A good start.
It was a point of emphasis by B.C. Lions general manager Ryan Rigmaiden and head coach Buck Pierce during training camp in Kamloops.
The Lions were 2-5 after two months of play last season but rallied to finish at 11-7 and second in the Western Division.
That start cost the Lions first place – and home field advantage against Saskatchewan in the playoffs.
It proved to be critical as the Riders won the Western Final 24-21 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina to advance to the Grey Cup, which they won when they defeated the Montreal Alouettes by a 25-17 score.
So losing to the Riders 31-27 last weekend in Regina puts the Lions (0-1) in a precarious position as they head to Hamilton to take on the Tiger-Cats (1-1) Friday night (4:30 p.m., TSN; 730 CKNW).
Lose and they’re suddenly 0-2 and looking up at the four other teams in the Western Division.
Needless to say, the Lions are looking for a big win in Hamilton.
“They’re a very good team and it’s a big challenge for us going on the road. It’s always a tough environment. They’ve put up a lot of points the last couple of weeks, so we are going to have to bring our best game,” stated quarterback Nathan Rourke of the Tiger-Cats, who lost 30-27 to Montreal in overtime in their season opener at home before rebounding with a 37-27 victory in Winnipeg last Thursday.
“Offensively, we need to stay on the field and finish drives with touchdowns. We had opportunities offensively that we didn’t capitalize on. We have to make sure we convert when we need to convert. We also need to be better on first down too. We had too many second-and-longs last week. That and we need to get better field position when we start drives,” added Pierce.
While the offence had some success despite having to deal with several injuries in Regina, the defence – and in particular defensive co-ordinator Mike Benevides – took a lot of heat for their performance against Riders in which Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw for 417 yards against the Leos.
“Saskatchewan has a good offence and they did some nice things. There are things to be cleaned up every week but I did see some good things out there from the defence,” noted Pierce.
It won’t get any easier this week in Hamilton with quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, who leads the CFL incompletion percentage at 84.1 and has thrown for 594 yards in two games.
If the Lions are to win, they’ll need to improve on the defensive side of the ball.
If they don’t, that good start the organization was emphasizing will be in jeopardy.
EXTRA POINTS:
• The Lions receiving corps took a big hit in Regina. Seven McGee was injured in the first quarter and it looks like his season is over due to a foot injury. Stanley Berryhill injured a hamstring and is questionable to play in Hamilton while Jevon Cottoy (thigh) is also a longshot. The club re-signed receiver Jermaine Jackson, who was with the Lions last year but was cut in training camp. Jackson is expected to dress against Hamilton while rookie Nick Cenacle will also probably be inserted into the lineup. Another player who could draw into the lineup is rookie receiver Silas Bolden, who had some success in the return game during pre-season.
• Former Lions running back Sean Millington was a special guest at practice on Tuesday and addressed the team at the end of practice. More on Millington Friday on your local Black Press website.
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