Saskatchewan’s defence looking to turn ‘Big-Play V.A.’ into Clark Kent
“That’s our motto this season,” said Bell. “We want to be hunters, regardless of the situation or scenario. It should always come down to that focus no matter what you’re doing, no matter what you’re feeling or no matter what you’re going through.
“We’re hunting Lions this week.”
Undefeated through four games with a ball-hawking defence that leads the CFL with 14 turnovers (nine interceptions, five fumbles), the Roughriders visit the 4-1 B.C. Lions on Saturday in a West Division showdown of first-place teams.
“We need to improve our level of consistency,” said Bell. “We’ve been completely dominant and we’ve shown signs of greatness and then we’ve had lapses where we haven’t stood up to that level.”
“We do what we do; doesn’t matter what he does,” said Bell. “Vernon is Big-Play V.A. We try to keep him in the State of Vernon.
“Almost like Superman and Clark Kent. We’d rather him stay Clark Kent.”
Bell was an all-star defensive back with the Calgary Stampeders in 2015, when Mace was a teammate on the squad that had won a Grey Cup one year earlier. Bell started coaching six years ago alongside Mace, winning a Grey Cup together before spending two seasons with the Toronto Argonauts. With Mace as defensive coordinator, Toronto won the 2022 Grey Cup. Bell also won a Super Bowl ring with the Green Bay Packers in 2011.
They have developed a special relationship through the years, but this is the first time Bell has been dubbed the “pass-game coordinator.”
“Throw a dog a bone,” said Bell. “Another feather in your cap. The biggest thing is that regardless of the title, we all do our part.”
How about calling plays? With Mace being a rookie head coach, responsible for all facets of the game, does he still relay defensive calls to his assistants or do they make the decisions? Bell chuckled during his reponse:
“Big Boss is going to call it now. The chef du jour. We work with everyone, we do our jobs, we all do our part, we all pull our weight and when we actually have thoughts that we can bring to the table, the coach makes the decision.
“But even during games sometimes, you know, if you have a good reminder or a tip or you feel something, if you’re in the right moment and if you speak up, you might be blessed with him hearing you.”
While the Roughriders allow a league-low 46 rushing yards per game, they also surrender a league-high 313 passing yards per game. That’s OK, Bell said, because a stalwart rushing defence can convince opposing defences to throw the football. And that’s exactly what the Roughriders wnt.
“I don’t really look at the stats, but with most defences and most secondaries, coaches are terrified for the ball to go in the air,” said Bell, who usually gets hidden along the sidelines by players raising the hand-held placards most CFL teams use to shield their defensive signal-callers from rival coaches.
“We like for the ball to be in the air. Getting the ball baby, you hear me? We don’t really like PBUs (pass breakups) around here because they don’t get the ball back. We like the ball, so we are gonna get two hands on the ball and try to create something.”
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