LAST YEAR FOR BUONO?
True or not, Lions coach still has the will to win
The story is at least five years in the making, but the latest intel to emerge from the sale of the B.C. Lions suggests the deal will close by the end of this season — or when the polar ice cap melts, whatever comes first.
If that’s the case, it all but confirms the widely held view this is Wally Buono’s final year as the Lions’ head coach. And when you see the old Lion struggling with back issues and assorted ailments common to most 67-yearold men, you sense retirement will come as a relief.
That, at least, is one perception. Then you talk to the Lions’ players and a far different perception of their leader comes to light.
“I’ve been hearing (talk of retirement) for a long time,” says Rolly Lumbala, the 10-year vet and the most senior Lion. “I don’t know. He’s in the moment right now. He’s coaching us and that’s all we know.
“He’s not putting any more pressure on us because this is his last year. He’s putting pressure on us to win because that’s always been the case.”
And, as long as he’s standing on the sidelines, always will be.
“Wally’s tough, man, and that makes you push more,” Solomon Elimimian says. “We know he’s not in perfect health, but he doesn’t complain about it. Every day he goes out there, he stands up and he coaches with the same passion and energy. He still has the same enthusiasm. He loves the game.”
Buono has been down the road to retirement before. In 2011, he moulded arguably the best Lions team ever, won a Grey Cup, then stepped away from the coach’s job to concentrate on the GM duties.
He then watched as Mike Benevides and Jeff Tedford, two fine coaches, fail to deliver the desired results. Buono stepped back in last year, intimating to members of his staff that he had to coach the team because he couldn’t bear to watch another newbie do it.
The team rebounded from a 7-11 campaign under Tedford to go 12-6 under Buono. This year they’re off to a 2-1 start before today’s meeting with the winless Tiger-Cats (0-2) in Hamilton.
“You see the progress,” Buono says. “Are we where we want to be? No. Are we as skilled as we want to be? No. Are we getting better? Yes.”
During the course of a casual conversation, Buono revealed he took the day off last Sunday, went to church and had a picnic with his kids and grandkids.
“First day off since May 21,” he reports. “I enjoyed that.”
That workload has taken its toll. When he walked away the first time, Buono was 61 and, after a heart scare in ’04, was in good health. He still looks fit but — and stop us if this sounds familiar to my fellow seniors — he’s developed a back problem which shoots pain through his hips and legs.
“Other than the standing part, I’m fine,” Buono says. “Standing on the field is tough. That’s why I’m sitting down more. It’s not because I’m disinterested. I can only stand so much.”
You wouldn’t know it from his on-field presence. Buono coaches this team as hard as he’s ever coached a team over his 23 years on the CFL sidelines. He has his own way, speaking in riddles, asking questions to which only he knows the answers. But he gets massive buy-in from the players, who are convinced he knows the way to a championship.
“He keeps everyone accountable,” Lumbala says. “He sees everything. Guys know they can’t get away with a thing and that makes us a better team.”
It has also made the Lions a tougher team this year, the coach says, and that was an off-season focus of his. Buono still has a huge chip to play in speedy receiver/return man Chris Williams, who is expected to come off the injured list in the next few weeks, but he likes the team his home-run hitter will join.
When asked about the changes to the Lions, Buono rattles off names like defensive end DeQuin Evans, linebacker Tony Burnett and offensive lineman David Foucault, newcomers who have given the Lions a sharper edge.
This week he also committed to Ty Long as his kicker, releasing veteran Swayze Waters. Long has had moments of inconsistency, but Buono loved his performance in the 28-15 win over Toronto when, after a couple of shanked punts, he unloaded a pair of rockets in the fourth quarter to bury the Argos deep in their own end.
“I believe we’re a tougher team,” Buono says.
Which is a reflection of the coach, and that’s another part of the Buono persona. His profession is demanding enough for a younger man, but for a 67-yearold with a bad back and nothing left to prove, the job can be too much.
But Buono, as his players know, isn’t your average senior.
“There are some challenges he’s facing, but when we see him overcome those challenges, none of us should have any excuses,” Elimimian says.
Running back Jeremiah Johnson is asked what he sees when he looks at Buono.
“I see strength and resilience,” Johnson says.
And, hopefully, he’ll see those same traits in his team.