• Geroy's late season production is beginning to become legendary. Certainly not typical of a 34-year-old who should be showing the wear and tear of a long regular season. He has played at a high level for a very long time and still no signs of not being capable of being the Lions "go to" receiver.Pierce, Simon answer Buono's call to arms
Legendary coach turns struggling Lions into CFL turnaround story by challenging veterans to do more
Matthew Sekeres
Globe and Mail
One month ago, when the B.C. Lions were a mediocre football team, general manager and head coach Wally Buono personally challenged several of the CFL team's best players in a speech to the entire group.
Buono didn't initially name names, but his intent was that certain veterans knew exactly who he was calling out, and that the rest of the team knew, too.
Who responded to the challenge? Precisely the players in question.
None other than embattled quarterback Buck Pierce, who has persevered through two concussions and heavy criticism this year, and 34-year-old slotback Geroy Simon, whose 2009 statistics were way down until an eruption over the past two games.
Today, after consecutive victories that has them at .500 for the first time all year, the 7-7 Lions know they will have to ride Pierce and Simon for the remainder of the CFL season.
“From the outside looking in, you would think that,” Pierce said. “We've both had some big numbers.”
Pierce has passed for 644 yards and three touchdowns in the past two weeks, while Simon has 15 catches for 304 yards and two scores, including a game-winning touchdown against Edmonton with 12 seconds remaining.
Buono admits that B.C. didn't use Simon enough during a 1-4 start, and that the former CFL most outstanding player will be “more of a primary receiver” over the final month. Generally among the league leaders in every receiving category, Simon looked like a complementary target to Paris Jackson – at least on paper – until the calendar hit October.
“It gave those guys, in the locker room, the confidence in me that when given an opportunity, I'll make the play,” Simon said of his dramatic touchdown to beat the Eskimos on Oct. 9. “I don't think anybody was doubting me, but maybe they weren't sure.”
For Pierce, the personal stakes were much higher.
The five-year veteran faced a crossroads game against Saskatchewan two weeks ago, when Buono added to his original message and singled out his quarterback in pregame interviews. The coach acknowledged that Pierce was only starting because Jarious Jackson was hurt, and that the Lions would continue to be mediocre without a more potent passing game.
“Everybody that watches us play knew there was inconsistency at the position and that it needed to be played at a higher level,” Buono said. “The fact is, he has been able to do that, and because of that, he has helped this football club improve.”
Pierce delivered an impassioned address to the team in the locker room at halftime, noting that the Roughriders defence was trying to knock him out of the game.
The 27-year-old has a reputation for fragility, so after being cut and battered, there was reason to doubt how much more Pierce could take. One Saskatchewan source said his team was watching B.C.'s sidelines, wondering just that.
“That Saskatchewan game was a bloody fight, and it was a game where a lot of guys had to step up,” Pierce said. “The last month, I really liked what we've been doing offensively, how we've been mixing in the run with the play-action passing game … and that gives me confidence and a comfort level that I might not have had earlier in the year.”
B.C. enters a Sunday road game in Winnipeg with an outside chance of winning the West Division, but Buono says the Calgary Stampeders would need to lose three of four games, and that his team is more readily playing for second place and a home playoff date.
Rookie running back Martell Mallett, who ranks second in the CFL in rushing, has not practised this week because of an injured foot. He will likely sit against the Blue Bombers and be replaced by veteran A.J. Harris, who approached 1,000 yards from scrimmage with the Eskimos last year.
Receivers Paris Jackson (sprained knee ligament) and Emmanuel Arceneaux (broken hand) are expected to play through injuries, as will defensive end Ricky Foley (broken thumb), the CFL sack leader with 11.
• Interesting that Wally knows first place is still a tall order unless the Stamps completely collapse. That season series loss at McMahon 3 weeks ago can be blamed for that.
