he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with th

VANCOUVER - Tim Burke had vowed that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers would be better — and they were. But the Bombers were still not good enough as they bowed 27-20 to the B.C. Lions at B.C. Place Stadium. Winnipeg (1-5) suffered its fourth straight loss and will be hard-pressed to get back into the CFLs Eastern Conference playoff race following a bye week. "Were disappointed with the loss," said Burke. "But I feel encouraged. I thought we got a lot better as a team today. B.C.s a good football team, and any time you come here and play down to the wire, I think youve had a good game." Burke had vowed a day earlier that his team would be improved because of injured players returning. But many observers were left wondering what would have happened if Burke had not decided to have punter Mike Renaud concede a safety in the fourth quarter. The decision effectively broke a 17-17 tie and gave the Lions the lead for good. After handing the Lions a 19-17 advantage, Renaud kicked off and B.C. returner Tim Brown gave the hosts good field position. Burke had hoped that his clubs defence would hold the Lions and the Bombers would get good field position of their own. But the Lions progressed with little difficulty and quarterback Travis Lulay hit Courtney Taylor for an 11-yard touchdown pass that proved to be the difference as B.C. improved its record to 4-2 while atoning for a loss to Toronto last week. "We just had to take a chance that we could gain some field position," said Burke. "Its just one of those things." A Paul McCallum punt had pinned Winnipeg to its one-yard line and the Bombers only got to their five on their first two downs before Burke opted for the safety. The call came after he had elected to punt earlier in the fourth quarter from their 10-yard line. But Burke, whose job security might be in question following the loss, said he had no second thoughts about giving up the two points. He noted it would not have taken much for B.C. to get good field position if the Bombers had punted instead. "I got criticized for not taking a safety earlier in the year," he said. "I guess I can get criticized for not taking a safety this time." Meanwhile, he was critical of receivers for not helping quarterback Justin Goltz more often. Goltz, playing his first game as Winnipegs official starter after displacing Buck Pierce last week, completed 13 of 28 passes for a modest 112 yards and one interception. Burke said Goltz missed some defensive reads, but his receivers also squandered opportunities. "Our receivers have got to help him out," said Burke. "A couple of times, we had some dropped balls in key situations — one that would have got us out of the shadow of their goalposts, and another that would have got us a first down in their red zone, or at least the fringe of the red zone. "Those are two key plays right there." But Burke was encouraged by his clubs defensive effort. The Bombers held the Lions scoreless in the third quarter although B.C. had decent field position on most occasions. "We were hanging in there," said Burke. "But sooner or later, you cant stop a good team from scoring if they get great field position — and they finally did." Fake Royals Jerseys . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Stitched Royals Jerseys . "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. https://www.cheaproyals.com/ . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. Kansas City Royals Pro Shop .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally Buono last week. Kansas City Royals Store . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. HOUSTON -- Houston Texans rookie wide receiver Will Fuller?will play Monday night against the Denver Broncos, coach Bill OBrien said Friday.Fuller participated in every practice this week after missing Sundays game against the Indianapolis Colts with a hamstring injury. The rookie was active but did not play.In five games this season, Fuller has 20 catches for 327 yards and two touchdowns. He has started oopposite Pro Bowl receiver DeAndre Hopkins this season and has benefited when teams choose to double-team Hopkins.ddddddddddddFuller said earlier in the week that he was hopeful to play but acknowledged that it would depend on how his hamstring reacted after a week of practice. ' ' '