Lions hoping major offseason changes will pay off as new era begins

The Lions missed the playoffs the next year for the first time in 20 seasons and were blown out in Hamilton in last year’s Eastern Semi-Final.

It all precipitated sweeping changes the veterans say were necessary.

“We’ve won one playoff game since I’ve been here in 2014,” said receiver Bryan Burnham. “Changes needed to be made and I think [GM Ed Hervey] made the right ones and we’re excited. We’re putting pieces together and it’s going to be a fun ride.”

The Lions, in fact, have only won the one playoff game since the 2011 Grey Cup championship.

It’s why Hervey, who turned Edmonton from a 4-14 team to a Grey Cup champion in two years, made such drastic changes. Hervey was busy in free agency, signing the likes of Mike Reilly, but also cutting popular veterans like linebacker Solomon Elimimian to make room for younger players.

“When we were discussing the inevitable changes this offseason, it was important to upgrade our athleticism,” said Hervey. “We wanted to get younger in many positions and we wanted to be more athletic. If that meant that we were going to have to move away from some of the well-known players that have been around for awhile, it’s just part of the changes that happen with football.”

Burnham is just one of three players still around from the Wally Buono era. But he thinks it’s a good mix of veterans and young players.

“You’ve got guys here that have been on the Lions for four, five, six years like myself, T.J. Lee, Hunter Steward,” he said. “But you’ve got guys who have been in Calgary who have Grey Cup rings, guys who have been around different teams.” Burnham added, “Guys like to joke around from the B.C. Eskimos, but we’re the B.C. Lions, man.”

There are many former Eskimos at Lions’ training camp, almost too many to count — all brought in by Hervey.

“Watching our team practice, it’s the effort they play with, the passion they play with and the accountability that they hold themselves to, they hold themselves to a high standard, which DeVone [Claybrooks] and his staff have been holding the players to,” said Hervey.

Claybrooks said, “Guys are buying into the details and they’re understanding the details can’t be lax. We’ve got to hold ourselves to a higher standard. It’s pretty simple. We just tell them to be like a pro, practice like a pro, be a pro off the field. If you do those things, the rest will take care of itself.”

The Lions hope all the offseason changes will pay off in the long run, specifically in November.

by Chad Klassen

Lions hoping major offseason changes will pay off as new era begins

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