See

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d

By David Hollinshead

last few weeks of the CFL for the

winds of change to start blowing.
The BC Lions, who started the season
at a terrible 0-5, have sprung up to a
9-7 record, having the potential to take
first in the Western Division.

This has been because of
quarterback Travis Lulay coming into
his own with consistency, not turning
the ball over, and the defense putting
on a great showing every week. At one
point they didn’t allow an offensive
touchdown for over three games.

Lately though, the Lions are
hurting. Injuries to running backs
Andrew Harris and Tim Brown led to
the team signing Jock Sanders to return
kicks, and he has already been forced
into a primary role when it comes to
carrying the ball and catching it out
of the backfield. In his first game with
the Leos, Sanders ran four times for 18
yards and caught the ball twice for 30
yards.

Injuries to receivers Akeem Foster’
and Shawn Gore left the receiving
corps weak, leaving head coach Wally
Buono to bring back veteran wide
receiver Ryan Thelwell, who played
six years with the Lions, including
their championship run. He amassed a
20

[ise enough, it comes to the

1000-plus yard season and has twice
broken the 900-yard mark. He spent the
last four years of his career in Calgary
with a reduced role and still managed
to get himself another Grey Cup ring.
Thelwell knows the system, but it’s still
up in the air as to what his role with the
team will be.

The defensive line has also been
hurting. Defensive tackles Aaron Hunt
and Khalif Mitchell are alternating
games for injury breaks. The starting
defensive pair for the game against
Edmonton was Eric Taylor and Khalif
Mitchell, the game before versus
Hamilton was Hunt and Taylor. The
heart and soul of the Lions stingy
defense will also be out until probably
the playoffs... linebacker Solomon
Elimimian, who was leading the league
in tackles, is still out with an injury.

The Leos aren’t looking in good
shape as they take on Montreal, which
could be either for first place, or second
in the west. Either way, the game is
a must win, despite the result of the
Edmonton game. Even if the Lions
don’t have a home playoff game and
miss a home Grey Cup, it’s still been
one helluva ride. And, perhaps like
the 2006 season, they could win the
Cup the year after they host it. A bold
prediction, but now we’ve seen what
this team is capable of.

Calgary is also in the middle
of a huge change. Last year’s Most
Outstanding Player—awarded every
year to the player deemed most
valuable to his team—was Calgary
Stampeders quarterback Henry
Burris...but this year he’s been
effectively benched for backup Drew
Tate, the five-year man out of Iowa
University. Burris lost his job after
inconsistency of the offence against the
BC Lions. Tate came in and handily
drove down the field and scored a
touchdown. In the coming weeks, Tate
played like a seasoned veteran, and
may have easily won the franchise job
for the foreseeable future. The fact
that Calgary is in the hunt for a home
playoff game is probably all due to
Tate’s performance.

With Tate’s emergence, Burris
may be the odd man out and may find
himself in Toronto or Hamilton next
year, as there is still definitely a place
in the league for him. If that place in
the CFL is in a backup role, the next
place he could wind up in is Winnipeg,
where injury-prone quarterback Buck
Pierce has left several concerns in
Blue Bomber nation. Most games that
Winnipeg has lost have been because of
this. Burris could come in and provide
a solid backup solution, giving coach
Paul LaPolice a great tandem. Toronto,

     

after an absolutely abysmal season
that has left the league laughing at

the Argonauts, has potential for huge
change. It’s doubted their coach will
be back, they haven’t had a decent
solution at the quarterback since Hall
Of Famer Damon Allen retired three
years ago. They started the season
with quarterback Cleo Lemon—who
was cut—then Canadian quarterback
Dalton Bell turned the ball over way
too much, and now fairly newly-signed
Steven Jyles is nothing more than just
a backup. Toronto could and should
be in the market for another one, and a
rebuilding phase if they want to bring
respectability back to a professional
Toronto sports team. -

Other than Burris, they could
target one of Hamilton’s two
quarterbacks: Kevin Glenn or Quinton
Porter. Hamilton also could be in the
market for a new quarterback, as they
currently run with a two-quarterback
system, where they stress that no one
quarterback is starting nor the backup.

No offensive system has or
can prosper without a number one
guy. If they choose to part with both
quarterbacks, Burris might be their best
option, until they find another Drew
Tate of their own.