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August 16, 2017

Stamps Wary Of Dangerous Lions Offence

Stamps tackle BC Lions' Burnham on June 25, 2016 (Photo by Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck)

They come armed with more whiz-bang weaponry than gadgets guru Q from the James Bond movie franchise.

Fly at defensive secondaries like a posse of dragons from Game of Thrones.

Manny Arceneaux and Bryan Burnham.

Chris Williams and Slick Nick Moore.

Toss in Marco Ianuzzi as a stealthy, reliable change of pace, and best sound the air-raid siren.

“You can’t,’’ cautions Calgary Stampeders’ Jamar Wall of the wealth of receiving targets on offer from the BC Lions on Friday, “just focus on one guy. Or two. Or three. They do a good job of getting all of them involved in the offence.

“Nick got hurt up the other day. So I don’t know if he’ll be out there or not.

“Burnham’s been nicked up, too, missed the Saskatchewan game, but I’m pretty sure he was being rested for this one. Manny’s Manny: A big-time guy. He can hurt you, bad, at any moment.

“And Ianuzzi’s an unsung hero, just catches the ball when they throw it his way.

“Adding Williams stretches the field, gives everybody else a whole lot of space to work with. They already were a tough corps to defend before he got there and now that’s he’s back healthy …”

In the pre-kick-off tale of the tape, the duel between BC’s pass-catching arsenal and Calgary’s secondary ranks as the most intriguing, and decisive.

Heading into Week 9 of the CFL calendar, Arceneaux has compiled 40 receptions for 399 yards, Burnham 32 for 546 yards, Moore another 28 for 456.

The quicksilver Williams will be making his third start after recovering from season-ending knee surgery in 2016 and swapping his 613 area code for a 604.

Calgary’s defence has allowed a league-low 145 points  to date. The Lions rank third in pass yardage per game, 324.8, only eight yards behind leaders Edmonton while the Stamps are second stingiest among the nine entries, at 270.6.

“They have a lot of veteran guys who’ve had immense success in this league,’’ says Calgary Stampeders’ defensive-umbrella coach Kahlil Carter.

“You can never sleep on their size, their football IQ. Then there’s their willingness to compete. Those guys get to footballs, score touchdowns and make you work super hard to prepare for them every week.

“Ottawa does a great job of that. Saskatchewan has put a number of great receivers together. Toronto, too.

“Every team has gone to a receiver-heavy lineup these days so there are no weeks off.

“But BC’s group is as talented, as deep, as any around.”

Anointing one in particular as a ‘most dangerous’ is impossible, he adds.

“Their offensive co-ordinator (ex-Stamp Khari Jones), their leadership in Wally (Buono) and just the athleticism of their group as as a whole is what keeps me up nights.”

Friday, with a certain degree of irony, is Jonathon Jennings Bobblehead Night at B.C. Place with the 25-year-old coming off a night to forget in Saskatchewan, returning after a month sidelined due to a wonky shoulder, tossing four picks.

Not that he had a lot of idle time after dropping back to throw, mind you. And without requisite protection for a QB, any QB, of course, even the most gifted gang of receivers struggle to leave its mark.

Which is where Charleston Hughes, Micah Johnson and the rest of the Stamps’ defensive bounty hunters factor in.

In quarterbacking reserve, of course, the Lions can call upon 33-year-old Travis Lulay, as vintage in this, his ninth CFL season, as a ’99 Mondavi Private Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet.

“Jennings is a talented, talented young guy,’’ says Carter. “And Lulay?

“We’re talking about a former MOP. A Grey Cup winner. We’ve always had immense respect for him.

“We could see one or the other. We could see both.

“They’re similar in that they both run that scheme very well. That’s a credit to their coaches and their brass about keeping them both ready to play at at a high level. We’re going to be prepared for both of their styles.

“Each of them moves very well, both are accurate on deep throws.

“And, as we’ve talked about, they’ve got a lot of dynamic receivers to throw to. So we’re going to need to be at our best. Bottom line.”