If there is a member of the BC Lions in recent history that has epitomized the mindset of knowing their role, look no further than Andrew Peirson. Entering 2023, the offensive lineman out of Gannon University had dressed for 36 games in orange and black. Outside of a five-game stretch as the club’s starting centre during his rookie campaign in 2018, Peirson had only two more starts under his belt which came late last season.
But whether it was dressing as the extra body in case of injury, being the club’s leading ambassador for community programs, or even watching over the locker room at the club’s training facility while equipment staff was setting up training camp in Kamloops, Peirson has always embraced whatever role he has been given. Now that he has emerged as the starting left guard through three solid regular season games, Peirson has finally proven his on-field value. Many key observers have also taken notice.
“I actually saw Wally Buono at a Make-A-Wish Foundation event last night,” Peirson explained after Friday’s practice.
‘He said, ‘You know, if you keep working hard, good stuff happens.’ That’s what I kept telling myself: my time will come. I just keep chopping wood and carrying water and good stuff happens.”
Good stuff has happened indeed. Peirson earned a CFL-best Pro Football Focus grade of 86.0 amongst pass blockers after week one. While you can point to many factors responsible for the Lions’ 3-0 start, this new-look offensive line has been a major part of the squad’s early success. No coincidence for that at all, according to Peirson.
“We mesh together. The best thing about this offence is, on and off the field, we’re friends,” he said.
“We’re having fun together and meeting together upstairs for hours. We like hanging out with each other. You can see the product on the field is a direct correlation with how we feel off the field. I think every week we’re learning new stuff; terminology, verbiage, knowing where guys are going to be and how we plan certain things. Just seeing the same thing with the same set of eyes.
“I’ll give you an example of how close we are: we do a golf tournament and 50 guys come out to play. When you have fun and know you’re playing for the brother next to you and the defence has your back, I think it’s rare because there aren’t many times when you pull people from different parts of the world to come together and play a sport.”
Andrew Peirson
He also can’t help but think back to the journey to Kamloops for his first Lions camp in 2018. Fresh off signing with the team as a non-drafted free agent, never an easy path for any player to earn a role with the squad, Peirson’s train to Toronto jumped the tracks not too far from Erie, Pennsylvania where he had played at Gannon.
Peirson still managed to get to Thompson Rivers University in time for opening day, albeit with not much sleep, but the not-so-smooth trip from the Northeast perhaps served as a metaphor for his journey to a starting job on the offensive line. Not always smooth, but definitely worth the wait.
“I just keep reminding myself, good things are going to happen,” Peirson said.
“I show up at training camp, don’t get many reps on offence. Hey, I’m here. I’m having fun. And I made the practice roster. Let’s have fun to keep showing up and try to do extra work, try to be one of the guys to learn how to be a pro. 2019 happens, I was supposed to be the centre and then we switched up and moved some different parts around.
Same thing. Just keep being positive. I think that whole story about being on the train, getting delayed and then showing up and getting like two hours of sleep before we get going, that’s life. I’m still here.”
And while he is still here representing the club in any role handed to him, Peirson will remain involved as a strong voice in the community after winning the club’s Jamie Taras Award for Community Service each of the last three seasons.
“I just want to give as much as I can while I’m on this platform,” he explained.
It gets back to that culture with this team. I can’t count how many guys signed up this offseason to do the programs. They’re all open to trying and public speaking is not easy when we go into those schools in front of thousands of people. But you have these guys that say ‘Hey, this is worth it. I want to get out there. I want to preach what I believe in.”
“And then the club also gives us opportunities to do these, like Make Wish for BC. We do Punt Pass And Kick when we go out to football practices. It’s just showing up and saying ‘Hey, I care about and like the community.'”
Peirson indeed knows his role. And the Lions have been better for it.
Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com