7/2/2007 10:56:13 PM
The Hunted

The blessings that come from being successful over time in this league are evident, they almost speak for themselves. When you’ve had the kind of success that the B.C. Lions have enjoyed for the past few years, you’ve pretty much set the standard for others to follow and certain rights and privileges definitely come with that standard. I can’t even remember when I’ve been on a team that won on the road in B.C. When people see B.C. place as a venue on their schedule the thoughts automatically enter into their heads that this must be the difficult portion of the schedule regardless of who they may be playing for the surrounding games. The lights seem just a bit brighter, the red zone seems somewhat further away, and the crowd seems louder for whatever reason. The precision that B.C. has operated with has allowed them to carry a swagger of confidence with them in spite of what turmoil they may have been going through at any time as a team. Through quarterback controversy, through key injuries and even replacing the team MVP of the previous year with an unproven back at the time, all seems to come up aces when you’re performing at that level, almost as if they can do no wrong.
What’s not so obvious about winning ways such as these is that every single team circles the date that B.C. is on the schedule, on their calendar as a chance to show that they’ve “arrived.” All of us that wish to someday be where they are realize the same truth…you’ve got to beat the champ to be the champ. There are ways to attain success that parallels that of B.C.’s but in the west, the Lions happen to be the gold standard and anyone wishing to unseat them, must first go into B.C. place and do just that. Trust me, it’s easier said than done. I’ve worked with Wally Buono and his staff and won a Grey Cup with them, and I understand full well the level of execution and professionalism that is demanded of the Lions and I think that as long as Wally is running the show there, the team will be successful.
That being said, we have an opportunity to walk into B.C. place this week as a team that everyone is really not too sure about just yet. Uncertainty does not provide comfortable nights in this line of work. In order to defeat a team that runs like a well oiled machine in their own backyard no less, one must prepare with a heightened level of scrutiny and emphasis on detail. At the CFL level we can all run, we can all hit, we can all block, catch and make plays. The difference between the success of teams is a combination of trust, comfort level, execution and accountability. We’ve got a young team that was recently a not so young team, so some of us are familiar with B.C.’s dominance in this league as of late, while others may not even know who to be aware of as potential playmakers. The opportunity in front of us is a great one for a number of reasons, the timing of the schedule puts us in a position where a win would send a distinct message to the rest of the Western Division that Edmonton is back in the fold. The circumstances of our last game would make for this showing to be a litmus test to see if last week’s offensive display was a fluke or an indicator of how things are going to be, and against two of the league’s best defenses in consecutive weeks at that. Not to mention that it would make the rest of the league raise an eyebrow as to what exactly is going on out here in Edmonton.
The main problem with being the champ is that you can guarantee you’ll get every other team’s best effort every night if nothing else. As a player the games against a B.C. type team could be auditions within themselves, for if you can have success against the champs individually, it must bode well for your skill level and ability to play for anyone in this league. This certainly won’t be an easy task, I’ve never seen a true champion lay down for anyone. As any contender worth his salt will tell you, all you can ask for is an opportunity, an opportunity to test the throne. If it’s our time, then perhaps we’ll shock some people…correction, a lot of people.
But if we should happen to walk out of B.C. place with a win, I can guarantee there won’t be much shock in the visitor’s locker room.
Happy Hunting fellas…©

KP8