CFL Playoff Games -- November 23, 2014

[DanoT]

Was there a typo? Didn't he mean to say fully dis-functional ST?

Nice to see Iannuzzi have some success returning kicks in spite of all the penalties. He is a ratio buster in that position and ends up with way more touches per game when compared to playing wide side WR.

[Lions4ever]

Exactly, I just don't get why anyone's so eager for anything out east.

• The games are in the morning our time.

• We've never fared well with the crossover. In 1997 Pringle had over 200yds on us. The final score wasn't that lopsided but it was like 35-5 at half. We also got smoked there in the 2009 EF.

• Don't be fooled by the W > E interdivision record. Yeah it ended up 28-12 but the east was 9-2 in their last 11 with lowly Ott accounting for the two losses. Speaking of Ott, how did that visit go?

• We're 3-6 in our last nine regular season visits to Ham/Tor/Mtl dating back through 2012 (75-78 combined opponents' record). Over the same timeframe we've been 4-2 in Alberta (61-42 COR).

• We've never won a Grey Cup playing divisional playoff games anywhere but here or Alberta. This is starting to set up like 1994 with the GC back here after the SF & F.

So yeah, let's just go ahead and book that eastern flight, PRONTO!!!!!!!

That was then. This is now. Don't care about then. Go Lions! Go fo(u)rth!

So it doesn't bother you that we'd almost certainly have to finish the season in 2005-like fashion to make that happen?

I've mentioned before how Willing Suspension of Rationality (scroll down a few paragraphs, it's there, I swear — and even quoted below; I should prob make that into a .sig) can be an enhancing factor in the enjoyment of sports. I get the feeling L4E is engaging in WSR here.

Pro sports can be a peculiar thing in some ways. When we partake in works of fiction, whether it's a book, a movie, a tv show, professional wrestling ( ), we often adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for the sake of enjoying the narrative of the work. With sports, I believe there's a similar force at work that I like to refer to as "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt the existence of this phenomenon, just listen to almost any conversation between fans of different teams. Heck, it even happens between fans of the same team. Fans argue all the time over various minutiae of sports, who's the better QB, who's the better goalie, who's the better pitcher and selectively cite whatever facts support their views while ignoring those that don't.

Please don't interrupt us right now. Us defeatist pansies are trying to concentrate on our crocheting.

[notahomer]

http://cfl.ca/article/a-pair-of-boatmen ... ek-honours

Kreem Smith won this weeks Defensive Player of the Week honours (Smiths first, with 8 tackles/4 sacks)....

and ex-Lion James Yurichuk won his second career Canadian Player of the Week honour.....

[notahomer]

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/footb ... story.html

Well, hopefully he'll get a few more snaps to prove his worth but Dante Marsh looks like he might be riding the pine. IMO, Marsh has been a solid part of the defence for many seasons but unfortunately looks like he's in trouble.

[B.C.FAN]

There's only one shuffle in the roster and depth chart for the Edmonton game. Ronnie Yell returns from the injured list to reclaim Dante Marsh's old position as boundary corner. T.J. Lee flips back to Yell's old field corner spot and Torri Williams is the extra DB, with Steven Clarke sent back to the practice roster. There are no changes on offence. Travis Lulay remains on the 6-game injured list.

[Rammer]

There's only one shuffle in the roster and depth chart for the Edmonton game. Ronnie Yell returns from the injured list to reclaim Dante Marsh's old position as boundary corner. T.J. Lee flips back to Yell's old field corner spot and Torri Williams is the extra DB, with Steven Clarke sent back to the practice roster. There are no changes on offence. Travis Lulay remains on the 6-game injured list.

Interesting on Lulay, as he was given clearance to play, but the decision wasn't made until after the morning according to TEAM1040 Sekeres. Suiter and Sekeres speculated that it had to do with SMS savings, I am not sold on that front. They did say that Glenn had his contract restructured to represent his starting position with the club, however and that cost put the Lions up against the Cap. To me, the suggestion that Lulay was going to be ready was to help keep the casual fan vested with the club, perhaps some extra seat purchases were drawn out of those fans. After a one and done game, on an innocent enough play, there is noway that the Lions can go forward with Lulay without the risk of the playoffs at hand. We are now riding on Glenn and his two and out for a quarter play, or as I like to say....Glenn can't buy a first down for a quarter.

[WestCoastJoe]

DC ...

D Line ... I see 4 Internationals on the 46. Three Nats.

How many suit up? Better be 6, methinks.

Does Mitchell suit up? If not, what is he doing on the 46? Might as well put him on IR.

Lokombo ahead of Chin at backup MLB.

DBs look thin with just Parker as backup, but we have Johnson and Williams at Nickel for flexibility.

Dunno how Iannuzzi got into the doghouse. IMO he has very good talent. Be nice to see him RAC, if he ever got that chance.

Haidara seems to have slipped from last year, in his confidence level.

Poblah? Dunno ... Coaches fall in love with "potential." Looked good on that TD, for sure.

Will Lochard ever get to carry the ball?

[DanoT]

I'm guessing that just like last game, Brown and Mitchell are the healthy scratches and Iannuzzi the KR and back up WR. And no backup RB other than one of the FBs.

[notahomer]

....Dunno how Iannuzzi got into the doghouse. IMO he has very good talent. Be nice to see him RAC, if he ever got that chance. ......

Okay, whats RAC? Run after catch?

Genuinely not sure and respect you enough to wonder what you mean (so I'll know ).......

[notahomer]

Well missed a bit of the RedBlack/Ticat matchup this evening in Ottawa. PM Harper was taking this one in as I'm sure he takes in most games he can (he was in Wales attending a world leaders event when we were in Ottawa with the Lions).

Apparently according to some of the chatter by Coach LaPo and others, this was a game the Redblacks were dominating EVERYWHERE BUT the scoreboard. RedBlacks were leading by a point when I turned it on. I watched two INT's by the Ticat secondary that ended up as touchdowns. Ticats won by 9 but again this is one of those games.

Yes, the Ticats were WON the game but when at least 14 of your points were a direct result of your DEFENCE..... Again, I missed most of the first half. I heard the Ticats scored a KICKOFF return TD too. So, IOW, 21 of your points DID NOT COME FROM YOUR OFFENCE.

[WestCoastJoe]

....Dunno how Iannuzzi got into the doghouse. IMO he has very good talent. Be nice to see him RAC, if he ever got that chance. ......

Okay, whats RAC? Run after catch?

Genuinely not sure and respect you enough to wonder what you mean (so I'll know ).......

Hey, nota ...

RAC ... YAC ... all the same to me.

RAC = Run after catch

YAC = Yards after catch
.................

We saw the explosiveness of Iannuzzi on his returns, and we saw his speed. Would certainly like to see him get some passes in the open field. To me it is shameful that we have not made every effort to test this out. He could be a game breaker. Who knows? We had some evidence that he could return kicks, as he did this very, very well in college. And so we ignore his talent until it is absolutlely necessary to use him due to injuries.

[sj-roc]

Well missed a bit of the RedBlack/Ticat matchup this evening in Ottawa. PM Harper was taking this one in as I'm sure he takes in most games he can (he was in Wales attending a world leaders event when we were in Ottawa with the Lions).

Apparently according to some of the chatter by Coach LaPo and others, this was a game the Redblacks were dominating EVERYWHERE BUT the scoreboard. RedBlacks were leading by a point when I turned it on. I watched two INT's by the Ticat secondary that ended up as touchdowns. Ticats won by 9 but again this is one of those games.

Yes, the Ticats were WON the game but when at least 14 of your points were a direct result of your DEFENCE..... Again, I missed most of the first half. I heard the Ticats scored a KICKOFF return TD too. So, IOW, 21 of your points DID NOT COME FROM YOUR OFFENCE.

Ottawa football fans must feel like Charlie Brown on this Halloween night.

[video][/video]

[notahomer]

Hey, nota ...

RAC ... YAC ... all the same to me.

RAC = Run after catch

YAC = Yards after catch
.................

We saw the explosiveness of Iannuzzi on his returns, and we saw his speed. Would certainly like to see him get some passes in the open field. To me it is shameful that we have not made every effort to test this out. He could be a game breaker. Who knows? We had some evidence that he could return kicks, as he did this very, very well in college. And so we ignore his talent until it is absolutlely necessary to use him due to injuries.

Yes, RAC/YAC= all makes sense. I DO however think there SHOULD be a difference between RAC/YAC= Yards after Catch and the more running game stat that still applies to recievers... YARDS AFTER CONTACT.
______________________________
And the summation "we ignore his talent until it is absolutlely necessarry...." seems to be a common unfortunate outcome in both the major leagues of pro football. I wonder if this is one benefit the CFL has due to smaller rosters in the sense that IMO, a lot of football is 'groupthink'. Everybody knows stuff until its CLEARLY proven wrong (I'm just as guilty of it...)

[sj-roc]

Watching Wpg & Cgy play in a steady snowfall. They just exchanged FGs and the weather didn't deter either coach from electing to receive a kickoff. The decision paid off in each case, too, with both teams starting their next drive outside their own 40. Easier to act than react on this slippery track, one would suppose. Plus the ball is like a rock in this cold and probably not launching off the kicker's toe like in the summer heat.

Oooh, Cornish just went down on a carry with his helmet bouncing on the turf. Hope it's not serious. He's walking but not clear if he'll return. Heading to the dressing room, looks like.

Turf getting blanketed with white, zamboni time is drawing near.

[WestCoastJoe]

CFL.ca Staff
#BCvsEDM

EDMONTON -- With a home playoff game still on the line, the Edmonton Eskimos and BC Lions cap off a CFL double-header on Saturday evening at Commonwealth Stadium.

There is plenty riding on this Week 19 affair, the second of the season between these teams and the first since Week 1. The second-place Eskimos hold a two-game edge in their lead over the Lions in the West Division, but a loss on Saturday could complicate things before the final week of the season.

Meanwhile, the Lions need a win in order to hold off the fourth-place Roughriders, otherwise they risk having to travel east for the CFL Playoffs as the crossover team.

Yet as Saturday’s game provides a potential playoff preview and a heated battle for playoff positioning, the biggest thing on the mind of each team is momentum.

“We’ve got to play the best football we can,” Lions head coach Mike Benevides told BCLions.com. “Right now we’re on a two-game winning streak. We want to continue that progression of being a better football team because we need momentum going into the playoffs.”

“I just want to win the games we have and make sure our team becomes better at what we need to do, and be effective in the playoffs.”

Related: Lions at Esks

» Smith emerging as an elite rusher
» Predicting the Esks' award nominees
» 18 consecutive years for Lions
» Video: Lions Must Stay Healthy, Get Better
» Smith earns POW honours
» Jackson, Lawrence earns POM honours
» Game Notes: A look at Week 19
» MOP Watch: Stock Analysis
» CFL Most Outstanding Rookie Candidates
» Pinty's Power Rankings: Week 18
» Last game for the Eskimos
» Last week for the Lions
» Buy: BC at Edmonton Tickets
» Grey Cup Playoff tickets now available
Combining for four straight wins coming into the weekend, the Lions and Eskimos both appear to be settling into the kind of late-season groove that’s conducive to playoff success. Edmonton broke out of a minor slump with wins over Winnipeg and Saskatchewan, outscoring their western rivals 65-28 heading into last week’s bye.

Now the Esks are back in action, hoping the bye helped them heal without getting too rusty. A matchup against the league’s number one defence should be a pretty good indication of where they stand and what they must improve as the playoffs approach.

“They’ve got a lot of veteran players. They’ve got a veteran coaching staff and they’ve been there many times,” Eskimos head coach Chris Jones said. “Wally Buono’s overseeing it and Benevides has been there for a lot of years.”

“We have to go into this game and approach it like it’s our last game, and we have to go in to win.”

Reporters reminded Jones that his first game as a head coach was against the Lions, when the Eskimos went into one of the toughest places to play and came out of it with a 27-20 victory back on June 28 at BC Place.

It was a game that likely set the tone for a 7-1 start, eventually setting the team up for a potential second-place finish and home playoff game. It was a game that Jones said illustrated the kind of character he was trying to bestow on his team.

“That was their first opportunity in a real game to go out and prove who they were,” said Jones.

Four months later, it’s a game the Eskimos can use as a measuring stick.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to win 11 ball games, and we’ve unfortunately lost some close ball games,” said Jones. “But the character’s continued to build and that’s why I like about the group.”

“They believe in each other, they believe in our coaching staff, and they believe in what we’re doing.”

Part of that character has come from the injuries the Eskimos have been forced to play through. They got some more bad news in that department over the bye week, learning that one of their top offensive linemen this year Simeon Rottier will miss the remainder of the season due to injury.

But as quarterback Mike Reilly points out, good teams rally around those types of setbacks.

“Simeon’s had a great season, and he’s a great player. He’s a big part of our success,” said Reilly on the situation. “But also a big part of our success this year has been filling in for injuries when they happen, and the next guy up stepping in and playing.”

“We have a lot of depth in all of our positions, and we’re very confident that the guys that are gonna step in are gonna play great. That’s what professional football’s all about.”

Instead of fretting about who’s not on the field, the Esks’ veteran quarterback is excited to get out on the field and play some meaningful football in November – something he’s never had the privilege of doing in his career as a CFL starting quarterback up to this point.

What are the writers saying?
» Two sides of Khreem Smith working well for BC
Jim Morris
CFL.ca Columnist

» Predicting the Esks' 2014 award nominees
Dave Campbell
CFL.ca Columnist

It’s something he believes provides an advantage for his team down the stretch.

“You want to be playing your best football at this time of year,” said Reilly. “It’s difficult a lot of the time for most teams because the playoffs can be finalized before the last week of the season."

“Lucky for us, this is a big game that has a lot of implications and we’re playing at home, so we don’t have to worry about that,” he continued. “We just have to go out there and prepare like we do every other week and try to get a win.”

That won’t be an easy task against a Lions team that continues to dominate, especially on the defensive side of the ball. BC earned its second straight win while ending the Bombers’ playoff hopes in a 28-23 win in Winnipeg last weekend, in a game highlighted by the team’s season-high 10 sacks.

John Beck, in under centre for injured Kevin Glenn, threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to pull out the eventual win, in a game that once again marked the character of a Lions team that at one point this season had its back against the wall.

“I think we fought, and we fought hard – we played a whole game,” said Glenn, who will return under centre after leaving last weekend’s game due to a head injury. “It was one of those things where we kept telling ourselves that it was going to be a playoff atmosphere football game, and that’s what it was.”

“Going on the road, being up, being down, guys coming out of the lineup and other guys having to go in and make big plays – we played a 60-minute team game.”

Glenn threw for 175 yards and an interception on 12-of-23 passing, while Beck filled in completing 3-of-4 passes for 73 yards and two touchdowns – but stealing the headlines for the second straight game was Ernest Jackson, picking up a game-high 149 receiving yards and a touchdown on eight catches.

With Jackson emerging as a top receiving threat to complement Emmanuel Arceneaux and shining young star running back Keola Antolin, the Lions appear to have an explosive offence to go with their top-notch defence.

“The guy is getting an opportunity as far as Ernest is concerned,” said Glenn. “At times, he probably wasn’t called on to be that number one guy and he may not have been getting targeted early in the season because there’s only one football out there.”

“He had a big play in the Edmonton game we played in the first game of the season,” Glenn continued. “It’s not like he couldn’t do it – it’s just the opportunity.”

2014 CFL Playoffs


The race in the West is not entirely over as teams fight it out for position nearing the end of the season. Check out CFL.ca's CFL Playoff page for all of the information you need during the run to the playoffs.

» CFL Playoffs
Saturday’s game provides an even bigger test for the Lions though, as the Eskimos are firing on all cylinders. Reilly and Adarius Bowman are powering the league’s most efficient offence, which specializes in staying on the field and controlling the pace of the game.

Led by Odell Willis, the Esks also boast one of the league’s most opportunistic defences. They’re number two in the league in sacks, while their 21 interceptions put them three ahead of second-place Calgary in that department.

Kendial Lawrence’s game-breaking ability on special teams rounds out Edmonton’s three-pronged attack, making it a dangerous club on any given night.

“It’s a challenge. They’re a very good football team,” said Benevides. “They’re good at what they do and there’s a lot of consistency in what they do.”

“They have some of the best players in our division, and they have a very strong defence. So we’re excited for the challenge.”

Ultimately, it’s a game that should provide a pretty good scope of where the Lions stand when it comes to their playoff chances this season. It’s a chance to prove they belong with the CFL’s elite.

“It’s definitely a big matchup. They’re a good team and they’re playing well,” said defensive back Ryan Phillips. “They’re in second place right now, and they’re where we want to be. You have to give credit where credit is due – they’re winning the ball games that they need to, and it’s up to us to make sure we stop them.”

“They’re a team we may play again in the playoffs, so we want to make sure we’re hitting on all cylinders and making sure we give them something to reckon with and give them something they may have to see again in the future.”

Game Notes:

Saturday’s matchup pits a battle of two excellent front sevens, as the Eskimos sit second in the league with 50 sacks this season while the Lions are coming off a 10-sack game in a win over Winnipeg.
Since the beginning of the 2013 season, QB Sacks have increased substantially. In 2014 they have averaged 5.56 per game - virtually the same as 2013 (5.50 per game) – but in 2012 were only 4.25 per game. The increase in 2014 over the 2012 average is 31% more QB sacks per game.
Solomon Elimimian needs just six more defensive tackles to surpass the all-time CFL record of 130 set by J.C. Sherritt in 2012. Solomon is 47 tackles ahead of second-ranked Brandon Smith of Calgary, the largest gap over second in CFL history; the existing mark is plus-32 by Willie Pless (116 vs 84) in 1997 over Calvin Tiggle.
With eight special teams tackles as well, Elimimian’s total of 129 overall stops is just seven short of matching the CFL record of 136 total tackles set by George White for Calgary in 2005. Elimimian’s 129 total tackles is the second highest number of all-time, two more than Calvin Tiggle’s 127 in 1994 (121 DT & 6 STT).
The Lions have allowed only 18.4 points per game in 2014 – that is among the three lowest points allowed totals in the last 25 CFL seasons since 1990. Only Montreal in 2009 (18.0) & Toronto in 1997 (18.2) allowed fewer points than BC has to date in 2014.
With a recent run of five straight made field goals after a 2-of-5 streak, Paul McCallum has taken over the CFL field goal percentage lead at 89.5%. He needs to go at least 2-for-2 over the last two games to post the sixth ever individual season at 90% or better – Paul has the second-best mark in CFL history at 94.3% (2011) and since 2009 has gone 219-of-245 for an 89.4% rate.
Dexter McCoil leads the CFL in interceptions with six, and is tied with Jamar Wall of Calgary. The last first-year player to lead the CFL in interceptions was Joe Burnett for Edmonton in 2012.

Kickoff is at 7:00 P.M. ET, and can be seen live on TSN or followed live with CFL.ca Gamecast.

- With files from Esks.com/BCLions.com