Heartbreak News Now: BC Lions football head coach and two players have announced their departure from the team.

Heartbreak News Now: The BC Lions football head coach and two players have announced their departure from the team.

Don’t fix anything if it’s not broken. The BC Lions seem to be following that trend, since they won’t be firing any of their coaches.

The group declared that all of the coaching staff will remain with the team through the 2024 season. One alteration was the announcement made by Rick Campbell, the co-general manager and coach of the Lions, that Ryan Phillips, the defensive coordinator, will now also have the title of associate head coach.

“We are overjoyed to have our coaching staff on board. It’s a significant step in our preparation for 2024,” Campbell stated in his statement.

“These are excellent individuals and teachers. The consistency enables us to develop as a team and to get ready for the thrilling season that lies ahead.

The coaching staff of the BC Lions is organized as follows:

Campbell, who has a 29-21 overall record, will be starting his fourth season with the team. After spending six seasons with Ottawa, he was the Grey Cup champion in 2016. Under Campbell, BC has advanced to the postseason two years in a row.

Previously, the Lions finished 12-6 and advanced to the West Final.

prior to falling to the Blue Bombers of Winnipeg. Now that the coaching staff is set, Campbell and his group can turn their attention to free agency. This offseason, 22 players will be pending free agents.

After eight seasons with the team, veteran Bryan Burnham announced his retirement at the end of the previous season, which was a blow to the B.C. Lions receiving corps.

However, the coaches of the Lions are optimistic that they can continue to be successful even without the Tulsa, Oklahoma, native as the CFL season approaches.

“That’s a solid core, with guys like Dominique Rhymes, Lucky Whitehead, Keon Hatcher, and Jevon Cottoy, among many others,” head coach Rick Campbell remarked.

Rhymes finished first on the squad in 2022 with 11 touchdowns and 1,401 receiving yards.

“We are aware of our closeness. We are aware of the effort we must put in and the necessity of consistency in order for good things to come our way,” Rhymes remarked.

Hatcher trailed closely behind, with Whitehead having 1,011 yards and three touchdowns while receiving 1,043 yards and five touchdowns.

Whitehead stated that maintaining his health throughout the season is his top priority in order to prevent the offense’s output from declining.

“This season, I need to be able to look after myself and contribute as much as I can to the offense,” he stated.

Last season, Whitehead battled an ankle ailment that kept him out of the Western Division semifinal and championship game.

When asked about 2022’s season-ending loss to Winnipeg, he responded, “It’s a lot of fuel.” “Especially me; we left some meat on the bone.”

He went on to say that instead of returning kicks as he did the previous season, he’s probably going to play field goal defense.

“If we manage to pilfer At times, I’ll probably enter the field goal defense game and hand the punt and kickoff back to Terry (Williams),” stated Whitehead.

Jason Tucker, the wide receivers coach, expressed confidence in his team’s ability to cover Burnham’s absence.

Regarding the upcoming season, Tucker stated, “We brought in a lot of good guys that can step in and help us out.”

According to Tucker, overcoming the emotional fallout from the previous season’s conclusion is the more difficult aspect.

“This group is excellent. He mentioned the Western Division final defeat to Winnipeg the previous season, saying, “We just need to get over that hump of one more game.”

Burnham’s injury schedule during the previous season included nine games, including a fractured wrist suffered in a Sept. 25 loss to Calgary, but he still finished with 41 receptions for 596 yards and four touchdowns.

Throughout his career, he had 476 receptions and 7,212 receiving yards with the Lions, both of which rank fourth in the team’s history. His 43 touchdown receptions rank seventh among all-time Lions receivers.

Burnham stated that part of the reason he retired was so he could be a more involved father and be nearer to his family.

He made the announcement last month that he had become the first-ever Director of Belonging and Inclusivity at Holland Hall, an independent Episcopal school in Tulsa serving students in prekindergarten through grade 12.

The Lions also declared that nine American players from their training camp roster had been released: Elijah Benton (DB), Cesar Barajas (K), Tre Webb (DB), Quinn Oseland (OL), Kevin Shaa (WR), Cole Blackman (WR), Raymond Calais (RB), Robert Holt (LB), and Henry Yianakopolos (LB).

On Tuesday, after intercepting a toss from starting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., Yianakopolos was surrounded by other defensive linebackers, who were yelling at the offense to “get off the field.”

The smoke from the wildfire that affected Kamloops, British Columbia, on Wednesday forced the Lions training camp to practice inside. According to Environment Canada, the smoke is most likely from wildfires in the Peace area and Alberta.

Due to smoke from wildfires across Alberta, the Edmonton Elks moved their Wednesday practice indoors, while the Calgary Stampeders called off their session.