LIONS: Linebacker Elimimian on the verge of returning to Leos’ lineup
All-star linebacker close to playing again but team has turned itself around since his injury
It now feels like a lifetime ago, but when Solomon Elimimian first went down, coach Wally Buono said this could be a “positive” development for the B.C. Lions.
OK, losing a future Hall-of-Famer is never a good thing — just as it’s never a bad thing when that future Hall-of-Famer is about to return to the team’s lineup.
But the Lions head coach reasoned his defence had become so Elimimian-dependent over the years that the supporting cast would benefit from some added responsibility.
“You know it’s like, ‘Let Solly do it. Let Solly do it,’ ” Buono said back in mid-July. “Well, guess what? Solly ain’t here so he can’t do it. It’s time for the veterans to stand up.”
And guess what? Those veterans have stood up. But Elimimian is on the verge of returning to a lineup that has won six of its last seven games and gained some serious momentum as it heads toward the playoffs. As mentioned, adding the greatest linebacker in franchise history to a defence that has emerged as the strength of the CFL team isn’t exactly a negative.
But it is complicated which is why Elimimian suddenly becomes an important, if not perplexing, figure for the Lions.
“I’m just taking it day by day,” Elimimian said Thursday at the Lions’ practice field in Surrey. “Ideally, I would have liked to play six or seven games ago. But it’s really about being functional and being the Solomon I’ve always been.
“I don’t expect to be 100 per cent, but I do expect to be effective.”
Elimimian, it should be noted, won’t be in the lineup when the Lions face the Roughriders in Regina on Saturday afternoon. But you sense if that was a playoff game, he’d make the flight. The 32-year-old veteran has been practising with the team for a couple of weeks now since undergoing surgery on his damaged wrist back in the early days of summer.
This week he also began taking part in some sled work and Buono knows his man is close.
“The good thing is he’s hitting the sled with his hand,” Buono said. “That’s an essential thing. He’s got to be able to strike with his hand and deal with the discomfort.”
“It’s improving but it’s tough,” said Elimimian. “You want to be playing. For someone as competitive as I am, it hurts not to be out there competing.”
This weekend’s game figures to mark the 13th consecutive contest Elimimian has missed but that’s only one part of this story. The more intriguing part is the Lions have managed to reinvent their defence without the perennial all-star, forming a championship-calibre group that has been largely responsible for the team’s turnaround.
Former Simon Fraser star Jordan Herdman has taken most of the snaps in Elimimian’s absence and he’s emerged as a solid pro in his first year as a starter. On Saturday, the Lions will line up with Herdman, Bo Lokombo, Dyshawn Davis and Ivan McLennan as their linebackers, the same crew that played in last Friday’s 42-32 win over Edmonton.
Micah Awe, who had been starting, will also miss his second straight game in Regina this weekend but he is also close to returning. Did we mention it’s complicated?
“It’s not worth putting someone out there who isn’t comfortable and secure,” said Buono. “There’s too much at stake the next couple of weeks.”
In the next breath, Buono indicated Elimimian will return to active duty when he’s cleared to play. That likely means the Lions’ season finale on Nov. 3 against Calgary is when Awe figures to be ready as well.
“I’m going to talk to (GM) Ed (Hervey),” said Buono. “But the plan is to put our best roster on the field.”
Elimimian returns to a Lions’ team that has changed dramatically in the three-plus months he’s been gone and it’s ironic to note his injury, coupled with the injury to Manny Arceneaux, allowed the Lions to make some of their personnel changes more easily.
With two big salaries (in excess of $200,000 each) off the books, the Lions were able to bring in pass rushing fiend Shawn Lemon, receiver DeVier Posey and running back Tyrell Sutton, who’ve all contributed to the team’s hot run.
It’s likely those moves would have been made anyways. But the Lions were able to make them without cutting an existing veteran.
This is also interesting because Elimimian is on an expiring contract and the emergence of younger, cheaper players such as Herdman, Lokombo and Awe raises some pointed questions about his future with the Lions.
The former MOP agreed to have his contract restructured last off-season to accommodate Hervey’s rebuilding plan and you figure he’s expecting his loyalty to be returned. In this, as in all things, we shall see.
“I think that’s very premature,” Elimimian answered when asked about his future with the Lions. “We have a mission. Of course I want to play next year. But I’m not worried about next year. I’m worried about the end of this season.”
And proving a few things to himself and to others.