B.C. Lions’ quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. is not interested in rehashing his six-interception performance from a week ago.
“We watched it, flushed it. I learned from my mistakes and am going to continue to learn, keep growing as a quarterback and as a person,” Adams said when speaking to the media following the team’s return to practice on Thursday.
“It’s been put away a couple days ago until you guys keep bringing it up.”
Adams and the Lions were the toast of the CFL entering Week 4, undefeated and coming off a stunning upset of the powerhouse Winnipeg Blue Bombers. It all fell apart in a 45-24 loss to the defending champion Toronto Argonauts, with much of the blame falling on the quarterback’s shoulders.
B.C. outgained their opponents by 413 yards to 329 but weren’t rewarded with the equivalent points for their offensive output. Adams completed 62 percent of his passes for an impressive 388 yards and three touchdowns but was picked off six times by Toronto’s defence, generating a total of 34 points for the opposition.
“His whole body of work since he’s been here has been really good. I know there’s a bunch of things our football team did that we wish we could do better in that game, but that’s why you’ve got to move on and move forward,” head coach Rick Campbell said of his quarterback, dismissing any concerns regarding the turnover-heavy outing.
“We always want to learn from everything, whether it’s him or anyone else on our football team. I think the game got away from us at the end. I think it skewed things at the end, there were some throws and some things we did as a football team that we didn’t want to do earlier in the game. I think once we were behind and we were a little bit desperate, we were trying to make some plays and I think it compounded those stats.”
Since arriving in Vancouver via trade from Montreal mid-way through the 2022 season, Adams has been a model of success protecting the football. In nine starts prior to Monday’s loss, he had thrown for 2,365 yards, 11 touchdowns and just three interceptions. His total number of picks as a Lion tripled in one week, a reality that the quarterback is eager to put behind him.
“I’m worried about Montreal,” Adams stated flatly, glaring at a reporter after being pressed on the performance. “This guy keeps talking about old stuff.”
The 30-year-old pivot has been plagued by concerns regarding his consistency throughout his time in the CFL, which has included stops with the Alouettes, Tiger-Cats, and Roughriders, earning a reputation for running hot and cold. That seemed to be a relic of the past with B.C., but his career-worst outing in Toronto has emboldened the doubters once again.
Never one to appreciate outside criticism, Adams made clear what he thinks about the response to his performance.
“Nothing outside of our locker room matters,” the quarterback insisted passionately. “None of the media stuff, none of the naysayers, none of the whatever they’ve got to say. They were just praising everybody a couple of weeks ago and now it’s this, so none of that matters.”
“That doesn’t matter to me. My brothers, my teammates out here with these kids, this is what matters. My family, that’s what matters to me. As long as we’re playing for each other, grinding for each other, doing this together, they’ve got my back and I’ve got their back.”
Adams can rest assured that Campbell is one of those guarding his backside, as the coach never considered pulling his starter last week despite the half-a-dozen poor decisions. He hasn’t paid much mind to the criticism either, believing wholeheartedly in the quarterback’s ability to bounce back at home.
“Two weeks ago, people were asking me about how good he was doing. I take that with a grain of salt, I guess,” Campbell said. “We want to improve every week and we want to put our players in as good a position as possible. But I view that more as an anomaly of what’s happened since he’s been here.”
That support from coach and teammates is meaningful to Adams, but he won’t dishonour their trust by passing the buck. His desire to stop talking about last week isn’t meant to diminish his own culpability, only to place the focus on the task at hand.
“I appreciate what they’re saying and stuff, but I know at the end of the day, I need to make better decisions as well and take care of the ball and put our team in a good position. Our defence is holding up their end of the bargain. I need to and we need to as offence as well,” Adams acknowledged.
“I love this team, man, and that’s what it’s about. Just like I said, moving forward, working hard one game at a time and just getting better. I know I had a sucky game this past game but I just want to get better, that’s it.”
The Lions (3-1) will host Adams’ old team, the Montreal Alouettes (2-1), on Sunday, July 9 at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
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