At one point in the game the Lions were up by 19 points. I figured my predictions of a win by 3 TDs was in the bag but the Ti Cats had other plans. Burris was on fire in the second half. I thought he was done for the night when he was relieved by Porter earlier in the game.
The crowd was disappointing at barely over 25,000. Gore, one of the Lions best receivers, went down with a hamstring injury. Phillips went down with an ankle injury. He wasn't hit. He didn't tackle anyone. He was covering Stala. When Stala changed direction so did Phillips, only his right leg did not cooperate. You could see things did not look right on the replay. Lions coaching staff is "hopeful" but when I guy can't put any weight on the foot at all I'm not holding out a lot of hope Ryan will be back anytime soon. Personally, I don't think it's an Achilles tendon tear. If it were he'd still be able to put weight on it and perhaps even walk off the field on his own. I just hope it isn't a vicious fracture or some serious ligament damage.
The offense played well enough to wrack up 39 points and it would have been more since it was first and goal inside the 10 with less than a minute left. They played it smart and played for possession to secure the win.
The Ti Cat's Chevron Walker converted a 2nd and 10 into a 90 yard pass and run. What happened to the D?
Despite a slow start for Burris he still wracked up 359 yards passing. Burris did that? A guy who struggles reading the D and struggles adjusting when on the run? The Lions D is going to have to smarten up cause if there were still 10 minutes left in the game when the score was 39-36 the outcome might have been different.
For trivia fans out there: Since the newly renovated stadium opened last September 30 2011 the Lions have not lost at home! The last time the Lions played Hamilton it was in Hamilton and the Lions were blown out 42-10!
Late scoring made Hamilton appear better than it deserves to be. BC was in no danger of losing because BC was ahead for most of the game. After BC build a big margin in 4th quarter, BC was contented to kill time and do the minimum to win while Hamilton was desperately trying to catch up.
Lions look like the team to beat as long as they stay healthy if Lulay goes down all bets are off but he does look like the best QB in the league right now, scary cause he is still young.
I don't like the way Lulay is looking more like Buck taking hits when he could easy get out of bounds .
I am really disappointed with the loins fans like come on you guys, you have something special here get out to support your team!! 25k is pathetic.
25k is pretty pathetic for the 2nd largest market, but the ticket prices has scared the walk up casual fans. The 25k at the game is mostly the die hards that will be at everygame, but these days there is virtually no walk up.
BC didn't play that well, but still got the win. Having said that, the score didn't really reflect the game accurately. Hamilton was not very good either, and if not for BC's suspect defence in the 4th quarter, Lions should have had a more comfortable lead/victory.
The positives of this game is that the kick return game was the best it's been since the 2010 season with Yonus Davis. Tim Brown looks far more dangerous this season.
You’re dissapointed… I remember back in the 1980’s when BC Place used to be filled (50,000 plus) with fans. Cal Murphy had to buy ear plugs for his Bomber team.
Unfortunately oilerrocker, we have two sets of delusional fans…
One set is still waiting for the Canucks to win the Stanley Cup…(Guess what, not with Mike Gillis driving the bus)
One set still believes like some Torontorians that BC will get an NFL franchise some day. (Will not happen in my life time.)
After visiting the prairees over the last ten years and seeing the home town support in Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatchewan (Sorry WInnipeg, still haven’t made it there yet), I wish we could get that same passion out here in Vancouver. Unfortunately, I think we’ll only see the Hard Core CFL fans remain at a number from around 25,000 - 30,000.
Good to see the Lions prevail against a resilient Hamilton team that could have won with a stronger defensive effort. Burris was much improved from his previous start and loo energized and eager to play. I still don't know how he lost it last year with all those good receivers and a great back in Cornish. Two plays made it close for Hamilton: the screen to Chevon Walker and Chris Williams's TD on a punt return. And the Cats had bigger/better offensive stats. Nice to know we can underachieve and still win with our depth.
After we lost Philips and Mackenzie the D was more porous. Losing Gore didn't help our offence in the second half. After Gore went down it was easier for them to double Runeko Reth, better known by his real name: Arland Bruce III. Harris looked very solid and the other receivers played very well. With the other injuries piling up (Jesse Newman now on the nine-game injured list after a setback, Dean Valli still hurt and Hameister Ries dressed but yet to start) we are pretty thin at offensive line and the play of Patrick Kabongo and especially Matt Norman has been exposed a bit and Travis is getting sacked more often than last year. Look for opposing defences to send pressure up the A gaps more often then before. Can't wait for those hoggies to get healthy. And whatever you do, don't get between them and the buffet table. It could be fatal.
We still have plenty of improvement needed on the kick cover teams. That first man down field has to do more than just direct the returner away from the sidelines, he needs to slow the returners momentum and, if possible, get a piece of him and hang on 'til the pursuit arrives.
The D looked shaky at times and very solid at others. They are last in the West in points against and fourth overall. I wonder whether Joshua Bell might get a start in Philips's spot, and if so, which import has to sit that week? and whether Mackenzie will be good to go against the riders this week. James Yurichuck didn't look out of place replacing Mackenzie. I thought we looked good up front at times and did a decent job stopping the run but on passing downs we weren't pushing the pocket well enough or often enough to get Burris rattled, though we did briefly chase him out of the game in the second quarter..
Next stop: Riderville, against an improved Saskatchewan team that is also 2-0 and has given up only 17 points in two games. Odell Willis has really added an edge to their pass rush. look for him the do a lot of twists inside to take advantage of Norman and Kabongo with his speed and quickness. And look for him to be against Ben Archibald when he rushes outside. Very impressed with Durant so far, he's making a lot of good decisions and not turning it over.
Off topic here, but the Eskimos aren't looking very good with Steven Jyles at the helm and even worse with Kerry Joseph behind centre. If this continues Eric Tillman looks like a dead man walking and will be probably gone next year, similar to how Brain Burke got fired after Burtuzzi failed to live up to expectations after the Steve Moore incident. Why he would deal away one of the best QBs in CFL history is a mystery, but he has a history of dealing away expensive QBs. Remember the deal that sent Kerry Joseph to Toronto?