Bigger doesn’t always mean better but for David Foucault getting larger was the best option for doing his job better.
Foucault, the BC Lions’ second-year right guard, gained 21 pounds over the winter. The six-foot-seven native of LaSalle, Que., now weighs around 323 pounds, which he believes makes him more difficult to play against.
“The guy in front of me was bigger last year,” said Foucault. “It’s a better weight for me playing guard. The weight is doing good on me.”
Last year was Foucault’s first in the CFL after spending two seasons with the NFL Carolina Panthers.
RELATED
» Bios: David Foucault | Joel Figueroa | Jovan Olafioye
» Buy: Lions at Blue Bombers tickets
» O’Leary: Passaglia kicks one for Canada
Seven-year man Cody Husband has been around long enough to witness the development of his young linemates. (Johany Jutras, CFL.ca)
Veteran Lions’ centre Cody Husband said a year’s experience, plus the extra pounds, have improved Foucault’s play.
“He’s stronger, he’s more confident,” said Husband. “Just overall from last year he’s 100 times better.
“He’s physical, he’s able to move guys, he’s holding up in pass protection. Gaining the weight helped him out.”
Putting on pounds can be easy. Doing it sensibly can be more of a challenge.
“You eat a lot,” said Foucault. “You want to eat good so you don’t put on fat.
“My girlfriend is a trainer, she did my program. She cooked for me and trained me.”
Revamping the Lions’ offensive line was one of the off-season priorities when Ed Hervey took over as BC’s general manager.
The Lions scored 496 points last season, the least in the West Division. BC allowed 49 quarterback sacks and 141 pressures, both league highs. All that contributed to the Lions finishing 7-11 and missing the playoffs.
It doesn’t take a great football mind to know it’s hard to score points when your quarterback is running for his life, or worse, laying flat on the field.
“That was priority one, to bring guys in so we could protect the quarterback,” said Hervey. “We wanted the scariest guys, guys who play with an edge, guys who take pride in that responsibility not only protecting the quarterback but also being physical up front.
“We wanted to get more stout and firm up front.”
Hervey dipped into the free-agent market to sign left tackle Joel Figueroa who helped the Edmonton Eskimos win the 2015 Grey Cup.
The six-foot-six, 320-pound Figueroa plays with a take-no-prisoners attitude.
“I just want to bring a tenacity, a physicality, punishing the guy in front of us,” he said. “I want to break their will up front, make them submit in the fourth quarter.”
When Montreal released Jovan Olafioye after an injury plagued 2017 with the Alouettes, the Lions quickly signed the six-time All-Star.
After a brief departure that saw Olafioye head to Montreal, the Lions were quick to bring back the all-star lineman after he and the Alouettes parted ways. (Jim Jeong, CFL.ca)
The six-foot-six, 325 Detroit native had played seven seasons in B.C., helped the Lions win the Grey Cup in 2011 and was the league’s top offensive lineman in 2012. The 30-year-old is looking for a bounce-back year after missing six games last year with a back injury.
“I have still have a lot of football left to play in me and I’m ready to dominate this year,” said Olafioye.
Hervey likes the attitude Olafioye has shown.
“The things he has to prove, those are self-motivating factors for him,” Hervey said. “We know he is a quality player. If his motivation is to prove something, all the best for our football team.”
Olafioye has started two games at right tackle this year. In the past, he also has seen time at left tackle and right guard.
“It’s a lot different but it’s still the same,” he said. “It’s still football.”
The Lions opened the season with a 22-10 win over Montreal, then lost 41-22 to Edmonton last weekend in a game they led 14-2 at one time.
After just two games the B.C. offence is middle of the pack in many categories. BC is last in time of possession and the seven sacks allowed is the second most in the league. Five of those came last weekend against Edmonton.
Head coach Wally Buono said the offensive line hasn’t been the problem. Against the Eskimos, quarterback Jonathon Jennings was caught on a couple of draw plays and was the victim of some dropped passes.
“I thought they played well enough against Edmonton to win,” he said. “The handful of sacks, a lot of it had not to do with the offensive line.
“It looks bad on the stat sheet but if you look at the offensive line play … I thought they did a pretty good job.”
Husband expects to see improvement when the Lions play the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-2) Saturday night at Investors Group Field.
“Some of the sacks were on draws,” he said. “I think only one or two of them were our fault.
“It’s fixable. A lot of times it’s just little technical things. We will be fine.”
Husband chuckled when asked about playing against linebacker Adam Bighill, a former teammate.
Bighill spent six seasons with BC where he was a four-time CFL All-Star and the league’s Top Defensive player in 2015. He spent last year in the NFL with New Orleans before signing as a free agent with Winnipeg.
Bighill heads into the weekend tied for the CFL lead with 21 tackles.
Husband said facing Bighill in practice helps the Lions know his tendencies.
“He’s fun to go against,” he said. “He’s strong, he’s physical.
“We have played against him a lot. We know how he’s going to play, how he’s going to take on blocks. It will be interesting to see what he learned in the NFL.”
