By Jeff Paterson,
Team 1040
When the Winnipeg Blue Bombers went to Vancouver and beat the Lions 22-21 under the dome at BC Place on August 10th, they not only picked up a big road win, but they bucked one of the great trends that has emerged in the Canadian Football League over the past few seasons.
That loss by the Lions was the first time they had been defeated by an Eastern opponent since October of 2005 when they fell 46-44 in Montreal.
Between those games the Leos had rattled off 11 straight wins over teams from the East including a clean sweep of their non-divisional games last year capped off by their 25-14 win over Montreal in the Grey Cup. And going back to the start of the ’05 season, the Lions are an impressive 18-2 against East Division foes.
That statistic is one of the main reasons the Lions have been able to win their division the past three seasons and play host to three consecutive West Championships. In an 18 game season, any win is a good one and the Lions have given themselves a cushion in the West by devouring teams from the other side of the country.
The flip side, however, to feasting on the East is that the B.C. Lions – as good as they’ve been in the Wally Buono era – really haven’t asserted themselves within their own division in that time.
Since the start of the 2005 season, while the Lions have been busy padding their stats against Eastern foes, they’ve barely broken even in games against Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatchewan (and, in ’05, Winnipeg was in the West Division). Over the past two and a half seasons, the Lions are just 13-11-1 against the rest of the West.
“Honestly, I think the best thing to say is that the balance is stronger in the west,” says Brent Johnson, the Lions sackmaster and the league’s outstanding Canadian and Defensive Player, trying his best not to provide any bulletin board material for upcoming Eastern opponents. “There’s not necessarily better talent, but the teams just seem better prepared in the west. You definitely feel they’re harder games when you’re playing a Western game.”
Veteran defensive back Mark Washington has been on both sides of this fence having started his career in Montreal before bolting to B.C. four and a half years ago. He’s aware of the Lions record against the two divisions, but doesn’t put a whole lot of stock in the numbers.
“It’s just one of those things. I really can’t explain it. I guess the balance of power sort of shifts. In the late nineties, it was all in the East,” says Washington. “Maybe the further we travel, the better we play. All I know is I hope the trend (against the East at least) continues.”
Linebacker Javy Glatt is now in his fifth season with the Lions so for him that’s meant a steady diet of Stampeders, Eskimos and Roughriders on the schedule. Glatt figures one of the reasons the Leos haven’t fared that well in divisional games is that their Western opponents have figured out a few of the Lions’ tendencies.
“You play these teams so many times that you know each other inside and out. Whereas you play the Eastern teams twice – that’s it. It’s always a refreshing game when you get to play the Eastern teams because you know you’re going to play someone you haven’t seen in a while,” he says. “I think guys get excited for that – new guys, fresh blood here, let’s go, let’s watch some different film. I think it’s more refreshing as a team to look upon those games as games to make big plays in and have a big impact on the season.”
After two losses and a tie in their last three games, the Lions are looking for someone to step up and make an impact to get their season back on track. And maybe the best bit of news for the banged-up Lions who are battling nagging injuries at just about every position is that their next three games just happen to be against Eastern opponents (August 31st at home against Montreal then September 9th at Montreal and home to Toronto on September 15th).
The Lions may have recent history on their side, but that alone won’t be enough to beat the Alouettes and Argonauts. However, if they can continue to have the kind of success against the East that they’ve enjoyed in recent seasons, they’re likely to remain the team to beat in the West.
Jeff Paterson is a broadcaster on the Team 1040, the B.C. Lions flagship radio station, and is also a Vancouver-based freelance writer.
(The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily of the Canadian Football League)
