Wallyball it seems is a little deflated these days on the shores of the Pacific. As the BC Lions stumble along in the 2004 campaign, suffering from key injuries, showcasing far too many defensive breakdowns and highlighting the unknown malaise of kicking troubles, there’s a whole lot of negativity in the air at BC Place at the moment.
Just give a listen to any of the local sports stations, The Team, Mojo or Sportstalk on NW and you’ll hear the oft repeated refrain: What’s wrong with the Lions? Indeed this is not the start that Coach and GM Wally Buono would have wanted and for Bob Ackles the start of the season is going to make selling tickets that much harder for the ticket office.
The Lions problems began in training camp when star QB Dave Dickenson first showed signs that his off season knee problems weren’t totally solved yet. As he gamely played in the first three games taking his leave normally by half time it only became a matter of time before he couldn’t start at all. And that time came this past week when Dickenson went in for more surgery that could very well see him out of the line up for the rest of the year.
Into the fire is thrown Casey Printers who while a most credible understudy, has yet to learn the nuances of the Canadian game that Dickenson had mastered. The Lions have also been victimized by some shoddy defensive work, especially in the secondary where opposing teams have feasted on at will in some games.
Friday night at BC Place brought the winless Edmonton Eskimos to town, and as it was only a matter of time before they finally got their act together it didn’t really come as a surprise when they took charge of Friday night’s game. Fumbled balls caused the Leos no shortage of trouble, including a drive killing fumble on the Eskie one yard line, a play that seemed to set the tone for the Lions night. The Eskimo defence managed to keep Printers in check for most of the game, denying him the opportunity to run the ball and open up some field for his receivers. A pivotal point for the Esks defence was in the second quarter when they denied Printers a first down on a third a short gamble on the Eskimo 20.
Offensively the Eskimos finally found a way to get Mike Pringle unleashed as the Esks running back collected his 71st 100 yard game. Jason Maas threw for two touchdowns and ran one in for himself as the Eskimo offence finally began to resuscitate itself from the previous 0-3 start, finishing up Friday nights game with 25-9 victory over BC.
For the Lions it’s back to the practice field and working out the problems that have plagued them team so far this year. With the presence of Dickenson now limited to the sidelines for now, it will be up to Steve Burratto to help get Casey Printers a game plan to keep the Leos in the hunt for the playoffs. Fortunately the West is one confusing conference this year, no team showing any inclination to take charge and run with the standings. But with signs of life in Winnipeg and Edmonton now, the Lions will have to fix their problems fast; the log jam in the West isn’t going to last forever. One team is only a string of successive wins away from controlling their destiny, for Wally and his Lions the task may be a little bit harder than the others.
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