The Leos deserve to be Western Favorites

There is no question that the defending Grey Cup champion BC Lions deserve to be regarded as the team to beat not only in the West but in the league as a whole this year.. They won their fifth Grey Cup last year with a regular season 13-5 record then slammed the Riders in the Western Final 45-18 and then defeated Montreal in the Grey Cup final in Winnipeg.

They return virtually all their starters with the exception of defensive end Chris Wilson ,outside linebacker Karl Kidd and offensively guard Bobby Singh and wide receiver Ryan Thelwell.They were at the top in most offensive categories last year and figure to do the same this year led by veteran Quarterback Dave Dickenson who had a fantastic unheard of 70.4% passing percentage last year and was named the outstanding player in the Lions Grey Cup win over Montreal.The Lions picked up two new offensive tackles last year Rob Murphy and Jason Jimenez both with NFL experience and they were instrumental in giving the cagey veteran Dickenson the extra protection he needed for a second or two to pick out his receivers.

The leagues outstanding player last year wideout Geroy Simon who had 105 receptions good for 1856 yards and 15 touchdowns and eleven one hundred yard games returns with a strong supporting cast led by Jason Clermont who was injured most of last year and who has overall in his six year CFL career caught 292 passes for 4119 yards and 27 TDs and averages 14.1 yards every time he makes a reception. Paris Jackson and a healthy Anthony Simmons give the Lions two more potent receiving weapons.

Joe Smith who joined the Leos half way thru last year gave the team the balanced attack they were looking for as he ran for 887 yards on 166 carries from the running back position. His arrival forced defenses to respect the run which made the BC passing attack even more effective.

The Lions defensively were led by defensive end Brent Johnson the outstanding defensive player in the league who along with defensive tackles Tyrone Williams and Aaron Hunt made life miserable for opposition quarterbacks as the BC defense led the league in Quarterback sacks.The Lions secondary led by CFL All-Star Corey Banks with 50 defensive tackles .seven interceptions and six pass knockdowns will again be tough to throw against.The Lions special teams as usual will perform at a consistently high level as well.

Wally Buono Lions Head Coach wants a Grey Cup ring for his thumb having won three Grey Cups while coaching the Stampders and one with the Lions .He also is getting closer to the retired Don Mathews as the All -Time winningest coach in CFL history.and when you consider that Mathews began his coaching carer in 1983 and Buono in 1990 you begin to realize what a winner Buono really is as he continually gets the most out of his players.

The rest of the West will be a dog fight with the Riders getting my nod for second place because of their coaching staff which has 42 years of CFL coaching experience.The Saskatchewan crew will score a lot of points as rookie head Coach Kent Austin is a big believer in the ariel game.

The Eskimos will have improved enuf from last years disastrous season in which they missed the playoffs for the first time in 35 years to finish third.The return of veteran offensive lineman Kevin Lefsrud will certainly help their offensive line which was their weak spot last year.and defensively the acquisition of defensive tackle Ron Warrener and DB Stanford Samuels from Winnipeg along with all-Star cornerback Omar Morgan from Saskatchewan and safety Jason Goss from Hamilton.will make their defnse more difficult to pass against.

I am picking the Stampeders for last which will both annoy and surprise a lot of people particularly in Southern Alberta but the Stamps who will have an outstanding offense under veteran offensive co-ordinator George Cortez and QB Henry Burris defensively have two many holes in their front seven and by the time their many newcomers jell it will be too late in the season.

So there you have it BC, Saskatchewan, Edmonton , Calgary in that order in the West this year.You can take it to the bank.