BCLions.com Staff

Ask Dante Marsh what he’s been thinking about since the Saskatchewan Roughriders extinguished the Lions' late season run up to the playoffs in 2010 and he’ll tell you one thing: payback.

“They got the win but we deserved a better fate,” says the veteran cornerback. “I love Jason Clermont, he’s always been a beast, but he put the dagger in us last year and we owe them one.”

It may be preseason still and Marsh has been a spectator for the past week with a strained hamstring, but his sights are set on a regular season return and the chance to take to the field as part of the CFL’s most experienced secondary.

Marsh, along with Ryan Phillips, Davis Sanchez and Korey Banks have seen and been through everything the game has to offer from the highs of championship wins to the lows of overtime losses. In that time, they learned as a group to have short memories and plenty of confidence and now have some pretty lofty goals for 2011.

“I never go into a season with any other thought other than win a championship,” says Banks. “This is year is no different, but it’s likely a lot more realistic when I look at what’s being built here on both sides of the ball."

In 2006, the Lions led two important defensive categories by a large margin: sacks and interceptions and the two are inseparable says Ryan Phillips.

“Pressure on the quarterback can lead to decisions that he thinks are correct but can’t be certain and that’s where we can do some damage. When the guys up front take away half a second in a two-second read that’s huge for us in the secondary.”

It’s a thought echoed by teammate Aaron Hunt and it works in reverse as well.

“Without a doubt, if we can bring pressure it will pay off back there, but their ability to take away a first and second read also allows us to get to the quarterback,” adds Hunt.

The new scheme of defensive coordinator Mike Benevides being talked about actually isn’t really all that new but it’s certainly getting plenty of play in the media.

“The key to any defence is to bring a degree of pressure without sacrificing your ability to defend down the field,” says Benevides. “We’re developing a defence that takes advantage of our unique ability rush the quarterback from a variety of spots and hopefully create some opportunities in the backend.”

The Leos will undoubtedly hear a lot about the added pressure of hosting a Grey Cup at home this season but it doesn’t faze BC native Davis Sanchez.

“You obviously can’t avoid thinking that it would be nice to win it all at home, but you have to simply take it a week at a time,” notes the 2009 Grey Cup champion.

“When you actually achieve the goal of winning a title, you can look back at specific plays, breaks, calls and a host of other factors that determined your season. Those have yet to happen in 2011, so all you can do is worry about the here and now and not look at November.”

A long road has yet to be travelled by a Lions club longing to return to the top, but with the collective experience in the secondary the defence ready to take on the league’s best there’s plenty to be excited about.