The Sports Corner

Lions hope fourth time is the charm

If the religion of Wicca believes in the Law of Three, then the B.C. Lions and their thousands and thousands of faithful followers will want to believe in the Law of Four.

In three regular season games this year against Western Division rivals the Calgary Stampeders, the Leos have gone 0-3. And while they may well have physically shown up last time the teams met back on the first of this month, little has yet to be known as to the whereabouts of their mental focus.  The result was a 41-30 loss, which quite frankly flattered the Lions.

Now, two weeks later and after head coach and general manager Wally Buono reportedly told a member of the Alberta media that the Lions would be back to face to Stampeders in the Western Final, his team is indeed back with the winner getting the opportunity to fly back to Montreal for the Grey Cup.

But it will take much more than three losses and a bold, yet somewhat arrogant, prediction from the coach in order for the Lions to walk out of McMahon Stadium with a win.

The defence, which time and time again has been guilty of allowing the big play while being hailed as the league’s toughest unit to play against, will need another effort similar to, if not exactly the same as the one it had against the Saskatchewan Roughriders last Saturday.

But that is easier said than done. Part of the reason why Saskatchewan’s offence struggled against the B.C. defence was Saskatchewan’s offence. Riders quarterback Michael Bishop struggled all day. He made bad decisions and was responsible for three interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown by Ryan Phillips.

This Saturday, the Lions D won’t be facing Bishop.  They’ll be facing quarterback Henry Burris, who was nominated as the Western Division’s Most Outstanding Player after throwing for just under 5,100 yards and 39 touchdown passes on the year.

The one thing Burris has done this year is systematically picking apart the Lions defence, despite being sacked nine times is three games.  He and an all-star receiving corps has made one of the most skilled secondaries in the league look like they still belong playing college ball.  With the likes of Ken-Yon Rambo, who led the CFL in receiving, and Jermaine Copeland, the Stamps yield perhaps the best set of receivers in the league.

Combine that with a QB that can read defenses as well as anybody in football, and it’s no wonder the Lions looked off balance when they were defending.  Well, if they’re going to win on Saturday, adjustments are going to have to be made.

Obviously, Cam Wake and the rest of the Lions D-line will want to make Burris as familiar with the cold turf as possible.  If there is one way to rattle the veteran pivot, it is to bring lots of pressure and force him to make quicker decisions then he would like.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Lions haven’t had a whole lot of trouble putting up points against Calgary this season.  If there is one thing that John Hufnagel and his defence does, it’s holding the running game, which could be a problem for the Lion’s short stature running back Stefan Logan.

Expect the Stamps to at least contain the little Logan-motive, which means the likes of Geroy Simon and Paris Jackson are going to have to push their games to another level.

But, if you believe in the Law of Four, take the Lions to finally throw off the shackles of the Stampeders and look for them in the Grey Cup the following week.

I’m going to be bold with this prediction, so if you’re a Lions fan let’s hope it’s a beautiful one: Lions to win by a score of 30-26.