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For most of this CFL season, whenever the BC Lions’ offence was being pushed toward the rocks by a storm of injuries and inconsistent play, the defence was able to help steer the team back into calm waters.
Led by the bruising linebacker combination of Solomon Elimimian and Adam Bighill, and with the support of veterans like defensive back Ryan Phillips and rookies like defensive lineman Alex Bazzie, the BC defence was ranked as one of the best in the league.
BC allowed 365 points this year, the third least in the league while giving up, a league-low, 24 touchdowns and stopped the opposition from scoring a TD six times.
But after mostly smooth sailing the Lions’ defence experience some rough seas in the final two games of the regular season.
In back-to-back losses to Edmonton and Calgary the Lions gave up 70 points. That’s more than the previous five games combined. For the first 16 games of the season the Lions gave up an average 292 yards of offence. In the last two BC allowed 1,019 yards.
Not the numbers the Lions (9-9) want to see heading into Sunday’s crossover playoff game against the Montreal Alouettes (9-9).
“We have to get better,” said Phillips, the 10-year veteran who led the team with three interceptions this season. “I don’t want to say we’re not as good as we should be, but we are not exposing it on the field.”
“We know defence wins championships, especially going into the playoffs. We are supposed to be the heart of this team. At the end of the day we have to go out there and get better.”
The Lions do have some excuses. Bighill missed the Calgary game due to a fractured bone in his hand, an injury suffered in the loss the Edmonton. He will return to the lineup against Montreal after undergoing surgery. BC also rested players like Bazzie, and defensive ends Eric Taylor and Khreem Smith in the last game.
“We had some injuries, we had some different guys playing different positions,” said Bighill, who is second on the Lions with 77 tackles this year.
“This is the week that matters. We will put everything behind us and move forward. We know where we want to be and we know where we are going.”
Elimimian is the wind in the Lions’ defensive sails. The fifth-year Lion finished the year with a CFL record 143 tackles. That was 54 more than Calgary’s Brandon Smith, the largest gap between first and second in league history.
Elimimian also had eight special teams tackles, giving him 151 total tackles, breaking the CFL record of 136 set by Calgary’s George White in 2005.
It’s no surprise that Elimimian is the West’s nominee for Most Outstanding Defensive Player. He also is the first pure defender to be the West’s nominee as the league’s Most Outstanding Player.
While he is “honoured and humbled” by the double nominations, Elimimian’s focus is on having the Lions play at BC Place in the Grey Cup game.
“It’s anybody’s game at this point,” he said. “If you are in the dance you have a chance to win it.”
“You have seen the underdogs win it. Why can’t it be us?”
Montreal and BC spilt their two games this season. The Alouettes won 24-9 in Montreal July 4, then two weeks later where pounded 41-5 by the Lions in Vancouver.
The BC defence showed its teeth against Montreal, allowing the Als only one touchdown in 31 possessions over the two games. Montreal was forced into 20 two-and-outs and seven turnovers.
In the July 19 loss, Montreal had only 115 net yards and seven first downs.
One of the biggest differences Sunday is that Jonathon Crompton will be quarterbacking for Montreal.
Crompton didn’t play against the Lions this season. In the 12 games he did play he completed 179 of 308 passes for 2,482 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He will be playing behind an offensive line which allowed just 31 sacks, good for second best in the league, and just eight in the last nine games.
| Eastern Semi-Final |
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 The BC Lions travel east to take on the Montreal Alouettes in the Eastern Semi-Final as both teams look to take another step towards the 102nd Grey Cup. Eastern Semi-Final playoff centre  |
Bazzie said the Lions will be watching plenty of film on Crompton but that isn’t the same as seeing him live.
“You can see their game plan on film but it’s hard when you don’t have a feel for it on the field,” said the 24-year-old who had 44 tackles and a forced fumble in his rookie season.
“A guy like him is mobile, he makes big plays for the offence. Right now he is the head of the snake. His teammates are rallying around him. He’s been winning for Montreal. He’s got the job done.”
With Crompton making his first playoff start the Lions will probably try to confuse him with different looks and physically intimidate him.
The Alouettes roll into the playoffs having won six of their last seven games. They are a confident team playing at home.
“At the end of the day I don’t think there are many people who have belief in us,” said Phillips. “The only people who believe in us are the guys in our room.”
“We definitely have something to prove. We need to prove it to ourselves, that we are a capable team that hasn’t reached its peak yet.”
