Lions pray for coach Miles, but hope to prey on his Esks
If the Edmonton Eskimos hold the B.C. Lions well below their season average of 29.9 points Saturday — as the Esks did a month ago, in a 27-23 win at Commonwealth Stadium — Edmonton defensive coordinator Mike Benevides and defensive backs coach Barron Miles will look like masters of their circumstances.
If the Lions exceed that in the second meeting, this time at B.C. Place Stadium, some of the Edmonton faithful might call it a calamity. A chance to finish second in the West Division, and gain home field in the first round of the playoffs, remains in play for both teams.
Whatever happens, the scoreboard isn’t up to the task of explaining what is a true calamity, or what is going through the mind of the 44-year-old Miles, the former Lions safety who recorded 36 of his 66 career interceptions in the CFL under Wally Buono. Miles was an assistant defensive backs coach for the Leos in 2010 and 2011 before he left for Saskatchewan.
“When I don’t keep a veteran player, people say that I’m not loyal,” Buono said Friday. “But there’s a difference between responsibility and loyalty. Let’s just say Barron and I parted ways as loyal friends.
“Loyalty is when that person needs help and you can’t help that person, that’s not being a loyal friend. You do it because there’s a bond and an affection. You do it because, if I were in that situation, I would want them to help me.”
Buono and wife Sande sent out an all-points email to people throughout the league this week, soliciting contributions to a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign on behalf of Jennifer Miles, Barron’s wife, who lives in Mesa, Ariz., with two of the couple’s three children and has an abdominal condition. Without health insurance because of a pre-existing medical condition, she requires procedures and hospital expenses approaching US$30,000, Buono said.
Not averse to talking openly about his personal issues with dyslexia, Barron Miles nonetheless is reluctant to talk about his wife’s health crisis, saying it’s a “part of life” that many people outside of the limelight have to endure.
“It’s nothing different than someone with a regular job has to face,” he told Postmedia. “I just happen to be involved in professional football. I’m a coach, and I try to separate my private life from my professional life.
“We’re proud people, like most people would be in this situation. I don’t like talking about it. I don’t want it to be a distraction. But it’s very thoughtful, all the same, for people like Wally and others to care and want to help out.”
Lions halfback Ryan Phillips, who started with the Lions in 2005 — the year Miles moved to B.C. after seven seasons with the Montreal Alouettes — regards the Esks coach as a mentor and part of his extended family.
“It’s unfortunate what Barron’s dealing with,” Phillips said. “It’s a lot of pressure, especially with him being in Edmonton, a long way from home. I still pray for him. I’m part of his support system.”
Second all-time in Lions history with 47 career interceptions — but only one this season — Phillips said Miles is the behind-the-scenes story behind how he became an expert at pilfering passes.
“Barron would ask you, ‘Do you want to be good? Or do you want to be great?’” Phillips said. “Being great is attacking the football and going for the interception. You don’t gamble all the time or make risky plays, but if you want to be great, you have to go after those opportunities.”
As a team, the Lions have just nine interceptions in 15 games, two of them last week against Winnipeg when safety Mike Edem registered his first two picks of the season.
“Rule changes have had something to do with it,” Phillips said. “Guys play safe now, because you don’t know what’s going to be considered pass interference. The dos and don’ts aren’t as flexible as before. But I also feel quarterbacks are more efficient. When you look at the West — the Bo Levi Mitchells and the Mike Reillys, the Matt Nicholses — those guys don’t turn over the ball a lot. They’re precise. The quarterbacks are getting better and better at doing that.”
Indeed, the interception rate in the CFL is at an all-time low — one pick for every 42.5 pass attempts, or 2.35 per cent. Reilly, who has thrown for more than 5,000 yards, is operating below the curve at a 2.1 per cent interception rate.
Rookie Anthony Gaitor was the only Lion to get him when the teams met a month ago, in what was a turnaround game for the Esks, who lost three straight to that point. At 8-7 following a bye week, Edmonton can win the season series with B.C. and condemn the 9-6 Lions to fourth place by completing a sweep on Saturday.
“Momentum, you don’t carry into every game,” Esks head coach Jason Maas said. “Confidence, you do. I’ve noticed a decided difference in our team over the last three weeks. It couldn’t come at a better time for us. We’re ready to finish this off strong.”