Its been two years since the BC Lions hoisted the Grey Cup and Wally Buono handed the head coaching reigns to Mike Benevides. Tanner Lee Jersey . Since then the Lions have entered each season with one of the most talented rosters in the league before falling short of expectations. Two years is a short time to be sure, and its not like the Lions cant supply excuses for their shortcomings since 2011 – Travis Lulays shoulder injury last year – but in the ultra-competitive and impatient world of professional sports, the pressure is on. Bad teams feel pressure to be better; good teams feel pressure to be the best. And dont forget the added burden of a potential home field for the Grey Cup and the three-year streak of Grey Cup champs winning at home. The Lions were smart in acquiring veteran leader and “quarterback 1A” Kevin Glenn from the Ottawa Redblacks during the CFL Draft for the fifth-overall draft pick. The price was a little steep for a player few figured would actually end up with Ottawa for the upcoming season, but with Lulays shoulder still a talking point, Glenn provides quality insurance at the most important position. BC has opted for younger projects at QB behind Lulay the past couple years but the Glenn acquisition makes sense for a team that cant get derailed for even a short period of time, should Lulay miss games – for whatever ailment – this season. Especially with Thomas DeMarcos selection in the Expansion Draft, Glenn gives the Lions peace of mind at one of their most worrisome areas for 2014. Another solid move, adding to a position of strength, was the free agent signing of Jamall Johnson. Johnson returns to BC after five seasons in Hamilton, his last a down year after being asked to play in the middle, and joins a frightening linebacking corps that already includes Solomon Elimimian and Adam Bighill. BCs task in once again entering the year as one of the most talented teams on paper is replacing receiver Nick Moore and a number of large bodies on the offensive line. Not to diminish Moores impact, but the Lions receiving corps still has enough burners, and more importantly, added Canadian content, that Lulay – or Glenn – shouldnt feel frustrated for lack of quality targets. The line however, may have to rely on more youngsters than would be considered ideal. The good news is their young contingent on the offensive line is talented and the unit is still anchored by perhaps the best left tackle in the game in Jovan Olafioye. While theyve fallen short of the Grey Cup the past two years, the Lions still qualified for the postseason those years, and were just a win away from a return trip in 2012; so it feels strange to suggest the team enters the season under pressure to do more. That reality is part testament to how well the Lions organization is run, but as is the case with all good teams, being good only counts for so long; greatness sticks. Like the Argos and Riders before them, look for the Lions to go all out in 2014. Notes Parting Ways After a long tenure with the Lions as an offensive coach and coordinator, Jacques Chapdelaine left the Lions early in the off-season, the coach and team mutually agreeing to part ways. It was certainly a big shakeup on Benevides staff, getting rid of the offensive mainstay of 10 of the past 11 years. Up and coming offensive mind Khari Jones replaced Chapdelaine as well as taking on the QB coach role. Expansion Draft The Lions search for a backup quarterback began anew after the Ottawa Redblacks selected Thomas DeMarco, who gained solid experience filling in for an injured Travis Lulay In 2013, in the first round of the Expansion Draft. BC also lost guard Matt Albright and DT Andrew Marshall to the Redblacks. Free Agency With the least amount of players to hit the free market, the Lions were one of the least active teams during the free agency period. They did lose promising receiver Nick Moore to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers however, but made a splash on the other side of the ball when they brought back linebacker Jamall Johnson, who last played for the Lions in 2008, from Hamilton. Retirements The Lions offensive line took a number of big hits this off-season with the retirements of three big pieces. Veteran centre Angus Reid was the first to announce his retirement. The 13-year veteran was a three-time West Division All-Star and one-time league All-Star. Not long after tackle Ben Archibald retired. The two-time All-Canadian spent the past three seasons in BC. Then late in the off-season Patrick Kabongo joined the two in retirement. The nine-year vet was a one-time West Division All-Star. CFL Draft The Lions traded out of the first round in order to solidify their backup quarterback situation by grabbing Kevin Glenn from the Redblacks for the fifth-overall pick. The team had two picks in the second round, grabbing OL Tchissakid Player from Northwestern State and FB Pascal Lochard from Laval. With their final five selections the Lions took LB Casey Chin from Simon Fraser in the third round, DL David Menard from Montreal in the fourth round, WR Alexander Fox from Bishops in the fifth round, DL Dylan Roper from Simon Fraser in the sixth round, and RB Guillaume Bourassa from Laval in the seventh round. Khalif Mitchell Returns One of the most enigmatic players in the league the past few seasons made his return to BC late in the off-season after a year with the Toronto Argonauts. Khalif Mitchells talent and impact at his DT position are unquestionable, but his return to the Lions was surprising after Mitchell seemingly burned a lot of bridges on his way out of BC a year ago. Lions GM Wally Buono has said all the right things about Mitchells return so far, noting the player has matured over the years. Taven Bryan Jersey . While Chelsea stayed two points behind leader Arsenal courtesy of Etoos hat trick, seventh-place United slipped 14 points from the summit this weekend. And the gap from the Champions League places is growing as well, with Liverpool six points ahead in fourth. Cheap Abry Jones Jersey . The Tournament of Champions, which starts Friday, is his first event since a freak accident in Shanghai two months ago. Snedeker was on a Segway scooter during a corporate outing at Sheshan International when he took a tumble and injured his left knee. http://www.cheapjaguarsjerseyselite.com/?tag=cheap-logan-cooke-jersey .Cullen scored the go-ahead goal at 13:47 of the third period and Nashville beat the slumping Dallas Stars 3-2 on Thursday in a game that wasnt decided until the last shot of the night.TORONTO -- The CFL and CFL Players Association resumed negotiations Friday on a new collective bargaining agreement. According to a league source requesting anonymity, the two sides began talking during the day and continued into early Saturday morning. The source added no deal was reached but the CFL and union would resume negotiations Saturday. And thats a good sign, considering the CFL and CFLPA last met face to face on May 29, the same day the previous CBA expired. While talks will resume Saturday, players with the Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders will also hold their first strike vote as well. Veterans on teams outside Alberta have already voted and are in a legal strike position but the Eskimos and Stampeders were unable to vote earlier due to provincial labour laws. If they vote in favour of a strike, the earliest they could do so is Wednesday night in accordance with the legislation. The CFL exhibition season is scheduled to begin Monday night with the Toronto Argonauts visiting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but with players on both teams in a legal strike position, that game could be threatened. CFL Players Association president Scott Flory didnt return a telephone message Friday while a league spokesman said commissioner Mark Cohon wasnt available for comment. The Eskimos and Stampeders will include their rookies in the vote because Alberta law requires all players to participate. Traditionally, first-year players dont vote because theyre not recognized as certified union members, but the players association is allowing them to do so to counter any potential legal challenge from the league. Some other teams in the league will also hold second votes Saturday to include their rookies. Thee two sides have been negotiating on a new contract since February but reached an impasse Monday when the league rejected the players latest offer. Cheap Cam Robinson Jersey. . Despite turning down the players offer Monday, the CFL extended the ratification bonus deadline to midnight ET on Friday. Had the players accepted the leagues final offer in that timeframe, veterans wouldve received a $5,000 bonus while rookies would get $1,500. However, a league spokesman said the bonus clause would be taken off the table after the deadline, although the expectation is if the players and CFL do reach an agreement it will include signing bonuses for the players. There has only been one strike since the CFLPA was formed in 1965. Three weeks of training camp were lost in 1974 before a new agreement was reached. No regular-season games were affected. The 2014 regular season is scheduled to kick off June 26. The two sides dont appear to be far apart on financial issues. The CFLPA has requested a $5.2-million salary cap and $4.8-million minimum. The CFL has countered with a $5-million cap. The two sides have agreed on boosting the minimum salary $5,000 to $50,000. After demanding specific revenue-sharing percentages, the CFLPA offer called for a fixed cap for at least two years. After the second, if league revenues increased by more than $18 million -- excluding the Grey Cup -- the two sides would renegotiate the cap or the entire agreement. The CFL offer called for the cap to be renegotiated if its revenues increased by $27 million or more in the third year. Non-monetary issues, such as player safety, practice roster size, eliminating the option year on CFL contracts and practice times, are also sticking points. Cheap Steelers Jerseys Cheap Patriots Jerseys Cheap Bills Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Giants Jerseys Cheap Redskins Jerseys Cheap Bears Jerseys Cheap Eagles Jerseys Cheap Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Raiders Jerseys Cheap Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Panthers Jerseys Cheap Lions Jerseys Cheap Browns Jerseys ' ' '