Rope-a-dope Lions defense is generous with yards but stingy with points

They allow more net yards than any other team except one, but no team can claim to have allowed fewer touchdowns than the BC Lions defense.

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When the ax fell on DeVone Claybrooks after the 2019 season, it also fell on all of his assistant coaches.

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Any and all assistants Claybrooks hired when he took over as head coach with the BC Lions were swept out the door along with the first-year head coach after a 5-13 season.

All but one: Ryan Phillips.

Defensive backs coach (and offensive line coach Kelly Bates, who had replaced Bryan Chiu midseason) was retained in a rare example of a coaching regimen crossover. When Rick Campbell joined as head coach, he greatly appreciated the value of having a voice that had been in the organization for more than 14 years.

“He’s extremely sharp,” Campbell said of Phillips.

“He is a rising coach and I think he has the ability to be a coordinator. I appreciate the guys who have been in an organization and I understand what it’s like to be a BC Lion, because I’m new here.

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“I respect that fact. It certainly wasn’t the deciding factor, but I think it’s a huge advantage to have guys who have been here and been successful here, ”he said, including Bates in the conversation.


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Phillips’ close relationship with his players was another element of the equation left to him, which, ironically, was one of the reasons Ed Hervey cited in parting ways with Claybrooks.

If I owe you dinner, so be it. I’m fine with that, ”he said, chuckling at the suggestion of veterans like TJ Lee and Garry Peters who had broken down the door of club president Rick LeLacheur to fight for their man.

BC Lions assistant coach Ryan Phillips keeps things fresh at training camp in Kamloops in the summer of 2019.
BC Lions assistant coach Ryan Phillips keeps things fresh at training camp in Kamloops in the summer of 2019. Photo by Alexandra Ruiz

But whatever Phillips is doing, no matter how he’s instilling confidence, camaraderie and defensive ability, it’s working.

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Heading into Friday night’s rematch with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (4-2), the Lions (4-2) have established themselves as one of the best defensive units in the league. They are allowing a minimum of six touchdowns in the CFL, one of the best in the league, a running TD against, and four major passes, the second minor (the sixth major was an interception return in Week 1), and are averaging the second fewest offensive points. against (16.3).

The Lions, who sell balls, have the top 10 interceptions in the league, and are the only team with a pick in every game this season.

“Sneaky. We’re shrewd about it,” linebacker Marcus Sayles said. “I feel like a lot of the games we play go unnoticed. … We were never chosen to win these games, but when we get into these situations … the teams They say ‘Oh shoot. Actually, they’re better than we think. We’re earning our respect. “

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Lee spoke about the team’s ability to “bend but not break” after keeping the league’s highest-scoring team, the Montreal Alouettes, out of the end zone in 13 series in their 27-18 win last week. Overall, BC gives up the most scrimmage plays per game (61.2, although offense has some influence on that number), the second-fewest two-and-outs, and gives up 364.7 net yards per game, the second-most in the league. But they don’t give up easily on big passing plays, harassing opposing quarterbacks in the second-worst efficiency ratio in the league, and they top the charts alongside Winnipeg in forced turnovers.

“I never want to bend. I hate that term, ”Phillips said. “But at the end of the day, what it does show is that we have enough character, enough bite to know that when we put our backs against the wall, we can step up and meet the challenge.”

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There are six freshmen in BC’s defense, but for the most part they haven’t played like that. KiAnte Hardin has a pair of interceptions, while linebacker Jordan Williams and DB Jalon Edwards-Cooper have one. Peters has been a beast of coverage and Lee opportunistic, snatching two picks himself this season. Bo Lokombo, No. 2 in defensive plays overall, has three interceptions this year.

“I knew we had potential,” Phillips said. “It really always comes down to when you have a good mix of veteran guys and rookie guys, it’s ‘how much can our veteran guys lead and how much are our rookie guys willing to listen and follow?’ What I feel has separated us is the fact that our younger guys are willing to be sponges, learn from veterans, learn from people like me. “

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Coming out of training ground, Campbell was comfortable with the level at which his defense began. He also had Phillips audition for the role of defensive interlocutor, though Phillips didn’t realize it at the time. Before the first game of the season against the Riders, Campbell invited Phillips into his office to see if he was comfortable being the playmaker on defense.

“I felt like I was ready for it,” Phillips said, crediting former defensive coordinator Rich Stubler and Claybrooks with giving him the guidance and tools to get to this point.

“But Rick takes it to another level in the sense that it allows you to learn by trial and error, it allows you to learn by making mistakes. He doesn’t sit around and supervise you all the time, ”Phillips said. “Don’t get me wrong, he wants it under a structure, he wants things to be disciplined, but he’s going to feel the fluidity of the game and allow you to make your decisions.

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“He didn’t have to do this, as far as giving me this opportunity, and I’m happy that it has paid off so far. That he has the confidence in me to do this says a lot as a coach and as a guy who believes in his assistants. You don’t understand it every day. “

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