HomeCFLCan Lions stay competitive with Jake Dolegala under centre?

Can Lions stay competitive with Jake Dolegala under centre?


TORONTO — The BC Lions are going to have to find a way to fight without their leader.

Vernon Adams Jr. won’t play for the Leos as they travel to Edmonton to take a surging Elks on Sunday at Commonwealth Stadium in Week 10 looking to stay atop the West Division standings.

BC will turn to backup Jake Dolegala to lead the team into action against the Double E, an opponent that seems a lot more formidable now than they did only a short few weeks ago.

“It’s going to be extremely difficult,” Henoc Muamba told Donnovan Bennett in this week’s edition of The Waggle Podcast about the absence of the veteran pivot. “They’ve gotten to a place there they’re so accustomed to who VA is and what VA does.”

What Adams Jr. is and does is a quarterback that has thrown for 2,469 yards and 14 touchdowns over only eight games in 2024. The veteran was on pace to break a couple of records before going down in Week 9 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has been ruled week-to-week by the team going forward.

“It’s going to be difficult for him,” added Muamba about Dolegala replacing Adams Jr. “This week is going to be the first test and we’ll se what he’s got. But like I said, for the BC Lions to get into this tournament, they’ll need a healthy VA.”

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There’s a lot more to the Lions than just their quarterback, though. The Orange and Black have been a staple at the top three teams in the AMSOIL Power Rankings due to an explosive group of playmakers and a swarming defence capable of putting pressure on their opponents.

Rick Campbell’s team made it to back-to-back Western Finals with Nathan Rourke and Adams Jr. leading a roster full of talent on both sides of the ball.

“The thing for me and why I believe they can and will still compete is because this is what they’re built for,” said Bennett. “The Lions – better than anybody – we’re now in an era where this is a two quarterback league. You can’t expect year in, year out, through 18 games plus playoffs, to have one starter back there. With the amount that people are dropping back and throwing the ball. We’ve seen it with this staff. Michael Reilly‘s down, cool, Nathan Rourke, step up. Rourke down? Cool, we’ve got Vernon Adams Jr., bring him in. VA goes down? Okay, we have Dane Evans, we expect him to play at a high level. And now they go and get Dolegala this off-season.”

“Obviously, they are not as potent offensively, but they’re still competitive. I think BC is still going to be competitive atop the West.”

To do that they’ll have to start by taking on Ford and the Elks.

“I love the Edmonton Elks right now what they are doing,” said Muamba about the Lions Week 10 opponent. “Your boy Tre Ford dynamic as he is, entertaining as he is. And now you already see when he steps on the field, it’s a different offence, it’s a different team that you’re playing, but not you’re adding Javon Leake, especially with the performance from last week, it’s almost like it’s a whole new team now that you have to watch film on and they’re completely different the way they attack you.”

“I like the Edmonton Elks to win the game.”

Muamba’s The Waggle Podcast partner still thinks the Lions have what it takes to pull off the win.

“I think BC wins,” picked Bennett. “I think we saw there’s film out there. We’ve got tape of what this offence is going to look like with (Ford) and Leake in the backfield. You’re going into a game not knowing, ‘okay what are they going to call when (Adams Jr.) is not the starter?’ There’s going to be an adjustment period, certainly, and that’s why I think BC wins this one in what I expect to be a very competitive game, but one that the Lions eke out.”