Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
VANCOUVER — What can Odell Willis bring to the BC Lions?
Toughness, strength, energy. A little bit of volume — Lions practices might be a lot louder in 2018. A high motor.
More than anything, the 33-year-old can get to the quarterback.
The ability to disrupt the passer is something Willis has sufficiently proven he has throughout his 10-year career, coming to the west coast with 86 sacks in 10 seasons. Averaging 8.6 sacks per year, the 6-foot-2, 255-pound Mississippi native was around that mark again last year before the Eskimos decided to move on.
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The Esks are looking to get younger on their defensive line, so after being traded twice in the same day — first to Ottawa and then to BC — Willis will try and help the Lions address a critical need.
“He’s lively, a lot of energy, high character,” linebacker Solomon Elimimian, asked to describe his new teammate, told BCLions.com. Elimimian had the chance to meet Willis during Mark’s CFL Week and delivered high praise. “I feel like he’s going to bring the energy to our defence.”
The other thing about Willis, though, is only seen on film. Or, of course, the stat sheet.
“And obviously he can get to the quarterback,” Elimimian added. “That’s the most important thing.”
It’s been well-documented that the Lions need to improve in the trenches on both sides of the ball in 2018 if they’re going to get back in the post-season. That’s been Ed Hervey’s focus since becoming the GM, landing, in addition to Willis, the likes of Gabriel Knapton, Joel Figueroa and Jeremy Lewis, among others.
Last season the Lions sat at the bottom of the league in sacks allowed (49) and third-last in defensive sacks (28). The Lions also ranked second from the bottom in quarterback pressures with 95, only two ahead of last-place Hamilton.
For a defence with plenty of moving parts since 2017, making life a little less comfortable for opposing quarterbacks is of significant importance. By contrast, the two teams that played in the Grey Cup, Toronto and Calgary, each had 50 sacks last year.
Odell Willis had eight sacks in his final season with the Esks in 2018 (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
Despite Willis’ age, 33, he should provide an immediate boost lining up opposite of Knapton and outside of Mic’hael Brooks. Willis has recorded seven or more sacks in five straight seasons, while his teammates, including receiver Bryan Burnham, know first hand the kind of trouble he can cause.
“I’m happy he’s on our side now; I know Jonathan is,” Burnham told the team’s official website. “He gave us some problems the last few years. Practice is going to be interesting. You’ve got him there now, Brooks — Brooks is always talking.
“I’m looking forward to it a lot.”
If that unit can get to the quarterback with some regularity, that will especially help a defensive backfield that’s undergone significant change this off-season.
Marquee free agent signing Otha Foster joins Anthony Thompson and T.J. Lee as returning vets, but the Lions will have to overcome several veteran losses, including Loucheiz Purifoy, Chandler Fenner and Ronnie Yell. Veterans Winston Rose, Keelan Johnson and A.J. Jefferson will also be in the mix to win starting jobs.
Overall, it’s a defence in transition, and it’s coming on the heels of the first post-season miss for the Lions in a couple of decades. If they want to get back there, they’ll have to unseat one, possibly two of the West Division teams that finished ahead of them last year, all of which went over .500.
The ability and leadership of players like Solomon Elimimian, Gabriel Knapton and now Odell Willis could help the Lions get there.
– With files from BCLions.com
