There are no NFL cuts or practice squad saviors planned to stop the 5-game losing streak. The BC Lions have to solve the problem
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The NFL’s cut-down day was Tuesday, when all 32 teams had to reduce their rosters to the required 53 players on the active roster and 17 on the practice squad.
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And I’m sorry to disappoint you, BC Lions fans, but there are no Raiders, Ravens, Packers or other white knights in shining armor coming to the rescue. The last Chevalier to return from the NFL – Nathan Rourke – arrived in a suit of armor battered and scarred from his experiences in the bowels of the NFL juggernaut and was promptly unseated in his first two CFL tournaments.
Defensive lineman Mathieu Betts, who set a CFL record for most sacks by a Canadian last year, was released by the Detroit Lions and placed on the waivers list to become a free agent. The Lions, who have lost five straight, would welcome him back in a heartbeat but are waiting for him to explore his options on both sides of the border.
Once NFL practice squads are finalized and free agent offers dry up, a handful of players will surely come north. But don’t expect them to be a difference-maker right away. For BC, it’s time to “do what you brought with you.”
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“The only ones who can do this are us. There are no magicians coming,” said Lions coach Rick Campbell. “We have very competent players and coaches who will get through this.”
This could be a potential “canary in the coal mine” moment for BC: In the last ten seasons, they have failed to make the playoffs every year they have lost five or more in a row (2021, 2019, 2017).
Their only saving grace is a West Division that is stricter than Donald Trump when it comes to paying contractors. Saskatchewan (5-5-1) is winless in five games but somehow remains in first place. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-6) are second and have the tiebreaker over BC.
Calgary (4-6) is one game behind the Lions and even the last-place Edmonton Elks (3-8) still have a chance.
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The number of players cut by the NFL has decreased as practice squads have expanded, and traditionally these players are brought in with an eye on the future, not to fix a tire fire.
“I don’t know if (new players) come to the rescue, but our scouts always do a great job of scouring the NFL for guys that fit in this league,” said Neil McEvoy, Lions director of football operations. “We’ll certainly bring guys up to see if they can help this year, but usually those guys are for the future.
“I know we just lost five games in a row, but this is essentially the same group that won five games in a row. There will always be improvement and twerking … to make you better. But I trust our coaches and players to weather the storm.”
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If you add in the two losses to the Bombers – who started the year 0-4 – the Lions’ situation is still bad, but not great. A one-point loss to the Stamps and losses to Edmonton and Ottawa that were only decided in the final stages of the fourth quarter.
The loss of Josh Woods for the season was a major blow to the linebackers, who were further weakened by injuries and were forced to bring in younger players. The defensive secondary was also a collection of moving parts, with injuries to Ronald Kent Jr., Christophe Beaulieu and Jordan Perryman undermining their efficiency.
The result was a defense that can’t tackle or cover and leads the CFL in yards after the catch. It doesn’t help, said cornerback Garry Peters, that they don’t work on it in practice.
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“A lot of times we’re tackling on the dummies or pads, but you can’t really simulate the speed you would get in the game,” he said. “At that point, you just have to want it. A lot of it is effort. A lot of times guys aren’t making tackles on their own, but there are a lot of guys that are just watching and hoping (the other guy) is going to make the play and not trying to come over and help make the play.”
“Any time you lose a game, it’s painful no matter what. But when you look at the stats and see that they threw for 390 yards and three touchdowns, it’s like a punch in the gut for us,” he added, referring to Dru Brown’s numbers against them in last week’s 34-27 loss to Ottawa.
“As football players, especially as DBs, we take a lot of pride. We don’t want a team to throw three or four hundred yards… We’re more responsible for doing the little things.”
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Campbell said the urgency is “increased to the bare minimum,” but acknowledged that the upcoming stretch in the team’s schedule will help them. BC plays four straight games against East Division teams, while their western opponents all play each other.
It won’t be a walk in the park, as the East has an 18-9 record against the West this season. Excluding Hamilton, Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto – the teams the Lions will face – are 17-3.
Peters knows BC is running out of time
“It’s just a low point. … When you start losing, it’s contagious. Every week you have to find that confidence again, you have to work even harder to get back on the winning side,” he said. “We were just in a slump and we have to get out of that slump and figure it out. … Patience is running out. We have to start winning games. We only have seven games left. That’s an important part of the season; every game kind of feels like a playoff game.”
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NEXT GAME
Touchdown Pacific
Ottawa Redblacks (7-2-1) at BC Lions (5-6)
Saturday, 4 p.m.., Royal Athletic Park, Victoria
TV: TSN file. Radio: AM980
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