Its been two years since the BC Lions hoisted the Grey Cup and Wally Buono handed the head coaching reigns to Mike Benevides. Since then the Lions have entered each season with one of the most talented rosters in the league before falling short of expectations. Two years is a short time to be sure, and its not like the Lions cant supply excuses for their shortcomings since 2011 – Travis Lulays shoulder injury last year – but in the ultra-competitive and impatient world of professional sports, the pressure is on. Bad teams feel pressure to be better; good teams feel pressure to be the best. And dont forget the added burden of a potential home field for the Grey Cup and the three-year streak of Grey Cup champs winning at home. The Lions were smart in acquiring veteran leader and “quarterback 1A” Kevin Glenn from the Ottawa Redblacks during the CFL Draft for the fifth-overall draft pick. The price was a little steep for a player few figured would actually end up with Ottawa for the upcoming season, but with Lulays shoulder still a talking point, Glenn provides quality insurance at the most important position. BC has opted for younger projects at QB behind Lulay the past couple years but the Glenn acquisition makes sense for a team that cant get derailed for even a short period of time, should Lulay miss games – for whatever ailment – this season. Especially with Thomas DeMarcos selection in the Expansion Draft, Glenn gives the Lions peace of mind at one of their most worrisome areas for 2014. Another solid move, adding to a position of strength, was the free agent signing of Jamall Johnson. Johnson returns to BC after five seasons in Hamilton, his last a down year after being asked to play in the middle, and joins a frightening linebacking corps that already includes Solomon Elimimian and Adam Bighill. BCs task in once again entering the year as one of the most talented teams on paper is replacing receiver Nick Moore and a number of large bodies on the offensive line. Not to diminish Moores impact, but the Lions receiving corps still has enough burners, and more importantly, added Canadian content, that Lulay – or Glenn – shouldnt feel frustrated for lack of quality targets. The line however, may have to rely on more youngsters than would be considered ideal. The good news is their young contingent on the offensive line is talented and the unit is still anchored by perhaps the best left tackle in the game in Jovan Olafioye. While theyve fallen short of the Grey Cup the past two years, the Lions still qualified for the postseason those years, and were just a win away from a return trip in 2012; so it feels strange to suggest the team enters the season under pressure to do more. That reality is part testament to how well the Lions organization is run, but as is the case with all good teams, being good only counts for so long; greatness sticks. Like the Argos and Riders before them, look for the Lions to go all out in 2014. Notes Parting Ways After a long tenure with the Lions as an offensive coach and coordinator, Jacques Chapdelaine left the Lions early in the off-season, the coach and team mutually agreeing to part ways. It was certainly a big shakeup on Benevides staff, getting rid of the offensive mainstay of 10 of the past 11 years. Up and coming offensive mind Khari Jones replaced Chapdelaine as well as taking on the QB coach role. Expansion Draft The Lions search for a backup quarterback began anew after the Ottawa Redblacks selected Thomas DeMarco, who gained solid experience filling in for an injured Travis Lulay In 2013, in the first round of the Expansion Draft. BC also lost guard Matt Albright and DT Andrew Marshall to the Redblacks. Free Agency With the least amount of players to hit the free market, the Lions were one of the least active teams during the free agency period. They did lose promising receiver Nick Moore to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers however, but made a splash on the other side of the ball when they brought back linebacker Jamall Johnson, who last played for the Lions in 2008, from Hamilton. Retirements The Lions offensive line took a number of big hits this off-season with the retirements of three big pieces. Veteran centre Angus Reid was the first to announce his retirement. The 13-year veteran was a three-time West Division All-Star and one-time league All-Star. Not long after tackle Ben Archibald retired. The two-time All-Canadian spent the past three seasons in BC. Then late in the off-season Patrick Kabongo joined the two in retirement. The nine-year vet was a one-time West Division All-Star. CFL Draft The Lions traded out of the first round in order to solidify their backup quarterback situation by grabbing Kevin Glenn from the Redblacks for the fifth-overall pick. The team had two picks in the second round, grabbing OL Tchissakid Player from Northwestern State and FB Pascal Lochard from Laval. With their final five selections the Lions took LB Casey Chin from Simon Fraser in the third round, DL David Menard from Montreal in the fourth round, WR Alexander Fox from Bishops in the fifth round, DL Dylan Roper from Simon Fraser in the sixth round, and RB Guillaume Bourassa from Laval in the seventh round. Khalif Mitchell Returns One of the most enigmatic players in the league the past few seasons made his return to BC late in the off-season after a year with the Toronto Argonauts. Khalif Mitchells talent and impact at his DT position are unquestionable, but his return to the Lions was surprising after Mitchell seemingly burned a lot of bridges on his way out of BC a year ago. Lions GM Wally Buono has said all the right things about Mitchells return so far, noting the player has matured over the years. Best Site Buy China Jerseys . Louis Blues were workmanlike, methodical and -- most of all -- effective on Monday night. Cheap Jersey Website . Toronto (11-12) gave up leads in 10-8 and 11-4 losses to the Baltimore Orioles this week. It was never close Friday as the Boston Red Sox got to Mark Buehrle early en route to an 8-1 win. https://www.cheapjerseysreview.com/. A lawmaker is hoping the buzz from California Chromes run for the Triple Crown might build support for a bill that would place the U. Wholesale Jerseys Online . "I could have been equipment manager but nooooo" from Lisa on Ice. Season 6, Episode 8. Cheap Jerseys Review . At Manchester United, Ferguson developed Beckham into one of the worlds most recognizable sportsmen, but the midfielder left United in 2003 for Real Madrid under a cloud after his relationship with the manager broke down.LOS ANGELES - The Winnipeg Jets will try to keep their faint playoff hopes alive tonight with a tough road test against the streaking Los Angeles Kings. Fans can listen to the action on TSN Radio 1290 Winnipeg beginning at 9pm ct/10pm et. Winnipeg picked up only its third victory in 12 games on Thursday with a 4-3 triumph over the San Jose Sharks. That 3-6-3 slump has essentially knocked the Jets out of the playoffs as they trail the Phoenix Coyotes by nine points for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference with eight games to play. Blake Wheeler had a goal and two assists in Thursdays win, while Tobias Enstrom scored the winner with 3:36 to play. Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien also scored for the Jets and Al Montoya stopped 27 shots in the win. "We just tried to make one more play than they did and it worked out for us," Wheeler said. The Jets have split the first two of a five-game road trip. Ondrej Pavelec will return from a lower-body injury that has held him out since March 14. He has solid career numbers against Los Angeles, going 2-1-0 with a 2.02 GAA and one shutout in three games. The Kings return home red hot and look to capture a sixth victory in a row. The Kings have won 13 of their last 16 games overall, a span that began with an eight-game win streak from Feb. 6-10. Los Angeles then lost three in a row in regulation before claiminng the final two contests of a five-game homestand.dddddddddddd After building that momentum, the Kings hit the road for three in a row and bested a number of contenders in the Eastern Conference as wins over Philadelphia, Washington and Pittsburgh stretched Los Angeles road winning streak to a club record-tying eight straight. The Kings, who set the original mark from Dec. 18, 1974-Jan. 16, 1975, wrapped up the swing with Thursdays 3-2 decision over the Penguins. Alec Martinez and Jeff Carter had goals and Drew Doughty netted the winner early in the third frame. Backup Martin Jones stopped 35-of-37 shots for Los Angeles, which appears locked into third place in the Pacific Division following its successful swing. "Theyre all such good buildings and good teams," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "All three teams are in different places in their standings, so if you can get six points you take it." Los Angeles will play its next three at home and is likely to give No. 1 Jonathan Quick the start tonight. He is 2-2-0 with a 3.48 goals against average lifetime versus the Jets. The Kings split a pair of meetings with the Jets in Winnipeg earlier this season, with L.A. claiming the most recent encounter 3-1 on March 6. The Kings are 5-0-2 all-time at home versus the Jets franchise, which makes its first trip to Los Angeles since relocating from Atlanta. ' ' '