B.C. Lions general manager Ryan Rigmaiden is jacked.
The Lions begin training camp this week in Kamloops and to state that Rigmaiden and the organization is optimistic is an understatement.
The goal is to win the Grey Cup and anything less will not be acceptable.
The start of the season always spawns optimism and hope. Sometimes that optimism disappears as reality sets in, but in this case, that optimism and hope is warranted.
Despite a 2-5 start in 2025, the Lions rallied to finish 11-7 and host a playoff game against Calgary which they won 33-30. Unfortunately the following week, the Lions season ended in Regina when they lost 27-21 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Riders, of course, would go on and win the Grey Cup.
So why does this team feel that it’s going to get to the next level?
Let’s start with Rigmaiden and head coach Buck Pierce – both of whom were rookies last year in their respective roles.
Year two sees both executing their responsibilities with more confidence.
“Just from an evaluation standpoint and just getting to know Buck and the coaches in terms of what they specifically want, I think I’ve skewed the way I evaluate more into what Buck specifically needs. I think in my younger years, I would always lean towards athleticism and just pure performance. But we need to get the right guys – not the best guys – for what Buck needs on offense and for what Mike (Benevides) needs on defence,” said Rigmaiden.
Another lesson learned from last season for Rigmaiden was that being away from the team for extended periods while scouting may not have been the best thing.
“I think being present here is very important – that’s both for me and the club. I need to get a pulse on things all the time and that’s comes with being here day-to-day. You need to know how your guys are feeling. When you’re on the practice field, you can kind of get a feel of maybe why a guy is struggling a little bit. Maybe something’s going on at home that I don’t know about. Maybe it’s something else. That type of stuff is important for me to understand. If I’m on the road at an NFL camp, I can’t do that, so I’ll be here more. I think that’s important for me,” said Rigmaiden.
As for the team itself, Rigmaiden loves the direction the organization is going in.
“I just believe in everything that we’re doing. I love Buck and the process and the toughness that he’s brought in. I think the culture shift has been huge,” said Rigmaiden, who believes the additions of linebacker Darnell Sankey and defensive tackle Casey Sayles will add more toughness to the team.
Offensively, Rigmaiden is extremely excited to see what Pierce and star quarterback Nathan Rourke can come up with this season. To give you an idea of how far the offence has advanced from this time last year, the ‘install’ in training camp in Kamloops 12 months ago was basic. This year’s ‘install’ is the package that the team was running in the playoff game in Regina. Simply put, the offence has gone from 100-level classes to post-graduate work in a year.
Yes, the Lions did lose all-star tackle Jarell Broxton in free agency to Winnipeg but Rigmaiden hopes Dejon Allen can regain the form which made him the CFL’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman in 2023 while a member of the Toronto Argonauts. Allen missed a chunk of training camp with a back injury and when he did return a triceps injury sidelined him again.
If Allen can rebound, he will make up for the loss of Broxton but Rigmaiden says the offensive line will have to get better across the board. There is also the possibility that the team could start four Americans up front as well.
Defensively, the biggest question the team faces is how the secondary comes together.
The unit lost outstanding rookie corner Robert Carter Jr. to the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL while veterans Garry Peters and T.J. Lee are a year older. Safety Cristophe Beaulieu is rehabbing a knee injury and won’t be able to start the season although Jackson Findlay, who was a pleasant surprise as a rookie, will man the safety spot in his place.
“I won’t say it’s a concern but it’s the one area on the team that we really have to focus on. The good news is that we’ve brought in C.J. Coldon from Ottawa. We now have another vet to go along with GP, and T.J. Lee. Then we’ve got Jackson. The challenge for the coaches will be how to get enough reps for the young guys that we’re really high on. How do we make sure that we give them enough reps to where they can have an opportunity to develop in the camp? That’s the challenge – how do we allow some of the young players to emerge just like Robert did last year?” said Rigmaiden.
One thing that the organization will be focusing on is to win the Western Division and to gain home field advantage in the Western Final.
“When we were 2-5 last year, we could have made some drastic changes but we didn’t. We believe in what we were doing and that paid off, but it also taught me that we need to win the West. It is hard to go through Saskatchewan and it is hard to go through Winnipeg. That means getting home field advantage is absolutely huge,” said Rigmaiden.
The journey starts this week in Kamloops with Rigmaiden hoping it culminates with a trip to Calgary for the 113th Grey Cup on Nov. 15.
“I think we’ve got a roster that can win a Grey Cup. I think we came extremely close last year, so I couldn’t be happier going into this season,” said Rigmaiden.
Veteran B.C. sports personality Bob ‘The Moj’ Marjanovich writes about the B.C. sporting scene for Black Press Media.
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