2012年7月11日星期三

Game always special for this linebacker

Not a game goes by that Bighill doesn't honour the memory of his late mother, Janine, who passed away from a heart attack in 2003 when her bulldozer-sized son was in Grade 9 going to school near Aberdeen, Wash.

And when another chapter in his expanding resume was written, as was the case Tuesday when the league took note of his nine-tack-le performance against Hamilton and named him top defensive player of the week, Bighill couldn't help remember his mother's words.

"She always told me I could do anything I wanted in life if I worked hard," Bighill said as the Lions began to prepare for a Saturday showdown against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, whose players likely are wondering how they could be upstaged for the award by a miniature battering ram after pitching a defensive shut-out against Edmonton.

"Before every game the first thing in my head is my mom and what she taught me. I want to go on the field and let it all go so she can watch."

Those who pull for the underdog, which in football often also means the undersized, can relate to Bighill's story of perseverance.

Rejection was not in his vocabulary once he got to Central Washing-ton University in Ellensburg, Wash, where the 5-10, 230-pounder landed when the two Pac-10 schools in the state passed on him because of his size.

Soon, teammates and even administrators began to understand all his qualities, which go far beyond what he can do on the field. Bighill once served on a committee at Central which was in charge of hiring the next football coach. In his spare time, the only child in the family began helping a 20-year-old autistic male make ends meet by helping him wash windows.

Still, Bighill couldn't catch a break until he caught the attention of the Lions, and if he has a hand in beating the Riders Saturday, he can thank Saskatchewan assistant coach Barron Miles for his chance.

While scouting for the Lions, Miles spotted Bighill in 2010 playing at the Cactus Bowl in Kingsville, Texas. After substantial convincing of general manager Wally Buono, the Lions gave him a training camp roster spot last year.

Even then, however, the Lions nearly opted in favour of keeping the since-forgotten Ronnie McCullough on the practice roster last year, were it not for two plays that stood out with coach Mike Benevides, similar to what happened in pre-season this spring.

Making the right decision on a player, Benevides said, often comes down to instinct, and there's been something with Bighill that continues to make the Lions get him on the field.

"Wipe your mind clean when you're evaluating a player and ask yourself do you see something; do you remember something? If you can't remember a player, he wasn't really doing something extraordinary," Benevides said. "Last year against Edmonton [in preseason] he was on the lower end of the bubble when he took off to the quarterback like a shot. That play alone put him in the discussion to where we had to keep him. This year it was the same thing. Sometimes it comes down to one or two plays."

It also comes down to being given a chance. Bighill said he always has had requisite speed to close on a ball carrier, and if he needed more he would apply his skills as a bud-ding exercise therapist to improve. It's just easier to spot him in the open field this season as opposed to working strictly on special teams, as was the case last year with the Lions.

And now that he's doing much more than sharing the field with James Yurichuk, Bighill says there's more he has to give.

"There is some satisfaction," Big-hill said of the league recognition and the milepost it represents.

"But I've always been a guy where it's never good enough. Even if I had a good game I'm still back in the film room finding what I could to improve. The measure of a great player is that he never stops. You take an award; you are humble, but keep going."

Korey Banks figured it would be best dealing in absolutes when trying to tell rookie teammate Joshua Bell what it will be like for the B.C. Lions when they travel to Regina for the first of two CFL regular-season road games against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

"He said, 'What's the loudest stadium you've played in before, college or NFL?' " Bell related Tuesday.

"I said Kyle Field, home of Texas A&M and the 12th man. And in the NFL, it's also the home of the 12th man, Seattle."

So in terms of career experiences, the rookie defensive back of the Lions should be ready in the event he is called upon to perform in a meaningful way at Mosaic Stadium, where the league's nosiest fans are sure to be at their best after a 2-0 start in a game against the defending Grey Cup champions.

Bell took first-team reps at practice Tuesday in place of cornerback Byron Parker, who suffered a hamstring pull against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and when that wasn't enough he worked in place of Ryan Phillips at the wideside half. So a veteran who started five games for the Denver Broncos is ready for Regina and whatever else may come his way.

However, there's still no certainty he'll even be on the roster. Both Parker and Phillips say they expect to play Saturday.

And there's just as much hope on the part of the Lions that the other injured veteran bothered by a hamstring pull who sat Tuesday, receiver Shawn Gore, will also be ready.

The only possible change for Saskatchewan could be the return of left guard Jon Hameister-Ries, whose presence did not move rookie Matt Norman out of the lineup but just to the right guard spot held last week by Patrick Kabongo.

But if Bell says he's ready for the maniacs at Mosaic, coach Mike Benevides made sure the rest of his team is similarly prepared. For the first time this year and definitely the earliest in any season in a while, the Lions worked with crowd noise Tuesday.

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