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August 9, 2016

What’s Different?

B.C. Lions wide receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux celebrates his touchdown against the Montreal Alouettes between teammates Bryan Burnham, left, and Geraldo Boldewijn during second quarter CFL football action Thursday, August 4, 2016 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Apples and oranges. That is how you might describe the mood in the Lions Den compared to this time last year. And although the club is only one win better in the standings, they were 3-3 at this point in what turned out to be a mediocre 2015 campaign, the feeling in that locker room after six games is that something special could be brewing. A prime example was the 14-hour delay players, coaches, staff and 50 fans who joined the trip on ‘Operation Orange’ had to endure before flying home from last week’s 38-18 win in Montreal. Instead of anger and frustration, the “ordeal” was rather upbeat and the narrative quickly evolved into perhaps what will make for a really funny chapter in the book that will be written about the championship 2016 season…. should it come to fruition.

Ryan Phillips, the longest-serving player on this roster, has seen a lot of ups and downs since arriving in 2005 and agrees the feeling in the locker room is night and day compared to last season.

“It’s always different when you’re winning, that’s just the reality of it,” Phillips said. “Success breeds confidence and we are a confident team right now. I feel like our ceiling is very high and that always brings a lot more positivity to the locker room. As the season progresses there are certain things that have to take place for your team to continuously build and move forward. I feel like we’re taking those steps right now.”

Other than the optimism, what else is different? Don’t think Wally Buono being back on the sidelines doesn’t have something to do with it. The CFL’s all-time winningest coach has clearly made his presence felt from the get go.

21 Phillips Ryan walking

“It helps having a veteran, Hall of Fame coach,” Phillips added. “Wally is definitely going to make sure we instil the foundation and principals that are going to get us where we want to be. That’s always a benefit for us and a deficit for another team that may face us in the long run.”

Buono, being the humble man he has always been, refused to take all of the credit. “I’ve always said coaches aren’t winning games. The only credit you take is the fact you have a job to do and the guys have responded well to the coaches and myself. The whole Montreal thing was a good public sign of the guys responding well. We challenged them during the week about playing with intelligence, playing with integrity and winning a game that was very critical to us. That was as good as a game we have played all year.”

Phillips and the defence is a big part of it. Thanks to an explosive secondary which features dynamic rookie Loucheiz Purifoy mastering the nickel positionthe Lions are causing more fits for opposing offensive coordinators than ever before. Purifoy earned CFL Player of the Week honours after his 47-yard fumble return helped seal a 38-18 victory over the Alouettes. Depth has been a big part of it as well; TJ Lee went down with a season-ending Achilles injury last month and the likes of Steven Clarke, Anthony Gaitor and Anthony Thompson have stepped in quite nicely.

4401740963001_5027185736001_5027118851001-vsOn the defensive line, Alex Bazzie leads the CFL with six quarterback sacks, Jabar Westerman continues to get better and Mic’hael Brooks has continued his habit of making the big plays when called upon; just ask Drew Tate and the Calgary Stampeders on that goal line stand in the season opener. Everyone on the line has contributed. And of course, you cannot discount the ‘Team 100’ duo of Solomon Elimimian and Adam Bighill.

Elimimian is showing signs of getting back to the form that earned him both Most Outstanding Player and top defensive honours in 2014, while Bighill leads the club with 41 defensive tackles, ten more than Elimimian who sits second. Everyone on that side of the ball will tell you the same thing: Defensive coordinator Mark Washington has dialed up excellent schemes which have been a huge reason they are great at second half adjustments. They have allowed 65 points after the break, with 28 of those coming in the week six overtime loss to Calgary.

“I feel like that comes with a veteran coach that understands the ins and outs and what teams are trying to do to us,” Phillips said. “Mark has made the necessary adjustments. Even in that Calgary game, he made the adjustments but we didn’t make the plays. He’s been doing a wonderful job this year. The stats and our record speak for itself.”

On offence, there has been one big constant: Jonathon Jennings continues to get better. Yes, there was the career-high 429 yards passing in a week four victory in Saskatchewan, but the most impressive attribute has been his ability to bounce back from the Lions’ two losses so far. After each one, you started to hear suggestions that maybe he sit out the next game, but the second-year pivot brushed everything aside and made sure he and the team would be better. Not an easy thing to do in any sport. Offensive coordinator Khari Jones, back at his familiar position after coaching the receivers in 2015, has also noticed a big change in both the on-field play and locker room vibe.B.C. Lions wide receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux celebrates his touchdown against the Montreal Alouettes between teammates Bryan Burnham, left, and Geraldo Boldewijn during second quarter CFL football action Thursday, August 4, 2016 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

“The guys are just playing hard-nosed football and it started from camp and continued on,” Jones said. “That’s not putting anything against last year, but I think we kind of ebbed and flowed a little bit, whereas this year, each and every game you know what you’re going to get. So far, so good but we still have a long way to go.”

Jennings has also done a great job in using every receiver at his disposal. Manny Arceneaux, Bryan Burnham and Shawn Gore are each on pace for 1300 yards. The last time three Leos receivers surpassed 1,000 in the same year was 2005.

“He’s all the things you want out of a quarterback,” Jones added. “He trusts all those receivers and everybody we bring out there. He doesn’t have to look for anyone in particular but whoever is open he knows how they’re going to move and he knows where to put the ball so they can make it happen. It’s been a nice thing to see that relationship develop with all the receivers.”

B.C. Lions quarterback Jonathon Jennings (#10) takes off with the ball under pressure from Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive lineman Justin Capicciotti (#7) during first half CFL action in Regina on Saturday, July 16th, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Rick Elvin

We knew what The Manny Show was capable of. But having Burnham and Gore step up and play larger roles has been an outstanding bonus. You can say the same for Marco Iannuzzi who has used the occasional first-team reps to his advantage. The two-headed monster at running back has been a good experiment as both Anthony Allen and Jeremiah Johnson have been steady when called upon.

The offensive line, despite dealing with a few injuries and position changes of its own, has made the required adjustments and played a big role in creating running room for Jennings and the backfield. Coordinator Marcello Simmons has brought a new outlook to the special teams unit and after allowing three blocked punts in the opener against Calgary, they’ve done very well. Having Chris Rainey returning kicks will always give you an edge, and as of this week, Richie Leone is third in the CFL with his average of 47.1 yards per punt.

New and improved personnel, plus a complete change in attitude. Might it add up to something very special at the end of November? That remains to be seen, but it appears they will for sure have a say in what happens.

“The mood is definitely different,” Jones said. “Wally is not the winningest coach in CFL history by chance. He demands respect, accountability and all those things that you want in a team. It’s been great seeing him in action, seeing him apply his trade and seeing how the players respond to him.”

Plenty of factors. But as Phillips and company have pointed out, there is still two-thirds of the season left.

Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com