{"id":187087,"date":"2025-10-03T09:09:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T09:09:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/187087\/"},"modified":"2025-10-03T09:09:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T09:09:08","slug":"outstanding-late-additions-put-b-c-lions-improved-pass-rush-at-forefront-of-playoff-push","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/187087\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Outstanding’ late additions put B.C. Lions’ improved pass rush at forefront of playoff push"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Photo courtesy: Jaclyn McKee\/B.C. Lions<\/p>\n

As the B.C. Lions prepare for Saturday\u2019s Gravy Bowl, defensive coordinator Mike Benevides has learned firsthand how a last-minute drizzle onto your dinner plate can make the flavours pop.<\/p>\n

In his case, the role of the thickened meat drippings has been filled by a couple of fresh-faced defensive linemen, Levi Bell and Bradlee Anae. Since the pair were poured from the negotiation list into the defensive rotation a few weeks ago, the Lions\u2019 pass rush has earned a Michelin star.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been blessed to be in this league for 25 years. It\u2019s happened once where we brought an offensive tackle in 2014 that had to come in on Sunday and play that week,\u201d Benevides said of the Lions\u2019 unusually impactful late additions. \u201cThis year, it\u2019s been three times where a guy comes in that week and plays, whether it\u2019s Levi or Bradlee, and then, obviously, (defensive back T.J. Lee) as a veteran.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe additions have been outstanding. I think (B.C. general manager Ryan Rigmaiden) and the rest of the crew have brought in some new players that are outstanding, and we\u2019re getting better at the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Defensive pressure had been a weak point for the Lions, contributing to a string of poor results. Interior linemen Jonah Tavai and Tomasi Laulile were consistently impactful, while former Most Outstanding Defensive Player Mathieu Betts continued to create some disruption off the edge, but the group as a whole struggled to get home. The unit\u2019s problems were only amplified when starting defensive end Sione Teuhema was lost to the six-game injured list, leaving the front office scrambling for solutions.<\/p>\n

Enter Bell, who was signed by the team on August 28 and took to the field eight days later against Ottawa. Anae joined the fray a week later under similar circumstances \u2014 coincidentally, the start of the franchise\u2019s current winning streak. Both had been coveted prospects on the club\u2019s exclusive negotiation list, but their sudden arrival and tangible impact have exceeded even the loftiest expectations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you look at those two guys, they play physical and they play fast,\u201d Benevides remarked. \u201cA lot of times right now, defensive ends aren\u2019t winning the sack races. They didn\u2019t last year, because the ball is out so fast. You\u2019ve got to be good and comfortable being a speed-to-power guy. You could have all the fancy moves you want, but the balls out so fast with these veteran quarterbacks. (Bell and Anae) understand pass rush edges \u2014 they play physical, they play fast.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bell was coveted by multiple CFL teams as an undersized end with a relentless motor, bouncing from neg list to neg list as he bided his time in the NFL and UFL. The Lions were the lucky ones holding his rights when he elected to come north<\/a>, and while his statistical impact has been quiet \u2014 just nine defensive tackles through four games \u2014 the Texas State product\u2019s raw power has led to him holding the fifth-highest run defence grade by any edge rusher this season according to Pro Football Focus.<\/p>\n

Anae\u2019s pedigree was even better as a former fifth-round NFL Draft pick<\/a>, and he\u2019s made a bigger splash on the box score. The consensus All-American from Utah has made four defensive tackles, one special teams tackle, and notched a sack in each of the two games he has played, including a strip sack last week. That earned him the highest weekly grade of any defensive player in the league from PFF<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, no one has shone brighter since the new pass rushers came into the fold than the incumbent star, Mathieu Betts. Now in sole control of first place in the CFL sack race, an incredible nine of his 13 QB takedowns have occurred in the last three weeks, as newfound roster flexibility has kept him rested and in advantageous matchups.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s allowed us to rotate and just let those guys play, so when it comes to the fourth quarter, No. 90 is ready to go,\u201d Benevides acknowledged.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re moving him around \u2014 he\u2019s playing over the guard, he\u2019s playing over the centre, he\u2019s playing over the tackle. He\u2019s in multiple positions; they can\u2019t just chip him off the edge. Then, with the other guys contributing, he feels fresher at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Betts, in typical fashion, has shrugged off his recent surge in production, insisting that little has changed. However, he spoke glowingly of his new teammates and the attitudes they\u2019ve brought to the league.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been good, both of them in their own way. I feel like they\u2019ve really enjoyed being here, jumped into what we\u2019re doing, and were open-minded,\u201d he said. \u201cBradlee, even during the game last week, just having a good time; you see that he has fun doing it. I feel like when you do that, things come your way. Levi is just somebody who works really hard and wants to succeed, cares about the success of the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

The respect is more than mutual, as the two American rookies have taken time to pick the Canadian veteran\u2019s brain. At practice this week, Bell and Betts stood in the background, walking through pass rush moves, as Anae addressed the media, contrasting this experience to the one he had as a youngster entering the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like he\u2019s also a coach. I\u2019m able to go to him anytime, and he mentors me. I\u2019m just grateful for that,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of veteran guys aren\u2019t like that, especially coming from the NFL. It\u2019s not like that, it\u2019s all \u2018You\u2019re on your own, buddy,\u2019 but not here. It\u2019s been nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Betts, the logic is simple and the results are clear. When his production was faltering earlier in the year, quiet speculation began that his massive contract could make him expendable in the offseason. But by helping to get two players up to speed that he could have regarded as potential contenders for his job, he has elevated the team and opened up opportunities for himself in the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re focused on winning, and the more people we have on the same page, the easier it is,\u201d Betts said. \u201cI put myself in their shoes. You missed out on training camp and two-thirds of the season, so if you want to come and actually be able to help the team, you need to know what we\u2019re doing. That\u2019s what we\u2019ve been trying to build.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Lions are now in the midst of a three-game winning streak, buoyed by a pass rush that suddenly has the second-most sacks in the CFL with 35. 17 of those have come in the four weeks since Bell broke the seal as the first late-season addition, making former second-round NFL Draft pick and Week 1 starter Kemoko Turay expendable in the process<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now, a home playoff game is potentially back on the menu as the team approaches a Thanksgiving bye week. A win over the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday would push B.C. into second place in the West, and they are already well-positioned to own the tiebreaker thanks to a Week 16 blowout that came without Anae in the lineup.<\/p>\n

In advance of the game, B.C. may have made yet another impactful addition to their front by inking 11th overall CFL Draft pick Hayden Harris<\/a>, who could suit up this weekend. If he has even a fraction of the impact down the stretch that Bell and Anae have already made, it would be another massive success.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a scary prospect for opponents, knowing that the unit has yet to reach its peak.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are still a lot of things that they\u2019re learning on the fly,\u201d Benevides said. \u201cThey\u2019re far from being what they can be, but they\u2019re just playing physical and they\u2019re playing hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

The B.C. Lions (8-7) will host the Calgary Stampeders (8-6) at BC Place Stadium on Saturday, October 4 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 770 CHQR in Calgary and 730 CKNW in Vancouver.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo courtesy: Jaclyn McKee\/B.C. Lions As the B.C. Lions prepare for Saturday\u2019s Gravy Bowl, defensive coordinator Mike Benevides…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":187088,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-187087","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cfl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-canadian-football-league","11":"tag-canadianfootballleague","12":"tag-cfl","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187087"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187087\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}