Lions coach Jason Gibson: ‘It’s a must-win for us’
The Columbus Lions will see some familiar faces when they face the Georgia Firebirds on Sunday at the Civic Center.
Kickoff is 6 p.m. Sunday at the Civic Center.
Four of the current Firebirds – wide receivers Terrence Ebagua and John Harris, linebacker Larry Edwards, and defensive back Roshawn Marshall – have donned Lions jerseys in the past two seasons.
“I’m sure everyone wants to play against their old team,” said Lions head coach Jason Gibson. “It’s going to be fun. I’m sure there will be a little trash talking. I’m happy for those guys. They’re all great players.
“I think Larry Edwards is the best linebacker in the league, hands down. He’s the guy who makes the team go, and he’s got the championships to prove it. I love that guy to death.
“Outside of that, it’s a must-win for us because it’s a home game, and I think Georgia’s gotten a lot better. They’re going to make some major waves in this league because they have those players. To me, for the Lions, we have to get this win, because all of a sudden we go to Lehigh Valley. If we come out of these next two weeks with two victories, I’ll know where we are as a team.”
Quarterback Darren Daniel will get the start for the second straight game. He spelled opening night starter Mason Espinosa in the Lions’ 56-41 loss to Jacksonville after Espinosa threw three interceptions.
“He earned it in the Jacksonville game. He was still a little inconsistent, he knows that. But when he’s on, he’s on. He made two of the best throws you can imagine (Sunday in Corpus Christi). He missed two touchdowns that were open, but he still threw six. So in a positive way, you think ‘holy cow, this guy’s money,’ but we’re not there. We won 85-18, but I felt like we lost.”
Last season in American Indoor Football, the Lions routinely defeated teams by multiple touchdowns. Gibson made sure in the 85-18 win over Corpus Christi that his team didn’t fall into bad habits.
“I wouldn’t let them,” Gibson said. “No disrespect to Corpus Christi, but we were out there to make ourselves better. We weren’t worried about the score. We weren’t trying to set records. I was trying to do things to make us better. I told the guys if you play any less because you’re winning, you can get hurt. They were focused, and I liked it.
“We really kind of focused on us. Every week, I’m changing personnel, trying to find that perfect match. Sometimes, you only get one game to show it and it’s not really fair. This is another week where we were trying to find different combinations to put us over the top. I’m trying to slowly build it.”
Gibson was also pleased with the defensive effort from his secondary, with seven interceptions and three returned for touchdowns in Sunday’s win over the Rage.
“They made the plays when plays needed to be made,” Gibson said. “Corpus Christi was playing with a backup quarterback, but the defense played well. When the ball hits your hands, you’re supposed to catch it, and they did that, and ran three back for touchdowns. It’s the same team and same personnel Monterrey played. It’s like I said before in the Jacksonville game, if a team gets four or five turnovers, you better hang 80 points, and we did that.”
Not only did the defense shine on Sunday, but the wide receivers poured on the offense as well. Familiar suspects Michael Reeve, Jarmon Fortson, and Tristan Purifoy all found the end zone at least once.
“I know we have the best wide receiving corps in the league,” Gibson said. “We know it, and the stats show it. If we get a little more consistent quarterback play, we’ll get some more passes. But from top to bottom, they’re the best in the league. I think outside of our team, Terrence Ebagua and John Harris are the two best receivers in the league, and I’m not just saying that because they used to play for us. Those two guys can play, and Sunday will be a real test.”
This story was originally published April 1, 2017 at 8:16 PM with the headline "Lions coach Jason Gibson: ‘It’s a must-win for us’."