emerged over the final 30 minutes. Lulay and the offence did enough, but the larger story was a defence that awoke with a vengeance, recording four turnovers while holding quarterback Mike Reilly and company to three second-half points.
Again, if you buy the 2011 analogy, you’ll recall the biggest change on that team occurred on the defence over the final 11 games, specifically with a pass rush that made life uncomfortable for opposing quarterbacks. As it happens, the Lions’ relentless pressure on Reilly was the key to their second-half comeback.
“You could see the ability was there,” head coach Wally Buono said. “You just didn’t see the consistency until Thursday night, and it was there every play.”
So, is this the start of something special? Who knows.
The Leos are thought to be looking for another difference-maker in the middle of their defensive front. They would also like to field another threat on offence and, if it’s not too much to ask, generate better protection for Lulay, who took too many hits against the Eskimos.
“It wasn’t one of our better protection games,” said Buono. “If you give Lulay time, he’s excellent. If he has the time, he can eat you up.”
Buono saw that in 2011. He’s been waiting seven years to see it again.
“I always said the 2011 team was a good team playing bad football,” Buono said. “I’d have a hard time not saying that about the 2018 team.”