No Dickenson, no hope
11/4/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
TORONTO -- The B.C. Lions' season died from a self-inflicted wound without a cheap shot being fired. The painful truth is that when starting quarterback Dave Dickenson crumpled to the turf last Wednesday in practice, so did the Lions' playoff hopes go down with him.
Sensing the opposition's vulnerability, the ferocious Toronto Argonauts' defence exploited backup quarterback Spergon Wynn's inexperience and lack of field sense in disposing of the Lions 28-7 before 21,029 fans at Skydome.
Was it bad luck -- Dickenson injured his left knee in a passing drill, without being touched by another player? Or was it a misstep on soggy turf, a precarious practice field which arguably became a minefield for B.C.'s franchise player?
Whatever, it all blew up for the Lions Sunday afternoon -- Dickenson's puffy knee, and B.C.'s hopes of becoming the first crossover team from the West Division to advance to the East Division final next Sunday in Montreal.
Though Wynn was expected to start at quarterback anyway, Dickenson wanted one more attempt during pre-game warmup to see if he might be of some use to his team, despite his gimpiness. Head coach Wally Buono later admitted that he knew Friday Dickenson was in no condition to play.
"Sometimes, an athlete isn't convinced he can't go until he tests it out," said Lions' orthopedic specialist Dr. Bob McCormack. "Dave actually had a setback. He re-aggravated the injury, although there was no more damage done. If just flared up again."
Thereafter, it was an agonizing afternoon for Dickenson, who spent three hours shuffling about on the sidelines, hardly able to move. Clad in a black track suit, and clearly in difficulty, he had to stabilize himself by leaning on a sideline advertising board.
"I was pretty happy to start 17 of 18 games this season," a subdued Dickenson explained. "I made that point [to reporters a week ago]. Then, all of a sudden, I've got some problems with my knee. You can try and be as tough as you want, it wasn't working. Something started in the Saskatchewan game [Oct. 25], and whatever happened last week made it much worse."
Bravery and fortitude in the face on pain and injury has been a Dickenson staple since the '99 season, when the ex-Calgary Stampeder played as a walking M.A.S.H. case. He soldiered on, despite a battered knee, a separated shoulder, and a broken bone in left shoulder that made fans wince every time he took a hit in the Grey Cup game.
Dickenson said he has never had a serious knee injury before this past week. Now, he'll face surgery in the offseason for torn knee ligaments.
"There was more going on there today than what had been there before," he said. "I don't want to go into details, but it's something I've gotta get fixed. I was depressed for two days after I first injured it, but I'll snap out of it."
It what proved to be a war of attrition at quarterback [Argo starter Damon Allen also got injured and was forced to leave the game in the fourth quarter], Lions' backup safety Jason Crumb briefly contemplated having to take snaps, even though he hadn't played quarterback since his undergraduate days at the U. of Saskatchewan. Wynn suffered a hip pointer on a quarterback sneak in the first half and had to retreat to the sidelines for attention. Third-stringer Casey Printers, making his only third pass attempt of the season, ran the B.C. offence for one series before Wynn made a Lazarus-like comeback.
"They [medical staff] fixed me up pretty good," Wynn said. "I felt like I was good enough to go in there and play. I have a lot of respect for Toronto's secondary. Obviously, they do some things to confuse you, and they took away our deep threat. They game-planned us real good."
Wynn gamely tried to be a facsimile of the West Division's nominee for most outstanding player, but he was no Dickenson. He was intercepted twice and nearly had a third pass taken back for a touchdown.
Wynn did connect with Frank Cutolo on a 64-yard pass for the Lions' only touchdown, but his afternoon was one of conservative play calling and missed opportunities.
"You can't pin this one on Sperg," said veteran tackle Cory Mantyka.
"We didn't execute as an offence. This game was the epitome of our season. When we don't show up to play, it makes for a long afternoon."
Now, it will be a long offseason, punctuated with what-ifs, the biggest being: What if Super Dave had been healthy enough to play?
Sensing the opposition's vulnerability, the ferocious Toronto Argonauts' defence exploited backup quarterback Spergon Wynn's inexperience and lack of field sense in disposing of the Lions 28-7 before 21,029 fans at Skydome.
Was it bad luck -- Dickenson injured his left knee in a passing drill, without being touched by another player? Or was it a misstep on soggy turf, a precarious practice field which arguably became a minefield for B.C.'s franchise player?
Whatever, it all blew up for the Lions Sunday afternoon -- Dickenson's puffy knee, and B.C.'s hopes of becoming the first crossover team from the West Division to advance to the East Division final next Sunday in Montreal.
Though Wynn was expected to start at quarterback anyway, Dickenson wanted one more attempt during pre-game warmup to see if he might be of some use to his team, despite his gimpiness. Head coach Wally Buono later admitted that he knew Friday Dickenson was in no condition to play.
"Sometimes, an athlete isn't convinced he can't go until he tests it out," said Lions' orthopedic specialist Dr. Bob McCormack. "Dave actually had a setback. He re-aggravated the injury, although there was no more damage done. If just flared up again."
Thereafter, it was an agonizing afternoon for Dickenson, who spent three hours shuffling about on the sidelines, hardly able to move. Clad in a black track suit, and clearly in difficulty, he had to stabilize himself by leaning on a sideline advertising board.
"I was pretty happy to start 17 of 18 games this season," a subdued Dickenson explained. "I made that point [to reporters a week ago]. Then, all of a sudden, I've got some problems with my knee. You can try and be as tough as you want, it wasn't working. Something started in the Saskatchewan game [Oct. 25], and whatever happened last week made it much worse."
Bravery and fortitude in the face on pain and injury has been a Dickenson staple since the '99 season, when the ex-Calgary Stampeder played as a walking M.A.S.H. case. He soldiered on, despite a battered knee, a separated shoulder, and a broken bone in left shoulder that made fans wince every time he took a hit in the Grey Cup game.
Dickenson said he has never had a serious knee injury before this past week. Now, he'll face surgery in the offseason for torn knee ligaments.
"There was more going on there today than what had been there before," he said. "I don't want to go into details, but it's something I've gotta get fixed. I was depressed for two days after I first injured it, but I'll snap out of it."
It what proved to be a war of attrition at quarterback [Argo starter Damon Allen also got injured and was forced to leave the game in the fourth quarter], Lions' backup safety Jason Crumb briefly contemplated having to take snaps, even though he hadn't played quarterback since his undergraduate days at the U. of Saskatchewan. Wynn suffered a hip pointer on a quarterback sneak in the first half and had to retreat to the sidelines for attention. Third-stringer Casey Printers, making his only third pass attempt of the season, ran the B.C. offence for one series before Wynn made a Lazarus-like comeback.
"They [medical staff] fixed me up pretty good," Wynn said. "I felt like I was good enough to go in there and play. I have a lot of respect for Toronto's secondary. Obviously, they do some things to confuse you, and they took away our deep threat. They game-planned us real good."
Wynn gamely tried to be a facsimile of the West Division's nominee for most outstanding player, but he was no Dickenson. He was intercepted twice and nearly had a third pass taken back for a touchdown.
Wynn did connect with Frank Cutolo on a 64-yard pass for the Lions' only touchdown, but his afternoon was one of conservative play calling and missed opportunities.
"You can't pin this one on Sperg," said veteran tackle Cory Mantyka.
"We didn't execute as an offence. This game was the epitome of our season. When we don't show up to play, it makes for a long afternoon."
Now, it will be a long offseason, punctuated with what-ifs, the biggest being: What if Super Dave had been healthy enough to play?
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