Courtesy Brian Wawryshyn of BCLIONSDEN.ca

In The Den

When your team has yet to play a full 60 minutes of football six games into the season, and just came off loss where they blew a 14 point lead in the second half based on the fact they made crucial fundamental mistakes, as a coach you have to start trying different things.

If that coach is Wally Buono, that often means a veteran is about to feel his wrath.

Eric Carter, Antonio Warren, and to a lesser extent Carl Kidd, all have felt the unsatisfied chill Buono can cast over the team when he feels he needs to get his team’s attention.

This time around that player is last year’s rushing leader, Joe Smith. There are certainly others Buono could have chosen. A linebacker, a DB, but with rookie Stefan Logan providing the spark earlier this year, running back was the easiest place to start. A full yard less per carry than last year’s average, and possibly his lack of interest as he nursed a shoulder injury, were reasons enough for Buono to make the move for Friday’s game against the Eskimos.

The Lions love Logan and what he can offer. The small running back packs a big punch and a lot of speed. They would love to be able to utilize him in more games, but the roster ratios often hamper that.

Smith for his part didn’t seem to concerned about the move.

“There’s a lot of questions to be asked and a lot of things that could be said, but [the coaches] make the decision and I have no control over that decision,” Smith told the Vancouver Province. “Some guys would be losing their marbles right about now. As long as I know that what I’m doing is making me happy and my family happy, I don’t worry about the outside world.”

The method to Buono’s madness is to pick out a veteran and send a message to his players that even last year’s rushing leader is not safe. His job is to find players to replace them if they aren’t getting results.

Following practice on Monday, the players also took matters into their own hands by holding a players only meeting to discuss the issues amongst themselves. This is a proud group that has perhaps has become a little complacent. Buono has locked up most of the core of this team. It was the first such meeting in Lions land in around three years.

The Lions have not won a game against a Western division rival this season. And while it’s too early to panic, they have to start getting back into the win column against those teams, if they have any hope of winning the division again, or having a home playoff game.

No one should be blaming Joe Smith here for the teams problems. There have been balls dropped, wrong routes, untimely penalties missed tackles, blown coverages and turnovers.

To hear Buono describe it to the Province pretty much sums it up.

“It’s a reflection on Joe but it’s not just Joe, either,” Buono said. “The easiest guy to fire is the coach and the easiest guy to change is the running back.”

Stefan Logan will look to make Buono’s decision look brilliant Friday.

Kudos to the Riders

You know, you have to give credit to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Not only are they 6-0 to start the season, they’ve done so with a high turnover on their roster, and a ton of injuries to key players.

Obviously Ken Miller’s club is buying into the system and playing for one another. Those that are left anyway.