Canadian Press

Korey Banks has plans for next week and they don't include cleaning out his locker.

The outspoken nickelback is part of a BC Lions defence that held opponents to six points or less four times this season. The Lions defence will be tested again Sunday when they face the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL Western Final with a trip to the Grey Cup on the line.

“Win you are in and lose you go home,” Banks said Friday after the Lions practised at BC Place.

“We don't want to pack our bags this week, so we are going to fly around and bring our best.”

BC's defence is one reason why the Lions finished on top of the West standings for the first time in four years.

The 385 points the Lions allowed was the fewest in the CFL and the 54 sacks one less than Winnipeg's league-leading 55. Of 25 team defensive statistics kept by the league the Lions were first or second in 17.

BC placed nine players on the CFL all-star team, four from the defence.

It took the Lions eight games to find their legs. After getting off to a 1-6 start the Lions seemed to turn the corner when they whipped the Eskimos 36-1 on Aug. 19, starting an eight-game win streak.

Even during the bad times the Lions defence showed potential. When BC started the season 0-5, four of those losses were by eight points or less.

“At times we played good but we didn't play championship ball,” said hard-hitting linebacker Solomon Elimimian. “We gave up too many big plays.

“Any time you give up big plays, miss tackles, that hurts you. We just came back to fundamentals.”

Starting with the win over Edmonton, the Lions went 13 quarters where the only touchdown allowed came on a kickoff return.

Wally Buono, BC's coach and general manager, said the defence finding its consistency was key to getting the Lions' season back on the rails.

“We were 0-5 partly because our defence didn't play well,” said Buono, who will be coaching in his 16th Western Final. “They played well in spurts but they didn't play well when it really counted or enough of the time.

“The turnaround of the team was partly when the defence started playing football. We had to get everyone on the same page.”

Quarterback Travis Lulay said a strong defence helps the offence.

“Any time they are taking the other offence off the field they are giving us more opportunities,” said Lulay, the West's nominee for the CFL outstanding player award.

“Even if we sputter from time to time...when you have confidence  in your defence, that they can go out and make a stop, it helps take some of the pressure off you.”

The Lions put an exclamation point on an 11-7 season by beating the defending Grey Cup champions Montreal Alouettes 43-1 in the final game of the regular season to clinch first place. Als quarterback Anthony Calvillo was sacked four times and held to just 63 yards passing.

Eskimo quarterback Ricky Ray expects the Lions will have their ears pinned back again this weekend.

“Defensively they've been playing really well on their run of the last two-thirds of the season,” said Ray.

“A lot of it has been their guys up front. A lot of it has been their play in the secondary. They're just solid all the way around. They've got good personnel, a lot of all-stars on that team. They mix it up in the secondary, give you a lot of different looks and keep you off balance as a quarterback.”

The challenge for the Eskimo offensive line will be to control the pressure from BC's front four.

“We've got to mix it up offensively,” said Ray. “We've got to move the pocket a little bit, throw some quick passes, and just keep those guys off balance.”

Defensive end Keron Williams said the Lions can't let Ray get comfortable.

“He is the engine that keeps them going,” said Williams, who led the Lions with 11 sacks this year.

“He has a couple of big-time receivers but the ball goes from him. If we can get to him early and often we have a chance to win the game.”

Williams said it doesn't matter if the Lions beat Edmonton three out of four times this year and outscored the Eskimos 130-79.

“Sunday is a whole different thing,” he shrugged. “We have to go out there and execute.

“We can't rely on what we did in the past or that will come back to bite us. We have to stay humble and focused.”

As good as the defence has been, Elimimian thinks it can get better.

“We haven't reached our full potential yet,” said the native of Nigeria who was second in the league with 98 tackles this season.

“We are getting better every week.

“The game plan is there. The veteran leadership we have can allow this defence to be great.”