Depth Chart vs the Eskimos - 20111120 WDF

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B.C.FAN
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Wally was on TEAM1040 today with Bob Marjanovich and said Henley is pushing for a designated-import spot. He said the decision is between him and a linebacker. Wally also mentioned Tim Brown as the leading candidate for kick returner but said the job was still open.

I'm guessing that backup nickelback Anthony Reddick and utility DB David Hyland are other contenders for DI unless the Lions go outside the box and start three Canadian receivers to free up an extra import spot on defence.
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Rammer
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joe kapp22 wrote:To me, there are some tough tough decisions to be made on the defensive side of the ball, we have a surplus of Front 7 players who all can play.

LB
DT
DE

Henley and Bryant both showed well, the Lb corps has missed Joe Henderson most of Camp but he has not been missed, Mitchell and Taylor would seem to be to similar of players etc.

Would not surprise me if we see another trade or two before the Cuts, and Brown and Smith both are likely to make the team.

Michael Carter is an intersting case as well, NCAA Div I ball playing NI with great tools, but he has been "injured", i'm sure they would love to keep him somehow.

If you are trying to trade at this stage, I think that most often you aren't going to get return for value. Look at the Messam trade, a 5th rounder for a ton of potential, and at best a 3rd rounder and if that is the case then he is contributing to the Eskimos as an NI which they are in dire need of. IMO, it is better to find the roster room and trade as teams lose confidence in their front 7 players or injuries make the trade value go up.
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notahomer
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B.C.FAN wrote:
TheLionKing wrote:Way too early to be picking the team IMO. They've only played one exhibition game.
The coaches have probably had most of the roster picked for some time. We're just trying to catch up.
Thats what I think too! I'm left wondering how bad a guys got to be to get cut if he's an established vet in training camp. Like Warren a few years back. Struggled to start the season and so the Coaches bring in Joe Smith (who then proves enough in one game that Warren gets his pinkslip). Or last season. Stephen Black was not given a shot until later in the season (August?) but I feel he made a positive impact immediately. Necessity seems to give players opportunities at times and when the player makes good of his shot, I'm left wondering 'why was this guy riding the pine?'.
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DanoT
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B.C.FAN wrote:Wally was on TEAM1040 today with Bob Marjanovich and said Henley is pushing for a designated-import spot. He said the decision is between him and a linebacker. Wally also mentioned Tim Brown as the leading candidate for kick returner but said the job was still open.

I'm guessing that backup nickelback Anthony Reddick and utility DB David Hyland are other contenders for DI unless the Lions go outside the box and start three Canadian receivers to free up an extra import spot on defence.
I was at the practice earlier this evening and observed Henley and Lenard substituting for each other so I expect we will see some of this against the Riders. On several plays a linebacker lines up as a defensive end and then he drops back in to pass coverage and they only rush 3. Also on some plays as a linebacker/end drops back in to coverage an interior linebacker loops around and blitzes from where the linebacker/end vacated.
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WestCoastJoe
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DanoT wrote:
I was at the practice earlier this evening and observed Henley and Lenard substituting for each other so I expect we will see some of this against the Riders. On several plays a linebacker lines up as a defensive end and then he drops back in to pass coverage and they only rush 3. Also on some plays as a linebacker/end drops back in to coverage an interior linebacker loops around and blitzes from where the linebacker/end vacated.
I am very happy to hear that. In the past it seems to me we put four guys on the line, same assignments, same positions, all game long. Glad to hear Benevides is mixing things up. We might be entering the modern age of football coaching.
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B.C.FAN
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What impressed me about the Lions' new aggressive front-7 in Kamloops was the way the offensive line picked up all the blitzes and stunts. The O-line had a lot of trouble opening holes for the running backs, even in short yardage, but they easily handled a wide variety of blitzes. In a practice situation, that can be seen as a good or bad thing, depending on whether you look at it from an offensive or defensive perspective. You can settle most of your position battles in practice but you get a much better assessment of how your talent stacks up in a game.
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joe kapp22
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B.C.FAN wrote:Wally was on TEAM1040 today with Bob Marjanovich and said Henley is pushing for a designated-import spot. He said the decision is between him and a linebacker. Wally also mentioned Tim Brown as the leading candidate for kick returner but said the job was still open.

I'm guessing that backup nickelback Anthony Reddick and utility DB David Hyland are other contenders for DI unless the Lions go outside the box and start three Canadian receivers to free up an extra import spot on defence.
I think Wally does go with 3 NI Wr's, Gore/Peterson/Foster/Simon/Black

Henley or Bryant can also be the hybrid Lb/De/Dt that a good 3-4, or 4-3 for that matter needs

As for the Returner duty, idk, suspect Brown has won it.
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WestCoastJoe
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One possible lineup for opening day ...

3 QBs suit up for games ... Lulay, Jackson, Reilly

19 Imports suit up for games ...
Archibald, Olafioye
Simon, Black, Collins (so far)
Robertson, Brown
Hunt, Taylor, Williams, Henley
Leonard, McKenzie, Elimimian, Banks, Reddick
Marsh, Phillips, Franks

20 Non Imports suit up for games ...
HamR, Reid, Valli, Newman, Jones
Gore, Foster, Peterson, Iannuzzi
Lumbala, Harris
Johnson
Yurichuk, Gesse
Sanchez, Muamba
LaRose, Arakgi
McCallum, McCullough

7 Non Import Starters ...
HamR, Reid, Valli, Lumbala, Gore, Sanchez, LaRose

46 Man Squad ...
Hyland, Williams, O'Neill, Moore

Practice Roster ... Some of these would seem to end up on the injured list :wink:
Carter, Henderson, Mahmoudi, Mitchell, Bryant, Sorensen, Hennessey, Cronk, Smith, Leonard

Injured ...
P Jackson, J Lee

On the bubble ...
Hall, Bighill, R McCullough, Linnen, Ellis, Ortiz, Hodgson, Brown, K Johnson, Perry, Randolph, Baboulas, Sage

I would expect the Lions would like to keep Baboulas and possibly Sage. With Sorensen and Jones also on the roster, I would not be surprised to see a trade of a Non Import O Lineman.
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B.C.FAN
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WestCoastJoe wrote:One possible lineup for opening day ...

3 QBs suit up for games ... Lulay, Jackson, Reilly

19 Imports suit up for games ...
Archibald, Olafioye
Simon, Black, Collins (so far)
Robertson, Brown
Hunt, Taylor, Williams, Henley
Leonard, McKenzie, Elimimian, Banks, Reddick
Marsh, Phillips, Franks

20 Non Imports suit up for games ...
HamR, Reid, Valli, Newman, Jones
Gore, Foster, Peterson, Iannuzzi
Lumbala, Harris
Johnson
Yurichuk, Gesse
Sanchez, Muamba
LaRose, Arakgi
McCallum, McCullough

7 Non Import Starters ...
HamR, Reid, Valli, Lumbala, Gore, Sanchez, LaRose

46 Man Squad ...
Hyland, Williams, O'Neill, Moore

Practice Roster ... Some of these would seem to end up on the injured list :wink:
Carter, Henderson, Mahmoudi, Mitchell, Bryant, Sorensen, Hennessey, Cronk, Smith, Leonard

Injured ...
P Jackson, J Lee

On the bubble ...
Hall, Bighill, R McCullough, Linnen, Ellis, Ortiz, Hodgson, Brown, K Johnson, Perry, Randolph, Baboulas, Sage

I would expect the Lions would like to keep Baboulas and possibly Sage. With Sorensen and Jones also on the roster, I would not be surprised to see a trade of a Non Import O Lineman.
That's a plausible lineup, assuming Marsh and Franks are healthy. It leaves Hyland out, with Henley, Reddick and Brown the DIs. It leaves the Lions short of DBs, though. Reddick would have to fill in for any starter who goes down and I'm not sure that's fair to him. The potential uses of Muamba and Arakgi in the secondary are limited.

That DI battle and the one between Collins and Moore for starting receiver are the main questions to be answered, and the ones I'll be watching.
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WestCoastJoe
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B.C.FAN wrote: That's a plausible lineup, assuming Marsh and Franks are healthy. It leaves Hyland out, with Henley, Reddick and Brown the DIs. It leaves the Lions short of DBs, though. Reddick would have to fill in for any starter who goes down and I'm not sure that's fair to him. The potential uses of Muamba and Arakgi in the secondary are limited.

That DI battle and the one between Collins and Moore for starting receiver are the main questions to be answered, and the ones I'll be watching.
Lots of guessing going on. But we have some fun with it.

It seems to me Hyland would have to beat out Franks to suit up for games.

Wally may still surprise us with a cut of a veteran, Phillips for example.

The suggested lineup is short on import DBs. And Reddick or Banks would have to switch to HB if a HB was injured during a game.

I'm assuming Muamba or Mahmoudi is near to stepping in for Sanchez. They would have to if he was injured.

I'm thinking I would prefer Muamba backing up LaRose over Arakgi. Muamba played safety in college. Arakgi slipped last year on his ST work IMO, and is a stretch to think of as a safety IMO.

Collins does not get good reviews for his work against the Stampeders. Moore seems like a strong alternative, although he is listed at SB, rather than wideout.

It sounds like Henley is highly regarded by the staff. I would expect they like Bryant also.

We have a surplus of qualified Non Import O Linemen. I would expect a trade there.
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Anglophone
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notahomer wrote:Stephen Black was not given a shot until later in the season (August?) but I feel he made a positive impact immediately.
Without a doubt. Nice touchdown in that first game, and he was solid all season after we put him in, even though he didn't get used all that much.
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joe kapp22
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Anglophone wrote:
notahomer wrote:Stephen Black was not given a shot until later in the season (August?) but I feel he made a positive impact immediately.
Without a doubt. Nice touchdown in that first game, and he was solid all season after we put him in, even though he didn't get used all that much.
Stevie Black was a TD scorer, highly productive, which is one of the reasons why Manny A leaving did not bother me very much as Black showed he can play.
Know the smallest things and the biggest things, the shallowest things and the deepest things. As if it were a straight road mapped out on the ground ... These things cannot be explained in detail. From one thing, know ten thousand things. When you attain the Way of strategy there will not be one thing you cannot see. You must study hard.
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DanoT
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I don't think Stanley Franks actually participated in the practice as he stayed in sweat pants and threw passes as part of a coverage drill but did not do the drill himself as far as I could see. I would list him doubtful for the Riders game.
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