Lions like the nasty of new DT Coleman Davon Coleman, one of many players making their CFL pre-season debut with the B.C. Lions against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Friday, has a reputation. The exact kind of label, however, requires a liberal interpretation of the facts on his resume.

Lowell Ullrich BC Lions writer Follow|Archive

Davon Coleman, one of many players making their CFL pre-season debut with the B.C. Lions against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Friday (7:30 p.m., TSN; pre-game 6:30 p.m. TSN 1040) has a reputation.

The exact kind of label, however, requires a liberal interpretation of the facts on his resume.

You don’t need to ask Lions quarterback Jon Jennings. Coleman knocked Jennings senseless playing for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a game last year. Coleman blasted past David Foucault and Jennings wasn’t the same after he injured his shoulder.

Coleman last year also kayoed Edmonton’s Mike Reilly and Ottawa quarterback Trevor Harris in Hamilton games during his first CFL season.

Disruptive force? Season-changer? Quarterback destroyer?

Off the field, the new Lions defensive tackle has something of a different reputation. A day before he was traded in training camp this year to the Lions, he got into a spat with Hamilton teammate Nikita Whitlock.

Last August, Coleman got into a scrap with another teammate, Ryan Bomben. Coleman is known in the NFL, too. Three years ago he went nose-to-nose with a former teammate on the Dallas Cowboys, Greg Hardy, who questioned Coleman’s work ethic at a practice and got an earful in response about Hardy’s celebrated domestic violence issues.

Bleep disturber? Locker-room problem?

Nope, none of the above, Coleman said when asked about his past this week in Kamloops. And the smiles on the faces of his new teammates and coaches when talking about Coleman would also suggest whatever the 27-year-old brings is more than just a bit welcomed by the Lions.

“We want the nasty,” said Lions offensive lineman Joel Figueroa, who has a bit of the nasty himself. “That’s what we need. He’s not getting in any trouble or anything. He’s just a hard worker. That’s what we want.”

“You can’t play without being nasty. He’s always flashing on film,” says the Lions player who’ll line up alongside Coleman the most this season, Odell Willis. “When you watch film, you’re always saying ‘who is zero’ (Coleman’s uniform number in Hamilton)?”

Coleman offers up a slightly sheepish smile when asked about his track record, echoing the thoughts of most every player in the game when he states he isn’t out to purposely hurt an opponent. Reputations are often hard to shake once established, regardless of whether they are justified.

“If I get that reputation I wouldn’t say I want it but if I earned it I’ll take it,” he says. “I just want to be as nasty inside the rules and between these the lines and between the whistles as I can be.”

The off-field behavior, Coleman once told a Hamilton reporter, is more a result of an absence of a role model growing up in inner-city Cleveland on the way to a college existence at Arizona State. When he says he pronounces his given name Dave-on, it seems wise to take note.

What he represents to the Lions is the final brush-stroke in the off-season makeup orchestrated by new general manager Ed Hervey, who was able to extract Coleman for a mere exchange of draft picks, which had some wondering if there was more to his arthroscopic knee surgery which took place prior to camp.

Hervey prioritized reshaping his line of scrimmage and delivered. Sophomore Junior Luke has his starting job on the defensive front for the moment, but he is one of only three holdovers among defensive linemen this season.

Also on display for the first time Friday: New defensive ends Gabe Knapton and Willis, plus a gregarious tackle who has quickly come to the conclusion he might finally have found a fit with the Lions.

“I’ve always wanted to have a home somewhere. Hopefully this could be the place,” Coleman said. A team full of more new faces than old ones all hope the same thing starting upon entering the home locker room for the first time Friday.

LIONS TALES: B.C. will dress 68 players Friday and have until Sunday morning to make final cuts after establishing a practice roster. Depending on how many players they elect to put on the one-game injured list, the Lions have about nine cuts to make. Maxx Forde (shoulder), QB Cody Fajardo and WR Tyler Davis (ankle) won’t dress. UBC receiver Will Watson, who missed his first audition in Calgary last week while in concussion protocol, gets his first chance against Winnipeg, which won’t have injured quarterback Matt Nichols for at least a month, TSN reported, and will play a large group of backups against what figures to be the Lions starting lineup for their June 16 regular season opener. Jon Jennings and Ricky Lloyd will share the load at quarterback for the Lions… Adam Bighill, Andrew Harris and Chandler Fenner are among the former Lions who will not play for Winnipeg.