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“Every one of us, in the CFL, would rather prep at home (between games), and not have to go somewhere else to practise,” Dorazio said. “The logistics of this trip don’t allow that. This is the smart thing to do (stay in Ottawa). It’s the third time we’ve had six days between games, two of them on the road. It’s a tough business. But it makes perfect sense to do what we’re doing.”

CFL players are limited to 4.5 hours of organized activity on a working day which, head coach Wally Buono notes, limits what they’re able to do here. He frets about the time lost in travel, ferrying players back and forth from the hotel to the practice field at the University of Ottawa.

To a degree, this is a business/sight-seeing trip for the players, who have enough days and free hours to go exploring like tourists, which is something of a novelty for them.

“We’re in a city, luckily, that has a lot of history behind it,” said punter/kicker Richie Leone. “I’m going to definitely see all that I can see when I’m here.”

Leone has a tour of Parliament Hill planned on Monday. He’s already taken in the Northern Lights sound and light show set against the backdrop of the parliament buildings.

As for Dorazio, he continues to work countless hours illuminated by artificial light, knowing there are other talented and dedicated men working equally as hard. That intensity separates coaches from players and from everyone else, even those dear to them. The only Lions’ coach catching a break this week is receivers coach Marcel Bellefeuille, who has a home in Ottawa. Bellefeuille had a pre-game meal, prior to the Lions’ 29-23 win over the Ottawa Redblacks last Thursday, with his wife, Julie. A family dinner was planned Sunday with the couple’s four kids, two girls of university age and two boys who play peewee football. Otherwise, he is registered at the same hotel as the rest of the coaches and players and doing the normal workaholic thing.