VANCOUVER, BC - SEPTEMBER 30: The Ottawa Redblacks play the BC Lions in their CFL game at BC Place September 30, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/BC Lions)
After playing 14 seasons in the CFL and leaving a footprint for the next wave of players, John Bowman, the two-time Grey Cup champion and two-time CFL All-Star takes on a new chapter of helping his players leave their own footprint in football.
Being a coach now means Bowman has to find a way to impact his players on the field. He’s even more passionate about the game now that the outcome of the score is sometimes out of his control.
“I get more fire now. Like my energy has to go into the players. So I’ve got to be more passionate, more energetic and more everything so they can absorb. Because I live through them now,” Bowman said.
“I want it for them. I’ve got my Grey Cups. I’ve accomplished a bunch of stuff. But I want it more for them so they can experience that feeling. At the end of the day, we all do this for different reasons. But we all want one thing, and that is to win.”
When he accepted the coaching role with the Lions, Bowman couldn’t anticipate what was coming ahead. Once the transition starts as the defensive line coach, Bowman said he had to show the players love and know when to be critical.
The player who is sixth in the CFL all-time sacks leaderboard found success on the field because he knew his approach to how to attack the offence. The 40-year-old defensive line coach is a product between two different generations of old school and the new social media age, he has found a way to balance both schools of thought to teach his players.
“Being a player, you don’t know the responsibilities of a coach. It’s long hours, they got to present stuff to the players. It’s a grind. I had to separate from how I used to do things to their ability to get things done,” Bowman said.
“I was a bridge between generations of the old school that yells at somebody until they get it done to the new social media generation, where you still got to be firm but you got to do a lot more loving. I tried to see a positive way rather than just put somebody in a square peg in a round hole.”
Photo by Paul Yates
The 2022 BC Lions defensive line combined for 149 defensive tackles, 36 sacks, four forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. Bowman’s first season as a coach helped the team earn a trip to the Western Final, with plenty to improve on heading into the 2023 season.
“We had a good year. I guess statistically you could say we did. But there are definitely areas that we want to build on and improve on. I’m just happy to be a part of it,” Bowman said.
The chemistry of the defensive line was a key component to their success on the field last season. Bowman set the tone in camp asking his players to not solely play for stats. From then, unselfish plays on the field carried on throughout the entire season.
“I told them my expectations. One of the things players always get this in their heads is, ‘oh, I have to get this many stats,’ I told them in the first meeting that we don’t play stats, we play to do our job. Once you eliminate that stress, the better players can perform for each other,” Bowman added.
With all the memory from the laughers and battles on the field, Bowman ordered custom baseball shirts for the defensive line group — serving as a reminder of all the hard work they had to accomplish in 2022 and all the great experiences they’ve shared together.
Bowman, a baseball fan himself wanted to do something different for his players.
“Baseball is my true love. If I could see, I would have played baseball,” Bowman chuckled.
“It’s not just seeing a ball but you got to see the little red webbing that turns into the small dot. I didn’t have the vision to play baseball nor I didn’t dare to play baseball because those balls come in at 95 mph. But I’m a huge baseball fan and I wanted to do something different.”
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This offseason, the Lions have added the veteran leadership of Shawn Lemon into the defensive line rotation. Bowman hopes the sack specialist can ease up the pressure on David Menard, who is entering his eighth year as a Lion.
Lemon, 34, currently has the most sacks (92) amongst active CFL players. He’s back in orange for the third time and the team has hopes that the veteran can further the level of play for the defensive line.
“I hope Shawn comes in and becomes the leader that we expected him to be. Hopefully, Shawn can ease that burden for Menard on being the only veteran before and just add to what we’ve been building,” Bowman said.
With several first-year Lions’ players on the defensive line who are heading into year two, Bowman said that’s when players experience the most growth.
With 2022 CFL Draft picks like Nathan Cherry, Riley Pickett and Josh Archibald all heading into their second season, Bowman hopes they had learned from their rookie season.
“They’ve had a year in camp, they learn how to be a pro, they learn what they need to do in the offseason to get better. Because coming out of college, you don’t know. You just do your college stuff and hopefully, it translates. So, hopefully, they can take what they’ve seen from other players to help them become a better player,” Bowman added.
His first go as a coach went smoothly, thanks to the help of fellow Lions coaching staff who have been through the transition from a player to a coach. At first, Bowman was worried about not being a tech-savvy person, but it’s not too challenging for him after all.
“Having RP [Ryan Phillips], Travis [Brown], Tanya [Henderson], they’ve been coaching for some time so they know the computer stuff and how to build your programs. They’ve definitely eased me into the process and you still learn stuff every day,” Bowman said.
Now that he will be joining the list of legends in the CFL Hall of Fame, Bowman believes the Lions’ defensive coordinator, Ryan Phillips should be on his way to the Hall of Fame as well.
“I feel bad for the defensive backs and the O-Line because they get the most flak for these kinds of awards. There’s no reason why RP who’s top 10 in interceptions that isn’t in the Hall of Fame. The voting system is different. But he’s got the big office now as the defensive coordinator,” Bowman chuckled.
It may feel slightly different not playing on the field anymore, but the desire to win remains unchanged. It would be another milestone for Bowman when he sees his players’ names on that trophy one day.