Don Landry
CFL.ca
Make some noise, Lions fans. But be aware when you need to be at your most “leather lunged.” Also when you need to use your “inside voices.” That’s the message from the dean of CFL coaches.
While holding court, along with Winnipeg head man Paul LaPolice at the Coaches’ Media Conference on Wednesday, Wally Buono talked about the “magic of B.C. Place.”
The head coach and GM of the Lions expanded on the concept when I asked him about it during Thursday’s team media lunch.
As is usually the case in these matters, the “magic” comes not from the bricks, mortar and steel of the actual structure, but from the energy of the people who inhabit the building. Five hundred million dollars can buy you a finely appointed playpen (and it is a beautiful, beautiful stadium) but it won’t put a charge into the place. For a building to have personality, it needs to be fed by the folks in the seats.
“There’s a certain electricity to it, there’s a certain feel to it and there’s a certain sound to it,” Buono told me. “It magnifies the whole process of a game. It’s hard to be in there, in my mind, and not be pumped up to play because everything is magnified.”
“It’s not so much the colour design or all the exciting things they’ve added like the scoreboard or the flashing lights. It’s the noise. It’s the clamour.”
It’s always been that way, in Buono’s estimation. But he’s also aware that the revamped facility’s attractiveness has added some excitement for the patrons who’ve clicked through the turnstiles, leading to even more energy for the home team.
“For us the last five games have been spectacular. And the crowd and the noise has been a part of it,” he said.
Buono is aware of the great advantage that all that din can give his team, especially for a game as large as the Grey Cup. Yet it can be a cross to bear too, if the crowd’s uproar goes unchecked.
“I think the fans are sophisticated enough to know that the B.C. Lions want them to be really, really, really noisy when Winnipeg’s offence is working. When our offence is working we’d like them to sit back and enjoy.”
If that’s the case, quarterback Travis Lulay should have very few problems in that regard. But that didn’t stop Buono from piping in loud crowd noise while the Leos’ offence practiced on Thursday.
“Today we worked it for both units, because there’s going to be noise no matter what.”
Which brings us to a bit of a problem for the home side.
Deafening noise might make it oh so difficult for Buck Pierce and the Winnipeg offence to hear as they get set to engage a play. However, don’t forget that the Lions’ defence will be out there, and while it may not be quite as important for them to communicate, it is still necessary. When the quarterback changes sets, the defensive captain often follows in kind, adjusting his crew too.
B.C. defensive co-ordinator Mike Benevides knows the importance of body language.
“We’ve gotta communicate well visually. Unspoken words,” he said. “It’s lot of hand signals. For the guys that are close enough together, they might be able to hear what they’re saying. The veterans need to help the young guys.”
This comes as no surprise to Benevides. Since arriving in Vancouver in 2003, he’s had to plan for dealing with the noise of a crowd that’s trying to be helpful.
“As long as I’ve been here we’ve had that challenge to deal with. It’s a positive thing for us as a defence, but it presents us with another challenge.”
THE EXTRA POINT
Buono is certain of at least one thing, heading for Sunday’s game: the line of scrimmage is crucial.
“Great skill players cannot be great skill players unless you win the line of scrimmage,” he said, noting that it is true of skill players on BOTH sides of the ball.
“That’s my belief. I’m not necessarily saying that it’s the only belief or the right belief but you’ve got to be good on the line of scrimmage and when you are, you usually have success. On Sunday, I just can’t believe that that’s not going to be a factor.”
