Dangerous penalties, losses to groups with sub-.500 information — the B.C. Lions wish to put these points behind them head of Saturday’s sport towards Montreal.
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Observe stopped as B.C. Lions coach Rick Campbell took a second to berate his workforce, his voice reverberating across the area of their Surrey facility.
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He lambasted the defence for lining up offside in a short-yardage drill, which might have given the opposition a primary down in an actual sport.
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The second was notable exactly as a result of it was Campbell; a person of immovable mellowness, as even-keeled a character as you’ll meet. For him to lift his voice to ranges audible to the sideline, it meant he was significantly perturbed.
“It was simply pointless,” he mentioned of his defence’s lax consideration to element.
“I simply wish to arrange very excessive expectations. I don’t wish to do virtually all the things proper — let’s do all of it proper,” he mentioned after follow. “Simply ensuring we’re good to go.”
The Lions (7-4) haven’t been able to go up to now two video games, and so they’ve fallen behind shortly in losses to 2 groups with shedding information and backup quarterbacks. The vitality arrived too late of their 34-29 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and by no means arrived of their 30-13 defeat by the hands of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
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The Leos performed flatter than a globe in Kyrie Irving’s front room of their loss to the Ticats, with the spark that had been scorching in the course of the earlier week’s follow getting doused early by a gradual stream of James Butler runs and touchdowns.
Campbell desires to guarantee that doesn’t occur for a 3rd straight sport when B.C. travels to Montreal to tackle the Alouettes (6-4) for a Saturday evening showdown.
NEXT GAME
Saturday
B.C. Lions vs. Montreal Alouettes
4 p.m., Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, TV: TSN, Radio: AM730
“You’ve bought to play with an edge,” he mentioned. “We had been enjoying groups which can be behind us within the standings, combating for his or her (playoff) lives. I believe we have to have extra … I don’t wish to name it desperation, however have that edge, the place you’re gonna battle for all the things.”
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“There’s a way of urgency round right here. We don’t anticipate to lose,” added cornerback Garry Peters, who was entrance and centre for Campbell’s admonishment of the short-yardage defence.
“We lose two video games in a row, and also you’re seeing why we’re shedding. That stuff is vital. And Rick is simply homing in on that, the nearer we get to the top of the season, and the nearer we get to the playoffs.
“He sees our potential. We bought nice gamers out right here. We bought nice individuals, nice males. He’s seen our potential, and he’s not attempting to allow us to waste it. He’s pushing us for greatness. And I don’t anticipate nothing much less.”
The Lions defence was enjoying at an all-time degree earlier this season even counting the 45-24 loss to Toronto, after they had been handed the unimaginable project of defending a brief area towards the league’s top-scoring offence. However B.C. has misplaced three of their final 4 video games, giving up 114 factors (38 ppg) in these losses.
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Statistically, they’re nonetheless conceding the fewest factors within the league (19.7), however their status of impregnability has suffered.
One concern that has been papered over by their earlier 7-2 begin was a penchant for penalties. B.C. is the one workforce averaging in double figures (11.3 per sport) and trails solely Edmonton in total penalty yardage (1,044 to 906). They solely had 4 accepted flags for 45 yards towards the Ticats, however Hamilton additionally declined two extra on runs by Butler that resulted in a landing and 20 yard run.
“If you happen to go on the market disciplined, you surrender 14, 15 penalties, that is skilled soccer — you’re gonna lose the sport,” mentioned Peters. “Our workforce has been essentially the most penalized workforce within the league, particularly the final 5 weeks. It’s like an astronomical quantity.”
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The Lions dealt with the Alouettes 35-19 in Week 5 at B.C. Place, the center sport of a three-game shedding streak for Montreal. They rebounded to win 4 straight earlier than crashing to Earth towards Winnipeg on the highway final week, shedding 41-17 and placing up 21 yards of offence within the second half.
B.C. has misplaced their grip on controlling their very own future for the highway to first place within the West, and now has to deal with righting the ship and staying forward of the groups behind them.
“We confronted adversity early on within the final two video games. As a really veteran group, we have to perceive that hey, doesn’t imply shit and we have to return to work and get factors on the board,” mentioned offensive lineman Andrew Peirson.
“It’s about setting an instance for a number of the younger guys, particularly going out into Montreal. It’s not often called a hostile surroundings except you play in it. It may be rather a lot.
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“It’s all sunshine and rainbows firstly of the yr, now you face somewhat adversity. I’d like to be sitting right here saying like, hey, we’re profitable, profitable, profitable, but it surely’s soccer. Typically shit occurs and also you’ve simply bought to bounce again and discover out what this workforce’s manufactured from.”
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