The B.C. Lions underwent sweeping and controversial changes this offseason but one of their longest-serving players felt a shake-up was badly needed.
“We’ve been in a place for the last couple years where we’re right there, but we needed to get over the hump,” veteran cornerback Garry Peters told 3DownNation. “We obviously had to make some type of changes, whether that needed to be the defensive coordinator or the head coach. I don’t know what it needed to be, but we needed some type of change.”
Lions’ owner Amar Doman opted for all of the above following a disappointing 9-9 campaign that ended with a first-round playoff exit. Head coach Rick Campbell was shown the door despite a winning record and three consecutive postseason appearances with the team, while the front office was reshuffled to place Ryan Rigmaiden alone in the general manager’s chair.
His first hire was bringing former B.C. quarterback Buck Pierce over from Winnipeg to be the team’s new bench boss. Peters was among his first calls after he took the job and the two have already established a rapport.
“He kind of sounds like a player’s coach, but you can also tell that he’s turned the program around. We’ve already had plenty of talks on things we wanna do during practice, his expectations of me, and his expectations of the defence. Having that open line of communication with him has been cool so far,” the 33-year-old said.
“I’m excited to see what he brings to the team. I’ve always sat back and watched him from afar and admired him. His play-calling, his schemes, his IQ for the game, I’ve always admired that. For him to finally be on my side and kind of drop some gems on how we can get over the hump, I’m super excited.”
While Pierce’s appointment came as no surprise, one key hiring did raise some eyebrows. Incumbent special teams coordinator Mike Benevides was promoted to defensive coordinator on the new staff, providing a veteran sounding board for his first-time boss. The former Lions’ head coach was reportedly one of the finalists for the top job this time as well, but will now attempt to rehabilitate a defence that fell short of the mark in 2024 despite its previous play-caller still being in the building.
Former defensive coordinator Ryan Phillips was retained for the final year of his contract but demoted to defensive backs coach, saving the Lions from any penalties against the football operations cap. Given Phillips’ popularity amongst the players and his status as a rising young star in the coaching ranks, there has been speculation that the move could cause friction in the locker room. As a defensive leader, Peters is unconcerned.
“I’ve had Bene already before as a coach. When I got to Edmonton, he was my first defensive coordinator. I kind of know how he is and he coached RP as well. We’re all from the same tree. It’s gonna work out very well,” he insisted. “Bene is a fired-up guy, he’s always super fiery. RP is a really smart, cerebral guy, very high IQ. I feel like they’re only gonna help each other to get that much better and make our defence that much better.”
The Lions were the West Division runners-up in 2022 and 2023, losing to Pierce’s Blue Bombers in consecutive West Finals. The team took a significant step back last season despite the added incentive of a home Grey Cup game and massive investment from ownership, which led to the organizational changes.
Amar Doman spared no expense to bring two key midseason additions back from the NFL in quarterback Nathan Rourke and defensive end Mathieu Betts, exceeding the CFL salary cap by nearly $350,000. That resulted in more than $640,000 worth of fines and the loss of the team’s two top draft picks, but the building materials magnate has not wavered in his financial commitment. Peters believes that type of active ownership will be key to the team’s future success.
“Amar is doing great things for us. We’re looking to get a new facility soon. He gives us everything we need. He’s all in with us. From the top down, it just seems like a different energy around the locker room. I feel like that’s gonna translate to the field,” he said.
“That’s the type of person he is. He’s just like, ‘Whatever I can do to help this team or help you guys to be successful, I’m gonna do it. Just hit me up.’ He’s so transparent. You can call him, you can write him on text. It doesn’t matter what it is, he’ll always respond.”
Peters has already felt a cultural shift in the organization this offseason, kick-started by Doman’s biggest investment: Rourke. The Canadian pivot was much maligned after re-joining the Lions last year, struggling to live up to the expectations he set for himself in 2022 and getting caught up in a QB controversy with incumbent Vernon Adams Jr. Now that the latter has been traded to Calgary, Peters doesn’t see any of those awkward locker room dynamics carrying over.
The seven-year Leo describes Rourke’s vocal leadership during the offseason as “infectious” and believes the quarterback has added 10 pounds of muscle. While fans and pundits may have reservations about whether the Victoria-born pivot can recapture the glory of his Most Outstanding Canadian season, Peters believes that is just the floor of what he can accomplish next year.
“I think he’s gonna be better than he was in 2022. He hears the chatter, but he doesn’t listen to it. He hears all the noise of ‘Nate used to be good’, ‘He used to be great’ — he doesn’t listen to it. It fuels him, but it doesn’t stay in his mind,” he said.
“I’ve never seen nobody in my life work as hard as Nate. He wears shoulder pads every day when he throws. He’s in the weight room all day long. He’s watching film every single day. I know he’s prepared and I know he’ll be ready and I wouldn’t want nobody else to be my quarterback but him. I trust him 100%.”
In his opinion, that has already trickled down to the rest of the roster and forced veteran players to shape up or risk being shipped out.
“For us, just seeing the leader that Nate has become and the work that he’s put in, you don’t have no choice but to want to work just as hard as him. Because if not, then you won’t be here pretty much. That’s just the standard that has been set and it starts with him,” Peters said.
“There’s guys getting older. Your opportunity, your window is gonna close sooner or later and I think guys are starting to realize that and take it more serious. A lot of guys have transformed their bodies, I’ve been seeing a lot of guys around the facility lifting weights.”
Between Rourke’s accountability, Doman’s continued commitment to excellence, and Pierce’s new vision, Peters believes the pieces are coming together for a resurgence in B.C. Offseason changes may have come as a shock to some, but it was the bolt of electricity the team needed.
“The energy that the upstairs is bringing, they want us to be a lot more physical and a lot more driven. You can see the energy from the top all the way down changing,” he said. “It’s only gonna help our team.”
The B.C. Lions will open their 2025 regular season by hosting the Edmonton Elks at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver on Saturday, June 7 with kickoff slated for 10:00 p.m. EDT.
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