Courtesy Regina Leader Post:

We all say family is important and nearly all of us take it for granted.

Wally Buono doesn’t.

Even before his friend Bob Ackles died Sunday of a heart attack, Buono’s family values — not a euphemism for bigoted conservatism, but fierce affection and appreciation for those nearest him — were unassailable. He knows what he has, and what he could lose.

Buono’s father, Michele, died when his youngest boy was eight and not long after the family moved to Montreal from Potenza, Italy. Buono’s mother, Carmela, with neither of our official languages nor means to support her two sons, sent Wally and his older brother Rocco to live in a boys reformatory in the Laurentian Mountains.

They were there 3 1/2 years — a family of two among the orphans and delinquents and the abandoned. Tell me you wouldn’t appreciate family after that.

Four years ago, Wally signed a death waiver and underwent triple by-pass surgery. Carmela Buono is stricken with Alzheimers back in Montreal. So Buono knows about family. He gets it.

And for two days he has been unable to speak about Ackles, the B.C. Lions’ president, without emotions surging like a tidal wave from that rebuilt heart and swamping him.

Buono briefly walked away from a drill during the Lions’ practice Monday in Surrey to speak with his grown daughter, Christie, who handed her dad a note and gave him a hug amid the sweating, grunting players who count on Buono for leadership and stability.

“I’m here for moral support,” Christie said. “My dad is my rock, so it’s hard to see him like this.”

Sunday, B.C.’s head coach could barely choke out a few words at a hasty press conference to talk about losing Ackles, his partner in saving the Lions after Ackles hired Buono from the Calgary Stampeders 51/2 years ago.

Monday, after practising for a Friday game in Winnipeg that would seem irrelevant if it hadn’t been so damn important to Ackles that the Lions win, Buono tried to downplay his personal grief in what must be the toughest work week of his life.

“I’ve never been a coward,” he said. “It’s not going to make me go hide because you could be in bed sleeping.”

But after the television cameras and microphones were withdrawn, Buono allowed himself to cry a little, the small price for speaking about his friend.

“You know what it does? It shows again how vulnerable we all are,” he said. “You think: I’ve got a three-year contract. I’ll do that, then do this. I’ve got to get ready for next week’s game. There’s never a pause to think something like this could happen.

Read More….

Courtesy Vancouver Province:

One floor up from where a bunch of orange flowers remained taped to the front window at the Lions’ practice facility in Surrey, the door to the office of their late president, Bob Ackles, remained locked.

Inside lies a veritable football museum. Letters from social, political and sporting heavyweights. Dozens of books. Commemorative footballs from many of Ackles’ greatest team accomplishments.

It is the type of history and memorabilia that had all but gone lost before his return to the CFL team, and the kind of artifacts that could go missing in the event of an untimely passing by someone less organized.

Just as he had a plan for the Lions in life, however, it appears Ackles also had an idea as to how best preserve five decades of the game, which includes not only the contents of his office but the many unopened boxes of nuggets scattered around the Lower Mainland.

Owner David Braley said Monday one of the last things he spoke to Ackles about last week was the creation of a B.C. Football Hall of Fame. It was among a flood of ideas and tributes that percolated around the club’s training centre as players attempted to prepare for their road game Friday against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Ackles had already begun the legal paperwork for the not-for-profit hall and had formed a committee which includes another Lions legend, Lui Passaglia, as a trustee.

That’s the easy part. The tough part will be sifting through Ackles’ football life in boxes.

“He’s talked for three years about a place to put all this stuff,” said Pat Waslen, executive director of Football B.C., whose office is steps away from the one belonging to Ackles and is also part of the Hall effort.

Read More…

Courtesy Vancouver Province:

The days ahead for the Bob Ackles-less B.C. Lions will be difficult.

The team is trying to regroup from the sudden death of their president and CEO, who suffered a heart attack on Bowen Island, as well as an 0-2 start, and get ready to travel to Winnipeg to play the Bombers on Friday.

There are a lot of issues there, but in the bigger picture, how do team owner David Braley and the B.C. Lions replace an icon?

While Ackles wasn’t very tall, the shoes he left under the desk are awfully big. And they were well worn. The soles and heels had seen a lot of kilometres and were awfully thin from carrying him to this luncheon or that banquet, always beating the drum to get the Lions and the CFL back to respectability in the Lower Mainland.

What’s minor football to do without someone of Ackles’ stature to follow? Where does this leave the Water Boys, a club he started to get Vancouver and B.C. businessmen involved with the team and connected to the football community?

Most of all, who will sit in his chair as president and CEO? How do you find someone who could command the same kind of respect? Who can speak so knowledgeably about what the pending NFL invasion means because he worked for the Dallas Cowboys, Phoenix Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins for 15 years?

They’re the enemy, and the CFL has lost the one guy who could warn it of the tricks the NFL might have in store for the unsophisticated territory north of the border. There’s nobody else with that kind of inside knowledge. They could hire an American from the NFL, but first and foremost, Ackles was a Canadian. He loved the CFL and the Canadian game, and he was really worried about opening the door to the Buffalo Bills to play preseason and league games in Toronto. Who is going to be the CFL’s Paul Revere?

Closer to home — and it might not even be in good taste to begin speculating, with Ackles’ passing so new and so many trying to deal with their sense of loss — it’s unlikely Braley will rush into filling his position. But I know that Bob believed George Chayka, the vice-president of business he inherited when he accepted Braley’s challenge to come back and turn the franchise around in 2002, was capable of taking over the top position.

Read More..

Courtesy Edmonton Journal:

A.J. Harris, Ron (Goldie) McClendon and Damien Anderson may be after the same job, but they’re not after each other’s throats.

The trio of Edmonton Eskimos running backs made light of their potentially awkward situation on Monday, prior to a three-hour practice. At one point, McClendon jokingly attempted to rescue Anderson from an oncoming media scrum, grabbing his teammate by the arm and pulling him away, screaming, “Save yourself!” Later, while stretching on the field at the start of practice, McClendon and Harris broke into song, serving up an off-key rendition of the theme to the 1990’s sitcom The Wayans Bros.

All three men know, though, that they have the very serious job of stopping the Eskimos’ running game from becoming a Canadian Football League joke.

The Eskimos rushed for a total of 110 yards in their first two games this season — the CFL’s second-worst total, just six yards ahead of the 0-2 Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Edmonton head coach Danny Maciocia brought McClendon (who is on the team’s practice roster) and Harris (who is on the active roster) back from the training camp dead for one reason: His running line, particularly Damien Anderson, hasn’t been producing.

“It’s not really awkward,” Harris said of the biding for playing time against Anderson. “It’s the same situation we were in when we were in camp, it’s just going to go back to what it was before.

Read More….

Courtesy Calgary Herald:

On Brandon Browner’s first day at the Calgary Stampeders’ 2008 training camp, the rangy defensive back expressed some dissatisfaction with his numbers during his rookie season in the Canadian Football League.

“I only had one interception on the year — what DB only wants one interception?” said Browner last month.

Well, the way his sophomore campaign is going, the numbers might not get any better. Simply stated, you can’t pick off passes when quarterbacks don’t throw any in your direction.

“Of course, you always want more action,” said a smiling Browner on Monday. “You can’t get a pick without action. But at the same time, I think it’s a testament to you that they’re not going your way. But if I’m not getting the balls, I want to score high when it comes to taking care of my responsibilities. I want the positive marks even if I’m not getting the balls my way.”

Opposing quarterbacks learned last season that Browner can make life awfully difficult. In his rookie year, Browner used his unique blend of size (six foot three, 210 pounds) and speed to shut down receivers on the short side of the field.

So this season, they’re rarely even attempting to go at Browner. He’s made just three defensive tackles and knocked down just one pass.

“He’s a big guy, and the challenge with him being a big guy is that it’s harder to throw balls over him, and he’s aggressive, so it’s hard to throw balls through him,” assessed Stampeders secondary coach Corey Chamblin.

“He does disrupt the timing of wide receivers once he gets hands on them. He has a large wingspan, so if you’re trying to go inside-outside on him, it’s hard to get through him.

“At the same time, there are some weaknesses, but he’s working on them.”

Browner arrived in Calgary last season coming off two years away from football, and had to start from scratch in terms of proving himself. But it was a different approach heading into his second training camp with the Stamps.

“I came in here knowing I had a job,” he said. “Last season, I was coming after two years without football. But knowing I had a job this year, I did some different things in the off-season in training. Improving my foot-speed, my quickness — that’s always big for a DB.”

His colleagues in the defensive backfield can’t help but notice him when he’s on the field, and even they’re surprised at times.

“When I saw him last year, I thought he’d get killed because he’s too tall,” said Stamps safety Richard Karikari. “But he’s a physical player and, if you’re physical, you can play in both leagues. The thing is, he works hard. He’s a young guy, and I can appreciate someone like him who comes in and works hard and doesn’t take things for granted.”

Added wide-side cornerback Dwight Anderson: “He’s big; he’s not the typical corner you see out there. Brandon is real physical; he’s going to get his hands on you and he’s a ball-hawk. I like him over there on the other side; I love watching him play.”

Read More….

Courtesy Regina Leader Post:

Saskatchewan Roughriders fans got what they were expecting Monday — a trade.

But it wasn’t for a quarterback. Instead, Roughriders general manager Eric Tillman sent import defensive tackle Ron Flemons and a 2011 fifth-round draft choice to the Toronto Argonauts for import receiver T.J. Acree, a 2011 third-round draft choice and the negotiating rights to defensive end Brian Smith.

With Marcus Crandell sidelined for “one or two weeks” with a pulled right hamstring, according to Tillman, the Roughriders have only two healthy quarterbacks — Darian Durant and Steven Jyles — neither of whom have started a CFL game. Durant is expected to start Saturday’s game against the home-town Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The Roughriders had been discussing the possibility of adding a quarterbacks — throughout the league there was speculation they would haul Damon Allen out of retirement, grab Timmy Chang from Hamilton’s waived/injured list or activate Drew Tate from their own nine-game injury list, a possibility not even considered because Tate has a bad shoulder, Tillman said — before deciding against us.

Having lost slotback D.J. Flick and defensive back Leron Mitchell to broken legs during their 26-16 victory Friday over the B.C. Lions, the Roughriders also needed a veteran slotback.

“We went from D.J. to T.J.” said Tillman. “T.J. is a great route runner, he’s quick, he’s intelligent, he can learn all the (receiving) spots and he can return kicks. That being said, I can’t guarantee that Acree will play for us. And there’s zero chance that he will play in Hamilton.

Read More….

Courtesy Regina Leader Post:

Quarterback Darian Durant could make his first ever CFL start in the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ next game, an unpredictable scenario the CFL team anticipated when veteran Kerry Joseph was traded away in the off-season.

Joseph’s departure left the Roughriders with a veteran starter, Marcus Crandell — who is sidelined with a pulled right hamstring — and two unproven backups in Durant and Steven Jyles. It’s a far cry from their West-rival Edmonton Eskimos, who have veteran starter Ricky Ray and Jason Maas as a veteran backup, or the Calgary Stampeders with their proven tandem of Henry Burris and Dave Dickenson. Although Crandell’s status has been updated and he might be able to dress for Saturday’s game against the hometown Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Durant has been given the starting assignment.

“This is key for their development,” Roughriders head coach Ken Miller said following Monday’s workout at Mosaic Stadium.

“If we’re able to continue it and be successful, it will be great experience for them.”

Crandell suffered his injury during the first quarter of Friday’s 26-16 victory over the B.C. Lions. Crandell didn’t practice Monday, but Riders general manager Eric Tillman said later the 34-year-old quarterback is “feeling great and responding well to treatment for a high hamstring pull, which isn’t as serious as we first thought. It’s possible he could dress (Saturday).” Crandell’s recuperation has dissuaded Tillman from recruiting another quarterback.

Jyles replaced Crandell and, after throwing one touchdown and two interceptions against the Lions, was replaced at halftime by Durant. An offseason acquisition from the Edmonton Eskimos, Jyles had not started a game in his previous two CFL seasons. Nor had Durant, who had thrown only one regular-season pass during his two seasons with Saskatchewan.

Read More…

Courtesy Winnipeg Free Press:

THE two teams that were ranked No. 1 and 2 in pretty much every off-season poll are set to square off in a back-to-back scenario starting this Friday at home.

The fact that both teams are searching for their first wins of the season goes to show you that just because something is said and awarded to you in the off-season does not mean it will not have to be earned once the opening whistles are blown.

There are two schools of thought to move forward with when you come off a performance like many of us had last Friday night. Do you embrace the negativism and have it fuel your resolve for the upcoming game or do you get the game out of your mind as quickly as possible, focus on the positives and pretend it never happened?

There are benefits and detriments to both strategies that need to be examined before a player and coach can decide what course to accept and employ.

Some coaches like to embrace and charge the negative energy that surrounds a team when you lose a game in the manner like we did on Friday night. It creates an “us against the world” mentality and can force the team to internalize and search for salvation within the locker-room and for individual players to look within themselves for answers to their struggles.

When you are embarrassed in the course of a nationally televised contest it is natural to get angry about the occurrence. And of all the professions in the world, football is one of the few where anger is an optimal emotion to play with if it can be channelled and controlled correctly.

If you are frustrated by failures in your own performance or that of your team, taking that frustration out on your next opponent can pay dividends.

In a game where hitting, aggression, intimidation and doggedness are standard attributes, adding venom and spite to these actions can only magnify their effectiveness.

So often in a small league like the CFL, where it is commonplace to play your opponents three or four times a year, the casual and common relations between opposing players sometimes soften the ire that is expressed on the field. In the wake of a game, during which you feel your fans and franchise were let down, hostilities are naturally rekindled to take care and address your own state of urgency.

Read More…

Courtesy Hamilton Spectator:

Unless you’ve just finished a stint in post-traumatic stress disorder counselling, you likely remember quite vividly what happened to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Week 1 of the Canadian Football League season.

And unless you’re a complete pessimist who can’t see the good side of anything, you probably made sure you didn’t forget a single thing that happened in Week 2 and may still have the hangover to show for it.

The two diametrically opposed performances by the same team makes you wonder what happened between games that changed the Cats from horrible to spectacular in one week. At least part of the answer comes from something that’s been lacking within the dressing room over the past few years.

Stable veteran leadership.

According to the players, the blowout home loss to Montreal was an absolute shock. After a solid training camp and the infusion of a bunch of good, new players, every guy in black and gold expected positive things.

So in the dressing room immediately following the ugly loss, Marwan Hage stepped forward and started speaking.

“(With) the adrenaline and everything, it was powerful,” says linebacker Zeke Moreno.

In a calm-but-emotional speech, Hage made it clear that a repeat of that game — or of the winless starts to past seasons — wasn’t acceptable.

Read More….

Courtesy Toronto Star:

Headlines revealing that the Toronto Argonauts offence needs help might rank with such revelations as “Sun to rise in east tomorrow” and “Leafs front office in turmoil.”

Rookie head coach Rich Stubler admits the team’s offence hasn’t been very good for several years. Owner David Cynamon said last week that the team hasn’t had a strong offence since the day he and Howard Sokolowski bought the team five years ago.

Fixing an offence that was the league’s worst last season and is on its way to defending that dubious title this year may seem like a monumental task.

Stubler himself said yesterday he’s not sure when things will start working.

“I think we have the right people in place,” he said. “Now it’s just a matter of letting them find their way.”

But running back Dominique Dorsey, who’s provided most of the excitement this season with his kick returns, doesn’t think it will take long.

“I think it’s going to be all right,” the diminutive former University of Nevada Las Vegas back said yesterday. “I have faith in our offence. I know we’re better than what we showed in the last two games.

“We’ve got so many players who can get the job done.”

But if there are so many players who can get the job done, why has this offence produced but three touchdowns in two games? Dorsey says it’s a matter of sticking to the game plan and then executing it, which apparently is a lot harder than it sounds.

Read More…