We hinted a couple of weeks ago that the BC Lions were working on an extension for star receiver Geroy Simon after beat writer Lowell Ullrich had reported the deal was imminent. Well it appears as though that deal has been completed and the all-time club reception leader will take another step closer to retiring a Lion. Terms of the deal have not been released and no official announcement has come from the Lions.

It’s a great move for the club, as Simon is still a high quality receiver and is one of the most recognized faces of the franchise. Simon, who has made Vancouver his home, has also become a prominent fixture in the community, giving much of his time to represent the team at various charitable functions, or appearing at schools to give back to the youth of the province.

Congratulations to Geroy, and here’s to Lions fans witnessing many more superman poses! Follow Superman on Twitter: @geroysimon and check out his website: http://www.geroysimon.com.

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Just two seasons ago the Lions appeared solid at the tackle position on their offensive line. Now, with the departure of Rob Murphy last season via free agency and the release of Jason Jimenez for philosophical differences this off-season, the Lions find themselves in  a bit of a precarious position heading into 2010.

Rob Murphy practices with the Lions in 2008. Photo: BCLionsDen.ca

It’s been reported that the Lions have inquired about the possibility of bringing Murphy back to the west coast. The Lions have last year’s Murphy replacement Daren Heerspink and Damane Duckett penciled in at the tackles at the moment, and while Heerspink was adequate last year, Duckett spent the season on the practice roster and saw limited action. Perhaps that experience will be useful as he competes for the job this year, but the Lions have yet to announce any new signings that will compete. Of course they have Justin Sorenson, who played the position in college. There is also Jon Hameister-Ries who could step up provided he can avoid the injury bug, something he hasn’t been able to do after his first two CFL camps.

Regardless, the Lions need to address the issue. They have a more mobile quarterback in Casey Printers to start the year and early indications are the team would like to passing the ball and stretching the field the primary focus of their offense. They’ll need solid play from the tackles if they hope to be successful and keep Printers healthy.

Murphy was a popular player in the Lions room, but he left mainly for family reasons. After another year gone by he and his family may be willing to move back to the west coast, but any such trade is going to bring more microscopes to the relationship between the Lions and the Argos who are both owned by David Braley. The carrot the Lions seem to be dangling in front of the Argos is quarterback Jarious Jackson, but as reported by Lowell Ullrich of The Province last week, the veteran QB has not even began throwing after a tear in his rotator cuff sidelined him at the end of last season.

Through The Grapevine

The Lions may have found themselves an up and coming linebacker prospect. There is word in both local papers that the club is on the verge of signing Solomon Elimimia, a 225-pound Nigerian recently impressed the team at a free agent camp in Los Angeles. Elimimia is the all-time tackles leader at the Univerity of Hawaii.

For more tidbits and scoops, including news on a possible pending contract extension for Geroy Simon, progress in talks between the CFL and the CFLPA, and more confirmation the Lions are close to naming Dennis Skulsky as their new President, checkout this latest piece from the man in the know, Lowell Ullrich of The Province.

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Sometimes you give someone a second chance in life, and they make the most of it. How ironic then that the BC Lions made the most of their second chance against the team that gave it to them just a week ago.

Casey Printers returned to Hamilton for the first time since being released by the Ticats this past off -season and guided the Lions to a 34-27 overtime victory, ensuring the Lions will play for the right to play the Montreal Alouettes  next week with a birth in the Grey Cup game on the line.

Printers led the Lions going 24 for 35 for 360 yards and 1 TD, while rushing for another himself. His pocket presence was outstanding on the day and he avoided any major mistakes. Geroy Simon (5 catches, 111 yards) and Emmanuel Arceneaux (6 catches for 120) were Printers’ main targets but the Leos also mixed in dashes of Martell Mallet and the fresh legs of Ian Smart to produce a very solid offensive game plan.

On defense, the Lions silenced their critics who said they couldn’t stop the run, as they held the Ticats to just 36 yards rushing all game, and just 34 to DeAndra’ Cobb who torched them for 267 yards in two games earlier this year.  The Lions racked up five sacks on the day, three to Brent Johnson and the other two going to Outstanding Canadian finalist Rickey Foley.

The game was largely a defensive battle but the Lions controlled possession, especially in the first quarter where they had the ball for 10:57 second of the half. Unable to convert in the red zone, the Lions settled for field goals before Printers rushed for his touchdown in the 2nd quarter, giving the Lions a 16-6 lead at the half.

Hamilton had their own problems in the redzone adding a field goal to cut the lead to 16-9, but with 5:55 left in the third they hit pay dirt on a spectacular catch by Dave Stala that tied the game on the extra point, and the Ticats looked to be swinging momentum in their favour, but the Lions would respond on the next drive, with key receptions by Ryan Grice-Mullen and O’Niel Wilson and a pass interference call in the endzone that set up a 1 yard Rolly Lumbala touchdown to restore a seven point advantage for the Lions.

After the Ticats punted on their next possession, they had the Lions backed up 2nd and 15 on their own 8 yard line, Printers hit Emmanuel Arceneaux for a 49 pass to keep the drive alive and give the Lions excellent field position. They added a couple more big Acreneaux receptions to keep the drive going to begin the 4th quarter but the drive ended with a Paul McCallum fielg goal to give the Lions the ten point lead, and things started to look good. McCallum added a single before the Ticats drove and cut the lead to 8 points after a Nick Setta field goal.

The Lions got the ball back with 2:09 left but couldn’t sustain a drive, and had to punt giving the Ticats the chance to drive for the tying score with 1:32 left. And drive they would, with big completions to Arland Bruce, Chris Bauman, Marquay McDaniel before finally capping the drive with a touchdown pass to Stala and a 2 point convert to McDaniel to tie the game at 27-27.

The Lions had 22 seconds to work with and appeared to have worked themselves into position to win the game on a field goal after a completion to Geroy Simon inside the Hamilton 20, but the Lions were flagged for procedure on the play, the seventh such penalty of the game against the Lions and the game ended up in overtime, much to the chagrin of Lions fans.

The Lions lost the coin toss and the Ticats elected to start the extra session on defense. The Lions had been throwing all game and on the first play fropm the Ticat 35 yard line in overtime, they caught the Ticats off guard handing off to Martell Mallet who ripped off a 27 yard run to set the Lions up first and goal. On the next play Printers found Ian Smart who dove for the endzone and broke the plane, giving the Lions a 34-27 lead and forcing the Ticats to try and match their touchdown.

Glenn and company couldn’t get the job done, first on a hand-off to Cobb that went nowhere and then Brent Johnson then sacked Glenn, setting up a 3rd and 19 that fell harmlessly incomplete and the Lions had punched their ticket to Montreal next week.

Game Stats

Image Gallery

Highlights

When: 10:00AM Pacific, Sunday November 15^th, 2009
Where: Ivor Wynne Stadium, Hamilton, ON
TV: TSN, TSNHD
Radio: TEAM 1410 AM

The BC Lions were the Hamilton Tiger Cats biggest fans last Sunday, but seven days later they will be enemies in the CFL’s Eastern division semi-final playoff game in Hamilton. The Lions were on playoff life support after losing the final western spot to the Edmonton Eskimos in devastating fashion two days earlier, and the Tiger Cats gave them what they needed to play again by defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers convincingly in Winnipeg.

Hamilton will be hosting their first playoff game since 2001 and have been a rejuvenated franchise in 2009. Under the guidance of former Lions personnel guru Bob O’Billovich and head coach Marcel Bellefeuille, the Ticats captured second place in the CFL East with a 9-9 record, including two wins over the Lions.

Let’s take a look at some of the key issues for this game on both sides of the field, starting with the Lions.

BC will enter the game as underdogs, and under a little mystery as well. Just how healthy their quarterbacks are will likely be a closely guarded secret this week. The latest reports at the time of this preview were that Casey Printers was throwing the ball at the club’s practice facility on Sunday. But according to Printers, that didn’t take place and that he’s taking a wait and see attitude. Wally Buono is confident that Printers will start the game under centre. Travis Lulay is also reportedly ready to begin practicing this week, and should be available as the backup, along with Zac Champion. Buck Pierce may be available as the third option, but it would seem unlikely and a little to foolish to have a player dressed that won’t be able to be effective. Jarious Jackson will not be available.

If the Lions can get some consistency at QB in the game, the rest of the offense can be dangerous. Martell Mallett returned last week, and when he was used he was effective. Newcomers Dean Valli and Justin Sorensen need to step up along with the rest of the offensive line to produce an effective ground game, and keep the QB’s out of the first aid room and on the field.

The Lions are going to need a big game from their receivers as well, who were rendered ineffective last by the Eskimos and the QB situation. Geroy Simon and Paris Jackson both had 1000 yard seasons, and newcomer Emmanuel Arceneaux proved to be a valuable addition. Assuming there is someone to throw them the ball, they will all need a big game Sunday.

On special teams, Ryan Grice-Mullen had a strong game for the Lions last week, one of the few bright spots, and he’ll have to be sharp again. But the Lions will need to do a little better job and focus on not allowing the Ticats a short field by allowing big returns against from the likes of Marquay McDaniel.

The bigger concern by far is on defense, where the Lions were really struggled to stop the run all year, and that included 267 yards to the Ticats DeAndra’ Cobb in the two times they faced him this year. Coming off a disastrous game last week against the Eskimos, this is a serious area of worry heading into the playoffs. The Lions led the league in sacks with 42, and the front four will really need to try and pressure Kevin Glenn in addition to shutting down the run. The club needs much better production from linebackers Jojuan Armour, Javier Glatt and Anton McKenzie, who were clearly frustrated last week against the Eskimos to the point of shouting matches on the bench.

The defense appeared deflated and lifeless against the Eskimos, and their pride will have to be a motivating factor this week against Hamilton, who will be ready to play in front of an amped up Ivor Wynne crowd come game time.

Finally the Lions have to stop taking bad penalties. Procedure, offside, two many men, you name it the Lions are doing it. Discipline and focus have to be present for the Lions to have a shot at success.

Hamilton enters the game coming off of impressive wins over Saskatchewan and Winnipeg. Kevin Glenn, who took over the QB spot from Quinton Porter has provided leadership and experience guiding the Winnipeg attack, passing for over 3000 yards and 18 touchdowns. When Glenn is on he can play with anyone, but consistency has plagued him as well.

DeAndra’ Cobb had his coming out party against the Lions in the first few weeks of the season, He finished third in rushing with 1,294 yards and added over 500 yards receiving. In two games against the Lions, he rushed for 267 yards and two touchdowns, while adding another 102 in thru the air. Of course the Lions will also have to contend with the likes of Arland Bruce, Prechae Rodriguez, Dave Stala and Marqauy McDaniel.

The Cat’s offensive line was a huge part of their rebuilding process and is anchored by Dan Goodspeed and Alexandre. Still though they allowed 40 sacks as a unit, and the Lions will look to pressure Glenn as much as possible.

On defense, the Cats average of 24 points/game was second only to the Montreal Alouettes, and they will look to continue that stinginess led by three former BC Lions in Otis Floyd, Markeith Knowlton and Jamal Johnson. You know Floyd in particular would love to stick it to his former club after not being re-signed by the Lions in the offseason. Johnson wanted to return to BC after a failed NFL tryout, but couldn’t get the guarantee of playing time when the Lions were settled on a new defensive scheme using Javier Glatt and Anton McKenzie. Johnson only went on to lead the Ticats in tackles, setting a club record in the process with 109.

On special teams the Cats may enter the game with Jeremy Ito handling the kicking duties which would be just his second CFL game, his first coming last week in Winnipeg. Injured kicker Nick Setta’s status (Quadricep) is unknown.

The Numbers:

BC Team Stats

Hamilton Team Stats

2009 results:

Friday July 10th: Hamilton 31 at BC 28 :: Recap :: Game Stats :: Highlights

Friday July 31st: BC 18 at Hamilton 30 :: Recap :: Game Stats :: Highlights

The BC Lions woke up this morning needing a helping hand from the Hamilton Tiger Cats if they hoped to play in the CFL playoffs next weekend. Their feline cousins in the east came through with a decisive 39-17 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to knock them out of the playoffs and give the Lions another one of their nine lives.

Of course, the Lions put themselves in this position with an embarrassing 45-13 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos Friday night at BC Place.

The night started poorly for the Lions when on his fifth play from scrimmage, Casey Printers injured the thumb on his throwing hand and could not continue. Buck Pierce would be done 15 plays later and the Lions hopes fell on the shoulders of young Zac Champion, who has been on and off the practice roster all year. But even that wouldn’t matter, because the Lions defense was shredded for 260 yards rushing, and another 248 in the air.

It was like the team quit, and for the third time this season at home, fans left BC Place in droves in the third quarter of a game.

The Eskimos ran the ball right down the Lions throats with Arkee Whitlock amassing 165 yards of their impressive total on the night. Ricky Ray went 19 of 26 on the night, with one TD and one interception.

Even the troubles with short yardage were evident again. With BC needing less than a yard at midfield to sustain a drive, they were stuffed as they have been too many times in the last two seasons, and the result was a 14 point turnaround for the Eskimos to end the half. Things just went from bad to downright embarrassing in the second half with no resistance on defense, and and offense that couldn’t move the ball under the guidance of a young and green QB.

Then there was the penalty for two many men on the field that gave the Eskimos seven points instead of three. Whatever could go wrong, went wrong.

“It’s unbelievable,” said slotback Geroy Simon. “We can’t keep a quarterback healthy to save our lives.”

“This is amazing. It’s like we’ve never played football before. How many quarterbacks do we need to go through in a season?”

“This game is the story of our season. It’s biggest game of the year and we don’t show up to play.”

Indeed, it seemed when Printers went out of the game, so did the Lions fight and that was the most discouraging thing of all for the crowd of over 31,000 in attendance.

The Lions will have their work cutout for them next week against a Hamilton club that swept them this year and ran through them much like the Eskimos and other clubs have done all year. With an uncertain quarterbacking situation and many issues to work through over the next week, the Lions will be clear underdogs in the first playoff game to take place in the the Steel City since 2001.

Reports Sunday indicated that Printers thumb my not be as bad as first thought, and Province beat writer Lowell Ullrich reported on his blog that the thumb was definitely not broken, and that Pinters could be ready to practice Tuesday. Travis Lulay is also reportedly ready to start practicing this week, leaving a possible QB rotation of Printers, Lulay and Champion for the game.

The defense will have their pride tested and will have to solve their run stopping deficiencies in a hurry. The Ticats DeAndra’ Cobb will head into the game against the Lions with the confidence he can have success against their run defense after he racked up 369 yards of offense on the Lions in two games, 267 of them along the ground.

The game will also feature a number of former BC Lions facing their old team. Otis Floyd, Jamal Johnson, Matt Kirk and Markeith Knowlton are all former Lions, as well as GM Bob O’Billovich who was with the Lions for years. Should Printers be able to go there would certainly be an interesting storyline there as well.

Friday night’s game was the last game that will be played under the roof of BC Place Stadium. The team will return to it’s roots and a temporary 30,000 seat facility to be built on the old Empire Stadium site at the PNE next season.

On a night when the BC Lions had the chance to treat their fans by earning a playoff berth, the Calgary Stampeders instead played a cruel trick, stealing the victory 28-26 as time expired with a last-second field goal by Sandro DeAngelis, dropping the Lions to 8-9 and into a third-place tie with the Edmonton Eskimos. The Esks come to BC Place on Friday to close out the regular season.

Again it was run defence which would plague the Lions, who yielded over a hundred yards rushing to Calgary’s Joffrey Reynolds, most critically a twenty-nine yard gallop to set up the DeAngelis game-winner.

With a minute and thirty-five seconds remaining on the clock, it looked good for the Lions, taking a 26-25 lead on a huge, 46-yard toss from Casey Printers to a wide open Paris Jackson.

Unfortunately for the Lions, that was about a dozen seconds too many to have left Henry Burris and the Stampeders. Even so, with a different bounce, it might have been enough for the win, as Anton McKenzie took Burris to the turf and knocked the ball away from the Stamps’ QB. Burris was able to recover, though, and on the following play connected with Jermaine Copeland to sustain the drive and set the stage for the Reynolds run and DeAngelis field goal.

The Lions would come out roaring, holding the Stampeders to a two-and-out on the first series of the game and then moving down the field powered by a pair to Printers-to Emmanuel Arceneaux passes- for seven and then sixty yards- to set up the A.J. Harris one yard run for the major.

After the ensuing kickoff, Calgary was again held to two-and-out, and the Lions would move the ball courtesy of another deep throw from Casey Printers, this time to Paris Jackson for thirty-five yards, down to the Calgary 36. The drive would stall there, though, and the Lions would settle for the first of four Paul McCallum field goals to take the early 10-0 edge.

The quarter would close with Calgary getting on the scoreboard, with two completions from Burris to Rob Cote for twenty-eight yards apiece setting the stage for Burris to take the ball in from the one.

With Burris having seemingly found his stride, it was the Lions’ turn for the offense to stagnate. going two-and-out to kick the ball back to the Stampeders. This time, Burris spread the ball around, completing passes to Copeland, Cote,and finally a fifty-three yarder to Romby Bryant to take the ball down to the BC 8. Two plays later, Burris found Nik Lewis in the end zone to make it 14-10, Calgary.

Ryan Grice-Mullen would take the ensuing kickoff seventy-three yards to give the Lions excellent field position, but they’d end up settling for McCallum’s second of the evening, this one from twenty-six yards out.

The Lions would yield a single before closing out the half with another McCallum field goal to take a 16-15 lead to the locker room at the half.

The first twelve minutes of the third quarter would pass without scoring, until McCallum capitalized from twenty-six yards to stretch the lead to four, where it would remain going into the final frame. After Burke Dales found the coffin corner, pinning the Lions at their own seven. After a Printers scramble got the Lions out of the shadow of their own goal posts, a sack would put them right back in them, and McCallum yielded the safety touch.

Burris would go deep again, completing a fifty-three yarder to Bryant before he fumbled, losing the ball to Tad Crawford after Darren Toney knocked it out. The offense was unable to capitalize, though, moving the ball twenty-one yards before kicking it back to Calgary.

Burris moved the Stampeders again, finding Lewis for twenty-three before scrambling for five. Reynolds would carry the ball twice for a combined thirty yards setting up Burris’ second rushing TD from a yard out to put the visitors up by six. with just over six minutes to play. Neither team would mount much of a threat until the three-minute warning.

Then it was Printers’ turn to answer Burris’ fireworks, driving the Lions eighty-six yards for the go-ahead touchdown, capped with the toss to Jackson for the score.

The offense definitely suffers from the absence of Martell Mallett, running for only 67 yards on thirteen attempts, four of those Printers scrambles for a net of 41. Printers’ passing numbers were a respectable 22 of 35 for 337 yards and a touchdown- eight to Geroy Simon for 103 yards, five to Arceneaux for 110 and three for 91 to Jackson. He also threw one interception.

The Lions defence held Burris to 17-of-31, but yielded 306 yards through the air and 140 on the ground. McKenzie, Ricky Foley and Korey Banks all notched sacks for the Lions.

Former CFL MOP Casey Printers made his return to the field for the BC Lions Saturday and it was like old times in many ways, but his only mistake of the night proved to be a costly one as the Lions dropped a 33-30 overtime decision to the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Mosaic field in Regina.

Printers started the game looking a little nervous on his first drive, on which he had good field position thanks to a nice kick return by Tristan George to start the game. As Lions fans have seen far too much of this season, the offense was stopped on 2 and 1 and turned the ball over on downs.

The Riders punted and on BC’s next drive Printers evaded several tacklers to find Geroy Simon and set up a field goal to open the scoring.

Riders went two and out on their first two possessions, but proceeded to have a nice drive to end the first and begin the 2nd quarter highlighted by a 60 yard completion over the middle from Darian Durant to Rob Bagg. A favourable spot on 2nd and 1 when it appeared the Lions had stuffed the Riders, gave the Riders a first down and two plays later Stephen Jyles followed the surge from his line up the middle to give the Riders a 7-3 lead on the converted touchdown.

Both teams failed to respond on their next possessions but eventually Durant found Bagg again in single coverage on a 32 yard touchdown pass to extend the Rider lead to 11. The teams then took turns kicking field goals including a nice 22 second march executed by Printers make the score 17-9 for the Riders at halftime.

The Riders opened the 3rd with a single off a Congi 54 yard punt. On the Lions first play of their second drive, centre Angus Reid went down with a badly sprained ankle on a 7 yard Martell Mallett run and the Lions were stopped on 2nd and 3 with about a yard remaining. The drive stalled, with Buono opting to punt rather than take the chance with his challenged short yardage offense on 2nd and 1. Reid would return to the game, hobbling around on one leg, reportedly refusing to be pulled.

Following a nice return by Michael Bumpus, Printers a 34 yard catch and run with Emmanuel Arceneaux to make the score 18-16. McCallum’s kickoff went out of bounds again, setting the riders up at the 45 to start their drive, but they went two and out and punted. Field position shifted however and after the Lions failed to get a first down, McCallum continued to struggle shanking the ensuing punt, and the Riders started at the BC 44 yard lie. The Riders settled for a single off a wide left 42 yard Congi field goal.

Jason Armstead provided some spark for the Riders on a big return, but the Lions defense held again. Congi added a 35 yard field goal to make the score 22-16 Saskatchewan with a 1:29 left in the 3rd quarter.

Then the injury bug really started to bite. Martell Mallett hurt went out with a leg injury and did not return. But on the very next play AJ Harris had nice run to bring the Lions near midfield. A Holding penalty moved the Lions back and Geroy Simon came up a yard short on a 2nd and 20. The Lions punted and pinned the Riders deep and appeared to have them ready to concede the safety but a bad pass interference penalty on LB Jojuan Amour gave the Riders a second life and they worked their way out from deep in their own end with three straight first downs but punted to end the drive.

Printers then hit Geroy Simon on a long pass to put the Lions on the Rider 19. A holding penalty put the Lions 1st and 20 on the 29, but Printers evaded the rush on the next play and launched a pass into the end zone that created a showboat catch by Michael Bumpus to give the Lions the lead at 23-22.

The teams exchanged punts before Barron Miles jumped on a medium route over the middle and picked off Darian Durant returning it to the house to give the Lions a 30-22 lead with just over 3 minutes remaining and the momentum looked to be in the Lions favour. But the TD proved costly, as Miles tweaked a hamstring on the return and had to come out on the next Rider drive. The Riders took advantage targeting backup Tad Crawford and marching down field for the tying touchdown with the successful two point convert.

The Lions were forced to punt and the Riders had enough time to get into position to try a 50 yard field goal but the kick was a little off target and hit the upright, sending the game to overtime. With the Riders having the first possession they appeared to have scored a go ahead TD but the replay showed former Lion Jason Clermont did not maintain possession on the catch and Riders settled for a field goal.

Crowd noise and the Riders continuous practice of blitzing then played a factor as the Lions took two procedure calls costing them nine yards on their drives. Still though, Printers got them close, hitting Paris Jackson over the middle and setting the Lions up first and goal. But the Riders brought the pressure again, and Printers, scrambling for his life chose to throw to Simon in triple coverage, and the Riders intercepted it, ending the game, and giving the Riders the 33-30 overtime win. It looked like Simon was held on the play, but there was no flag.

The Lions battled hard, but came up just short. Casey Printers finished the game 19-of-31 for 339 yards for two touchdowns and the one interception.

Extra Yards:

• S Barron Miles had his 64th and 65th career interceptions in the game.
• WR Michael Bumpus likely earned himself another look after replacing Ryan Grice-Mullen with a nice return and a great touchdown catch.
• Casey Printers finished the game 19-of-31 for 339 yards for two touchdowns and the one interception.
• The game was tough injury-wise for the Lions with Angus Reid (ankle), Martell Mallet (leg/foot), Barron Miles (hamstring) all getting nicked up.
• Travis Lulay (shoulder) didn’t even dress for the Lions, while Buck Pierce did.

In a stunning last-minute pair of game-shifts, the Lions gave up the lead, reclaimed it with less than twenty seconds left to play on a 62-yard touchdown by Geroy Simon, and went on to defeat the Edmonton Eskimos 34-31.

It was a rough opening quarter in chilly Edmonton for the host Eskimos, and not merely on the thermometer. As cold as it was on the field, to open the game, the Esks were colder, as the BC Lions defence kept Edmonton from registering a single first down in the first quarter.

The Lions’ offense wasn’t much warmer, but still generated a Paul McCallum field goal in the quarter. After what appeared to be another botched short yardage attempt by the Lions on 2nd and short was aided by a face masking penalty by Maurice Lloyd Pierce connected on a 39-yard strike to Geroy Simon on the second play of the second quarter, putting the Lions u 10-1.

Continuing in the second, things looked to be heating up for the Lions, who capitalized with a ten-yard run by Martell Mallett after a James Yurichek interception of a third-down pass attempt/fake punt by Edmonton kicker Noel Prefontaine. The “Hammer’s” touchdown made the score 17-1 in favour of the visitors from British Columbia.

The Eskimos’ offense finally started to thaw, with a seven play, eighty yards drive, capped off with a forty-yard touchdown reception by the Esk’s Fred Stamps. The teams would trade field goals to head into the locker room with the Lions up by 9, 20-11.

To open the third quarter, the Lions offense would roar once again, with Pierce throwing to Ryan Grice-Mullen for the major, giving the Lions what looked to be a reasonably comfortable 27-11 lead.

From there it was all Eskimos, with the confines of Commonwealth Stadium finally warming to the hosts. Edmonton clawed back into the game with a touchdown and two Prefontaine field goals to pull within a field goal at 27-24. The Lions struggled on offense and couldn’t get valuable first downs. The field position started to shift in Edmonton’s favour. After another sloppy series, a shanked 20 yard Paul McCallum punt left the Eskimos with the ball on the Lions 28 yard line. They would drive the ball down to the one and Ricky Ray plunged in from the there to give the Eskimos a four point lead with just under a minute to play. It was starting to look as if the Lions may end up snake-bitten in spite of what had been a fairly solid effort on both sides of the ball.

With just fifty-seven seconds remaining in the game, the Lions got the ball back seventy-five yards from pay-dirt and trailing by four. Short completions from Pierce to O’Neil Wilson and Simon netted the Lions thirteen yards, but at the cost of about a third of their remaining time.

A Pierce incompletion intended for Wilson would stop the clock with just twenty-two ticks remaining, and then the Lions caught lightning in a bottle. Pierce found a seam in the Eskimos’ secondary and despite double coverage connected with Geroy Simon on a 62-yard touchdown to pull out the victory.

The Lions’ defence managed to keep Edmonton QB Ricky Ray from getting comfortable in the pocket, registering four sacks, with Anton McKenzie, Jeremy Gibbs, Korey Banks and Ricky Foley each collecting one. Banks and McKenzie’s both came at crucial junctures when it seemed that Ray had finally uncovered something in the BC secondary, helping to keep the Esks out of the red zone and forcing them to settle for the second of Prefontaine’s field goals in the fourth quarter.

Special teams play definitely noted the absence of Sean Whyte, as McCallum’s eight punts on the night only averaged thirty-two and a half yards- likely due in part to the cold temperatures- but with the last two of the evening traveling only thirty-one and twenty yards, each with double-digit yard returns, the stage was set for the Eskimos offense with a short field.

Tonight belonged to the receivers, though, even in the absence of the injured Paris Jackson. Geroy Simon led the way with nine catches for 170 yards and the two long touchdowns. Emmanuel Arceneaux also had a solid performance, reeling in seven balls for eighty-eight yards before leaving the game with a hand injury.

The win lifts the Lions to 7-7 on the season, only two points back of division-leading Calgary and tied for second with Saskatchewan. The Riders host Toronto tomorrow, while Calgary faces off with Montreal at Percival Molson Stadium in the opener of the Thanksgiving Day doubleheader.

On a personal note, to my friends back in the Home and Native Land, happy Thanksgiving on Monday. May you enjoy the holiday with friends and family and really appreciate all that you have; and keep warm thoughts for the man and women of the Canadian Forces in their peacekeeping roles around the world who may be spending the time far away from their loved ones.

Down here in the States, my family will join with you, even in absentia, probably in the company of another expat family.

Until next Sunday, when the Lions tangle with the Blue Bombers, I wish you well!

This past March, one of the CFL’s biggest and most knowledgeable fans, Ritch Dowrey was the victim of a senseless and brutal assault that left him with severe brain injuries. The road to recovery will be a long one, as Ritch has to relearn to do life’s most routine things. Fighting his way through the coma he was left in by his attacker, Ritch is now in a group home in Langley where he needs constant care and he’s receiving daily rehab to try and get his speech and coordination back.

Anyone who knows Ritch or “3rd Down” as he’s known to his CFL friends will know that he loves his Lions, and he loves the CFL. Ritch could tell you stories of old Lions games, and recall great memories and stats from the past. He was never shy to be controversial on his opinions on the game, or the events surrounding it. For instance, when the BC Lions traded Ritch’s favourite player Damon Allen to the Toronto Argonauts, Ritch showed up at the tailgate with a BC Lions white jersey, that he unsuccessfully tried to dye blue. The point was made and his loyalty to “Gumby” never wavered.

Part of the rehab process for Ritch is to try and engage him in activities that used to interest him in the past, and the BC Lions certainly qualify. This day had been planned for about a month by his friends and family and the Lions organization. Ritch had plenty of interaction with players, and proudly sported his #1 Dowrey jersey that the club gave him when he was in the hospital. But sometimes things were truly meant to be. One of Ritch’s favourite Lions, Casey Printers, just happened to sign with the team the day before, and was attending his first practice on this day. Ritch was a staunch supporter of Casey through the years, and was always calling for the return of “Caseymania” to BC. Casey was the last one off the field, but took the time to sign Ritch’s jersey, talk to him a bit and pose for a picture with his biggest fan.

I’ve been visiting Ritch since he was in a coma. I’ve seen him make a lot of progress and I’ve often left him after a visit feeling sad. Not so today because it was inspiring to me to see his face light up when Geroy Simon came to say hello. To watch his eyes light up when his daughter Carolyn arrived, and the connection they had.

There is no doubt that Ritch is facing a third and long in life but he’s a fighter, and he’s come a long way. He seemed to enjoy and thrive at times today, and the next step will be to have him attend a game, hopefully this season.

Thanks should go out to Jill and Sheila from Connect Communities, Brittany Ramsay of the BC Lions and Ritch’s friend Lindsay Wincherauk for their help in making this day happen for Ritch, and to the players who came to spend some time with him after practice. I think it was a positive experience for him and I was happy to be able to experience it. I am sure I speak for all of Ritch’s CFL friends when I say to Carolyn, Curtis, Jean, Allan and the rest of Ritch’s family, that is there is anything we can do we’ll be there.

I took some photos and I’ve compiled them in the photo gallery below. Please feel free to leave comments for the family, or for Ritch himself and spread the word to his CFL friends.

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Do you believe in Karma? Well, I am sure that fans of the Montreal Alouettes do today, after their club snatched a victory from the BC Lions in the final minute by a score of 28-24 in front of the 91^st straight sellout at Molson Pervical Stadium in Montreal.

Last weekend a league error robbed the Als of a touchdown that would have potentially tied the game, but this week there would be no question, as Avon Cobourne crossed the goal line with 50 seconds left on the clock to put the Alouettes ahead to stay.

The game was the story of two halves, with the defenses on both teams dictating the tempo in the first half, and the offenses taking over in the second to make for an exciting game that went down to the wire for the second straight week.

The Lions started off well, with an interception by corner Dante Marsh on the Als first drive, but the offense couldn’t take advantage of the play, and the teams traded punts for the first quarter, and Lions kicker Sean Whyte hit the upright on a 27 yard field goal. The two teams entered the 2^nd quarter scoreless.

The Alouettes opened the scoring at 8:53 of the second quarter after a 5 play 72 yard dive culminated in an Anthony Calvillo completion to Jamal Richardson in the end zone to give the Als a 7-0 lead, the teams would three field goals, two by the Als that would see the score 13-3 Montreal at the half.

In the second half the Lions started things off with a bang and a turnover, sacking Anthony Calvillo and setting up great field position for the Lions. The Lions would strike on the next play with Jackson hitting former Alouette O’Neill Wilson in the end zone to make it a three-point game.

The Lions got closer when Larry Taylor bobbled a punt that was recovered by Jason Three plays later, Grice-Mullen scored on a one-yard reverse at 3:37 of the fourth.

Then on their very next possession, the Jarious Jackson hit Geroy Simon on a 43 yard catch and run, and the Lions has a 24-20 lead late in the fourth. The Als got what would be an important single off a Duval punt, and then facing a second and long on their own 29 yard line, Calvillo found a wide open Kerry Watkins on a 56 yard strike that would set the stage for the Als to complete the last minute comeback.

Wally Buono agreed, that was the key play of the game. ““I thought the big thing was making that key play on second down,” said B.C. coach Wally Buono. “I think if we could have stopped them there, the game would have been ours.” said Buono, who missed a chance to set the all-time CFL coaching record in his home town in front of friends and family.

Mark Trestman wasn’t so sure how much last weeks result helped his club.

“This game had nothing to do with vindication or getting our just desserts,” said Trestman. “This was a team that got off the plane and worked very hard this week.

“They played hard and we played hard and we were fortunate enough to win.”

Extra Yards:

• The loss denied Buono a chance to become the most successful coach in CFL history. He remains tied with Don Matthews at 231 career victories.
• The Als held Martell Mallet, who had a team-record 213 rushing yards last week to 66 yards on 14 carries.
• Jarious Jackson completed 16 passes for 228 yards, including 128 yards on seven catches by Geroy Simon.
• The Lions wore their retor uniforms for the the second time this season, both times on the road. It sure would be nice if the hometown fans got a glimpse of them at BC Place.