Courtesy Brian Wawryshyn of BCLIONSDEN.ca:

CFL Digest is proud to have Brian on board to keep us hardcore fans up to date with what is going on in BC. Be sure to check back every week to see what Brian has to say about things on the left coast. Brian also runs bclionsden.ca so be sure to check it out!

The BC Lions had remarkably little change over the off-season. Mark Washington retired, a couple of players were traded and Dave Ritchie retired.

The biggest change was probably seen with the departure of quarterback Dave Dickenson, the man who along with Bobby Ackles and Wally Buono was largely responsible for the turn around of the BC Lions.

In past seasons, both Buck Pierce and Jarious Jackson came to camp knowing that they were behind Dickenson on the depth chart. Jackson started last season as number three, before finishing the year as the starter. This year, both players found themselves coming to camp to fight for the number one job, which for the first time was truly theirs to grab hold of.

After three weeks of training camp and two exhibition games and a close competition between the two, Buono has chosen to give Buck Pierce the ball for the season opener in Calgary Thursday evening.

Quarterback controversy you say? Well, some would have you believe so. Jackson started last year and led the team to a 14-3-1 record, a club best. How could he not be given the job to start this year? Jarious Jackson must be ticked. Is there a divided room?

Then there is the other side of the coin. Buck lost the job to injury. Jackson played adequate, but the team won because of its talent and the offense was somewhat stale down the stretch.

It makes for good fan message board banter. It gets the calls coming into the radio shows, and sells a few newspapers.

Of course Jarious Jackson is disappointed. He’s a professional athlete. But the fact is the CFL is becoming a two quarterback league. Very few teams can ride one quarterback for a full season anymore. Saskatchewan did it with Kerry Joseph last season, and it’s lucky that they did, because one could argue the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were the better team in the championship game last season, but they “brought a knife to a gun fight”, to steal a line from Carl Kidd, after Kevin Glenn was lost in the Eastern Final.

With Burris/Dickenson, Ray/Maas, Joseph/Bishop, Pierce/Jackson, the league is moving towards a two quarterback league, and if you have two guys that can play, you’re likely to be a lot more successful than if you have just one.

The Lions will be counting on this philosophy as they head into the 2008 season. Both Pierce and Jackson know they will play a lot and from week to week, they know that should they falter, the other guy might be given the ball the following game. Both players have been in the system for a few years now, in the same offense, with largely the same personnel. They know the system, and the players know them, and the theory is they will be interchangeable should something go wrong during a game, or if the Lions want to switch things up.

One might think it would be difficult for the offense, not knowing who’s taking the snaps week to week, but if you ask the players, they’ll say that because both quarterbacks have been around so long, it doesn’t really matter, and that they have had success with both Pierce and Jackson at the controls.

They have subtle differences. Jackson throws a harder ball, and is probably a better deep passer. Buck may have better touch on his passes and a more efficient short game. Both have shown composure under pressure, and ability to lead the team. Both have shown they are willing to play hurt. So where do you choose? That’s why the coach gets paid the big bucks.

Wally Buono sat down earlier in the week to lay down the ground rules and explain his decision to both Jackson and Pierce. Jackson was the first to congratulate his teammate but at the same time admitted his disappointment. Would you want him on your team if he wasn’t disappointed? He also made clear his commitment to his teammates to be ready when called upon. Buck Pierce would say the same if the situation was reversed, and quite frankly there will probably be a time this season when it will be.

So while outsiders may debate the issue, the choice has been made, at least for game one. It seems clear that both players respect each other, and both are prepared to do what it takes to win in whatever role they are in. It’s a nice problem to have for the Lions.

It’s something they hope to use to their advantage starting Thursday in Calgary. How ironic the man that kept both of them Pierce and Jackson from being a starter for the last few seasons, will be the backup on the other sideline.