CFL WEEK 11 "REVENGE WEEK" Discussion/Analysis/Line Projections/Picks

Not to denigrate the considerable abilities of Jarious Jackson, but former Lion-turned-radio broadcaster Giulio Caravatta could quarterback the B.C. Lions right now.

Hell, Humpty Dumpty could if the offensive line opens holes like it did last Friday in the destruction of the high-flying Montreal Alouettes, who had a four-game winning streak disappear like running back Joe Smith, individual hero of the night, did after the game.

The offensive line, says Lions head coach and general manager Wally Buono, controls the tempo of the game. Not sure if that is indeed true in every circumstance, but the classic blueprint for doing it correctly and from the beginning to the lopsided end was the highlight on Friday.

The Lions offensive line controlled the tempo, it manhandled the Alouettes puny attempts to get to the quarterback and blew gigantic holes where Smith was able to pick one at his leisure, although he was usually going faster than a leisurely pace.

In the second quarter alone he collected 95 yards running through what statistically was the CFL's second-best run defence. He was, however, showered and gone home to Louisiana before the media got down for a postgame comment.

By the time Smith was finished he had 161 yards and two touchdowns, Ian Smart had 63 and a pair of majors and Jackson chipped in with 43 more for a team total of 267 yards along the ground. Despite their out-of-this-world performance, none of the starting linemen -- centre Angus Reid, Kelly Bates, Sherko Haji-Rasouli, Jason Jimenez, nor even Rob Murphy -- would, however, predict Caravatta would gain any rushing yards had he been the pivot.

Based on the first quarter when both defences had things all their own way, you'd never have predicted a 46-14 blowout. Between the two offences, they had a combined 28 yards.

But after that it was a different story. At least for B.C.

"It's something to build on," said Jackson, who was filling in for Buck Pierce, who had been filling in for Dave Dickenson. "I'm trying to go from what we did here and do it in Montreal [this Sunday].

"The thing is, we kept fighting and didn't stop. They were putting six and seven defensive backs out there, so we tried to get the ball to Joe. He definitely opened it up for us."

What it all means as the defending Grey Cup champions head into the second half of the season, is that Jackson has now shown he can start and win a game.

It seemed that as the game against the Als progressed, he became more confident, comfortable and sure of what he was doing. It augers well for the team's immediate future, despite all the injuries.

"When you can take control of the line of scrimmage," said Buono, "it's a big advantage. While the offence was out there running the ball the defence was getting a chance to rest."

Back-to-back games are tough. The Als can be expected to play better at home and the Lions have to guard against revelling in how easy it was to beat them in the first one. And it will be difficult not to look past their next home game Sept. 15, when the disorganized Argonauts come to town, and all the way to Sept. 22, when they'll likely have a first-place showdown against the Roughriders.

But if the offensive line can keep playing like it did Friday, Caravatta might think about making a comeback. hkgilchrist@yahoo.com

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats haven't been winners on the field this season but they have scored a major coup off the field, agreeing to terms with quarterback Casey Printers on a three-year deal.

Financial terms of the contract are not known, but reports indicate he'll be the CFL's highest paid player at $500,000 a season.

''I'm well-compensated,'' Printers said at a news conference on Thursday. ''I don't know if I'm the highest-paid, but I am happy and that's the most important thing.''

The 26-year-old was cut by the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs over the weekend and after exhausting all his NFL options, Printers turned his attention to the CFL, where there were no shortage of suitors.

As many as five teams were said to be in the running for Printers. The Montreal Alouettes believed they had a deal with the 2004 Most Outstanding Player, until the Ticats swooped in with a last minute offer he could not refuse.

The Calgary Stampeders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers were also said to be in the mix while the B.C. Lions, whom Printers last played for in the CFL, were not in the running due to salary cap considerations.

Printers' last tour in the CFL was in 2005 with his best season coming in 2004 when he threw for 5,088 yards and 35 touchdowns.