Football is the ultimate team sport and the club will not succeed unless every single man on the roster is doing their job. Although often overlooked, the game of football would not be possible without the big guys up front.

No one knows this better than Dan Dorazio. 2017 will be Dorazio’s 45th season coaching and he has spent 14 years as the BC Lions’ offensive line coach. Last year marked his return to Buono’s staff after spending 2015 in the same role with Saskatchewan.

“We are off to a very good start,” said Dorazio. “We are very pleased with how the guys have begun and started, the way they are working and where their minds are right now.”

The Lions benefited greatly from their stellar offensive line en route to finishing second in the West Division in 2016. The Leos led the CFL in rushing yardage last season and a big part of that is because of the holes opened up by the linemen. Jonathon Jennings also took huge strides last season and that was only possible because the o-line provided him with time to get the ball into his receivers’ hands.

Dorazio hopes to build on last season’s success saying, “We are doing things right now that we didn’t know a year ago, we’ve already got that ingrained. So that’s positive. Experience is the best teacher and now we need to take the next step.”

The Leos opted to trade away Jovan Olafioye to the Montreal Alouettes this offseason, but they return four starting linemen from the squad that went to the West final in 2016. Hunter Steward, Kirby Fabien, Cody Husband and Antonio Johnson are all back for BC. Charles Vaillancourt was the Lions’ first round selection last season and he is back in the fold. They also acquired David Foucault from the Als in the Olafioye trade, and he figures to contribute to the Lions this season.

Staying healthy was key for the offensive line in 2016, particularly in the interior of the line. For the first time in their careers, Steward and Husband appeared in all 18 regular season contests as well as both of the Lions’ playoff games.

Ideally the Lions will have a healthy starting five up front for all 18 games in 2017, but if an injury does strike, they have talented reinforcements to keep the train rolling. Dorazio identified Kelvin Palmer as a player that stood out in rookie mini-camp, but he also praised the rest of the group, saying “they all did good out there”.

The offensive line figures to be a strong unit for the Lions in 2017. They are returning four starters, have adequate depth and have an opportunity to start at least four Canadian linemen. That is a recipe for success.

Returnees

Jas Dhillon, Kirby Fabien, Quinn Horton, Cody Husband, Antonio Johnson, Kelvin Palmer, Hunter Steward, Charles Vaillancourt.

Newcomers And Where They Came from

Vincent Brown – The Leos acquired the imposing Miami, FL native this offseason from the Montreal Alouettes as part of the return package for Jovan Olafioye. Brown was originally inked by the Als during the roster expansion phase in 2015 and attended training camp with them in 2016.

Aaron Epps – The University of Louisville alum signed on as a free agent with the Lions this offseason. After a successful career with Louisville, Epps was an undrafted free agent signing of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2016 and attended training camp with the club. After being released as part of the Bengals’ final roster cut-down in September, he was signed to the practice roster of the Arizona Cardinals.

David Foucault – Just like Brown, the Lions acquired Foucault in the trade that sent Olafioye to the Alouettes. The University of Montreal alum was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Carolina Panthers in 2014 and appeared in five games for the Panthers that season. Foucault spent the 2015 season on the Panthers’ practice squad.

Nate Isles – The hip-hop enthusiast signed on with the Lions this offseason after spending the 2016 season with the Alouettes. Isles began his professional career as an undrafted free agent signing of the Seattle Seahawks in 2014 and also spent time with the Arizona Cardinals.

Evan Telford – The SFU graduate joined the Leos after going undrafted in the 2017 CFL Draft. Telford appeared in 34 games over four seasons and started 30 consecutive contests for SFU. He was named to the GNAC all-conference team as a honourable mention during his senior season.

Jeremy Zver – The Lions selected Zver with their second round pick (16th overall) in the 2017 CFL Draft. Jeremy played and started in 25 contests at left tackle across four seasons with the Regina Rams. After spending two years playing basketball for the University of Regina, Jeremy made the jump to the gridiron for the 2013 season.

The Elder Statesman

At 29 years of age, Cody Husband represents the oldest player on the offensive line. The New Westminster, BC native was signed as a free agent in 2014 and has appeared in 50 career games. Husband found a home in the middle of the Lions’ O-Line in 2016, starting all 18 regular season tilts and both playoff games. He hopes to build off his success as he enters his sixth CFL season and his fourth in Orange and Black.

The Big Question

Who will fill the void left by Jovan Olafioye at left tackle? The Lions decided to trade away a six-time CFL All-Star this offseason in Olafioye and there are currently more questions than answers at the left tackle spot. Hunter Steward has been mentioned as a potential candidate to take over the position. The Liberty University alum played left tackle in college and saw some action there for the Lions during his rookie campaign in 2014. David Foucault is another name to watch in preseason, as he spent time at left tackle in college and with the Carolina Panthers.

It Could Happen In 2017

The Lions could be the envy of the CFL this season because they have the opportunity to start at least four Canadian offensive linemen. Steward, Foucault, Husband, Charles Vaillancourt and Kirby Fabien have a chance to be blocking for Jonathon Jennings when the season kicks off against the Edmonton Eskimos at BC Place on June 24. Starting four National linemen gives the Leos some valuable ratio flexibility and allows them to carry an extra International on the roster.

Quotable

“In every aspect of the game, I am going to be more ready, just talking about the techniques that coach taught us last year, I had a whole offseason to work on that, to work on all the little issues I had with my body and little technical stuff.” – Charles Vaillancourt on entering his second training camp with the Lions.

Brian Helberg: bhelberg@bclions.com