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<\/p>\nFraudulent.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the word one long-time CFL executive used to describe the BC Lions last season.<\/p>\n
I wouldn\u2019t disagree.<\/p>\n
A team that roared out to a 5-1 start limped home with a 4-8 record to finish the season at 9-9.<\/p>\n
So when people start talking about how great the 21-20 win against the Alouettes in Montreal was last Saturday, you have to take a step back and look at the entire body of work.<\/p>\n
Yes, there were some good facets to the Lions\u2019 performance but there are a lot of things that need to be cleaned up moving forward against the Edmonton Elks this Sunday in Alberta (4 pm TSN, CKNW 730, Sheer E Punjab Radio 600).<\/p>\n
First off, there are the penalties.<\/p>\n
The Lions were the least penalized team in the CFL through their first three games, being flagged just 14 times for 118 yards.<\/p>\n
The last two weeks have been a different story.<\/p>\n
The Lions took 14 penalties for 125 yards against Saskatchewan and then got dinged 11 times for 146 yards in Montreal.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not only the frequency of the penalties but when the penalties have been occurring as the Lions have had two touchdowns taken off the board and had to settle for field goals both against Saskatchewan and Montreal.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not sustainable for sure. That\u2019s one of the fastest ways to give the opponents first downs. Penalties on special teams give them field position. Pre-snap penalties on offence obviously hurt you. That\u2019s not winning football. You talk about being clean. So it\u2019s an area of focus for us. It\u2019s something that we have to continue to communicate and inspect and to identify the individuals that are having issues with penalties and see how we can remedy that,\u201d Lions head coach Buck Pierce admitted when the subject was broached.<\/p>\n
Turnovers have been another issue for the team as they go into the Edmonton game with a league-high 15. The closest team to the Leos is Winnipeg with eight, while Saskatchewan has a CFL-low five.<\/p>\n
Throw in some big plays given up on defence \u2013 and on some big plays missed on offence \u2013 and there is a lot of room for growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always want to look at areas of improvement and that\u2019s the main focus. There are still some parts of our game that we need to continue to improve on, where mistakes are still showing up. You look at the last three weeks, we\u2019ve had some missed assignments and a few busts here and there. We need to clean up our communication. We just need to get everybody back on the same page,\u201d said Pierce.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As we stated previously, not all is bad with this Lions team.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the biggest positive Pierce sees is that his club continues to battle no matter what the circumstances.<\/p>\n
\u201cGuys stepped up and made plays at critical times in Montreal. They\u2019re a resilient group and they\u2019ve been fighting every week. You just got to make sure you\u2019re able to overcome the mistakes you make in the game to put yourself in a position to win,\u201d stated Pierce<\/p>\n
As this team tries to continually grow and hopefully peak when the time is right, there is one thing that Pierce\u2019s team is focusing on.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s to improve steadily each week. We\u2019re sticking to our process of accountability and in the standard of what we expect. It\u2019s got to come from within. It can\u2019t just come from coaches. It has to come from the players too. They have to echo that message to their teammates and live by it. Winning is hard. You don\u2019t just win on game day. You win every day. You win with your decisions that you make away from the football field. You win in meetings. That\u2019s what it\u2019s got to be about, and that\u2019s what I mean by the process. It\u2019s not just the 60 minutes on the field where you go play and hopefully execute. It\u2019s all the time leading up to the game and how you prepare. We have to stick to our process. We have to dial it up,\u201d explained Pierce.<\/p>\n
Given that mandate, hopefully this version of the Lions will get stronger as the season progresses.<\/p>\n
At least it won\u2019t be called fraudulent.<\/p>\n
EXTRA POINTS: <\/p>\n
*With injuries piling up on the offensive line, and in particular with Canadians, the Lions signed veteran free agent Hunter Steward. The 33-year-old played for the Elks last season but then went unsigned in free agency. It\u2019s his second stint with BC, having played here from 2014 through 2021. He supplies depth on an O-line that has seen Michael Couture (hand) join the likes of Tyler Packer (concussion), Dejon Allen (arm) and David Foucault (leg) on the injured list.<\/p>\n
*Sean Whyte has an active streak of 22 consecutive field goals made, which is the second-longest active streak behind Hamilton\u2019s Marc Liegghio, who has hit 24 straight. According to CFL stats guru Steve Daniel, it\u2019s the sixth streak of Whyte\u2019s career of 22 or more consecutive field goals made.<\/p>\n
*A win against Edmonton on Sunday will give BC the season series. The Lions defeated the Elks 31-14 on June 7th in the season opener for both teams and will conclude their season series on October 17th in Vancouver.<\/p>\n
*The Lions have announced that the upper bowl will be open for the game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday, July 19.<\/p>\n
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