Kadie Smith
Mike Benevides will certainly have last season’s down-to-the-wire, 38-39 loss against the Alouettes on his mind when his team heads into Percival Molson Memorial Stadium in Montreal Friday for Week 2.
Of course, the Lions came back after that loss three weeks later and stomped the Als 36-14 at BC Place, a building that has handed them significant wins over the last three years, but that first loss is one the team would like to have back.
“What happened last year was BS,” Benevides told Canadian Press. “We had multiple turnovers and we couldn’t score off it.”
The coaching staff has been showing the team video of that game, where Montreal’s rookie QB Tanner Marsh completed a 57-yard pass with 1.9 seconds left to set up Sean Whyte for a winning 14-yard FG as the clocked ticked down. It’s a reminder and a motivator.
After opening Week 1 with a rare home loss to the Eskimos, only their third under the dome since 2011, the Leos are ready to right the ship.
“The biggest advantage going into this week is us. We’ve worked extremely hard this last month. The guys are angry, upset, and disappointed with last week,” Benevides told BCLions.com. “As the head coach, I’m the one that has to ensure that we improve on last week and find a way to win. Last week needs to motivate us.”
Of note heading into Als territory:
Kevin Glenn:
The 14-year vet threw four interceptions in the Lions’ home opener in Week 1. After taking an early 14-0 lead and going 10 of 13 in the first half, the Lions offence hit a snag and Glenn finished 18 of 28 f0r 251 yards.
The pivot showed his leadership qualities though, facing reporters after the game and taking culpability for the loss.
“With me it’s just the amount of time in the league and I understand the nature of the position and what kind of responsibility you have as a quarterback,” Glenn said.
But as Benevides is quick to point out, it’s a total team effort and no player is ever fully responsible for a loss, or a win.
“He is a man that is able to take responsibility for his performance, it’s certainly one of those things where he knew he didn’t perform enough, he was disappointed and he took accountability and leaders do that,” said Benevides. “I certainly praise him for doing that, but I also said that it wasn’t just about him.”
Andrew Harris and Stefan Logan:
The tandem racked up 177 and 166 all-purpose yards respectively in Week 1, and despite the loss both cracked the top five of offensive-leader lists. Harris was third in receiving yards with 102, while Logan placed fourth among returners with 115 yards.
“When you take a look at Andrew Harris, he was our most explosive player,” Benevides said. “Stefan is going to have impact plays anytime he touches the ball. Very impressed obviously with those guys and they will be a huge part of our successes.”
Harris finished with 19 touches despite intense pressure for the Eskimos defence. The Lions will look to continue to utilize the speed and agility of the running back duo agasint the Als, but they’re also focusing on spreading touches more evenly to the team and using the wealth of talented offensive players that they have.
The Work Ahead:
The Leos go head to head on Friday with a Als team that is without their 16-year pivot Anthony Calvillo, and the team will look to use their fast defence to that advantage.
The Als also play a difficult, big-risk-big-reward style with their defence, turning often to blitz plays and disrupting the offence. If the Lions can be patient and capitalize on opportunities, they’ll have a good chance for success.
Coach Benevides has been stressing patience in practices this week with his team and focusing on remaining calm in the game. “he’s been working with us on understanding that it’s a 60-minute game,” said Glenn. “They’re going to win some battles and everything won’t be perfect but we have to not get frustrated and believe in ourselves and the system we have.”
After a successful training camp and two big preseason games including a nail-biting, come-from-behind victory against those same Eskimos, the Lions have been focusing on returning to basics and using the system that they have in place. For Benevides, it will be the team’s ability to execute that will determine their success.
“I want our defence to continually fly to the football aggressively and find a way to stay consistent without any mental breakdowns,” said Benevides. “Montreal has an outstanding returner. Larry Taylor is very good and we have to be conscious of how Schmitty kicks it and how we cover. From our special teams I want to make sure we give our returners an opportunity.”