Courtesy Vancouver Province:

They’ve been teammates for years and friends even longer. They share a common bond in faith. Their families border on being inseparable.

But now Barron Miles can properly refer to Mark Washington as his coach.

It’s no different in the real world, when two buddies share common goals and one ends up getting a promotion at work. It’s slightly more tricky, however, when your friend’s promotion happens to be the one you wanted.

Washington is entering his first formal week as defensive backs coach with the Lions, a job he readily accepted once it became clear to him he wasn’t about to have a job in the secondary of the CFL team any longer.

Miles, on the other hand, made no secret of the fact he’s been prepping for a coaching job for years, and few would have been surprised if that position was on coach Wally Buono’s staff.

That’s gone for the time being, but if there is any resentment from Miles about having his long-term goals readjusted, it is only evident in the form of his trademark competitive nature.

“You never know,” the 36-year-old safety was saying Monday at the Lions training camp in Abbotsford. “Wally may coach another three years. I may play another three years. He retires. And I take his job.”

For now, however, there is a necessary division between Miles, his fellow defensive backs and the 35-year-old Washington, one driven by protocol and ownership of a whistle.

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