B.C. Lions' Davis Sanchez (2) and teammate Aaron Hunt (90) in Winnipeg, Thursday, July 28, 2011.John Woods/ The Canadian Press
The Canadian Football League workday is four and a half hours, which means all practising, meeting, weightlifting and organized team activities must be completed within that window.
Dems the rules, as far as the collective agreement is concerned.
But the truth of the matter is that no CFL team wins if its players simply work to the prescribed time. That's why locker-room leaders are so important in the CFL, because they often organize events outside of those hours designed to make the team better, or bring the players closer.
Take B.C. Lions defensive tackle Aaron Hunt, for example. He hasn't always seen eye-to-eye with general manager and head coach Wally Buono, and Hunt wasn't exactly the most mature player when he came into the league in 2006. But six seasons and a Grey Cup later, Hunt is now a veteran who has organized "D-Line Night," a weekly outing of Lions defensive linemen that began back in training camp.
"As a D-line, if you're not playing together, then you're not playing good," Hunt said. "I figured it was a way to get everyone together. It starts with [a meal]but it can end with anything. ... We wanted to make a point to get everyone together enough to know each other."
There's no way to quantify whether Hunt's social outings have led to wins, because these evenings were taking place when B.C. was off to a 0-5 start. But one thing that isn't debatable is the awesome play of B.C.'s defensive front during the team's eight-game winning streak.
The Lions can win a ninth consecutive game Saturday in Hamilton, which would be the CFL's longest winning streak since B.C. opened the 2005 campaign with 11 in a row. The Leos can also clinch a home playoff game with a victory over the Tiger-Cats, and a Calgary Stampeders loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders Friday.
Hunt and defensive end Keron Williams have been constants on B.C.'s defensive line for several years now, and both are having all-star seasons yet again. But the unit didn't become dominant until August, when nose tackle Khalif Mitchell and end Khreem Smith entered the starting lineup. The club has 44 sacks on the season, second only to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Mitchell replaced free agent Eric Taylor, who was signed from the Toronto Argonauts last winter, while Smith replaced Rajon Henley, who underwent back surgery. Mitchell has received plenty of credit because his physical size (6-foot-5, 309 pounds) is only dwarfed by his larger-than-life personality. So far this year, Mitchell has performed sack dances, kicked a ball at the Argonauts sidelines, and admitted that he smoked too much marijuana while at East Carolina University. He is nursing a sore quadriceps muscle this week, and may miss the game against Hamilton.
Smith is more understated, but also admits to being a reformed "knucklehead" who was too quick to let a hair trigger affect him in high school and college. He is a 32-year-old rookie who has played with several Arena Football League organizations, and three NFL teams, and had the Lions not had a pre-existing relationship with one of his former AFL clubs, then Smith may not be here.
But as it was, Smith had a tour with the Spokane Shock, whose general manager speaks regularly with the Lions, and B.C. needed an end. Smith is precisely that, a legitimate rush end who carries 270 pounds, and who had tons of professional experience when he was signed in July.
"Sometimes, you need a piece to complete you, and he was that guy," Buono said. "The completion of our defensive line was Khreem Smith, and he's gotten better and better and better."
So have the Lions.