Latest news with #receiving
CTV News
4 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
B.C. Lions seek answers for high-flying Lawler and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
B.C. Lions' Cristophe Beaulieu (29) breaks up a pass intended for Saskatchewan Roughriders' Dhel Duncan-Busby (18) during the second half of a CFL football game, in Vancouver, on Saturday, July 19, 2025. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press) VANCOUVER — The B.C. Lions head into the weekend facing a riddle — how do you stop Kenny Lawler? The Hamilton Tiger-Cats receiver is on a tear, and leads the CFL in both receiving yards (644) and receiving touchdowns (eight). He'll look to add to those totals Saturday when the Ticats (4-2) visit the Lions (3-4). For Lions defensive coordinator Mike Benevides, the riddle's answer is simple. 'You don't stop Kenny Lawler,' Benevides said. The veteran CFL coach recounted a time when he tried to contain the 31-year-old American receiver by double teaming him, only to see Lawler still make 'hellacious plays.' 'You don't stop him. What you want to do is try to minimize it and just make sure he doesn't have one of those 250-yard games,' Benevides said. 'They're going to find ways to get him the ball, but you just want to make sure he's not the one continuously making the big play against you.' The Ticats started out the season with a pair of losses — both to West Division opponents — but have rebounded with four-straight victories, thanks in part to Lawler's solid play. He heads into Saturday's matchup with at least one touchdown in five of Hamilton's six games. That's of little surprise to Lions head coach Buck Pierce, who spent the last two seasons working with Lawler in Winnipeg where he served as the Blue Bombers offensive coordinator. 'He's a highly motivated, competitive, driven individual,' Pierce said. 'I loved my time with Kenny, watching him develop and grow. And watching him over the last couple of years, he's really matured and taken on a leadership role.' Taking Lawler out of the equation this week will require the Lions defence to focus on more than just the star receiver, said defensive lineman Mathieu Betts. Disrupting quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell — who leads the league in passing TDs with 12 and sits second in passing yards with 1,812 — will also be essential, he said. 'Us on the D line, if we can get pressure on Bo Levi to make him maybe not be as accurate as he used to be, or maybe throw from his back foot or just rattle him a little bit more, we'll help the (defensive backs) out,' he said. B.C. is looking to get back into the win column after dropping a 33-27 decision to the Saskatchewan Roughriders last week, but the squad will need to get past a stingy Ticats defence to do so. Hamilton has allowed the fewest passing touchdowns (five) and fewest completions of 30-plus yards (four) this season. The Ticats' defence is 'phenomenally coached,' said Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke. 'They challenge you. They play a lot of man coverage. They get up in your face, bring some pressures,' he said. 'I think their front four are very versatile, they get a lot of pressure. … They're always very polished, so I think it's going to be a good one.' HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (4-2) AT B.C. LIONS (3-4) Sunday, B.C. Place HELLO AGAIN: Lions running back James Butler is set to face the Ticats for the first time since being released by the team in January. He signed with B.C. as a free agent hours later and currently sits second the CFL in rushing yards, with 504 on the year. KICK'N IT: Both teams come in with kickers on hot streaks. Hamilton's Marc Liegghio has made his past 30 field goal attempts going back to last season while B.C.'s Sean Whyte has made 26 straight. HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: Road teams across the CFL are 15-12 this season. B.C. is 1-2 at home. This report by Gemma Karstens-Smith of The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2025.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
George Pickens compares himself and CeeDee Lamb to 'Mario Bros.,' says he's excited to 'run better plays' in Dallas
George Pickens recorded only one 1,000-yard receiving season in his three years with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now with the Dallas Cowboys, the former second-round pick hopes to put up video game numbers alongside four-time Pro Bowl receiver CeeDee Lamb. Pickens compared the two receivers to possibly the most iconic video game duo of all time when he was asked Tuesday at Cowboys training camp if their wideout tandem can be one of the best in the NFL. "Oh yeah, for sure," Pickens said. "Just different type of styles of play. A lot of people over the years got different styles of play, but CeeDee's a certain type of guy, then I'm a certain type of guy. So, when you mesh that together, it's like 'Mario Bros.' "We definitely can do something special." [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] If Lamb is Mario, the slightly taller Pickens is his sidekick and brother, Luigi. Like Luigi, Pickens can jump far and high. He turned heads with his diving grabs at Georgia. Pickens is also known for his ability to climb the ladder and come down with 50-50 balls, occasionally with only one hand and some acrobatic flare. As a rookie with the Steelers, the 6-foot-3 Hoover, Alabama, native tallied 19 contested catches, according to Pro Football Focus, the third most in the NFL during the 2022 season and more than Lamb has ever logged during a single season of his five-year Cowboys career. Granted Lamb came close with 18 contested catches last season, per PFF, but he's recognized more for the work he does in space. The Oklahoma product ranked fifth in the NFL with 544 yards after the catch (YAC) in 2024. The year before that, when Lamb was a first-team All-Pro and the league's receptions leader, he was second with 674 YAC and fifth with 20 missed tackles forced, according to PFF. Lamb flirted with 1,000 receiving yards as a rookie in 2020 but has comfortably eclipsed the mark each of the four seasons since, maxing out with 1,749 yards during his 135-reception 2023 campaign. Together, Lamb and Pickens figure to serve as the top-two receiving options for Cowboys veteran quarterback Dak Prescott, who is back after suffering a season-ending hamstring tear in Week 9 last season. In May, Dallas traded with Pittsburgh for Pickens. The Cowboys also received a 2026 sixth-round pick from the Steelers, who, in return, got a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick from Dallas. Pittsburgh moved Pickens, focusing on former Seattle Seahawks star DK Metcalf as the team's WR1. The Steelers had acquired Metcalf in a trade with the Seahawks earlier in the offseason and inked him to a $150 million deal. By that point, though, there were several signs pointing to a Pickens-Steelers breakup. While Pickens dealt with a revolving door at quarterback in Pittsburgh, the Steelers were subject to Pickens' well-documented maturity issues that dated back to his time at Georgia. Despite the trade and his new beginnings, Pickens isn't refraining from taking shots at his old team. "Yeah, I'm definitely excited to run better plays, for sure," Pickens said Tuesday, via Pickens will have a clean slate in Dallas, where he'll be running routes on the same field as Lamb, the Mario to his Luigi.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
George Pickens compares him and CeeDee Lamb to 'Mario Bros.,' says he's excited to 'run better plays' in Dallas
George Pickens recorded only one 1,000-yard receiving season in his three years with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now with the Dallas Cowboys, the former second-round pick hopes to put up video game numbers alongside four-time Pro Bowl receiver CeeDee Lamb. Pickens compared him and Lamb to possibly the most iconic video game duo of all-time when he was asked Tuesday at Cowboys training camp if their wideout tandem can be one of the best in the NFL. "Oh yeah, for sure," Pickens said. "Just different type of styles of play. A lot of people over the years got different styles of play, but CeeDee's a certain type of guy, then I'm a certain type of guy. So, when you mesh that together, it's like 'Mario Bros.' "We definitely can do something special." If Lamb is Mario, the slightly-taller Pickens is his sidekick, Luigi. Like Luigi, Pickens can jump far and high. He turned heads with his diving grabs at Georgia. Pickens is also known for his ability to climb the ladder and come down with 50-50 balls, occasionally with only one hand and some acrobatic flare. As a rookie with the Steelers, the 6-foot-3 Hoover, Alabama, native tallied 19 contested catches, according to Pro Football Focus, the third most in the NFL during the 2022 season and more than Lamb has ever logged during a single season of his five-year Cowboys career. Granted Lamb came close with 18 contested catches last season, per PFF, but he's recognized more for the work he does in space. The Oklahoma product ranked fifth in the NFL with 544 yards after the catch (YAC) in 2024. The year before that, when Lamb was a first-team All-Pro and the league's receptions leader, he was second with 674 YAC and fifth with 20 missed tackles forced, according to PFF. Lamb flirted with 1,000 receiving yards as a rookie in 2020 but has comfortably eclipsed the mark each of the four seasons since, maxing out with 1,749 yards during his 135-reception 2023 campaign. Together, Lamb and Pickens figure to serve as the top-two receiving options for Cowboys veteran quarterback Dak Prescott, who is back after suffering a season-ending hamstring tear in Week 9 last season. In May, Dallas traded with Pittsburgh for Pickens. The Cowboys also received a 2026 sixth-round pick from the Steelers, who, in return, got a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick from Dallas. Pittsburgh moved Pickens, focusing on former Seattle Seahawks star DK Metcalf as the team's WR1. The Steelers had acquired Metcalf in a trade with the Seahawks earlier in the offseason and inked him to a $150 million deal. By that point, though, there were several signs pointing to a Pickens-Steelers breakup. While Pickens dealt with a revolving door at quarterback in Pittsburgh, the Steelers were subject to Pickens' well-documented maturity issues that dated back to his time at Georgia. Despite the trade and his new beginnings, Pickens isn't refraining from taking shots at his old team. "Yeah, I'm definitely excited to run better plays, for sure," Pickens said Tuesday, via Pickens will have a clean slate in Dallas, where he'll be running routes on the same field as Lamb, the Mario to his Luigi.
