HERVEY’S MASTER PLAN
Lions headed in a new direction
Ed Hervey insists his intent wasn’t to take the B.C. Lions down to the studs when he assumed the general manager’s job, just as he rejects the notion he set out to remake the team in his image.
“I didn’t come in with the mindset it had to be changed,” said Hervey as the Leos opened their 2018 training camp and a new era in Kamloops on Sunday. (“Head coach) Wally (Buono) and I looked at the roster. We wanted to be more physical upfront and we needed to protect the quarterback.”
And they certainly addressed those two areas, as well as about 32 others.
Hervey’s master plan, as we will see, was a tad more ambitious than tinkering with a couple of spots on the offensive and defensive lines. Just a tad.
This Lions’ training camp features some 50 players Hervey signed, drafted or traded for this off-season, including old friend Jovan Olafioye, the giant offensive tackle who was signed on Saturday. The secondary will feature four new starters. The defensive line will feature four new starters. There will be three new starters on the offensive line, at least two new starters in the receiving corps, a new running back and maybe a new kicker.
That would be Jose Maltos, the native of Monterrey, Mexico. Sure. Why not?
And that’s just part of the story. To finance his shopping spree, Hervey had to convince several veteran Lions it would be a swell idea to restructure their contracts. Those players included several members of the Lions’ core group — at least what’s left of it — and they had to be sold on the team’s new direction.
Right now, that direction is the main storyline at this Lions training camp, and the players and staff have all embraced Hervey’s vision. If they’re saying the same things in October, so much the better.
“He explained things, what he wanted to do and what he wanted to accomplish,” said linebacker Solomon Elimimian, one of the players whose deal was restructured. “As we went along, you got to see it wasn’t just talk. It was action. Guys are excited now. They’re good players here, veteran guys who know how to win.” And there are a lot of them. “It was tough,” Hervey says of the conversations he had with Lions veterans. “I said when we get through free agency and the draft, you guys can tell me if you believe in what I was trying to do or I fell short of your expectations. I’ve had many players come in and say they’re excited about what they’ve seen.”
Hervey, in fact, seems to have created a new energy and new purpose with a Lions team coming off a dismal 7-11 march to nowhere in 2017. Of those 50 players Hervey’s brought in, 22 are veteran CFLers and while not all will make this team, they tend to be of a type favoured by both the GM and the head coach.
The poster boy for the new Lions is giant offensive tackle Joel Figueroa who, with Olafioye, figures to provide a dominating presence at either end of the O -line. Figueroa is a tough, physical no-BS pro and the same can be said of new defensive backs Otha Foster and Garry Peters and new defensive linemen Gabe Knapton and Odell Willis.
“The game is still won at the line of scrimmage,” Hervey said. “I’m not a flashy guy. I played a flashy position (Hervey was an all-star receiver with the Eskimos) but I was never interested in that. I’m old school. I believe hard works pays off in this profession.”
It’s also instructive to note some of the veterans who were let go at the expense of Hervey’s guys. Defensive tackle Mic’hael Brooks, defensive backs Ronnie Yell and Louchiez Purifoy and offensive lineman Kirby Fabien were all good players. But each were flawed in their own way. During an off-season conversation, Hervey was asked about one of the Lions’ vets and their penchant for drama.
“I don’t do drama,” he said as his eyes narrowed.
And that, too, figured into his plan.
“There’s no player bigger than the team. No player. Any player who doesn’t fit in won’t be here. The players we moved on from didn’t fit in the direction of the football team,” Hervey said.
As for what’s left behind, there is much work to be done and little time to do it. Hervey is counting on his guys finding instant chemistry with the Lions’ holdovers which is why, as Elimimian says, this training camp is more important than most.
“If it was a bunch of CFL rookies, then you’d say, wow, we’re going to be really young,” said the great linebacker. “But these guys — Odell, Otha Garry Peters — have played a lot of games.
“That’s what this training camp is about, getting to know them as people. They’re good players but you want to be a good team.” Especially after last season. “When the new sheriff comes into town, no one knows what he’s thinking. If you come to training camp and think it’s like it was, you might be surprised,” says Buono.
Or you weren’t paying attention this off-season. Either way, things have changed for the Lions. We’ll know soon enough if they’re for the better.