Many Lions facing last game together

The B.C. Lions caught a break Sunday. For a change, it wasn't a fractured limb.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats did the Lions a favour by beating Winnipeg 39-17, eliminating the Blue Bombers and putting the hard-luck Lions in the CFL playoffs.
Just how the Lions will fare against the Ticats is anybody's guess, but it was good to see the Leos get a reprieve after their embarrassing 45-13 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos on Friday. The one-sided setback was a gift to the Eskimos as both starting quarterback Casey Printers and nominal backup Buck Pierce went down with injuries.
"I tried to do everything in my power to go back out there on the field and put some drives together but, physically, I just couldn’t do it,” said Pierce, who re-entered the game briefly in the second half. “You can kind of feel how we feel right now. It’s hard to process right now what we just went through. A lot of guys in this locker room have never experienced something like this – so many times this year."
Often through no fault of their own as bizarre injuries took their toll.
Pierce showed his character as he put his shoulder pads back on after taking a couple of injections and undergoing treatment to loosen up his arm.
“It’s been a tough year,” said Pierce. “This shoulder thing, it’s worn me out emotionally and physically.”
His season is, almost certainly, over. Buono will likely go with Printers, who was showing signs of early recovery from a jammed thumb, rookie Travis Lulay, almost fully recovered from a shoulder injury, and Zac Champion, the only other available quarterback.
“It’s unbelievable,” said dejected receiver Geroy Simon. “We can’t keep a quarterback healthy to save our lives. This is amazing. It’s like we’ve never even played football before.
“How many quarterbacks do we need to go through in a season?”
As it turns out, five.
“This (Edmonton) game is the story of our season,” said Simon. “It’s the biggest game of the year and we don’t show up to play."
You can bet the Lions will show up next Sunday as they get an opportunity to avenge two earlier losses to Hamilton. It's a question of whether the quarterbacking carousel starts to pay off now or later.
Eventually, the use of five quarterbacks will benefit B.C., presuming some can stay healthy. The pivots' experience makes them marketable assets in a leage that has trouble recruiting pivots with extensive pro playing time. Buono, who spent this season rebuilding the offence, can deal some QBs as part of his inevitable defensive remake in the coming off-season.
Say what you will about the quarterback troubles, the defence is largely to blame for this whacky 8-10 Lions season. If the defenders could have held the Calgary Stampeders for a minute and 35 seconds, the Lions would be hosting a playoff game, not playing as the crossover team in the East.
Despite a dominant front four, the defence continued a trend, started last season, of allowing big gains at critical times. For all his bravado, mid-season middle linebacker pick-up JoJuan Armour has had little effect, especially against the run. Meanwhile, the veteran secondary, which includes Barron Miles, Dante Marsh and Korey Banks, has lost its former magic. Its extreme makeover is imminent.
Whatever happens against the Ticats, the Lions should enjoy the semi-final. For many of them, it could be their last game in a Lions uniform.