B.C. Lions head coach Wally Buono is shrugging off rumours that he is about to either resign or be fired by team owner David Braley.
The Lions have lost seven straight, unfamiliar territory for the CFL’s most successful head coach, who sports a deplorable 1-7 record this season. Despite calls for his head, Buono is also resisting the temptation to gut his lineup, arguing he’s reluctant to have to start over from square one.
And now it appears the Lions will finally get a break. Although Wally’s boys face the Montreal Alouettes tomorrow, the defending Grey Cup champs will be led by backup QB Chris Leak. Leak is making his first CFL start ahead of injured veteran Anthony Calvillo, giving the Leos a legitimate shot at an upset and a reprieve for their embattled boss.
Rider Nation
One thing about the faithful Saskatchewan Roughriders fans, they back their team, win or die. Social media sites and Internet chat rooms lit up last weekend after the Riders fell on their faces in Edmonton, losing 17-14. This development was just a week after some fans were talking about the Riders repeating as West Division champs. Suddenly, many were calling for the firing of some Riders coaches and the benching of QB Darian Durant. While Durant completed just 19 of 39 passes with three interceptions and a fumble, the week earlier he was being touted by the same Rider fans as CFL MVP.
Ref’s Accomplishment
The money sucks when you consider the ridicule they receive, so it’s a bit surprising to find CFL official Bud Steen has endured 500 CFL games during a 30-year period. The 59-year-old Edmonton lawyer worked his 500th game last weekend in his hometown. Steen will receive an armload of memorabilia for his efforts, but maybe his most enduring keepsake from three decades as a CFL official is the memory of working his first Grey Cup in 1989. That night he was chased off the field by Hamilton Tiger-Cats head coach Al Bruno and members of his staff, incensed by apparent pass interference calls that were missed.
Hamilton Stadium
Hamilton city council will spend two weeks examining yet another potential stadium site for the 2015 Pan American Games, a venue that would eventually become home to the Tiger-Cats. The vote did not eliminate the original West Harbour stadium location previously recommended by the city, but it provides a glimmer of hope for Ticats owner Bob Young to have a more feasible facility for his team.
