Lowell Ullrich
The Province

There is a transformation occurring on the defensive line of the BC Lions lately that is taking place in a variety of ways.

It is happening as a result of the additions this year of players like Eric Taylor and Khreem Smith, plus the further growth of Khalif Mitchell. It also is happening because some players morphed into something or someone other than themselves, and it is paying off in a big way.

Since joining the CFL team last year, defensive end Keron Williams has been understated but articulate. Lately, he's been an animal, specifically a wolverine.

He'll line up against the Toronto Argonauts tonight (4: 30 p.m., TSN, Team 1410) with six sacks in his last five games, coming off a performance against the understaffed Edmonton Eskimos where he basically mauled his opponents.

An easy way to understand the 27-year-old would be to go to his website, where the commercial graphic designer has a page explaining how a wolverine is his alter ego.

"There is a certain energy or emotion that overwhelms me when I sack a quarterback...a violent scream of divine power where I slip into the supernatural," he writes.

Or, you could actually ask him why he's been so effective lately the Lions see him as defensive player-of-theyear material, and about the feelings that overcome him before a game.

"I know it sounds weird, but when the national anthem is finished I literally feel as if thorns or spikes are coming out of my veins. It's a mindset. That's my transformation," Williams said.

"When you look at offensive players like Geroy Simon or Arland Bruce it's different. Geroy does the Superman pose. Arland does the Spider-Man pose. A sack for a defensive lineman is like a touchdown but we have to work so hard to get home. [Ex-NFL great] Deacon Jones said it best. It's kind of like having sex."

Yes, well, and the wolverine? "I just developed that."

Whether it is being fuelled from within or imminent fatherhood, Williams has already exceeded last year's sack total. And with 21 quarterback drops in their last five games the Lions are within sight of the vaunted front of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Comparisons are already being drawn.

"I know [Bombers end] Odell Willis is outstanding but snap in and snap out, I don't think there's anybody playing with the same velocity, power and explosion as Keron," defensive coordinator Mike Benevides said.

A little of what is happening to Williams externally has been a result of playing alongside tackle Aaron Hunt, who has his own sack dance which somewhat resembles the primal scream and wolverine thing being done when his partner gets to a quarterback.

The two played just seven games together last season due to injuries but this year only Solomon Elimimian has played more defensive snaps than Williams, whose quickness has been more effective as an end than when he was working in the interior of the line.

What is lost among nobody along the defensive front is the massive improvement in pass coverage in the secondary. No team has been better in the league the last four games, averaging 233 yards allowed, after being last during the first four. Clamping down in the back has aided dramatically in the power surge up front.

Also cited by the Lions has been the work of new defensive line coach Randy Melvin, who is being credited with improving on-field and locker-room communication, plus finding ways to better motivate an eclectic group ranging from Williams to Brent Johnson.

"Some players you may have to pull aside but in general all of them need to know they're important," said Melvin.

The pre-Pro Bowl work of Cam Wake will remain the gold standard for the Lions, but Williams may have come the closest to matching one of his performances when he unleashed a series of dominating moves for his three sacks and seven hits against Edmonton.

Aiding drastically in what he and others have accomplished lately has been the fact the Lions have not allowed a point in the fourth quarter of their last three games. Nothing helps a pass-rusher more than knowing an opposing quarterback must throw.

Williams said the improvement stems from a commitment to start the year in better condition, which came not from anything coach/GM Wally Buono said to him but a look he got during a game last season when he needed a breather.

"Wally looked at me as if to say 'what are you getting out for?' That told me to get in shape so I don't have to come out. That stuck in my mind all winter," Williams said.

But there are other thoughts stuck in his head too, ones which are only unleashed when Williams puts an opposing quarterback on the ground. Only those who play his position can only appreciate them fully.