His passes were sharp and his running was smooth.

B.C. Lions quarterback Casey Printers, sidelined since the third game of the season with a knee injury, spent most of Friday's practice working with the first-team offence. It was a bright light for a team that has been in the dark much of the year.

A healthy, productive Printers would be a major boost if the 1-6 Lions hope to turn their CFL season around.

While the signs are positive neither Printers nor Wally Buono, the Lions coach and general manager, were ready to say he would start when B.C. plays the Calgary Stampeders next Friday.

"I'm just going to help the team as much as I can," Printers said as he walked off the field at the Lions' practice facility. "What ever capacity that may be, that's what it is."

Asked directly if he can start against Calgary, Printers remained evasive.

"I'm just going to help the team as much as I can," he said.

Buono wasn't any more forthcoming when asked about Printers' health.

"It's where we thought he'd be and where we wanted him to be," said Buono. "Medically we were given a time table. The time table is right on.

"He had a good day of work today. Obviously he feels a little bit rusty. That's why he wants all the work he can get. For the first day he moved around well. I think he feels very comfortable."

The Lions stumbled into their bye week on a six-game losing skid. B.C. needs to be 8-3 over the last part of the season just to reach .500. The only reason the Lions even remain in a playoff hunt is because the Edmonton Eskimos are equally as bad at 1-6.

Instead of worrying about what has happened, linebacker Anton McKenzie wants the team to focus on what it can do in the future.

"One and six is something we can't change," said McKenzie. "The only thing we can change now is getting more wins.

"There is a lot of football left. We know that, but we have to take advantage of that, play it and win."

Buono gave the players several days off last week. Some like McKenzie returned home. Printers and several of the receivers stayed in Vancouver and worked out together.

No matter what they did, Buono thinks the break will help the players refocus.

"It's good to be refreshed," he said. "It's a time now for the guys to sense the urgency.

"We have to execute better. We've got to play better and, at the end of the day, we have to win games."

Also back at practice was 315-pound offensive lineman Sherko Haji-Rasouli who has missed most of the season with a knee injury.

The Lions have also added offensive lineman Joe McGrath. The 300-pound tackle from Moose Jaw, Sask., was released last week by Edmonton.

Part of the blame for the Lions toothless offensive attack has been directed at the offensive line. Haji-Rasouli said that just goes with the territory.

"The offensive line is the first to get blamed any time a team is not doing so well," he said. "We take it upon ourselves to improve. As we improve, everybody else is going to improve around us.

"We definitely have to improve."

Buono said consistency on the O-line won't solve all the Lions' problems.

"At the end of the day the offensive line is just a part of the thing," he said. "The position that has to be more productive for us starts at quarterback.

"When he's more productive the line will be more productive, the receivers will be more productive."

With Printers hurt the Lions used both second-year player Travis LuLay and veteran Jarious Jackson at quarterback but neither managed a win.

During practice the Lions tried a couple of different offensive formations which Buono refused to talk about.

"The offence has to be executed probably," he said. "That starts with the quarterback and filters through to everybody else.

"If the offence is executed probably . . . we're scoring points and moving that football. At this point that's not occurring. That's causing us a lot of issues and a lot of harm."

Printers was struggling even before his injury. He had completed 50-of-80 passes for 591 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

With 11 games left on the schedule, Printers thinks there's plenty of time to turn things around.

"It's just time for our team to take it up a notch," he said. "With all due respect to anyone that is playing, we have to go out and get it done.

"We have a lot of games to play. Anything can happen. We can't look at the jar's half empty. It's half full."