Lions’ rebuilding plan to be put to the test against visiting Alouettes
VANCOUVER — The planned formula for success for the B.C. Lions this year is addition by subtraction.
B.C. begins its attempt to return to CFL playoffs with a date against the Montreal Alouettes in the regular season opener for both clubs Saturday. It’s the first meaningful opportunity to assess the rebuilding effort of new Lions general manager Ed Hervey, which includes a controversial cost-cutting plan.
Hervey has brought in 33 new faces since the Lions missed the playoffs last season, ending a 20-year run. The majority of B.C.’s holdovers, meantime, were all asked by Hervey during the off-season to take pay cuts.
Contract restructuring is hardly new in the CFL, but a general manager asking for money mere weeks on the job could have been a recipe for training camp discord in Hervey’s first season in charge of the Lions.