loading...
Canwest News Service
Only two things were certain Monday as the B.C. Lions cleaned out their stalls at their Surrey training facility. Their 2009 CFL season was over and general manager and head coach Wally Buono will return to coach his eighth season in 2010.
Past those two generally known and expected facts, Buono demurred. Even though he awoke at 2:30 a.m. instead of his normal 3:15 and clock-watched until it was time to get up for his offseason start time of 8:30, and had those extra hours to chew on things, he wasn't prepared to enlighten anyone on personnel changes.
"You have to let the emotions die down," he said.
"You can't make good decisions on emotions."
Even though it's what most of the players themselves want, he's right.
And, at least publicly, the players have faith in Buono's ability to make the right decisions.
That's despite the fact that the team was a ragged regular-season 8-10, including three really miserable home losses of 48-10 to the Calgary Stampeders, 37-10 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and 45-13 in a must-win game against the Edmonton Eskimos in final game before Sunday's sad exhibition.
"I haven't lost 10 in a season since I was in Ottawa," said a bemused-looking Korey Banks.
It was very unlike a Wally Buono season. Since he became the head coach of the Calgary Stampeders in 1990, it was only the third time in his 20 years that Buono had double-figure losses. No wonder he couldn't sleep.
However, it was after a Grey Cup win when the Stamps beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24-10 that he felt his worst, Buono reminisced Monday. "I had to cut $1 million out of the budget [mostly players' salaries]. I couldn't come to grips with that."
If you don't win the Grey Cup game, the end of the season is always difficult.
It never changes, but because of the confounding way the team performed, there could be more significant changes than Buono planned when he eradicated several veterans including Jason Clermont, Tyrone Williams and Otis Floyd last year.
He believed then that he was staying ahead of the age/ability curve.
Quarterback, and how much he can spend to remain under the CFL salary cap, is where everything starts.
Casey Printers was brought back in September and, because of injury, started the final three league game and both playoff contests.
He'll be back, which likely means Buck Pierce and Jarious Jackson will both be elsewhere, no matter their druthers.
Travis Lulay, who emerged as the No. 3 quarterback out of training camp, is younger, cheaper and played enough to give the offensive coaches comfort he has plenty of upside.
It's also likely that veteran kicker/punter Paul McCallum has the tea leaves read correctly. He'll be doing the kicking somewhere else because Sean Whyte is, like Lulay, cheaper, younger and has performed under fire.
There will be others. Safety Barron Miles will be 38 next season if he plays; outstanding Canadian finalist defensive end Ricky Foley will be a free agent.
Because Buono was as frustrated as anyone with his 2009 team, he will be more careful how he prunes the roster this offseason, if some of his comments were being construed correctly.
"Change is inevitable," he said. "You've just got to be careful you don't do too much."
Or: "Perception of talent is in the eye of the beholder."
However, he added: "If I didn't make those moves last year, we'd have to make them this year."
Does that mean they will be further ahead next year? As Buono said, a couple of 8-10 seasons means "you'll be looking for work."
So they had better be.
hkgilchrist@yahoo.com
