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New Year’s resolutions for the West Division

Each new year is often seen as an opportunity for self-improvement, and while that's usually about individual goals, the CFL's teams should keep it in mind as well. Here's something the West Division's five teams (with the pending move of Winnipeg from East to West) should try to get better at this year, going from west to east. East Division resolutions can be found here.

B.C. Lions: Increased offensive consistency: The Lions' offence struggled overall in 2013, placing sixth of eight teams in overall yards per game (330.2) and fourth in points per game (28.0). However, they found great offensive form at times, particularly in the ground game once Stefan Logan returned from the NFL and in the passing game when quarterback Travis Lulay was healthy. The B.C. offence will likely look quite different from a schematic perspective in 2014, as long-time offensive coordinator Jacques Chapdelaine and the team agreed to part ways and Saskatchewan quarterbacks coach Khari Jones has been tabbed as a replacement. The offence will be reasonably similar personnel-wise, though; the team only has a few pending free agents, none of whom were key offensive pieces, and their main offseason loss was backup quarterback Thomas DeMarco (in the Ottawa expansion draft). We'll see if they can produce consistent offensive results in 2014, or if it will be another up-and-down season.

Calgary Stampeders: A stronger rushing defence: Calgary had a terrific 2013 regular-season campaign, finishing with a league-best 14-4 record. However, there was one flaw obvious all year long, which also doomed the Stamps in their 35-13 West Final loss to Saskatchewan; their rushing defence. Calgary allowed 6.0 yards per rush during the season (tied with West Division basement-dwelling Edmonton for the league's worst mark) and 105.8 rushing yards per game (fifth in the league), and they gave up 177 rushing yards and a touchdown to Riders' running back Kory Sheets on 28 carries in that West Final. They'll have to improve on that if they want to get back to the Grey Cup.

Edmonton Eskimos: Improved pass protection: Edmonton found the best quarterback they've had since the 2012 Ricky Ray trade this year in Mike Reilly, but still stumbled to a 4-14 record, and a large part of that was about their offensive line struggles. The poor OL play led to general manager Ed Hervey publicly calling out lineman Simeon Rottier (and violating the CBA in the process), but things didn't get much better afterwards. On the year, the Eskimos conceded 60 sacks, second-worst in the league, and Reilly took a lot of hard hits. They'll have to protect him better for a stronger offence in 2014.

Saskatchewan Roughriders: A more consistent passing game: The Riders obviously had a terrific finish to 2013, winning the Grey Cup in the end, but their 11-7 regular season had ups and downs. It was particularly down while Sheets was injured, as that was the key part of their four-game losing streak (which ended when Sheets returned to the lineup); the team was unable to replace his production on the ground, and their passing game didn't find much success without him forcing defences to key on the run. On the year, the Saskatchewan aerial attack was fifth in gain per pass (8.0 yards), fourth in passing yards per game (266.3) and fourth in completion percentage (61.7 per cent). Those aren't bad numbers, and the Darian Durant-led passing attack proved crucial and effective in the playoffs as a counterpart to the ground game, but the Riders will have to become more consistent through the air to stay on top in 2014, especially with Sheets potentially off to the NFL.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers: A better passing defence: Much of the post-season analysis on Winnipeg's dismal 3-15 campaign focused on their inability to find a quarterback or establish the ground game, but while those issues certainly hurt the Bombers, the defence was as much or more of a problem, especially against the pass. They conceded a league-worst 68.1 per cent completion percentage and a league-high 432 completed passes, while allowing 293.6 passing yards per game (second-worst in the league) and 8.3 yards per pass (third-worst). Winnipeg will need a revamped pass defence to find success in 2014.

East Division resolutions can be found here.