Does David Braley pay his employees by the cliché??

The Place for BC Lion Discussion. A forum for Lions fans to talk and chat about our team.
Discussion, News, Information and Speculation regarding the BC Lions and the CFL.
Prowl, Growl and Roar!

Moderator: Team Captains

User avatar
David
Team Captain
Posts: 9364
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2002 10:23 am
Location: Vancouver (Kitsilano)

Just when I thought we'd maxed out the cliche meter with Benevides, I read this nugget from Wally Buono this morning:
News1130 Sports ‏@News1130Sports

#BCLions gm Wally Buono on his 7-7 team : "I'm frustrated and concerned, we need to get on the same page".
** rolls eyes ** Get on the same page? Really?? What's next "we need to look ourselves in the mirror, do some soul searching, and dig down deep?"

I want a substantive plan from this group on how this offensive mess is going to get fixed. Yes, the talent level on offense is compromised without Lulay, Harris, and Taylor. No question. But they're not even playing anywhere close to where our modest talent bar is currently set. I don't have the answers (reinsert Fabien and put Tuinei at wideout?), but I expect Management to provide this leadership - not more hoary cliches and platitudes!


DH :cool:
Roar, You Lions, Roar
User avatar
DanoT
Hall of Famer
Posts: 4309
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:38 pm
Location: Victoria, B.C. in summer, Sun Peaks Resort in winter

It seems to me that the level of play of the O and the less than brilliant management cliches means that they are on the same page. IT IS JUST THE WRONG PAGE.
User avatar
WestCoastJoe
Hall of Famer
Posts: 17721
Joined: Mon May 22, 2006 8:55 pm

David wrote:Just when I thought we'd maxed out the cliche meter with Benevides, I read this nugget from Wally Buono this morning:
News1130 Sports ‏@News1130Sports

#BCLions gm Wally Buono on his 7-7 team : "I'm frustrated and concerned, we need to get on the same page".
** rolls eyes ** Get on the same page? Really?? What's next "we need to look ourselves in the mirror, do some soul searching, and dig down deep?"

I want a substantive plan from this group on how this offensive mess is going to get fixed. Yes, the talent level on offense is compromised without Lulay, Harris, and Taylor. No question. But they're not even playing anywhere close to where our modest talent bar is currently set. I don't have the answers (reinsert Fabien and put Tuinei at wideout?), but I expect Management to provide this leadership - not more hoary cliches and platitudes!


DH :cool:
So, Wally has to say something. And he comes up with this?

"frustrated and concerned" ... The horses are out of the barn. It is much bigger than frustrated and concerned. Any answers? Any solutions? Ummm .... One could say: "stay the course," or "we just need to execute."

"need to get on the same page" = confusion ... Yikes.

14 games in, and we "need to get on the same page." Ouch ...
con·fu·sion

1.

"there seems to be some confusion about which system does what"

lack of understanding; uncertainty.

synonyms: uncertainty, incertitude, unsureness, doubt, ignorance;

"there is confusion about the new system"

a situation of panic; a breakdown of order.

synonyms: disorder, disarray, disorganization, untidiness, chaos, mayhem; More

turmoil, tumult, disruption, upheaval, uproar, muddle, mess, shambles;

informal three-ring circus

a disorderly jumble.

synonyms: jumble, muddle, mess, heap, tangle;

informal shambles

2.

the state of being bewildered or unclear in one's mind about something.

synonyms: bewilderment, bafflement, perplexity, puzzlement, mystification, befuddlement; More

shock, daze, wonder, wonderment, astonishment;

informal head-scratching, discombobulation
OK, does Wally have an Xs and Os page? Methinks he relies on the coaches for that. Nice arrangement. They provide the strategy, and the planning. They get the responsibility and the accountability. Wally gets to look over their shoulders.

Does Benny have the ultimate strategy page, the Xs and Os? Or does Benny rely on his coordinators for that?

So one gets the impression that the Xs and Os are provided two levels from the GM seat and one level from the HC seat. Hmmmm ... Not good when things go poorly. Pretty hard to get on the same page, when the guys at the top rely on the assistants for the strategy page.

With a team such as the Stampeders one fully expects the core strategies to come from Hufnagel. And as Dickenson grows and develops, he gets more and more say. Tight, seamless operation. Instead of mass confusion. Instead of not being "on the same page."
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
User avatar
WestCoastJoe
Hall of Famer
Posts: 17721
Joined: Mon May 22, 2006 8:55 pm

BTW, what did Benny have to say after the game? Must have been a cliché or two there.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
leo4life
All Star
Posts: 385
Joined: Wed Nov 14, 2007 10:15 pm
Location: vancouver

Benny post game on 1040 sounded very down...he said his guys "played their asses off" and also said the second safety was a "communication breakdown" he was suppsed to punt...he didnt sound too confident and even the Moj noted he lacked passion & expected a angry fired up coach...ouch!
User avatar
Toppy Vann
Hall of Famer
Posts: 9789
Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2005 12:56 pm

leo4life wrote:Benny post game on 1040 sounded very down...he said his guys "played their asses off" and also said the second safety was a "communication breakdown" he was suppsed to punt...he didnt sound too confident and even the Moj noted he lacked passion & expected a angry fired up coach...ouch!
Out of his depth and drowning.

I 'm not surprised at the confusion to kick or take a Safety as this guy is not focused and thinking the play now and the plays ahead.
That is is what the HC has to do. Keep his head as the poet Kipling said - when all around you others are losing theirs. That is the thrill of a being a HC - how you manage your coaches and especially manage the sideline. MB is unfocused on the sideline, trying to be the show running up and down for TV and it shows when you have to make a quick decision. Players need to know where to look to the sideline to where their coach is. Dave Ritchie was a fantastic role model for MB as DC and for my money, MB learned nothing. When I coached with a former pro player and soccer coach, I did so not just because this was a great guy but I felt I could learn and I did and we have a great two year run and he and I turned up as a team. BUT he had an absolute condition. That I as assistant coach could not be more than 10 feet from here during the entire game as he wanted to bounce ideas/get my views. He didn't say it but one day when one of my own team arrived and I walked down the sideline he called me back and said to bring the player over here but to stay there. He wanted that sideline organized and it was.

He has an extension and Khari a two year deal so the casualties will be the REC coach who I think is a fantastic person and good coach but likely should be doing the play calling or have more influence.

Benny impressed me for his comments when first hired but now he's sounding less and less like a HC and more and more like a guy who has risen a position level too far for him. The fact he learned nothing from Ritchie should have been a clue to the organization when selecting a HC.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
leo4life
All Star
Posts: 385
Joined: Wed Nov 14, 2007 10:15 pm
Location: vancouver

Im not renewing my season tickets if Wally trots out this same stale staff and doesnt show significant improvements...people will simply not pay to watch this offence another season!
User avatar
Toppy Vann
Hall of Famer
Posts: 9789
Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2005 12:56 pm

leo4life wrote:Im not renewing my season tickets if Wally trots out this same stale staff and doesnt show significant improvements...people will simply not pay to watch this offence another season!
I suspect this is the current thinking in droves right now.

THIS might be motivating Wally and his coaching staff right now and this might be like the resurgence of a better offense under Jacque C when Wally finally admitted the coaches too had to look in the mirror and find a way forward.

Speeches won't change on thing.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
User avatar
notahomer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 6258
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2002 12:09 pm
Location: Vancouver

Another one they keep trotting out that they are not following through on "JUST WIN BABY"

Unlike Calgary, many CFL teams are struggling with 'next man up'. I'm amazed at how well the Stamps have played considering they have lost Mitchell, Cornish, Hughes and others. Those kinds of injuries would have been used as 'we're doing the best we can', where the Stamps just kept on winning.
TheLionKing
Hall of Famer
Posts: 25103
Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2005 10:13 pm
Location: Vancouver

Memo to Wally Buono:

Are you or are you not the General Manager of the BC Lions ? You have the authority to make changes. Why haven't you ?
User avatar
WestCoastJoe
Hall of Famer
Posts: 17721
Joined: Mon May 22, 2006 8:55 pm

BennySpeak ...
Antolin was tentative against Hamilton in the backfield and Randle was too somewhat as he lined up to accept the opening kickoff.

“I was coaching (Randle) up during the game. He was ready to go on the kickoff team after a field goal,” said Benevides of his rookie import, not yet aware of the ways teams can accept the ball after a three-pointer.
coaching him up ... One of the perks of being a coach, getting to "coach guys up" on CFL rules. :wink:
“There’s a great inner turmoil that goes on between those two (the emotions of calm and rage). What you’re trying to find is a balance,” Benevides said. “We talk about as a program that it doesn’t matter (if there’s injuries) but there’s been some young guys that have been put into tough situations.

“The young card is not an excuse but you have to understand that athlete is trying his best. But we have to perform and sometimes we’re not.”
That sounds like blather.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
User avatar
MexicoLionFan
Legend
Posts: 2051
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 5:10 pm

Nota, TLK, Joe, look around the league...EDM has a great staff, young and will only get better. CGY has had the best staff in league for years now, as many assistants have left to run other teams (EDM & OTT). SSK is rock solid with Chamblis and his outstanding staff. WPG is in great shape with O'Shea, as they built talent and continuity, WPG will be a constant threat. TOR is in great hands with Milanovich. HAM is in great hands with Austin and the smart staff he has put together. And regardless of their record, Mike Campbell has done an EXCELLENT job in OTT and looks like he will be successful there as they build on their talent base. Even MON has completely REDONE their ASST Coaches and now have a very good, young group who will only get better, to that end Tom Higgins is actually not a bad HC as he can just keep balance and peace and let these smart, young assistants coach.

The Lions staff sticks out like a sore thumb across the league, and in an age of parity of talent this spells disaster. Give MON, OTT and WPG another year to build on their talent and they will not only keep beating us, they will dominate. Right now we are having a difficult time competing with CGY, EDM and SSK. TOR and HAM are giving us problems, and WPG wasted us when they were healthy, even OTT had us dead to rights and gave the game away...We split with MTL before they changed up their assistant coaches...the might destroy us right now with that blitzing defence and an improved offence.

If Wally stands pat as Blitz seems to think will happen, then 6 games in next season, this thing will resemble New Orleans after Katrina...
"Condemnation Without Investigation is the height of ignorance."

Albert Einstein
User avatar
Rammer
Team Captain
Posts: 22320
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2002 6:04 pm
Location: Coquitlam, B.C.

MexicoLionFan wrote:
If Wally stands pat as Blitz seems to think will happen, then 6 games in next season, this thing will resemble New Orleans after Katrina...
Except that most of the people will have cleared out well before that show hits the first game, let alone the 6th.

---------------------------

Lets face it, Wally has earned a get out of jail free card, although it may seem more like a jail currently than not. However, he has to understand that even the wins haven't generated ST sales for next season, let alone the mounting losses. With that in mind, he had his semi-clean last season with the bump out of JC, Stubler (which was more of a lose him or Washington scenario), with worse results impending, it is time to face the music and bump the remaining core. He can't even demote Benevides to DC, as Washington has a good grasp on that spot now. The coaching situation is a complete cluster puck, and Wally has to find new blood, as the blood he has been drawing from has run dry.

This board is passionate about the Lions and you begin to read post after post of 'not renewing ST or game packs' and then you have to think that the casual fan doesn't even think about buying a ticket until the product can entertain them for their dollar. At the current rate, the Lions are far far away from being in view of a W and even further from an entertainment aspect. This all adds up to Wally's time to do his job well.
Entertainment value = an all time low
User avatar
Coast Mountain Lion
Legend
Posts: 1374
Joined: Sun Nov 16, 2008 4:52 pm
Location: Champlain Heights

MexicoLionFan wrote:

If Wally stands pat as Blitz seems to think will happen, then 6 games in next season, this thing will resemble New Orleans after Katrina...
Except that after Katrina they had a full stadium

(Apologies for a bit of gallows humour)
User avatar
DanoT
Hall of Famer
Posts: 4309
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:38 pm
Location: Victoria, B.C. in summer, Sun Peaks Resort in winter

You gotta figure that diminishing ST renewals=diminishing price that can be commanded for the future sale of the Lions. And perhaps less interested buyers at any price.
Post Reply