VANCOUVER - After main the CFL in passing as soon as once more final season, Michael Reilly is hanging up his pads.
The B.C. Lions quarterback introduced his retirement Monday after 11 seasons within the league.
“Whenever you draw up quarterbacks, Michael Reilly is the form of quarterback you need. He can do all the pieces for you,“ stated Neil McEvoy, B.C.’s co-general supervisor and director of soccer operations.
The 36-year-old from Kennewick, Wash., first joined the Lions in 2010 and performed backup for 3 seasons, together with 2011 when B.C. received the Gray Cup on dwelling turf in Vancouver.
Simply as his contract was about to run out in 2013, the Lions dealt Reilly to Edmonton, the place he turned a dominant starter and performed six seasons. He received a second championship title in 2015 and was named Gray Cup MVP.
Rick Campbell remembers the sport nicely. On the time, he was coach of the Ottawa Redblacks, who Edmonton beat 26-20. Reilly completed 21-of-35 passing for 269 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Now Campbell is head coach and co-GM of the Lions, and had a chance to work with Reilly throughout the 2021 season.
“I had a number of respect for him, seeing him from the opposite sideline,“ Campbell stated. ”He does all of the stuff you hope a soccer participant does. He’s good on the sphere but additionally simply tremendous aggressive, loves the sport, he’s an ideal teammate, an ideal chief, all these issues.”
Reilly impressed as soon as once more in 2017, incomes the CFL’s most excellent participant award with career-highs in passing yards (5,830) and touchdowns (30).
In 2019 Reilly returned to B.C., saying he wished to carry the Gray Cup again to Vancouver.
His second stint with the Lions was tough, nonetheless. A damaged wrist ended his 2019 marketing campaign and the COVID-19 pandemic scrubbed the CFL’s 2020 season.
Throughout the break in play, the star quarterback went by means of a contract grievance along with his group earlier than settling and renegotiating his deal to remain on by means of 2022.
An elbow damage to his throwing arm stored Reilly out of the primary sport of 2021 and nagged all through the season.
The Lions completed the yr out of the playoffs with a 5-9 document however Reilly nonetheless managed a league-high 3,283 passing yards with 14 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.
It was the fourth time he’d led the league in passing, following three straight seasons (2016-2018) in Edmonton.
“At any time when we had the soccer, we all the time had an opportunity to win as a result of Mike was in a position to put you ready to win,“ McEvoy stated. ”Not all quarterbacks have that attract. He was simply one of many guys which have that.”
Reilly finishes his profession with 34,805 passing yards and 182 touchdowns over 168 video games.
Whereas McEvoy and Campbell couldn’t say for positive what the long run holds for Reilly, the Central Washington College product beforehand began coaching to be a firefighter.
“I feel it’s cool for him that he can exit on his personal phrases, the place he didn’t actually need to limp off the sphere,“ Campbell stated. ”He’s wholesome, he’s comfortable, he’s received some younger (daughters) at dwelling, he’s received an ideal household. I’m positive these had been all elements for him.”
Reilly’s retirement didn’t fully catch the Lions unexpectedly, McEvoy stated.
“He’s an 11-year skilled athlete and once you begin to get into the double digits, you begin to consider your future and Michael is not any completely different,“ he stated.
Campbell already is aware of who’ll change Reilly because the Lions’ starter this season.
“Our plan is that Nathan Rourke would be the starter,“ he stated. ”And we’d like so as to add a veteran CFL quarterback to the combination.
“I'd have a look at it as a No. 1 and No. 1a state of affairs.”
Rourke, a 23-year-old from Victoria, B.C., began the Lions’ last sport of 2021, passing for 359 yards, a landing and two interceptions in a 43-10 win over Edmonton. He additionally added three dashing TDs.
“I simply don’t see (Rourke) altering a lot,“ Campbell stated. ”He’s going to proceed to work laborious and do that factor.“
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Jan. 24, 2022.