Lions Olafioye Soft Spoken Pillar of the O-Line

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Great to read an aritle on Jovan Olafioye in the Vanocuver Sun this morning. Olafioye and Archibald are the best two offenssive tackles in the CFL and Olafioye has been the best offensive lineman in the country so far this season. Agnus Reed gets all the press and media attention while Oliafoye and Archibald have been below the radar while playing outstanding football.

Back to playing his natural right side this season, after playing right guard for the first half of last season...which was shocking to use an import at the guard position (Olafioye should have been playing right tackle from the start of last season) Olafoye was moved to left tackle in the second half of last season, protecting the important blind side for Lulay.

With the signng of Archibald, Olalfoye was moved back to the right side and moved to right tackle for this season and the results are sowing at both positions.

Great to see Olafioye's play recognized for all Leo fans in the newspaper....here on Lionbackers we've all what his contributions have been. Hopefully a feature story on Archibald is next in line for our offensive line, which has performed admirably overall, during our winning streak.

The article is below:


METRO VANCOUVER — B.C. coach Wally Buono calls Ben Archibald and Jovan Olafioye the “pillars” of his offensive line and, consequently, the buttresses of his squad, since superior line play is the fundamental basis of a winning football team.

The choice of “pillars” is also an apt one, however, because columns, be they Ionic, Doric or Corinthian, just stand there and seldom say much.

“I still don’t think Ben has said 10 words to me all season,” Buono said of his left tackle.

Right tackle Olafioye’s word count probably stands at 20.

“They don’t say boo,” Buono added. “I don’t know if I’ve ever heard them talk, other than when you go up and engage them. I’m serious.”

Whatever, Archibald and Olafioye are paid to block, not self-promote, pontificate or deliver room-service quotes to the media, unlike Rob Murphy and Jason Jimenez, the colourful nasty boys who were the Lions tackles in their last championship season of 2006.

One thing is certain when the Lions arrive in Regina Saturday to prepare for Sunday’s CFL game (1 p.m., TSN, Team 1410) at Mosaic Stadium against the Roughriders: Archibald and Olafioye will be at the bottom of the request list for pre-game interviews by those with digital recorders and microphones.

Nonetheless, others are saying a lot about them.

Archibald was the CFL’s lineman of the year last season with the Calgary Stampeders. Olafioye was a West Division all-star in his rookie campaign with the Lions. And their physical play during the team’s seven-game win streak speaks to their impressive resumes.

“When the tackles can protect and run block, they make everything that much better,” Buono said. “Ben and Jovan are the pillars of the offence. Jovan has been our most consistent lineman. And Ben has really exploded, playing very dominant football the last six or seven games. They’re guys who control their people, but they’re very different in personality and temperament from Murphy and Jimenez.”

As the rest of the CFL now painfully knows, Olafioye is the league’s Baby Huey, a young, massive man who doesn’t know his own strength and is now developing the technique to go with it.

During Olafioye’s rookie season, the O-line would amuse itself in the video room by watching clips of the Detroit native “obliterating people,” in the words of centre Angus Reid.

Offensive assistant Kelly Bates, who is coaching Olafioye for the first time this season, compares him, at age 23, with two blasts from the Lions’ storied past: Jamie Taras, a two-time CFL all-star and a member of the organization’s 50-year anniversary dream team; and Moe Elewonibi, an Outland Trophy winner at BYU, Washington Redskins draft pick and starting left tackle for the Lions at the age of 40.

“He compares with Jamie and Moe in just the outright, vicious, raw power that he has,” Bates says of Olafioye. “His punch, and the force he brings on blocks, reminds me of Moe in the 2005 playoffs. But Jovan’s just 23. You can’t coach size. That’s why I feel he’ll get another shot in the NFL.”

Lomas Brown, a retired Detroit Lion/Arizona Cardinal offensive line great, and seven-time Pro Bowler, believes he will, too.

“Oh, yeah, without a doubt,” Brown said. “Jovan’s definitely gotten bigger and stronger and more confident in his technique. The biggest thing with a lineman is confidence. And Jovan has a very confident demeanour right now. And he’s only 23. Most linemen really don’t hit their peak until they’re 28 or 29. I played 18 years. Linemen can play a long time.”

Brown, now 48, describes himself as Olafioye’s “mentor.” They’ve trained together at Athletic Republic, a gym in Auburn Hills, north of Detroit, and Jovan demonstrates and teaches at a number of Big Man clinics sponsored by Brown which offer instruction for high school, college and pro players.

While Brown played at a high-profile university (Florida) and Olafioye did not (North Carolina Central), Brown said it’s not important where a guy came from. It’s his arrival point that matters.

“I was really surprised that a guy his size was able to slip through the cracks and not get signed by one of the Michigan schools.” Brown said. “He was not a top recruit. That was a shock to me. But it would not shock me if NFL teams have interest in him now. I told him we’re going to try and re-visit an opportunity with the [Detroit] Lions.”

Olafioye was in the rookie camp of the Motor City Lions two years ago and got acquainted with another first-year player, Matthew Stafford, the young quarterback from Georgia who leads the team’s resurgent offence. Off to a 5-0 start — they’ve actually won nine in a row, going back to last season — the "downtrodden Detroit Lions", as they've been known for decades, haven’t been this exciting since the heyday of Bobby Layne, John Henry Johnson, Hopalong Cassady and Joe Schmidt. That was in 1957, Detroit's last NFL championship season.

“It’s an environment different than anything we’ve seen here in a long, long time,” Brown said. “I know it would be a dream for Jovan to play for the NFL team in his home state. Although the Lions didn’t bring him back to their main camp two years ago, he’s definitely got to be on their radar now. Definitely, that’s the first team we will approach.”

Olafioye, who is represented by Vancouver sports agent Dan Vertlieb, is aware that Kelowna’s Danny Watkins was a 2011 first-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles at age 26 (Watkins turns 27 next month), so he feels time is on his side if an NFL opportunity should come.

“I’m much, much further ahead than when I first came here [B.C.],” Olafioye said. “Overall, the competition has made me a better player, and so has the coaching. Dan Dorazio [Lions O-line coach] is one of the best coaches I’ve ever had. He’s technique-savvy. This has been a stepping stone to get me where I’m supposed to be.”

Olafioye is quick to point out, however, that his heart still belongs to the B.C. Lions, even if his head sometimes wanders to Detroit.

“My parents are big Detroit Lions fans,” Olafioye said. “But, right now, I’m just concentrating on being a better player for the B.C. Lions.”

Buono wonders, for how much longer?

“I’m going on the assumption that his athletic ability, his size and his age is going to be of interest to an NFL team,” Buono said. “Jovan’s been our most consistent offensive lineman.”

That’s not a secret, within the CFL, and beyond its borders.