COAST » were the better team." Nonis said while the team

SURREY, B.C. -- Paris Jackson has no difficulty remembering the last time he started a CFL game. It was in 2009. Barring any unforeseen changes, he will finally start at slotback again Saturday as his B.C. Lions visit the Edmonton Eskimos. "Man, Ive been waiting for that for three years," said Jackson, an 11-year veteran who has spent his entire career with the Lions, after a practice this week. "Ill be very emotional." Jackson is slated to replace Shawn Gore, who suffered a head injury in a win over Toronto last week. Gore is going through the leagues concussion protocol. In the past four seasons, Jackson, 32, has battled negative perceptions about his age and speed. The Vancouver natives career was first derailed by a wonky knee, and then Lions general manager Wally Buono launched a youth movement in the receiving corps. In 2011, a day after the Lions won the Grey Cup, Jackson stood before reporters talking -- and feeling -- like he had played his last game as a Lion. "I didnt think I was going to be with the team," he said. "I knew I was still going to play, because I still had that passion in my heart, that drive." But Buono, the clubs former coach, and current head coach Mike Benevides appreciated the way Jackson persevered through his minimal playing time without complaint in the championship season. So they gave him another chance. The B.C. bosses also considered that he had undergone arthroscopic knee surgery in each of the previous two off-seasons. Playing largely on special teams, he recorded just seven receptions for 117 yards in 2011, and caught just 10 passes for 127 in 2012 as the Lions reached the Western Final. "Its been hard," he said about his limited playing opportunities. "But these young guys, I see the talent in them, and I totally understand, because I was in the same situation eight, nine years ago trying to take someones spot." Now, he has outlasted Geroy Simon, a future hall of famer who was traded to Saskatchewan in the off-season. And Jackson is showing that he has potential for more, depending on how long Gore is out. Jackson filled in for him admirably against the Argos, posting four receptions. During one stretch, he caught a pair of back-to-back passes -- something else he had not done for a while. "Oh, man, it felt great," he said. "Its been three years. I sat down on the sideline after that. I didnt really realize its been three years since I got back-to-back catches." Jackson dismisses a suggestion that he is like a cat with nine lives. He attributes his career revival to hard work, dedication and his willingness to be a leader for young receivers like Gore, Courtney Taylor and Nick Moore. "You really can see that Im back to how I used to be," said Jackson, who has shed down to 210 pounds from 225 or 235 in order to reduce pressure on his knee. "Im confident, Im healthy and, at the end of the day, I dont believe in nine lives. Ive been in this league for 11 years. Ive been a starter for a lot of those years, and they wanted to go young. Now, Geroys not here and weve got Shawn Gore hurt and a couple other guys could be banged up a little bit. "So its time for a veteran guy like me to step up." Gores injury is one of a number that the Lions are facing as they try to improve on their 1-1 record in the young season. Linebacker Adam Bighill (ankle) is also out after getting hurt against Toronto, and centre Angus Reid (back) and kicker Paul McCallum (groin) have yet to play this season. But Benevides has no qualms about inserting Jackson, who was Buonos first draft pick (sixth overall) when the GM moved to B.C. from Calgary. "Paris is a pro," said Benevides, a former Stampeders assistant. "Hes been here as long as any of us have, since 2003. a Paris Jackson is a tremendous player, and hes going to be great for us." Accordingly, quarterback Travis Lulay is not worried about any disruptions to the offence. "Paris is a luxury to have, having a veteran guy coming off the bench," said Lulay. "If your depth isnt good and you have a starter get hurt, sometimes you wonder about that. As a quarterback, you can second-guess if the guy knows what hes doing, if hes going to be in the right spot. But with Paris, thats just not the case." Jackson took a pay cut after the 2011 season and has been gradually increasing his salary while playing on yearly contracts. "If my role can increase and money can increase, then Ill be here," he said. "If it decreases, then theres no need for me to be here." At the moment, there is a need, and he is determined to fill it. "Now, Ive just got make sure I get as many reps as I can to catch back up to a few years that Ive lost," he said. Malik Beasley Jersey . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. 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Young formally announced his retirement Friday after returning to Rangers Ballpark, his baseball home for all but the last of his 13 major league seasons.TORONTO -- Three days after the Leafs historic playoff collapse in Boston, the wound was still raw. Did it hurt less this morning when you woke up, goalie James Reimer was asked at the Leafs wrapup session Thursday. "Not really," he answered. "Sometimes you go through the day and you forget about it," he added. "Youre doing something, youre talking about something with some guy. But then all of a sudden, you remember it, and you just get that sickening feeling in your stomach. And it just doesnt go away." Centre Nazem Kadri was also having a tough time forgetting Toronto fumbling away a 4-1 third-period lead and then losing 5-4 in overtime in Game 7 Monday. Bostons comeback, which included two goals with goalie Tuukka Rask pulled for an extra attacker, marked the first time in NHL history that a team had won a Game 7 after trailing by three goals in the third period. "I had some nightmares the first couple of nights," Kadri said. "It wasnt fun thinking back to that game." Added forward James van Riemsdyk: "Its one of those losses that kind of just eats away at your soul." Flushing away the negatives was one of coach Randy Carlyles mantras this season. But even he acknowledged this was one memory that was going to stick. "Time will heal this, but we can never forget it," was Carlyles message to his players. "How can you ignore it? You cant," he told reporters. "Its reality." Thursdays wrapup media session was the first time Carlyle and the players had talked since the TD Garden debacle which was witnessed by more than 5.1 million Canadian TV viewers. A cloud of frustration clearly still lingers within the franchise, which had not made the playoffs since 2004. Toronto finished fifth in the East with a 26-17-5 record. "Were sitting here and we didnt win a round in the playoffs that we had an opportunity to seize," the coach said. "And thats the most disappointing part for us as a (coaching) staff right now. "The feeling is frustration, its lack of accomplishment, whatever. At times you feel like you were hit between the eyes with a hammer." The Leafs want to ensure that the players do not pick away at the scab of the defeat over the summer. The issue was addressed the issue in exit meetings with the players. "Nobodys feeling good about what happened, but we cant change what just happened ... Were going about building for next year," Carlyle said. "And (you) take what you can from the positives of this year and reflect upon the negatives. "You just cant turn the page and move 180 degrees in the other direction without having some touch on the past. Do we want to dwell on it? No we dont. Were going to move on." While GM Dave Nonis said the manner of the loss had to be addressed, he played down any lasting effects. "It happened. We all know it happened. And I dont think it would ever happen again," he said. "I dont think we have to do anything differently because I think its one of those things in sports -- youll see it once in a lifetime and we were part of it and thats unfortunate. "I think were going to have to deal with the pain for a while. But our players, most players, are going to focus on next season once theyre done with their two weeks or three weeks of rest and relaxation. Theyre going to start focusing on next year, its important that we get them focused." Carlyle declined to say what areas needed to be strengthened. But he pointed to goal, defence and centre as key areas in any team. "And if we can improve in any of those positions, I would think if theres a possibility -- like any other hockey club -- they would do that. And we would be looking to do that.dddddddddddd" That did not seem to be a vote of confidence in Reimer, although Carlyle made a point of saying his words should not be seen as a criticism of any existing player. "Were not any different than any other hockey club," he said with no shortage of starch in his voice when pressed on the goaltending issue. "If you had a chance to get the best goaltender in the world, what would you do?" Nonis had a slightly different take on Reimer. "At this point, Id say he would be back as No. 1. He did a very good job for us ... I dont think anyone can point to goaltending as an issue with our team." But Nonis echoed Carlyles words that the team wont hesitate to make a move if it can upgrade any area. And he said there are no untouchables on his roster, although there were some players "unlikely" to be moved. He did say he would not trade younger talent and high draft picks for older players. Nonis said he hopes to sign first-line centre Tyler Bozak, who is due to become unrestricted free agent this summer, "if there is a contract that makes sense for us and makes sense for Tyler." As for sniper Phil Kessel, Nonis offered effusive praise, calling him one of the top players in the league. "I think this is the best stretch of hockey Phil Kessels ever played," said the GM. "Hes a good person and he cares," he added. "I dont think there was a player on our team that was more devastated than Phil." Kessel has a year left on his contract. "Theres no urgency in getting him signed to an extension," Nonis said. "But Phil Kessels going to be a good player in this league for a long time and if theres a deal there that makes sense for both of us, then no question wed like to bring him back for an extended period." While the salary cap is going down next season, the Leafs GM said the club is "in a fairly good position cap-wise." Nonis was blunt about his playoff-green teams performance in the opening game of the Boston series -- a lacklustre 4-1 loss. "Game 1 of the series you saw a team that had no idea what was coming our way, that had not been in the playoffs for the most part. And we looked like a deer in the headlights." Nonis exempted van Riemsdyk from that list, saying he had been in the playoffs before (with Philadelphia) and was prepared. "But I think after Game 1, I dont think we had a player take a night off," he added. "I think, in a lot of ways and a lot of the time, we were the better team." Nonis said while the team had improved, it needs to add more pieces and get better. "Weve taken some significant steps but were not there. Were not playing tonight." But he said the coaching staff got "everything out of these players." Carlyle, meanwhile, called it a season of both high and low points. "Were going to have to play the game to a higher level more consistently," he said. Also Thursday, Bozak revealed that he missed the final two games of the regular season after tearing his oblique. He played through that before tearing his triceps on the final faceoff of Game 5 of the Bruins series. Defenceman Mark Fraser, who didnt play after taking a puck to the face in Game 4, showed off his battle scars. He suffered a frontal skull fracture. "Thankfully theres no brain damage, no bleeding," he said matter-of-factly. Frasers forehead featured a boomerang-shaped trail of stitches, as if someone had taken a can-opener to his head. Star winger Joffrey Lupul did not talk to the media Thursday. On Tuesday, he tweeted: "That hockey game will haunt me until the day I die..." ' ' '