Lions 33 - Argos 17 -- Post Game Stats and Comments

[leo4life]

Yes i also noticed a very toned down Benny on the sidelines...will it last? Or did Wally say cut it out? LOL...other fan boards have had a field day with his antics to put it mildly

[WestCoastJoe]

Something not touched on here, on TSN or anywhere else that I know of until this post on the Lion's Facebook page tonight https://www.facebook.com/BC.Lions?fref=nf

Apparently this was the 500th regular season win in franchise history, against 500 losses (and 24 ties). Leaving aside the mathematical improbability of hitting such a milestone on such a round figure, the team's all-time record is now at .500 - for the first time in their existence the Lions have now won as many games as they've lost.

Yes. I saw that. Nice to get back to even after being in the hole for our entire lives as an organization. Amazing. And of course we can thank Wally for his time here. And we can thank Bobby Ackles for bringing Wally over from Calgary. Wally brings great stability, and high standards. And of course having David Braley as owner is the #1 key factor.

Hooray, we have climbed out of the well. We can breathe fresh air. We can see the sunshine. LOL

[WestCoastJoe]

Ed Willes ...

— Mike Benevides should thank, in no particular order, his defence, kick returner Tim Brown, running back Stefan Logan and receiver Manny Arceneaux for turning his decision to insert Travis Lulay into an interesting sidebar instead of a major conversation point in the wake of the Lions’ 33-17 win over Toronto on Sunday.

To recap, the Lions’ head coach sent Lulay into his first live action of the season when the Lions had a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and the Argos were ready for the kill. Lulay then went two and out, the Lions’ offence ceased to function for more than two quarters, and the Argos, predictably, came back.

Kevin Glenn would eventually rally the Lions with help from Brown, Logan and Arceneaux, sparing Benevides a weeks worth of second-guessing in the process. But it was still a beauty for any Monday-morning quarterback. There is an adage among football coaches which, loosely stated, goes, take the simplest, most direct route to victory. On Sunday, the Lions’ most direct route was with Glenn. They got there eventually, but it was a lot more complicated than it needed to be. -- Ed Willes

It does seem as though putting Lulay in, an admirable sentiment, did seem to throw Glenn off for 2 quarters. But Benny has tended to follow in the footsteps of his mentor Wally in not being a great game day coach. Decsions in the heat of battle often questionable.

Quibbling? Sure. And we will take the win.

Was Lulay quick to pull the ball down? Yes. But that has been his modus operandi his entire career. I would think it is the way he is, and will stay. And it does scare defences big time. Of all his great attributes, his quickness to seek escape might be his most unique, and valuable, quality. Uncoachable. Unteachable. And if it was removed by determined coaching, Lulay would not be the same effective QB, IMO. Some guys turtle. Some guys cough it up. Some guys throw it away. Some guys throw it up for grabs. And a few, a very few, can escape from the pocket and create mayhem in the defence. The Argos were well aware of Lulay's tendency to run the ball, and they were ready. But playing a full game, there are times the defence is vulnerable to a QB running. Even a guy like Durant, not especially fast or elusive, but with great timing and sense of the defence.

[WestCoastJoe]

— Cam Wake is likely the best player to come out of Canada in the last 20 years. It would be unfair in the extreme to compare a rookie to the NFL All-Pro after eight games. That said, Alex Bazzie is a serious player and the mere fact that you can make the comparison to Wake without sounding like an idiot speaks volumes about the 24-year-old from Marshall.

On Sunday, Bazzie had a sack and seven tackles, and was the best player on the field as the Lions’ defence bailed out the offence and the head coach. His development, of course, can go a number of different directions, but one thing is certain: You’ll want to tune in to see where he goes from here. -- Ed Willes

Yup. As I indicated earlier, the thought had occurred to me as well. And one is reluctant to compare, but one finds that Bazzie has incredible quickness, a nose for the football, and amazing skills preventing his being blocked. We have our rush end. CFL sized.

What a bounty of finds we made recently on our defence: Bazzie. Yell. Williams. Lee. Johnson. Menard.

And on offence we have brought in Steward, Hardrick.

Wow. That is a huge upgrade in talent. And we are seeing the benefits. Kudos to our personnel staff: Neil McAvoy, Kelly Bates et al ...

[Blitz]

— Cam Wake is likely the best player to come out of Canada in the last 20 years. It would be unfair in the extreme to compare a rookie to the NFL All-Pro after eight games. That said, Alex Bazzie is a serious player and the mere fact that you can make the comparison to Wake without sounding like an idiot speaks volumes about the 24-year-old from Marshall.

On Sunday, Bazzie had a sack and seven tackles, and was the best player on the field as the Lions’ defence bailed out the offence and the head coach. His development, of course, can go a number of different directions, but one thing is certain: You’ll want to tune in to see where he goes from here.

Yup. As I indicated earlier, the thought had occurred to me as well. And one is reluctant to compare, but one finds that Bazzie has incredible quickness, a nose for the football, amazing skills preventing his being blocked. We have our rush end. CFL sized.

What a bounty of finds we made recently on our defence: Bazzie. Yell. Williams. Lee. Johnson. Menard.

And on offence we have brought in Steward, Hardrick.

Wow. That is a huge upgrade in talent. And we are seeing the benefits. Kudos to our personnel staff: Neil McAvoy, Kelly Bates et al ...

Sure is WCJ - one of our best off-season recruiting jobs ever - and its been a very positive direction since we moved to Kelly Bates from Benevedes in the CFL draft and the off-season change to McAvoy's increased role and a new scouting approach has also paid dividends.

Willes' Musings: Benevides has players to thank after gambling on Lulay

By Ed Willes, The Province August 17, 2014


­— Mike Benevides should thank, in no particular order, his defence, kick returner Tim Brown, running back Stefan Logan and receiver Manny Arceneaux for turning his decision to insert Travis Lulay into an interesting sidebar instead of a major conversation point in the wake of the Lions’ 33-17 win over Toronto on Sunday.

To recap, the Lions’ head coach sent Lulay into his first live action of the season when the Lions had a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and the Argos were ready for the kill. Lulay then went two and out, the Lions’ offence ceased to function for more than two quarters, and the Argos, predictably, came back.

Kevin Glenn would eventually rally the Lions with help from Brown, Logan and Arceneaux, sparing Benevides a weeks worth of second-guessing in the process. But it was still a beauty for any Monday-morning quarterback. There is an adage among football coaches which, loosely stated, goes, take the simplest, most direct route to victory. On Sunday, the Lions’ most direct route was with Glenn. They got there eventually, but it was a lot more complicated than it needed to be.

Our Leos needed to get Lulay some reps. One can dispute the timing but we certainly just couldn't have Lulay languish - he needs game action.

Perhaps I need to clarify an earlier post regarding Lulay's game. The way I've seen Travis for quite a long time now is that he is at his best when the game slows down for him and his confidence level is highest. Lulay has usually been at his best in the fourth quarter and he has been usually a slow starter in games and in seasons. When the game slows down for him and he is poised he will stay in the pocket a split second longer and step up and throw to his secondary receivers which he is very good at. When he runs, mostly he doesn't run to escape pressure as much as he runs when he sees an opportunity...and he runs upfield rather than laterally. That was how he played after the Game 7 mark in 2011, for most of 2012 after he settled in, and how he played in our playoff game last year.

I believe our Leos would be wise to bootleg or semi-roll out Lulay more often to begin with as well as give him some misdirection play action. He is more comfortable that way than throwing from the pocket and early success will translate to more success in the pocket. Lulay throws very well on the run. We don't even need to bootleg him as much as we need to just move the pocket for him even just a little bit rather than have him completely stationary in the pocket to begin with.

Its not an easy situation but we really need to get Lulay reps while continuing on winning. Better timing for those reps would help but what would help more would be to give Lulay a small package of plays that are the plays that he runs best...to get him the most success and confidence as quickly as possible when he steps into a game.

[Rammer]

Not quite enough confidence in Glenn, so Lulay does have to be given a chance to lead the Lions. But D's this year are hungry, and very quick as Lulay found out in his first 4 plays, a 4 yard run, and 3 sacks. Argos were able to keep Lulay in the pocket and push the Lions OL, not as much success with Glenn at center. With Lulay's showing, the Lions cannot afford to consider him to start at this point, the Lions almost need a blowout to allow him playing time to get up to speed. That is going to be hard with the defensive oriented CFL, close low scoring games are more the norm. It is going to be an interesting transition, maybe a lot slower than we ever realized.

[The_Pauser]

What I find interesting is how Bazzie and Elimimian are basically the same size, yet one is a linebacker and the other is a defensive end. I'll be honest in admitting I thought Bazzie was too small to play the D Line, and he's proven me wrong. Definitely CFL size though. If Elimimian was too small for the NFL as an OLB then there's no way Bazzie is big enough for the D Line down south. Though it would be great for him if he could make it big like Wake, selfishly I'm happy that we've found a dominant pass rusher who we can at least question if he's in the same league as Wake.

[JohnHenry]

Great returns by Tim Brown, who put our offence in good field position all night!

They said during the telecast that Alex Bazzie had 4 tackles for losses during the game (including 1 QB sack).

Stefan Logan displayed the quick feet he's known for and did a tremendous job in finding the gaps in the line.

The Argo game-plan was to go after T.J. Lee and he acquitted himself very well in his first start, I believe. He was solid and steady on the corner, which bodes well for the future!

The Lions had to put T. Lulay in the game at some point. If Travis had led the offence down the field for a TD...Benevides would look like a genius. That didn't happen but I'm not sure the coach should be faulted here. Lulay is the QB who'll be the projected starter for the playoff game. It's all about getting Travis back up to steam. So when is the ideal time to play him...in garbage time?

Should the Lions announce Travis as the starter for next Sunday's game and give him all the 1st team reps in practice, as Angus Reid suggested in Team1040's postgame show? A factor is the Lions can't afford to lose many more games in the ultra-competitive West Division...a 10-win team could miss the playoffs this year. Kevin Glenn has played very well this year, not purrfect, but played with that gritty determination...which might give the Lions their best chance to win on Sunday.

[South Pender]

What I find interesting is how Bazzie and Elimimian are basically the same size, yet one is a linebacker and the other is a defensive end. I'll be honest in admitting I thought Bazzie was too small to play the D Line, and he's proven me wrong. Definitely CFL size though. If Elimimian was too small for the NFL as an OLB then there's no way Bazzie is big enough for the D Line down south. Though it would be great for him if he could make it big like Wake, selfishly I'm happy that we've found a dominant pass rusher who we can at least question if he's in the same league as Wake.

I too thought Bazzie was too small to be effective as a DE, and, in addition, saw his combine results as pretty poor. His 40 speed and 20-yard shuttle results were weak, and he was ranked 120th out of 183 OLBs (which is what he played in college at Marshall) evaluated. As a result, I had low expectations for him, and so am very happy to have been wrong about that. He obviously has some qualities that weren't picked up at the combine, and the Lions got very lucky that he didn't look better to the NFL scouts.

There may be trend developing towards looking for smaller, quicker guys at DE in the NFL as well. The guys the Seahawks are considering for their Leo spot (9 tech in their Wide-9 D) are all in the 240-255 lbs. range. But they're all fast (Bruce Irvin, for example, turned in a 4.41 40 at the combine) and agile. Bazzie seems to have those qualities. Maybe CFL teams should look at OLBs coming out of college for their DE, pass-rush selections. John Chick was another OLB in college with good quickness (although bigger than Bazzie at 6-4, 255).

[Ballistic Bob]

If Schmitt runs the clock down 20 sec just befor half time Argos dont get a FG. Thnx BB

[Rammer]

What I find interesting is how Bazzie and Elimimian are basically the same size, yet one is a linebacker and the other is a defensive end. I'll be honest in admitting I thought Bazzie was too small to play the D Line, and he's proven me wrong. Definitely CFL size though. If Elimimian was too small for the NFL as an OLB then there's no way Bazzie is big enough for the D Line down south. Though it would be great for him if he could make it big like Wake, selfishly I'm happy that we've found a dominant pass rusher who we can at least question if he's in the same league as Wake.

I too thought Bazzie was too small to be effective as a DE, and, in addition, saw his combine results as pretty poor. His 40 speed and 20-yard shuttle results were weak, and he was ranked 120th out of 183 OLBs (which is what he played in college at Marshall) evaluated. As a result, I had low expectations for him, and so am very happy to have been wrong about that. He obviously has some qualities that weren't picked up at the combine, and the Lions got very lucky that he didn't look better to the NFL scouts.

There may be trend developing towards looking for smaller, quicker guys at DE in the NFL as well. The guys the Seahawks are considering for their Leo spot (9 tech in their Wide-9 D) are all in the 240-255 lbs. range. But they're all fast (Bruce Irvin, for example, turned in a 4.41 40 at the combine) and agile. Bazzie seems to have those qualities. Maybe CFL teams should look at OLBs coming out of college for their DE, pass-rush selections. John Chick was another OLB in college with good quickness (although bigger than Bazzie at 6-4, 255).

Bazzie is beginning to look like the Butler Wally had in mind. With that said and his extremely solid game vs the Argos, what really took on another level, was his grip strength, it looked to me that he could hold on far longer than others could. Combine that with his ferocious tackling skillset, and this guy is a legit rookie of the year contender.

[WestCoastJoe]

Bazzie is beginning to look like the Butler Wally had in mind. With that said and his extremely solid game vs the Argos, what really took on another level, was his grip strength, it looked to me that he could hold on far longer than others could. Combine that with his ferocious tackling skillset, and this guy is a legit rookie of the year contender.

| looked at some film.

He is explosive on contact. On STs, as a blocker, he oftentimes knocks his man on his butt. As a tackler, he has the knack of finding the carrier, and getting to him.

At rush end, where he usually lined up at Marshall, he is so fast the tackle often just misses completely. As on STs, he has a knack for finding the runner. He has a nose for the football. He is slippery. He is way too strong for his size. He is kind of like Plastic Man or Spiderman. LOL He has moves. He drives tackles backwards, sheds them, and finds the QB or runner. His tackling is so solid. He strikes me as a rare talent. Fun to watch. And he is ours. We have our rush end.

I fear we could lose him to the NFL, at the very least, as a Special Teams player. Wait until those vultures see some film. Ughhh

[Rammer]

Bazzie is beginning to look like the Butler Wally had in mind. With that said and his extremely solid game vs the Argos, what really took on another level, was his grip strength, it looked to me that he could hold on far longer than others could. Combine that with his ferocious tackling skillset, and this guy is a legit rookie of the year contender.

| looked at some film.

He is explosive on contact. On STs, as a blocker, he oftentimes knocks his man on his butt. As a tackler, he has the knack of finding the carrier, and getting to him.

At rush end, where he usually lined up at Marshall, he is so fast the tackle often just misses completely. As on STs, he has a knack for finding the runner. He has a nose for the football. He is slippery. He is way too strong for his size. LOL He has moves. He drives tackles backwards, sheds them, and finds the QB or runner. His tackling is so solid. He strikes me as a rare talent. Fun to watch. And he is ours. We have our rush end.

I fear we could lose him to the NFL, at the very least, as a Special Teams player.

I agree that he is limited for the NFL with his size, but ST would be a potential fit for him alright.

[Shi Zi Mi]

The Lions had to put T. Lulay in the game at some point. If Travis had led the offence down the field for a TD...Benevides would look like a genius. That didn't happen but I'm not sure the coach should be faulted here. Lulay is the QB who'll be the projected starter for the playoff game. It's all about getting Travis back up to steam. So when is the ideal time to play him...in garbage time?

Should the Lions announce Travis as the starter for next Sunday's game and give him all the 1st team reps in practice, as Angus Reid suggested in Team1040's postgame show? A factor is the Lions can't afford to lose many more games in the ultra-competitive West Division...a 10-win team could miss the playoffs this year. Kevin Glenn has played very well this year, not purrfect, but played with that gritty determination...which might give the Lions their best chance to win on Sunday.

In regards to the timing of inserting Lulay into the game.....IMHO, the thinking on Benny's part.....put Lulay in when the offence had some momentum to give him the best chance of being successful, build confidence and shake off rust......as was the situation both times in the first half. Putting him in when the opposition is fired up and has all the momentum would have been very difficult for Lulay to excel and the risk of him taking some big hits would have been high. Unfortunately, Lulay seemed lost and the Lions were fortunate that the Argos didn't do a better job with the momentum when they had it.

[David]

The Argo defense seemed to rise to the occasion when Lulay was inserted into the game. I think they took it as a personal challenge that we would be giving him "reps" when only up 10-0. That's the way I read it. The pocket collapsed pretty quickly when the Ginga Ninja was inserted - they looked pretty fired up.



DH