Wally Buono has had perhaps the most decorated coaching career in the CFL. He’s first all-time in wins with 273, Grey Cups, with five, and he’s been named the league’s Coach of the Year four times. But with one season left on the sidelines, Buono isn’t yet interested in any retrospectives.

“This is my last year and I’m going to work harder to win,” Buono said ahead of training camp this season. “If that means I’ve got to take more risks, then what’s the worst that could happen?”

The 68-year-old is retiring at the end of this season after 24 seasons coaching in the CFL. A model of consistency over his nearly three decades coaching in the league, Buono has split his time with just two organizations: the Calgary Stampeders from 1990 to 2002 and the Lions over two stints, from 2003 to 2011 and now his current spell, which started in 2016.

Buono, who holds a reputation as a conservative coach, said the only thing that’s guaranteed to remain constant as he closes out his career this year is his desire to win.

“I want to win, [new general manager] Ed Hervey wants to win, the coaches want to win, and I think the players want to win,” Buono said. “If that means I have to be a little bit more outside the box, I’m going to do that.”

This season will be different than past years Buono has coached in B.C. because he’ll only hold the one title. Buono relinquished his general manager role when the Lions hired Hervey shortly after last year’s Grey Cup. No longer in charge of personnel decisions, Buono said he’s happy to focus on coaching alone in his last season.

“[This off-season has] been very good for me because I haven’t had to go through the ordeal of being the GM. I’ve thanked Ed about 100 times for that because, at the end of it when I see him struggling or gut-wrenching over a decision, I know it’s in good hands but I know I’m not the one who has to make it.”

Hervey takes over

Any time a new GM is inserted into a team they are bound to make roster changes to build a roster they’re more comfortable with, and Hervey is no exception.

Hervey, who spent four years at the helm of the Edmonton Eskimos and led the team to a Grey Cup win one year before getting fired after the 2016 season, orchestrated a busy off-season for a Lions team that finished last in the West Division with a 7-11 record last year.

The skill positions will have a familiar look – Jonathon Jennings returns behind centre throwing to a receiving corps led by veterans Manny Arceneaux and Bryan Burnham, with Jeremiah Johnson entering the season as lead tailback – but that’s about it.

Tackles Jovan Olafioye, reacquired after a season in Montreal, and Joel Figueroa, signed from the Eskimos, will bookend a revamped offensive line.

Vocal leader and veteran pass rusher Odell Willis, acquired in a trade with the Eskimos, will lead a new look defensive line that will also include newcomers Gabe Knapton and Davon Coleman.

And Bo Lokombo and Otha Foster, both repatriated from a year in the NFL, will look to surround four-time CFL All-Star Solomon Elimimian in a promising linebacking corps.

The secondary should have some new faces in the starting lineup as well, with veterans Marcell Young and A.J. Jefferson added to the mix this off-season.

If you’re counting, that’s four former Eskimos on Hervey’s new team in B.C.

Jennings looking to bounce back

Even with the revamped roster, the fortunes of this year’s Lions team still rest largely with how Jennings plays behind centre. After a breakout 2016 season that had the 25-year-old on the verge of stardom, Jennings struggled last season, throwing for just 3,639 yards and 16 touchdowns to a league-high 19 interceptions in 15 games.

Jennings missed time with a shoulder injury last year and admitted he may have come back too early after backup Travis Lulay suffered a season-ending knee injury, a move that affected his confidence.

Jennings said he used the off-season to recharge and is hungry for a bounce-back campaign this season.

“[The off-season was] really a grind,” Jennings told TSN’s Farhan Lalji. “Making sure I’m doing my exercises to stay healthy, trying to put on a little weight and doing things to really overcome that mental part of it, too. It was a good refresher to have this off-season. I’m excited and as motivated as ever.”

Jennings will have some time to find an early groove this year without having to look over his shoulder. Lulay, who threw for 1,693 yards and 10 touchdowns to seven interceptions in six games last year, won’t be fully recovered from his knee injury to start the year.