The B.C. Lions are hoping to transform their offence’s static electricity into kinetic energy in 2025.
New head coach Buck Pierce is installing a fresh playbook and offensive philosophy in Vancouver for the first time since the pandemic. The decision to hire the former Winnipeg offensive coordinator this offseason brought an end to Jordan Maksymic’s four-year tenure as the play-caller and saw him depart for Edmonton.
While losing one of the CFL’s brightest young offensive minds to a division rival caused some consternation among fans, there is optimism from key players about what the change could mean for them.
“Jordan’s offence was really tailored to players’ skill sets. It feels like Buck is more so just running the offence efficiently and making sure that everyone can kind of do everything,” All-CFL receiver Justin McInnis told the media ahead of training camp.
“Just from watching them on film, you see all the receivers in the past when he was in Winnipeg, every receiver was catching every type of ball. Whereas in our offence these past couple years, I was the bender guy or (Alexander) Hollins would be the double-move deep guy. I think Buck is more inclined to get everyone involved to do everything and kind of throw defences off-guard.”
Big plays were a trademark of the Lions’ attack regardless of who was under centre during Maksymic’s time with the club, as he helped spur Michael Reilly, Nathan Rourke, and Vernon Adams Jr. to highly productive campaigns throwing the deep ball. However, for all the well-deserved praise he received, the offence was occasionally criticized for its rigidity, lack of run-pass balance, and failure to adjust to defences. That contributed to regular hot and cold streaks, as well as a failure to get over the hump in the playoffs.
Over the same period, Pierce helped guide the Bombers to five straight Grey Cup appearances, with the former quarterback calling plays in the last four. Winnipeg boasted a consistently potent attack through the air and on the ground, with Zach Collaros winning two Most Outstanding Player awards and running back Brady Oliveira earning the crown last year. Even with the homegrown ball carrier as the engine of the offence, receivers like Kenny Lawler, Dalton Schoen, Nic Demski, and Ontaria Wilson found high levels of success under Pierce.
The Lions hope that translates to their current crop of pass-catchers after a disappointing finish to last season.
“Talking with Buck and (receivers coach Kevin) Bourgoin, I think the way they look at receivers is they want everybody to be able to play everywhere. That flexibility and versatility is a big part of things moving forward,” explained general manager Ryan Rigmaiden. “In the past, I think players have been kind of one or two positions. I think now you try them at everything, you maximize what their skill set is, and then you move forward with what they’re good at. I think guys like Justin are going to be used in ways they’ve never been used before.”
McInnis will be a perfect test case for the new offence. The native of Pierrefonds, Que. had a breakout season in 2024, leading the CFL in receiving with 92 receptions for 1,469 yards and seven touchdowns. However, despite recording more targets and receptions of over 20 yards than any other player in the league, he was limited to less than 50 total yards in six different games – double the amount of the second-leading receiver Justin Hardy.
Now that he is being compensated like a star, signing a new contract worth $250,000 in hard money this year, McInnis believes he has even more to offer. Pierce’s focus on versatility could be the way to generate it.
“I find it super exciting to have that kind of offence, being able to do everything, put guys in different spots, and just run different routes. I’ve been used to kind of running the same,” he acknowledged.
“I mean, I ran everything with Jordan, but Buck’s offence is a lot more, I feel, spread out, if that makes sense. Everyone is doing something different. Personally for me, I know I’m tall, I’ve always caught the high balls and things like that, but I think I’ve shown that I can do other things too. I think Buck can give me a bigger chance to do that.”
For that plan to work, the Lions will need their quarterback to excel in the new system. Familiarity with and admiration for Maksymic were big reasons why Nathan Rourke returned early from the NFL last season, a factor that made B.C. think long and hard before pushing out the coordinator. Now, he’s learning his sixth offence in two years.
The Canadian pivot has spent the last several months developing a relationship with Pierce and his staff while immersing himself in the playbook. Though he suggests the changes won’t be as dramatic as others seem to believe, he’s excited to put them into practice.
“I think at the end of the day, there’s a lot of similarity in what teams are doing, but I think there definitely will be some differences. They’ve shown in the last couple of years (in Winnipeg) what they do well and I think we’re just kind of marrying that with who we are as a group and playing to our strengths,” Rourke said.
“We’re at the point right now where everything’s more or less in theory. I’m looking forward to seeing it play out in a practical sense.”
The B.C. Lions open rookie camp in Kamloops on Wednesday, May 7. Veterans report for training camp on Saturday, May 10.
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