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When Micah Awe was asked what he learned from his brief NFL experiences — and how they could benefit the B.C. Lions’ outside linebacker — he came to the defence of the CFL.

“I’m better at seeing where I’m at,” he said Tuesday, a day after signing a contract. “I did a whole pre-season of NFL with Tampa Bay (2016) and then we had our first pre-season game with Calgary (2017) and running down on kickoff, I got smacked.

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“That first kickoff told me the CFL is more physical than NFL. No one will say that, but I’m telling you being known as a physical player, I had to step it up to another level.

“The CFL is nothing to play around with, go ask Johnny Manziel. Ask Division 1 guys who come here and try to play right away and aren’t playing. The proof is in the pudding.”

If Awe plays Saturday against the Saskatchewan Roughriders — he might not be game ready and could suffer muscle strains — he could make an instant impact. He could lend needed support to middle linebacker Jordan Herdman while also taking pressure off Bo Lokombo and Dashawn Davis working in rotation at the outside linebacker position.

EXTRA POINTS — To make roster room for Awe, the Lions released defensive linemanGabriel Knapton, 29. Acquired from the Montreal Alouettes in the off-season Chris Williams trade, Knapton appeared in eight games this season and had 15 tackles.

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