The B.C. Lions learned that the moral high ground does not offer the strategic advantage that its name suggests on Friday night, falling 33-17 to the Toronto Argonauts in Vancouver.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Only you can prevent dumpster fires!
For regular readers of this column, my weekly thoughts come across your newsfeed much later than usual out of necessity. While Friday’s game was a dull and plodding counter-argument to my belief that the CFL is the most exciting form of football, it produced a couple of pressing storylines that demanded a more journalistic approach into the late hours of the night.
None was more significant than head coach Rick Campbell’s controversial decision to bench Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke at halftime, thrusting Vernon Adams Jr. back onto the field after a six-week absence. If you are one of the thousands who were left scratching their head by the switch, you can read my full report from the post-game press conference here. The cliff-notes version is that the coach believed his offence was sluggish through no fault of Rourke’s and felt the need to create a spark by any means necessary. Enter VA, who did not provide one in the slightest and fumbled an exchange on his first play from scrimmage.
Campbell has earned a lot of trust from the fanbase over his last few years in B.C. but this was one of the worst coaching decisions I’ve witnessed covering the CFL. Vancouver Canucks’ head coach Rick Tocchett was in attendance for this game and even he must have felt the level of line juggling was extreme.
To be clear, I don’t have a problem with pulling Rourke in general. Adams has proven he’s a top-three QB in this league and it would be ridiculous for the team to simply never utilize him out of principle. It is the timing of the move that myself and everybody else in the stadium found to be suspect.
Rourke was just one-of-five for five yards passing in the first quarter, as the Lions generated negative one-yard of net offence. That stat line was influenced by some near misses down the field but if they felt the need to pull the plug at that point, nobody would have batted an eye. Instead, Campbell waited another quarter to make the move, one in which the Oakville, Ont. native was five-of-seven passing for 105 yards. His final play of the night was a fabulous nine-yard touchdown scamper to bring the Lions within two points of the lead. If you were looking for a spark, you found it!
Rather than ride the wave, Campbell shocked both of his quarterbacks by making the switch and inserting Adams, who by his own admission struggled to settle his feet. The veteran completed four-of-seven passes for 75 yards and tossed an interception on a route he usually hits with ease, before being pulled in favour of third-stringer Chase Brice for the final three minutes.
The Lions’ coach was efficient if nothing else. In one fell swoop, he may have damaged the confidence of both of his elite quarterbacks and triggered a controversy that will loom over his franchise for the rest of the season — and potentially beyond.
Campbell insisted that there will be no open quarterback competition in practice but knows he needs to name a starter after the bye week. He gave no indication of how he plans to reach that decision and the eyes of the locker room are watching. The team’s unity to this point has been a testament to the character of both QBs, but things can change quickly if players feel the meritocratic principles of pro sports aren’t being adhered to. Without a clear and incontrovertible metric for determining the number one guy, the Lions open themselves up to internal strife at a time when they can’t afford it.
As far too many people in this province know, sparks aren’t always a good thing. Under the wrong conditions, they can start fires that are impossible to contain and destroy everything in their path. Campbell would be wise to ensure his locker room is properly hosed down before striking any more matches.
Good guys finish last
The story entering this game seemed to write itself. Two star quarterbacks, Nathan Rourke and Chad Kelly, both recently returned to action under very different circumstances. One a homegrown golden boy routinely praised for his moral character, the other a lecherous bad boy taking advantage of his hundredth second chance. Rightly or wrongly, it became a narrative as old as time itself: good versus evil.
That was only only fueled by comments made by Rourke back in April when he was still a member of the New England Patriots and focused on an extended NFL career. The 26-year-old was one of very few active or former CFL players to express an opinion on the Kelly sexual harassment investigation, which ultimately resulted in a nine-game suspension. He openly criticized the league for its “lack of urgency” in handing down punishment and wondered aloud what example was being set for kids across the country.
While Rourke and the Lions stayed mum on the topic heading into the week, they seemed to endorse the narrative come game day. The Canadian QB and at least two of his teammates arrived at the game in “See Somethin’, Say Somethin'” t-shirts as a nod to the franchise’s Be More Than A Bystander gender-based violence prevention program. It wasn’t quite “Catholics vs. Convicts,” but the message was clear.
Unfortunately, life isn’t a Hollywood movie and the good guys don’t always win. On this occasion, Kelly, who is notorious for keeping receipts when someone criticizes him, dominated the Lions in ways that went beyond a relatively average stat line. This was not the brash, emotional response you’d expect from a villain scorned. He was cold and calculated, unwavering under pressure from the Lions and decisive with his legs when needed. Ironically given his reputation, he took exactly what the B.C. defence allowed him to and nothing more, never pressing and avoiding big mistakes as a result.
The embattled Argos’ quarterback would not address the now-six-month-old comments post-game, but I think it is safe to assume that they at least provided some form of motivation entering the contest. For his part, Rourke was unapologetic for his statements, said he would do the same again, and admitted that his game-day attire was in reference to his opponent. You can debate whether that is a wise strategy in a league as small as the CFL but you can’t question his integrity.
At a time when most people in public positions were fence-sitting or taking a wait-and-see approach, Rourke used his platform to take a stance and give a voice to those inside the league who didn’t have the luxury of speaking out. I have no doubt that history will look kindly on him as a result and that he will sleep easier at night for having spoken up. But every righteous protest comes at a personal cost and the young QB will likely have to deal with a pissed-off Kelly two times a year for the foreseeable future — or at least until the reigning M.O.P. blows his last-chance agreement.
Take cover
In the military, one of the most important concepts drilled into young soldiers’ heads is the difference between cover and concealment. Cover is something that can protect your body from incoming projectiles, while concealment simply hides you from view.
I think we all know which of the two categories the B.C. Lions’ offensive line falls under — and sometimes they aren’t very good at doing that either.
There have been peaks and valleys for this unit throughout the season, but Friday night was a return to their starting point and their lowest moment. In Week 1 against these same Argonauts, the Lions surrendered six sacks. In Week 15, they gave up seven and struggled to keep either of their star quarterbacks upright.
Jake Ceresna was the first to get in the backfield, beating Kent Perkins inside after William Stanback got in the right tackle’s way during a blitz pick-up. Ralph Holley was next, slipping cleanly between Michael Couture and Sukh Chungh as they struggled to communicate a stunt. Derek Parish was the final beneficiary of the first half, as Chris Schleuger kindly popped him into the hole left by a pulling Kory Woodruff and then went looking for air to block.
Then it was Adams’ turn to get chucked in the meat grinder. Perkins, Schleuger, and Chungh all got cooked by their man on a sack that Robbie Smith received by a coin toss, before the Canadian DE blew out Woodruff’s knee looping inside for seconds on the next play. Perkins failed to pick up a twisting blitz from Fraser Sopik later in the half and essentially sacked VA himself by running into the QB. Holley notched another takedown when he and Ceresna bum-rushed the interior.
That doesn’t even account for a would-be eighth sack by Toronto, which also produced a fumble but was erased by an illegal contact penalty. It was a complete institutional failing in the protection up front with no one man to blame and no running game success to soften the blow.
B.C. may be banged up in the trenches right now, but sooner or later they will need to come to grips with the fact that they continue to field the league’s worst offensive line. For all their other problems, that is the single biggest factor dragging the team out of Grey Cup contention. When teams can rush four and relax, it’s no wonder the passing game stagnates.
Hung out to dry
After a night where the offence didn’t do much of anything at all, this column will disproportionately focus on their struggles. As has happened on several occasions this season, the defence played an ultimately imperfect but respectable game with almost no assistance. With time of possession skewed 38:25 to 21:35 in Toronto’s favour, it’s little wonder that things got away from them late.
On the positive side, the team’s improved pass rush continued to sparkle as Mathieu Betts was the best player on the field. They generated just two sacks, one each from Sione Teuhema and Bo Lokombo, but Kelly took some big shots and was constantly under duress.
The defensive line also held up extremely well against the run, particularly in the first half, and was led by two tackles for loss from the suddenly surging Christian Covington. T.J. Lee and Ace Eley also deserve full marks for making two critical stops near the goal line.
For the most part, the Lions’ defensive strategy allowed yardage underneath but avoided surrendering big plays. The team’s tackling took a discernable step back in this game and Kelly was able to exploit gaps in the linebacking corps for some critical gains with his feet, but Toronto settled for six field goals. On most days, that’s good enough for victory.
The exception to that rule came at the end of the first half when, with less than a minute remaining, Kelly bought enough time to find Makai Polk for a 52-yard gain. Safety Adrian Greene took a terrible angle to miss the tackle that put the Argos in scoring position, but Ryder Varga had to know to stick with the receiver as he slipped behind him. The same thing happened to the Canadian linebacker a play later, as Polk snuck behind him again and scored what would be the deciding touchdown.
That one terrible defensive series was ultimately the difference in the game, as it erased any momentum from Rourke’s TD run and likely contributed to his benching. The defence was a wet blanket in that moment and they spent the rest of the game being hung out to dry.
Challenging logic
Rick Campbell got a heaping of flack from fans for blowing his only challenge on the second play from scrimmage, but I’m still wondering how the play was not ruled pass interference on review.
You can maybe quibble about the catchability of the pass that Rourke heaved in the direction of Keon Hatcher, but safety Royce Metchie was about 10 seconds early with his contact and knocked the receiver to the ground. According to B.C.’s head coach, the officials explained the command centre’s call by saying Hatcher was not impeded on the play. Apparently getting run over by an opponent mid-stride doesn’t count.
At the very minimum, the play should have resulted in an accidental pass interference call, just like the one assessed against Emmanuel Rugamba later in the half. In fairness to Toronto, I also thought that penalty should have been upgraded to intentional after Dinwiddie challenged, but it appears I have a different definition of “clear and obvious” than those in the booth.
Without a leading man
After dominating for the past month, William Stanback was a complete non-factor in this game, finishing with six carries for 21 yards. It is understandable that the team would go away from the ground game given the score and the brevity of most of their drives, but I wonder if another factor influenced the lack of early production.
Fullback David Mackie missed this game with injury and his absence was felt. The prowess that the veteran brings to the table as both an in-line and lead blocker could not be easily replaced by a combination of Jevon Cottoy and Riley Pickett. The holes simply weren’t getting opened up against an exceptional Toronto front and the 30-year-old may have changed that.
With his core role on special teams and short-yardage duties, I might go so far as to suggest that Mackie is the most underrated player in the CFL. Hopefully, his brief exit from the lineup makes people appreciate him more.
Check the hinges
The Lions’ pop-up injury tent was getting a workout on Friday and I lost track of how many times it was pulled out. Cornerback Garry Peters was a frequent visitor, defensive tackle Christian Covington and guard Kory Woodruff both stopped by, and Global special teams standout Maxime Rouyer was ruled out by halftime.
The most serious injury by far was that of Alexander Hollins, who appeared to pop out his shoulder while diving for a deep ball in the second quarter. It could have been a game-changing play but the receiver could not maintain possession as he came down hard on the turf. He appeared to be in considerable pain and later returned to the sideline in a sling.
Campbell could provide no update on Hollins post-game and said additional tests would be needed to determine whether he will be out long-term. The Lions have been remarkably lucky with injuries this season and clearly, their upcoming bye has come at the exact right time.
Play it again, Major!
For the second time in as many games at BC Place, Lions’ punter Stefan Flintoft drilled a kick off of the video board hanging from the roof and teed up head referee Ben Major for a viral moment. The veteran official was grinning ear to ear after the play and showed great comedic timing to pause in his delivery when announcing “The kick has hit the scoreboard… again.”
Flintoft’s punts have been an adventure this year and you never seem to know where they are going to hit — on the field or off of it. He entered this week eighth in net punting, which is not a recipe for success in the CFL. That will go down further after this week, as Janarion Grant nearly took one to the house before an incredible hustle play by T.J. Lee led to him getting tracked down after 80 yards.
Speaking of things that need to be said again, this game served as a reminder that the Lions could have saved at least $30,000 on the returner position if they made a play for Grant in the offseason. Instead, loyalty to Terry Williams makes every opposing kicking play a good time for a cat nap.
Wrong way!
You can stop the search, we have officially found the worst in-stadium fan engagement of all time.
Rather than the traditional Kiss Cam, ever-popular Simba Cam, or cringe-worthy Awkward Dance Cam, the crew at BC Place unveiled the Snackwards Cam on Friday. The concept was simple: camera crews captured candid videos of fans eating concession items and then played them in reverse. The results were predictably stomach-churning, as unsuspecting attendees were shown mock-vomiting their hot dogs, nachos, and cotton candy back into their hands.
Who thought this would be a good idea? Based on the audible groans of disgust throughout the crowd, nobody wanted to witness it — especially on a night when the game was making them sick enough.
Pecking order
During the last couple of Lions’ home games, I have had the honour of guest-appearing for a halftime segment on Sher-E-Punjab AM 600, the team’s Punjabi radio broadcaster. It has been a fantastic initiative by the team this season, and hosts Harpreet Pandher and Taqdeer Thindal do a great job on the call — even if I don’t understand most of it.
I was all set to sit down at my usual time again this week when I got a tap on the shoulder and was informed that I was being given the hook in favour of CFL icon, Pinball Clemons. Despite a difficult past few months, the Argos’ general manager remains as gracious as ever and was beaming as he apologized for taking my spot.
I assure you there were no apologies needed. In fact, I may use this opportunity to beef up my resume and pretend I’m just one step below Pinball in terms of radio guest desirability, rather than in a different stratosphere entirely.
Living like legends
It was appropriate that the Lions chose to honour their 2000 Grey Cup championship squad against the Argos because they provide some hope for a frustrated fan base. An 8-10 team with serious flaws can win a title if they get hot at the right time and in 2024, that may be the best anyone can hope for.
The Lions (7-7) are back at .500 and have squandered another opportunity to snag first place in the West Division. They’ll now have a week to rest, recover, and answer some serious questions, before hosting a Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4-9) team that looks decidedly more dangerous than it did a few weeks ago.
