Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
In 2017, the BC Lions looked like a defence declawed. There wasn’t a lot of fear going up against them. They were giving up nearly 28 points a game and their offence wasn’t able to match.
It led to a 7-11 record and were well back of the rest of a strong West Division.
Something had to change.
And change they did.
Last week, their starting lineup on defence included eight first year Lions; Garry Peters, Odell Willis, Shawn Lemon, Winston Rose, Anthony Orange, Otha Foster, Claudell Louis and Davon Coleman.
That is the entire defensive line and four of six members of the secondary (if you included Otha Foster at SAM linebacker).
RELATED:
» Buy Tickets: Tiger-Cats at Lions
» Weekly Predictor: Lions have advantage in cat fight
» Report: Lions expect Lulay to miss 4-6 weeks
When you make that much change, the big question is, how much time would it take for a team to gel. And it did take awhile or you may say it just took one more acquisition.
Shawn Lemon was traded to the Lions at the end of July and since that deal was made, it’s been a defence that has drastically improved not only over last season but over the first five games of the season.
The Lions were seventh in the league in sacks last season. Before Lemon came to the Lions, they were sitting at fifth in sacks through the first six weeks of the season.
Now, they lead the league with 31.
But it’s not just Shawn Lemon, Claudell Louis has been lined up at tackle next to Davon Coleman over the last four games. The first year CFLer, Louis, has provided a push in the middle and it has allowed Lemon, Willis and Coleman to get to the quarterback with much more consistency.
It clearly took some time for Wally Buono and defensive coordinator Mark Washington to figure out the right mix along the line, but appears that they have one of the better and underrated front four in the league.
And when the defensive line is wreaking havoc, it puts a lot less pressure on a secondary that is trying to find chemistry.
The one group that needs the most cohesion on the football team is arguably the offensive line. The second on the list would be the defensive backs.
Like the offensive line, they have to call switches, drop into the right zone and make the right read or they’ll allow a big play.
The stats don’t lie here either. Through the first six weeks of the season, the BC Lions allowed the eighth most passing yards per game.
Since, the Lions have moved up to fourth.
T.J. Lee celebrates with Bryan Burnham during Week 14 action (The Canadian Press)
The unit of Winston Rose, Anthony Orange, Otha Foster, TJ Lee, Anthony Thompson and Garry Peters have also contributed to the most interceptions in the Canadian Football League.
Last year, a much different looking group ranked seventh with just 14. The 2018 edition has 16 already this season.
The secondary is also making it hard to complete passes as the season has gone on. The first six weeks they allowed quarterbacks to complete 66 per cent of their passes. Since then they have only allowed 59 per cent of passes to be completed.
Lets not forget about the linebackers, Micah Awe has returned and made an instant impact, while Jordan Herdman and Bo Lokombo both have made notable contributions in the middle of the defence.
All in all, the claws are back for the defence and they’ve clawed their way back into the conversation for a playoffs spot.
Entering Week 15, the Lions are a half game up on Winnipeg and need to stay ahead of them after already losing the season series on points and what would be the tiebreaker to the Bombers, and it was all thanks to allowing 41 points back in Week 3.
Of note, the Lions haven’t allowed a team to score 30 points or more since.
Oh and remember, this is all with star linebacker Solomon Elimimian on the sideline.
Add in the perennial all-star back in the middle of this defence, and they’ll deserve to be in the conversation with Saskatchewan and Calgary for top defence in the league.
If they don’t deserve it already, as they prove change can be good. Very good.
