First season no small task

DANNY BARRETT strolled into the B.C. Lions’ Whalley
training centre, bringing with him the relaxed air of a man
whose life is completely in order. -

Fresh in from Calgary, Barrett
was about to begin the first day of
his new job, replacitg Doug Flutie
as the Lions’ first-string pivot.

It will be no small task for the
eight-year Canadian Football
League (CFL) veteran, taking over
for the league’s most valuable
player and one of the most popu-
lar Lions ever, but Barrett is used
to facing tough challenges.

Last season ke anchored the
Stampeders to their first Grey Cup

a

By Andrew Hanon
Contributing Writer

appearance since 1971, electrifying
Calgary fans with white knuckle
come-from-behind victories in the
western semi-final and final, and
completing 34 of 56 passes to set
two new records in the champion-
ship game agains: Toronto.

It’s no smali irony that after a

Fhoio submitted

LEADING THE Lions into the new season is Danny Bairett, who
has just come fromm Calgary where he took the Stampeders to the

Grey Cup last year.

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‘work out,’’

banner year, Calgary picked up
Flutie, a free agent, and then
traded Barrett — one of the ar-
chitects of that success — to B.C.
But like everything else life pitches
to the Boynton Beach, Florida,
native, Barrett takes it all in
stride, adjusting his pattern and
barely missing a beat.

“I was quite happy when the
deal was made, to be honest,’’ he
said. ‘B.C. was my first-choice of
teams to come to.”’

He doesn’t consider it a per-
sonal! rejection that Calgary traded
him, choosing instead to look at it
as a business decision. For the
first time in franchise history, the
community-owned Stamps came
under private control and one of
owner Larry Ryckman’s first
promises to Stampeders fans was
to acquire a marquis player, and
next to Rocket Ismail. Doug
Flutie is the CFL’s Biggest name.

“Only time will tell how it'll
t Barrett said.
“Jnitially, you heard a lot about
it, you haven’t heard much
since.”

Barrett couldn't have chosen a.

more desirable team than B.C.,
had the decision been left up to
him. . ,

“} like playing in the west,’’ he
said. “I think the west is more
competitive than the eastern con-
ference right now. You have to
work hard each and every day to
get better and usually teams that
come out ¢f the west are pretty
solid.””

As for the added pressure of
following the Doug Flutie- show,

it’s not even a_ consideration.

for new QB

Comp Pct

1991 (Cal).... 249
1990 (Cal)...
1989 (Cal)....
1988 (Tor)....
1987 (Tor)....
1985 (Cal/Tor)
1984 (Cal)....
1983 (Cal)....

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52.5
48.0
43.5
53.1

61.0
43.0
34.8

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1991 (Cal}....
1990 (Cal)....
1989 (Cal)....
1988 (Cal)...
1987 (Tor)....
1985 (Cal/Tor)
1984 (Cal)....
1983 (Cal)....
Career

Flutie, whose reputation as a grid-
iron magician, able to pull vic-
tories out of the air, goes back to
his Boston College days (and ur:
now-legendary Hail Mary pass),
left a huge public relations hole
when he left.

Can Barrett fill it? Will he be
the . next household name. for
Lions, joining the likes of Flutie,
Matt Dunnigan and Mervyn Fer-
nandez?

“I don’t feel I have to fill any-
one’s shoes,” he replied. ‘‘I feel {
just have to come in here and be
myself and do the things I’ve done
in the past. The biggest thing is

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not to look at the kind of
numbers Doug put up, because he
had a great season, but to put up
wins and go further in the
playoffs. Those are the things
people remember mest.’’

Barrett will be reunited this
season with head coach Bob
Q'Billovich, a prospect he relishes.
The two first met in 1985, when
Calgary traded him to the
Argonauts (Barrett was traded
back in 1989).

At the time, Barrett was playing
slotback but O’Billovich wanted
to return him to his natural posi-
tion — quarterback.

“tHe understands me, not only
as a football player, but as a per-
son. He understands the type of
person I am away from the game,
and that’s the key,’’ Barrett said.

The two share a common phi- .

_losophy, believing firmly that

games are not won by the stars,

‘but by the supporting cast. It

doesn’t matter how spectacular
the quarterback is if he doesn’t
have adequate receivers and pro-
tection or if the defensive unit
can’t stop the opposing quarter-
back. :

“His attitude is, the key to this
league is no one player is above
the team," Barrett explained.

-“T like that attitude. You have
to play as a team to win and each
guy is responsible for his job, and
i think guys have to know that
from day one. They can’t rely on
@ group or a specific individual to
ledd you to victory. It takes a
team effort.’

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