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BC Lions Firing On All Cylinders

By 250 News

-by John Goodwin

BC at Sask.



The Lions enter week ten of the season finding themselves immersed in prairie madness, deep in the bowels of Canada’s heartland, Regina Saskatchewan. This is home to arguably the most ravenous of all CFL fans on the face of the planet on a consistent basis since the 60's anyway.

These are the people, many of whom dress up in full length muskrat fur coats, paint their faces different shades of green, don homemade outlandish head-wear, and squeeze/blow screaming noise makers...all visited upon unsuspecting opposing fans as this Roughrider faithful follow their beloved heros around the country-side like boils on a butt.

Roughrider fans don’t wait ‘til the playoffs to go nuts, and it’s entirely possible these same impassioned devotees wear this stuff to bed all year ‘round, to weddings, and in to see the banker during their annual interrogation.

This is the jurisdiction where the kickoff to a CFL season breaths life into the vary fabric of this prairie population. Football isn’t just a part of life, it’s a religion....not to be messed with.

Much to the chagrin of these same Roughrider football fans though, we have to talk under-achieving.

As the season began the Riders were picked by many pundits to be serious contenders to come out of the West this fall. At this point it would seem the Canucks have a better chance of winning the Stanley Cup.

At virtually the mid point of the season they sit just 3 and 5, currently trailing the league leading Lions (their next challenger) by 10 points. Their defense is just OK at 6th overall while the offense sputters along 8th out of 9 teams.

Now on the BC side of the ball, in case you’ve been living under a rock, the Lions are tearing up the league and the Roughriders are one of only 3 teams left yet to feel the rapier like sting from Dave Dickenson/Casey Printers and their very deep offensive machine.

Add to the mix a whole lot of stingy, rubbick’s cube like complex defensive alignments, and for opposing offenses attempting to breech this wall of meat, is like getting past Rita Mc Neil in a buffet line.

For those who so far have drawn short straw of the week and have had to engage this team, they have been doomed, facing death by a thousand cuts!

The Leos offense is 2nd overall scoring 265 points and trailing the Alouettes by a single point. Their defense is also at the number two spot, second only to the Eskimos.

Coach Wally Buono, (A Canadian Football League success story) appears to the casual observer to not only be well connected but has a great nose for talent. Between he and Bobby Ackles they’ve built a team proving so far by virtue of it’s record to be “best of breed” and as promised will be competitive with all others in the post season......that is if they can keep the “dream” season going.

And now this:
Some eternal optimist was at one time overheard coining the phrase “variety is the spice of life”.

Just wondering how much spice the national CBC audience will enjoy as the network of course is on strike, and the only audio we’ll hear from Regina will be on the field.

Hey...kinda like being in the stands.....





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