Hand out the parachutes! Once known as the highest-flying team in the CFL, the B.C. Lions have lost both engines and entered freefall.
The tailspin continued on Saturday night in the nation’s capital, as B.C. fell 34-27 to the Ottawa Redblacks. It was their fifth consecutive loss, dropping them below .500 on the season.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Cut to ribbons
We all know what the public discourse will focus on but anyone trying to pin this loss on the quarterback position is either willfully trying to stir controversy or simply didn’t turn on the TV.
At the risk of being simplistic, the B.C. Lions suffered their fifth straight defeat because the defence was helpless to stop the Redblacks’ passing attack. Dru Brown moved the ball with impunity through a porous secondary, completing 28-of-37 attempts for 390 yards and three touchdowns.
It started on Ottawa’s very first play from scrimmage, as Emmanuel Rugamba found himself in the chase position on Bralon Addison and gave up 42 yards on a corner route. It was a sign of things to come, as Addison and his teammate Justin Hardy seemed to alternate big plays virtually unadulterated for much of the evening.
Brown played his role well, delivering a couple of beautiful throws including a dime to Jaelon Acklin over the shoulder of linebacker Ryder Varga for the Redblacks’ first major. However, his other two touchdowns had more to do with horrific tackling than brilliant passing. Six-foot-seven Canadian rookie Nick Mardner hacked off gains of 64 and 22 yards to score the first two majors of his career, leaving first veteran T.J. Lee and later Rugamba grasping at air after pathetic efforts. His single-game total of 95 yards receiving matched his season output to that point, as the CFL’s worst team in yards after catch only got worse.
The Lions’ secondary has not been the same this season following the departures of Marcus Sayles, Quincy Mauger, and Jalon Edwards-Cooper, and they were mostly left on an island this week. B.C. has not been a strong pass-rushing team at the best of times and they simply couldn’t generate any four-man pressure with Pete Robertson out injured. The team’s lone sack, a brilliant bull rush by Josh Banks which should have forced an Ottawa field goal, was instead erased thanks to an illegal contact penalty on the struggling Rugamba, setting up a Dustin Crum touchdown plunge.
What’s scary is just how much production Brown and the Redblacks left on the table. Ryquell Armstead dropped an almost certain TD on the team’s first series, ex-Lion Dominique Rhymes took a largely unnecessary offensive pass interference penalty on a second-quarter deep bomb, and Acklin didn’t need a blatant pick from Mardner on Garry Peters to be off to the races on another untouched major that was called back. Ottawa might have taken more of their own yardage and points off the board than B.C. prevented.
It’s hard not to feel bad for defensive coordinator Ryan Phillips right now. His unit, particularly in the secondary, has been excellent the past several years but now they look adrift against the best offences. An offseason philosophical shift and cost-cutting measures have left them without the horses to keep up. The re-addition of Edwards-Cooper earlier this week should help going forward but right now they can only pray that Detroit cuts Mathieu Betts on Tuesday — and that the Canadian stalwart is willing to take a significant short-term hometown discount to finally give them some pressure off the edge.
Baby steps
With all eyes on him after a dreadful performance last week, Nathan Rourke proved that he was making strides in adjusting back to life in the CFL — even if it won’t be enough to silence his critics.
The 26-year-old got the ball out of his hands quickly and decisively on a game-opening touchdown drive, starting with a 15-yard RPO hitch screen to Ayden Eberhardt. Darts to Justin McInnis were interspersed with a nifty eight-yard scramble. His lone incompletion on the series wouldn’t count as he set up the major by wiring a ball on the run to Alexander Hollins at the goal line and drew pass interference from Alijah McGhee. David Mackie finished the job on the sneak a play later.
By the end of the first quarter, Rourke had more completions than the entirety of his first game. By the end of the first half, he had more yards as well. It was nowhere near a perfect start but it was a massive improvement with signs of more to come.
Even Rourke’s mistakes were more promising than the week before. An endzone shot to Keon Hatcher on his second drive was too long to be completed, but it targeted the back shoulder where only the receiver could get it. The Canadian’s second-quarter interception also targeted Hatcher and looked bad with three defenders in the areas. However, the ball was right where it needed to be and McGhee made an exceptional defensive play to not let Hollins run him off on a deep route. Rourke was guilty of staring down his receiver but it’s hard not to when you are still working on your timing.
When it was all said and done, he had completed 22-of-31 passes for 234 yards and one pick — a respectable, if yawn-inducing statline. The anti-Rourke truthers will be quick to point to his two lost fumbles as evidence of poor play, but it was hard to blame the QB for either. On the first, he was forced to double clutch with Adarius Pickett in his face and had no way of knowing that Mackie had failed to pick up Damon Webb blitzing off the backside. On the second, Michael Wakefield simply made an outstanding play as Kent Perkins failed to widen the hoop enough to allow his QB to step up.
Rourke gave the team a chance to win despite themselves and had one certain touchdown pass dropped outright by William Stanback. In the critical moments, he looked as poised as we’ve come to expect, but his defence couldn’t get a stop. This one wasn’t on him and there should be no controversy as to who is the quarterback going forward.
Run, Forrest, run!
There is no doubt that Rourke’s best play of the football game came midway through the second quarter when he took off for 51 yards on a scramble — the longest run of his career. Rourke escaped right thanks to a blitz pickup from William Stanback, stiff-armed Deandre Lamont to the turf, shook off Bennett Williams like a wet dog, and continued to rumble into the red zone.
It was a reminder of the brilliance that Rourke is capable of when he chooses to use his legs and he finished the game with four carries for 63 yards. Most of his best dipsy-doodling continued to occur behind the line of scrimmage though, as the B.C. offensive line would have surrendered far more than three sacks if not for his near-miraculous ability to extend plays.
Unfortunately, we are rarely allowed to see that manifest on runs. Just like in 2022, I’m left begging for Rourke to take off a little more often and use one of his most dangerous attributes. Being able to keep your eyes downfield and generate big throws is great, but right now the plays aren’t there and some of the risky attempts aren’t worth the reward.
In his first season as the starter, I understood Nathan’s desire to make himself a pocket passer and not use his legs as a crutch as he did in college. But crutches are for the sick and the lame, and the B.C. Lions are both right now. A few more choice rushing gains could help to move the chains, put points on the board, and open up more passing opportunities. Plus, at the risk of sounding callous, the downsides of running with your star QB are lessened when you have two of them on the roster.
Nobody is suggesting Rourke should become a run-first pivot, least of all me, but sometimes you don’t have to make it to your fifth and sixth read. Take off after three and the offence may be better off in the long run.
Clocking out early
I once had a conversation with a former scout of the Carolina Panthers who informed me that during Cam Newton’s prime years, the organization had a policy to never sign a receiver under six-foot-four because of the dual-threat QB’s tendency to throw the ball high.
Rourke has a similar trait based on the way his mechanics have been taught and that should make him and six-foot-six Canadian receiver Justin McInnis a match made in heaven. It sure looked that way through the first quarter of Saturday’s game, as the CFL’s leading pass-catcher was targeted five times and hauled in all of them for 79 yards, including a spectacular leaping grab on the opening drive.
Then, just as suddenly as the chemistry appeared, it vanished. Not only did McInnis not record another catch, he wasn’t thrown to once in the final three quarters. The Redblacks may have been playing a little less man coverage but that’s no excuse. There was no indication of an injury holding him back, it was simply as if he had caught an early flight home.
That’s become an all-too-familiar refrain for the Lions’ star receivers and McInnis has generally been the least likely offender. Keon Hatcher made a couple of key catches late but finished with four grabs for just 44 yards — hardly all-star numbers. Alexander Hollins was once again invisible, snagging two catches for 18 yards while suffering another egregious drop.
Someone, anyone, has to step up from that group and do it for a full game. Until they do, the results won’t change.
Second guessing
Rick Campbell has been uncharacteristically aggressive this year in his decision-making and he rolled the dice again in this game.
Faced with third-and-seven from the Ottawa 46-yard-line in the third quarter, B.C. kept the offence out on the field and put the ball in Nathan Rourke’s hands. He delivered with a long, out-breaking throw to Ayden Eberhardt near the sticks, who made a great diving grab and rolled before being touched to gain the first down by a hair.
Eberhardt, who finished with five catches for 61 yards, trailed only William Stanback as the Lions’ most consistent offensive player on the night and he delivered in the clutch. The bold call helped to set up a second David Mackie touchdown run and shortened the Redblacks’ lead to just three points.
Given how successful that aggressive strategy had been earlier, it was disappointing to see Campbell trot out the field goal team on third-and-three from the Ottawa 10-yard line with 2:38 remaining.
Yes, B.C. needed two scores — a touchdown and a field goal — to tie the game, but you should always live by the philosophy of doing the harder thing first. It’s much easier to kick a 50-yard field goal than complete a hail mary and you should never sacrifice field position that good, particularly when your defence is doing an excellent impression of a sieve. Even if you don’t punch it in, you put yourself in much better field position for a miracle comeback.
If B.C. had put it in the end zone, you wonder what effect that might have had on the Redblacks’ morale ahead of their pivotal final drive. Sadly, we’ll never know.
Putting on clothes
After 46 straight field goals and 29 makes in a row to start the year, Sean Whyte’s historic streak has finally come to an end — though it wasn’t his fault.
The veteran’s 37-yard attempt to start the second quarter was blocked by Ottawa’s Jovan Santos-Knox in impressive fashion, as the linebacker showed off a vertical leap far greater than the 32 inches he posted at his UMass pro day in 2016. The Redblacks did concede a single on the play, but two critical points came off the board.
Coincidentally, Whyte’s streak, which is the second-longest in CFL history, came to an end in the home of Lewis Ward, who holds the pro football record with 69 straight kicks. Ward did hit a 54-yarder in this game but had another kick go off the post, while Whyte connected on four field goals that weren’t blocked.
Unsung heroes
A scary moment occurred midway through the fourth quarter when Ottawa receiver Jaelon Acklin was sent head over heels by halfback T.J. Lee on an incompletion in the end zone and landed hard on his upper back. The 29-year-old remained motionless on the field for several minutes as medical staff from both teams worked to place him on a spineboard and into an ambulance.
Thankfully, Acklin was alert and had movement in all his extremities as he was taken to hospital, but it marked the third time in two weeks that we’ve seen a player taken away by ambulance in a CFL game. Hamilton receiver Luther Hakunavanhu had to be placed on a spineboard last week, while Winnipeg offensive tackle Stanley Bryant had to be stretchered off after collapsing on Friday.
These types of incidents are a rarity despite the physical nature of pro football, but they always make me marvel at the poise and competency of the doctors and trainers employed by the nine franchises. Ideally, you’d love them to enjoy the game both unseen and unneeded, but when called upon they can be absolute lifesavers. There may be no harder job in sports and there is certainly no more important one.
Strip tease
For all their very public struggles against the pass, the B.C. Lions’ defence did manage to secure three takeaways in Ottawa. While Emmanuel Rugamba’s interception can mostly be attributed to a poor decision by Dru Brown, the two forced fumbles were a nice bright spot.
Ace Eley, who was making another start at middle linebacker in place of the injured Ben Hladik, got his helmet on the football while tackling running back Ryquell Armstead in the second quarter. Ryder Varga recovered and helped set up a field goal from Whyte. Then in the fourth, Christian Covington made his best play as a Lion by sniffing out a screen pass to Armstead and punching it loose, erasing a fumble by Rourke on the previous play.
Armstead finished the game with 15 carries for 52 yards and never got going on the ground, so at least that part of the defence was working.
Entrenched
B.C.’s offensive line has done a good job opening up holes in the running game as of late, securing another 99-yard outing from William Stanback in this one. Their pass protection efforts remain the worst in the league though and there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight. You can’t consistently allow pressure against teams that aren’t blitzing and expect to win games.
With the exception of left tackle Jarrell Broxton, who is slightly better than most at his position, the Lions are below average across the board. Tyler Packer was a competent fill-in at centre for Michael Couture, perhaps even an upgrade, but he is not a great guard. American Chris Schleuger should be returning soon but it remains to be seen whether the team will put him back in, let alone give an opportunity to a rookie like George Una.
Despite their success in other areas, the Lions remain several years behind the curve when it comes to drafting and developing up front. It is an organizational failure from a group that I otherwise have a lot of respect for and it continues to cost them.
Taking the scenic route
Terry Williams is on something of a hot streak right now and had another long return against his former team, busting loose for 37 yards on a punt in the first quarter. The problem continues to be maximizing those opportunities, as it looked like there was nothing but grass in front of him and he still got pushed out of bounds by the punter.
When watching Williams, it’s hard not to think that another returner might have had several touchdowns with some of the chances he’s been given. There just seems to be another gear missing from his game and it may be the reason he’s never scored on a punt or kickoff in his career.
It’s worth remembering that Williams will be paid nearly $122,000 this year for his services, not including any performance incentives. The presumptive Most Outstanding Special Teams Player, Toronto’s Janarion Grant, was available this offseason for a max deal of just $92,500. That feels like a huge missed opportunity.
On an island
The Lions (5-6) will return to action on Saturday, August 31 when they host these same Ottawa Redblacks (7-2-1) for the inaugural Touchdown Pacific game in Victoria. It will be a return to his birthplace for Nathan Rourke and should be a party for the large football community on Vancouver Island, but this losing streak will loom over the festivities.
The issue with B.C. right now is that the solutions are far outnumbered by the problems. When your answer to structural flaws is to cross your fingers and hope your quarterback can play at a generational level, you probably don’t have the complementary pieces to facilitate that level of performance. At this point, there isn’t a compelling list of names to be brought in and fix things — the current cast and crew will be marooned together, for better or worse.
Mercifully, things aren’t going much better for the rest of the West Division but that shouldn’t be a cop out. Forget about a home Grey Cup, this doesn’t look like a playoff team right now and something has to change.
