Jim Mullin is the Sports Director at CKNW 980 AM in Vancouver and has offered us the chance to share his blog posts here on BCLionsDen.ca. We’re excited to have Jim’s opinions on the CFL and encourage you to follow his own blog on CKNW.com

By Jim Mullin (CKNW 980)

The season is quietly rolling up upon us, but no stretch in time may be as important to the long-term operations of the BC Lions. The next two years will set the Lions path for the next decade.

Attendance was way off last season. It dropped from 32,000 per game down to 28,000. A bad economy, bad play – especially at home – and a vacuum of leadership all contributed to the downward spiral.

This is a year to right the ship with new president Dennis Skulsky at the helm.

Fate gives the new boss a good start. The 27,500-seat (T)empire Stadium will be a one-year wonder of nostalgia. That, of course, until the rain arrives in October and the familiar fan fickleness from Vancouverites ensues.

Then it’s off to a brief honeymoon period in the dome with a sunroof.

The Lions will have to roll up their sleeves. The Vancouver Whitecaps will have lots of money to spend in the market to launch their new brand, and will compete for corporate support.

Wally Buono will have a decision to make soon. When will he become the full-time general manager and hand the coaching reigns off to another? And who will that new head coach be?

As for the parts on the field, Casey Printers has the athleticism and the charisma, but the questions remain: Can he stay healthy? Can he deliver in big games? And can he keep his emotions in check?

Out of all the sports operations in this city, the Lions are the team with the deepest roots in the community. They have been operating under the same banner for 56 years.

However, the brand staggered and got stale somewhere along the way in the last two years.

Now it is up to their leadership to reenergize the base, and find new ways to get the message to new fans while renewal in the front office and the buildings they play in have the buzz in this burg.

CKNW Sports Director Jim Mullin checks in with some audio from his Monday morning conversation with BC Lions head coach Wally Buono, following yesterday’s big 24-21 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Travis Lulay had a strong game for the Lions, along with running back AJ Harris and the Lions defense. The win has left the Lions just one point back of the first place Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Listen >> CKNW’s Jim Mullin Speaks with Wally Buono

We recently spoke with CIS football announcer and CKNW 980 Sports Director Jim Mullin about the BC Lions recent signing of first round draft pick and local boy Jamall Lee. Lee signed a 2 year deal with the club on Monday after failing to land a contract offer from an NFL club.

BCLD: Jim, thanks for taking the time to give us a little background on Jamall Lee. You have a good understanding of Lee’s college career as an announcer and CIS football enthusiast. Can you tell our readers what kind of player Lee is, and what his strengths and weaknesses might be?

Jim Mullin: Lee was an outstanding running back out of Terry Fox Secondary. Instead of following in his father’s footsteps and going to the Simon Fraser program, which was a basket case of an operation, he chose to go to Bishop’s University in Lennoxville, Quebec.

In four years he led the QUFL and CIS in rushing twice. He holds the Quebec Conference career mark for rushing yards with 4,296 which puts him in select company nationally. He’s third on the all-time list, ahead of Jesse Lumsden and behind Eric LaPointe.  He was the QUFL’s Most Outstanding Player in 2007, in a year where the Laval Rouge et Or were dominant in every aspect of the game.

The NFL took notice when he set new records at the CFL evaluation camp in the spring.  He ran a 40 yard dash in 4.39, which was quicker than anyone had ran at this year’s NFL combine. He also has a vertical jump of 44 inches (110 cm).

Judging by his running style, he may have the same handicap as Lumsden in that he hits the gaps too upright, leaving him prone to injury. He’s likely already made adjustments by his trial by fire with the Carolina Panthers.

BCLD: Wally Buono indicated that the club would like to try and turn Lee into a receiver, but that won’t be an option for this season. Does Lee have the ability in your mind to thrive at that position in the CFL?

Jim Mullin: His speed would give him a shot to be an effective inside receiver who could attack the seams, and he has the physical attributes to handle the contact.

However, after having talked to Wally Buono on a regular basis, he’s indicated to me that his thoughts have changed on Lee. He sees him as a running back/kickoff returner at this point. When you see what Calvin McCarty has added to the Eskimos lineup as a back with good hands – when he’s healthy – who could blame the Lions for changing their mind?

BCLD: Obviously Lee will take another shot at the NFL at some point, but he’s a Lion until the end of next season. If he was converted to a receiver, would that help or hinder his NFL aspirations, where he was trying out at running back this year?

Jim Mullin: His focus is here. He’s happy to be playing in his hometown even if practice money in the NFL is worth more than a CFL rookie deal. The two-plus-an option deal gives him a window to explore the NFL at the end of the 2010 season.

I think that setting him up solely as a receiver would have a negative impact on his NFL possibilities to be a starter on offense. But it certainly wouldn’t hinder his chance of becoming a specialist as a kickoff or punt returner. Stefan Logan showed us how that worked.

BCLD: Lee worked out for several NFL teams but wasn’t offered a contract, despite being a late cut of the Carolina Panthers.  What will Lee need to do to get more attention next time he tries, if he chooses to?

Jim Mullin: Absorb technique and adapt to the speed of the professional game here, which I am confident he will do. His agent Zeke Sandhu really hustled for him between the Carolina cut and the Lions signing. He knocked on a lot of NFL doors. Lee’s testing numbers were his calling card. Pittsburgh and Seattle liked what they saw, but were they really going to add someone at this stage of the year?

If he registers good numbers on specials, he will get another look.

BCLD: Thanks again Jim, is there anything else you can let our readers know about Jamall Lee?

Jim Mullin: His dad, Orville – the last Canadian to rush for 1,000 yards – is proud of his son.

Audio:

Jim Mullin speaks with Jamall Lee: Jamall Lee Interview - CKNW 980