Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca
Team 100 is preparing to write some CFL history.
The BC Lions’ bruising linebacker dual of Solomon Elimimian (No. 56) and Adam Bighill (No. 44) are on course to do something that has never been done before.
Elimimian leads the league with 100 tackles. Bighill is third with 89. According to Steve Daniel, the league’s head statistician, no CFL team has ever had two players with 100 or more defensive tackles in the same year.
“We pride ourselves on playing with enthusiasm, effort and just trying to help our team win games,” Elimimian said after practice this week at the Lions’ training facility in Surrey, B.C.
“That comes from playing hard. Every live ball is an opportunity to make a play.”
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Solomon Elimimian has hit the 100 tackle mark this season (Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca)
Bighill said the pair are trying to fulfil their own expectations.
“It speaks about our relentless effort on the field,” he said. “Our tenacity and our understanding of the game to be able to make plays all over the field.”
Fans will get a chance to hear some of the conversations between Elimimian and Bighill when the Lions’ (9-4) play the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-6) Saturday afternoon at Investors Group Field. Elimimian will be one of the players wired for sound on the Live Mic Broadcast.
Elimimian admitted he has mixed feelings about the experience.
“I don’t necessarily like it,” he said. “You don’t want to be thinking about mics, what to say, what not to say. It is what it is. It’s part of the game.
“We understand it’s all about giving the fans an inside glimpse of what goes on during the game. It’s about building the brand and giving the fans a different side of football.”
The 29-year-old Elimimian has been a steamroller this season. Included in his 100 tackles are six quarterback sacks, an interception, one forced fumble and two tackles for losses. He’s had 64 tackles in his last six games.
The six-foot, 225-pound University of Hawaii graduate was named one of September’s Players of the Month. He also earned his second Shaw CFL Top Performer of the Week award following a 13-tackle performance in the Lions’ 40-33 win over the Ottawa REDBLACKS Saturday night.
Bighill, who had 12 tackles in the Lions’ loss to Edmonton on Sept. 23, had five tackles against Ottawa. He has 41 tackles, including one quarterback sack, over the last six games.
Mark Washington, BC’s defensive coordinator, said what sets Elimimian and Bighill apart is their preparation and understanding of the game.
“They work as a unit,” said Washington, who spent 11 years as a player in the CFL. “They understand their strengths; they play off one another.
“They play within the scheme, what ever the defence is asking them to do. They prepare like true professionals. Then they are naturally talented.”
Elimimian’s career was cast in doubt last year when he tore up his Achilles tendon just seven games into the season. He underwent surgery and couldn’t walk for eight weeks. The native of Calabr, Nigeria, worked relentlessly at his rehabilitation over the winter. He came to training camp feeling confident but soon discovered he had only climbed half the mountain.
“We pride ourselves on playing with enthusiasm, effort and just trying to help our team win games.”
Solomon Elimimian
Adam Bighill is on pace to hit the 100 tackle mark in 2016 (Jimmy Jeong/CFL.ca)
“Maybe I was a little bit naïve to think it would kind of be easy,” said Elimimian. “You might have put in the work but that doesn’t mean the work is done.”
Early this season Elimimian struggled with the flow of the game. His reaction time was off and he lacked his football movement. His planting and cutting wasn’t there yet.
Bighill watched Elimimian improve with each game.
“I’m not surprised,” said Bighill. “He’s a mentally strong person.
“I know his work ethic. When he has a challenge in front of him, that’s when he performances his best.”
During the hard times Elimimian drew strength from his father’s advice and his own strong religious beliefs.
“You always think about everything you’ve been through,” he said. “It always feels good when you are able to bounce back from a tough situation.
“Football is a microcosm of life. Life is hard. There is going to be challenges. If you overcome them, things will work out.”
Entering his seventh season with the Lions, Elimimian is closing in on Dante Mash’s franchise record of 609 career tackles. He’s still a long way away from the CFL record of 1,207 held by Willie Pless over a 13-year career with Toronto, BC, Edmonton and Saskatchewan.
Elimimian holds the single-season CFL record of 143 tackles set in 2014. That resulted in him being named both the league’s Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Defensive Player. The three-time All-Star also was rookie of the year in 2010.
Bighill, who also is a three-time All-Star, stepped in to fill the gap after Elimimian’s injury last season. The five-foot-10 native of Montesano, Wash., recorded 121 tackles and was named the league’s Top Defensive Player.
The Lions head into Winnipeg knowing a win or tie against the Blue Bombers clinches them a playoff spot. The Bombers, led by quarterback Matt Nichols, have lost back-to-back games after winning seven in a row.
“Winnipeg’s offence is playing at a high level,” said Washington. “Nichols is getting his reads, getting the ball out to his receivers and allowing those guys to make plays.
“They are going to play hard and fight hard. We have to see what happens.”
