The pre-season pressure is over. A mere 215 days after the 2022 Grey Cup dream came to an end in Winnipeg, the BC Lions re-start their championship aspirations with a big Thursday night divisional test against the Calgary Stampeders (6:00 pm/AM730/TSN/CFL+/CBS Sports Network).
For Vernon Adams Jr. and company, this week’s opener represents a big opportunity to set the tone against a rival with similar championship goals. It also serves as a re-match of last year’s Western Semi-Final where the Lions prevailed 30-16 at BC Place. You can just add that to the list of juicy week one storylines.
Last year was last year. To a man, the Lions’ leadership group is embracing another opportunity to contend while also knowing full well that nothing will be handed to anybody.
“This year you get more experience, you learn and you just want to be better,” Adams Jr. said on the mindset.
“I don’t want to talk on how much I got better and everything. We haven’t even played a game yet. I just want to get out here and take it day by day, game by game and we’ll just see what happens.”
2022 was just a taste of what Adams Jr. can be in this offence. Now that he has had a full season to get it more tailored to his strengths, many folks are excited to see what he can do.
“I only can speak to what I’ve known him which is since he’s came here, but he’s had the same exact attitude since he came here,” added head coach Rick Campbell.
“I think there is a comfort level know where he’s spent an offseason with our coaches and with the playbook and knowing our receivers are and what our football team is, so I think that brings a level of comfort where everything can just happen more quickly for him.”
And with a solid mixture of returning vets and a couple of new playmakers, the offence will have the ability to be even more creative as a result of the long off-season preparation.
4 Lions To Watch
QB Vernon Adams Jr.- who else would top this list? Big Play VA arrived last September and immediately commanded the attention and respect of a locker room that was still learning how to be a contender. After a full winter of film sessions, Zoom calls and an impressive fun mini-camp the quarterback hosted in Tacoma, Washington, Adams Jr. is more than ready to lead the franchise toward the seventh Grey Cup title that has proved to be quite elusive.
RB Taquan Mizzell- After a long camp competition that started with five American names on the depth chart, Smoke has emerged as the week one starter. His versatility as a returner and receiver out of the back field are also major attributes for an offence looking to be diverse and unpredictable.
LB Ben Hladik- the UBC product and 2021 Draft Pick emerged in a starting role last season and also helped make Jordan Williams expendable in a trade. A quiet leader by example, Hladik is ready to patrol the middle of this new-look Lions defence alongside veteran Bo Lokombo.
DL Josh Banks- run-stopping and plugging holes will once again be a major priority. It was no doubt an Achilles Heel in the Western Final loss at Winnipeg and some of the big interior guys like Banks, Woody Baron and Tibo Debaillie have shown outstanding flashes throughout camp and pre-season. Look for the Night Train Banks to make an impact in his third season.
Extra Yardage
The line of scrimmage will loom large. Ka’Deem Carey, last year’s CFL leading rusher, will be an engine in Calgary’s offence. The onus will be on the likes of interior d-linemen Josh Banks, Woody Baron and Tibo Debaillie to build off their solid camps.
On the other side, Jarell Broxton and Andrew Peirson represent the ‘new-look’ left side of the offensive line while veteran Michael Couture debuts at centre. Giving Adams Jr. time in the pocket will be essential.
Road Warriors: The Lions took both meetings at McMahon in thrilling fashion in 2022: a 41-40 roller coaster in July followed by a 31-29 overtime thriller in September which also happened to be Adams Jr.’s first start as a Lion.
Dating back to the final regular season contest of 2019, the away team has won seven straight regular season meetings between these two rivals. The Lions also prevailed at McMahon in week two of 2021 while Calgary won twice at BC Place later that year and once again in September of 2022. The home team, of course, won the most important battle in last year’s Western Semi-Final.
This marks the first time since 1967 that the Lions and Stampeders will meet in the CFL’s opening game. They met on the opening day of a season on five previous occasions: 2008, 1991, 1977, 1967 and 1956.
Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com