Fire Benny!!!!!!!

[B.C.FAN]

Crompton passed for only 155 yards on Sunday but his team scored 50 points. Being a QB is relatively easy when the team has a good running game and is functioning well overall. That's the situation Glenn faced in his Calgary years.

So you mean coaching matters too? Things like scheme, solid Quality Control Coaching, in depth self scouting and the ability to make in game adjustments are important to the success of a team? And that coaching staffs with a consistently failing body of work in those areas tend to underachieve in comparison to their talent level and lose their jobs? Who knew?

That boldfaced question, of course, remains to be answered in B.C.'s case. I suspect it will happen but I've been wrong too many times lately when I bet on the Lions.

[The_Pauser]

I believe there is much merit to your post hambone. I have mentioned in previous posts that the QB situation IMO has been the major factor with the Lions this year, and had Lulay been at the controls the harshness of the current posts against the Lions coaches would not have occurred.

Clearly, with every team, the QB is the problem. Which is why, had they won this week, they wouldn't have stood a chance in the Eastern Final next week against Ricky Ray and the Argos. Because it's all about the QB.

I think you are seriously underrating the importance of the QB position.

[cromartie]

I believe there is much merit to your post hambone. I have mentioned in previous posts that the QB situation IMO has been the major factor with the Lions this year, and had Lulay been at the controls the harshness of the current posts against the Lions coaches would not have occurred.

Clearly, with every team, the QB is the problem. Which is why, had they won this week, they wouldn't have stood a chance in the Eastern Final next week against Ricky Ray and the Argos. Because it's all about the QB.

I think you are seriously underrating the importance of the QB position.

Did you ever watch Marcus Crandell play? He won a Grey Cup. Sean Salisbury won a Grey Cup. Kerry Joseph lead a team to a WDF. We just got 50 hung on us in a playoff game by a guy who was handling Mike Reilly's dry cleaning last year.

Jarious Jackson had no small number of limitations as a QB, and yet, an offense was built around him that made it all the way to a WDF.

The point here is that good offensive coaching staffs make the best of what they have and adjust in game to what they see, not try to implement a system around what they don't, which was the same point Rob Murhpy tried to make around here for years.

There are systematic fundamental problems with this coaching staff. They clearly manifest themselves in declining results, evident to even the most casual fan that does nothing more than pre-games, shows up and yells blindly on game day.

But I'll tell you what. You had a healthy Travis Lulay under center in a game where the offensive coaching staff made zero adjustments to a line that was getting killed. Cody Husband reacted to a zone blitz like a monkey to the invention of fire and got no help. You put up a grand total of seven points on the road against an expansion team that finished 2-16 and proceeded to get Travis re-injured. So please, tell me how having a better QB under Center was going to save this team. It wasn't going to save this team, it was going to delay the inevitable. And get Travis reinjured.

[The_Pauser]

Did you ever watch Marcus Crandell play? He won a Grey Cup. Sean Salisbury won a Grey Cup. Kerry Joseph lead a team to a WDF. We just got 50 hung on us in a playoff game by a guy who was handling Mike Reilly's dry cleaning last year.

Jarious Jackson had no small number of limitations as a QB, and yet, an offense was built around him that made it all the way to a WDF.

The point here is that good offensive coaching staffs make the best of what they have and adjust in game to what they see, not try to implement a system around what they don't, which was the same point Rob Murhpy tried to make around here for years.

There are systematic fundamental problems with this coaching staff. They clearly manifest themselves in declining results, evident to even the most casual fan that does nothing more than pre-games, shows up and yells blindly on game day.

But I'll tell you what. You had a healthy Travis Lulay under center in a game where the offensive coaching staff made zero adjustments to a line that was getting killed. Cody Husband reacted to a zone blitz like a monkey to the invention of fire and got no help. You put up a grand total of seven points on the road against an expansion team that finished 2-16 and proceeded to get Travis re-injured. So please, tell me how having a better QB under Center was going to save this team. It wasn't going to save this team, it was going to delay the inevitable. And get Travis reinjured.

Tell me: are the Marcus Crandell's of the world the norm? Or the exception? There is always going to be an exception no matter what sport you are in. Esteban Loiza won a Cy Young. Jim Carey won a Vezina. Marcus Crandell won a Grey Cup.

Kerry Joseph is also a former MOP, keep that in mind. He had some very good seasons.

Jarious Jackson (as we know from my posting history) was one of the major problems with this team in past years. His limitations limited the Lions from going further than they did, despite the immense talent we surrounded him with.

Nobody is saying that a better QB would have saved this team and taken us to a Grey Cup. I think you're misunderstanding what people are saying. Would a better QB have won us the game against the Als? Maybe. Would a better QB have at least made it closer by putting up more points and longer sustained drives in the first half? Probably. Would the events of the second half be any different if we went into the half tied? Tough to say.

You're right it would have delayed the inevitable though, as this team wasn't winning a Grey Cup based on the offensive game plan it's employed for this year. But what's worse, losing in the semi final by getting blown out? Or winning the semi final and losing in the East Final, or the Grey Cup final?

[Fred.Fonce]

New member here and somewhat reluctant to weigh in on a sensitive subject like this however here are my observations based on a corporate parallel.

I worked 30 plus years for a very large corporation. We had a very powerful and successful CEO for ten years whom then bumped up to chair the board. He hired his replacement, someone that didn't know the nuts and bolts (x's and o's) of our business, was a finance guy with crap people skills, and was *poop* scared of his predecessor whom is now his boss. The company went into a 5 year tail spin, lost market share, backstabbing started amongst the executives, significant culture shift for the worst, ass-covering and...well you get the picture. Our talent and product was miles ahead of our competitors, but poor leadership at the top had us spinning our wheels, and not having any fun, for 5 years.

A strong leader doesn't have all the answers, but he knows to surround himself with people smarter and more talented than him, what questions to ask of those people and knows how to make everyone around him achieve their potential or more. That didn't happen in our company, and it sure ain't happening with the Lions.

I don't know MB at all, only what I see on TV, but I see something very similar going on. He is either incapable or unable to lead this team in this situation. For anyone to work under this scenario would have to have a level of confidence, experience and previous success that MB just doesn't have, and it shows.

[The_Pauser]

New member here and somewhat reluctant to weigh in on a sensitive subject like this however here are my observations based on a corporate parallel.

I worked 30 plus years for a very large corporation. We had a very powerful and successful CEO for ten years whom then bumped up to chair the board. He hired his replacement, someone that didn't know the nuts and bolts (x's and o's) of our business, was a finance guy with crap people skills, and was *poop* scared of his predecessor whom is now his boss. The company went into a 5 year tail spin, lost market share, backstabbing started amongst the executives, significant culture shift for the worst, ass-covering and...well you get the picture. Our talent and product was miles ahead of our competitors, but poor leadership at the top had us spinning our wheels, and not having any fun, for 5 years.

A strong leader doesn't have all the answers, but he knows to surround himself with people smarter and more talented than him, what questions to ask of those people and knows how to make everyone around him achieve their potential or more. That didn't happen in our company, and it sure ain't happening with the Lions.

I don't know MB at all, only what I see on TV, but I see something very similar going on. He is either incapable or unable to lead this team in this situation. For anyone to work under this scenario would have to have a level of confidence, experience and previous success that MB just doesn't have, and it shows.

Marc Trestman would be able to come in here and command that kind of power, given his success in the CFL and his NFL resume. I do think he will be unemployed at the end of the NFL season, though I don't know that he would necessarily jump back to the CFL and come to BC.

I don't know if there is an available potential coach in the CFL that could come in here and not feel the shadow of WB over him. Perhaps some could deal with it better than others, but WB casts a large shadow. Even DD will have an easier transition as HC in Calgary once Hufnagel moves upstairs, though that's probably the closest situation to the one we have.

[WestCoastJoe]

New member here and somewhat reluctant to weigh in on a sensitive subject like this however here are my observations based on a corporate parallel.

I worked 30 plus years for a very large corporation. We had a very powerful and successful CEO for ten years whom then bumped up to chair the board. He hired his replacement, someone that didn't know the nuts and bolts (x's and o's) of our business, was a finance guy with crap people skills, and was *poop* scared of his predecessor whom is now his boss. The company went into a 5 year tail spin, lost market share, backstabbing started amongst the executives, significant culture shift for the worst, ass-covering and...well you get the picture. Our talent and product was miles ahead of our competitors, but poor leadership at the top had us spinning our wheels, and not having any fun, for 5 years.

A strong leader doesn't have all the answers, but he knows to surround himself with people smarter and more talented than him, what questions to ask of those people and knows how to make everyone around him achieve their potential or more. That didn't happen in our company, and it sure ain't happening with the Lions.

I don't know MB at all, only what I see on TV, but I see something very similar going on. He is either incapable or unable to lead this team in this situation. For anyone to work under this scenario would have to have a level of confidence, experience and previous success that MB just doesn't have, and it shows.

Welcome aboard. Very nice post.

Football is a business. Same dynamics in most respects as any other business.

What has happened here with the Lions would make an interesting case study in sports management. Or mismanagement.

Where did it go wrong? How did it go wrong? How can it be fixed?

Some fans will no doubt feel that all it needs is some time and tinkering.

But it seems to me the collective wisdom, from the vast lifetime experience represented on this site, sees it pretty clearly.

[MexicoLionFan]

Nice post Fred! I agree with you...

I loved the monkey reference Cro...ooh ooh, aah aah...look fire...

[cromartie]

What has happened here with the Lions would make an interesting case study in sports management. Or mismanagement.

Where did it go wrong? How did it go wrong? How can it be fixed?

Some fans will no doubt feel that all it needs is some time and tinkering.

But it seems to me the collective wisdom, from the vast lifetime experience represented on this site, sees it pretty clearly.

Here's the thing.

I've contended all along the MB was "raised right". Position coach. Special Teams. Defense. In charge of the draft. Those are the things you want in your coach's background. That diversity of experience. Having to call plays and, as an ST coach, make a working car out of spare parts.

Unlike Fred's example (which isn't a bad one, necessarily), MB was raised from within, and cut from a very similar cloth to Wally in some respects. So I don't know where it went wrong. I'll leave that to others here. I guess you could argue that we could have seen that the drafts weren't as successful as they needed to be and the DC stint wasn't particularly good either.

You can give someone all the tools, show them all the patience in the world, and sometimes, even if they do everything right, it still doesn't work. It's one of the grand tragedies of existence, I suppose.

[WestCoastJoe]

What has happened here with the Lions would make an interesting case study in sports management. Or mismanagement.

Where did it go wrong? How did it go wrong? How can it be fixed?

Some fans will no doubt feel that all it needs is some time and tinkering.

But it seems to me the collective wisdom, from the vast lifetime experience represented on this site, sees it pretty clearly.

Here's the thing.

I've contended all along the MB was "raised right". Position coach. Special Teams. Defense. In charge of the draft. Those are the things you want in your coach's background. That diversity of experience. Having to call plays and, as an ST coach, make a working car out of spare parts.

Unlike Fred's example (which isn't a bad one, necessarily), MB was raised from within, and cut from a very similar cloth to Wally in some respects. So I don't know where it went wrong. I'll leave that to others here. I guess you could argue that we could have seen that the drafts weren't as successful as they needed to be and the DC stint wasn't particularly good either.

You can give someone all the tools, show them all the patience in the world, and sometimes, even if they do everything right, it still doesn't work. It's one of the grand tragedies of existence, I suppose.

Mike Benevides was given all the advantages possible by his mentor, Wally Buono.

Benny did not have to cut it in different programs across North America. He was always safe and warm in the "house" of his mentor.

Benny did not work the U.S. college circuit. He did not work the Canadian college circuit. He did not work with a number of different professional Head Coaches, General Managers, or different teams.

Benny did not work for a number of different CFL teams in different capacities. (Yes, he got his start in Calgary, with Wally, as a volunteer).

Benny's results were not top of the class as an STs coach. Nor were they top of the class as a Linebacker coach. Nor were they top of the class as a DC, in the brief time he was there.

Not that it is a prerequisite for success at the pro level, but Benny did not experience playing at the professional level either.

None of this necessarily precludes him from learning on the job. But there are countless guys out there with outstanding credentials, a variety of programs in their resume, and notable success in their work.

I would have to say it was nearly a case of nepotism, promoting a son, or someone like a son, to the top job.

We see the results, and for most of the observers, they do not look good.
.............

Benny might be the greatest guy in the world, and he just might be, but he was not ready for this job. He might never have been able to compete with all the sharp operators out there. It does not seem to me that he is on a level with the likes of John Hufnagel, Kent Austin, Scott Milanovich, Chris Jones, et cetera. Huge resumes for these guys. Xs and Os mastery. Or Tom Higgins for that matter. Or Chamblin, Cortez and Hall in Regina. Resumes loaded with credentials there.

And one more thing, with all of his success over 20 years as a Head Coach, there is no guarantee Wally would stand out as much, if he were to start his coaching career in 2015. The times have changed. So if Wally developed a young coach in his own image, as he seems to have tried with Mike Benevides, that is no sure road to a great winning record in the CFL.

Just IMO ... Others will see it differently. Others will think his results are good enough. Others will think he deserves more time. But for me, just based on the last game, a playoff game, one would have to explain away how your team falls behind 50-3, before the other team lets up a bit.

[TheLionKing]

I don't know if there is an available potential coach in the CFL that could come in here and not feel the shadow of WB over him. Perhaps some could deal with it better than others, but WB casts a large shadow. Even DD will have an easier transition as HC in Calgary once Hufnagel moves upstairs, though that's probably the closest situation to the one we have.

I've always had the nagging suspicion whether Benevides had full autonomy to run the club as he see fit. I heard an interview that Benevides and Buono decide which players to insert into the lineup. Did Buono had to consult with Ackles on which players to play when Buono was head coach ?

[MexicoLionFan]

I don't know if there is an available potential coach in the CFL that could come in here and not feel the shadow of WB over him. Perhaps some could deal with it better than others, but WB casts a large shadow. Even DD will have an easier transition as HC in Calgary once Hufnagel moves upstairs, though that's probably the closest situation to the one we have.

I've always had the nagging suspicion whether Benevides had full autonomy to run the club as he see fit. I heard an interview that Benevides and Buono decide which players to insert into the lineup. Did Buono had to consult with Ackles on which players to play when Buono was head coach ?

Could you imagine TLK what would have happened if Ackles tried this with Wally??? Wow!

[MexicoLionFan]

What has happened here with the Lions would make an interesting case study in sports management. Or mismanagement.

Where did it go wrong? How did it go wrong? How can it be fixed?

Some fans will no doubt feel that all it needs is some time and tinkering.

But it seems to me the collective wisdom, from the vast lifetime experience represented on this site, sees it pretty clearly.

Here's the thing.

I've contended all along the MB was "raised right". Position coach. Special Teams. Defense. In charge of the draft. Those are the things you want in your coach's background. That diversity of experience. Having to call plays and, as an ST coach, make a working car out of spare parts.

Unlike Fred's example (which isn't a bad one, necessarily), MB was raised from within, and cut from a very similar cloth to Wally in some respects. So I don't know where it went wrong. I'll leave that to others here. I guess you could argue that we could have seen that the drafts weren't as successful as they needed to be and the DC stint wasn't particularly good either.

You can give someone all the tools, show them all the patience in the world, and sometimes, even if they do everything right, it still doesn't work. It's one of the grand tragedies of existence, I suppose.

Mike Benevides was given all the advantages possible by his mentor, Wally Buono.

Benny did not have to cut it in different programs across North America. He was always safe and warm in the "house" of his mentor.

Benny did not work the U.S. college circuit. He did not work the Canadian college circuit. He did not work with a number of different professional Head Coaches, General Managers, or different teams.

Benny did not work for a number of different CFL teams in different capacities. (Yes, he got his start in Calgary, with Wally, as a volunteer).

Benny's results were not top of the class as an STs coach. Nor were they top of the class as a Linebacker coach. Nor were they top of the class as a DC, in the brief time he was there.

Not that it is a prerequisite for success at the pro level, but Benny did not experience playing at the professional level either.

None of this necessarily precludes him from learning on the job. But there are countless guys out there with outstanding credentials, a variety of programs in their resume, and notable success in their work.

I would have to say it was nearly a case of nepotism, promoting a son, or someone like a son, to the top job.

We see the results, and for most of the observers, they do not look good.
.............

Benny might be the greatest guy in the world, and he just might be, but he was not ready for this job. He might never have been able to compete with all the sharp operators out there. It does not seem to me that he is on a level with the likes of John Hufnagel, Kent Austin, Scott Milanovich, Chris Jones, et cetera. Huge resumes for these guys. Xs and Os mastery. Or Tom Higgins for that matter. Or Chamblin, Cortez and Hall in Regina. Resumes loaded with credentials there.

And one more thing, with all of his success over 20 years as a Head Coach, there is no guarantee Wally would stand out as much, if he were to start his coaching career in 2015. The times have changed. So if Wally developed a young coach in his own image, as he seems to have tried with Mike Benevides, that is no sure road to a great winning record in the CFL.

Just IMO ... Others will see it differently. Others will think his results are good enough. Others will think he deserves more time. But for me, just based on the last game, a playoff game, one would have to explain away how your team falls behind 50-3, before the other team lets up a bit.

Joe, Brilliant...just an outstanding post and so true...in a world of unlimited options to limit your choice to "someone you know" is "head in the sand" thinking. Even the process alone of going out and interviewing guys makes you smarter and more connected no matter if you are Wally Buono or not...

[WestCoastJoe]

Thanks, MLF.

And now with some comments from players, at season's end, we might get some more insight.

Benny wanted the job. He got the job. I expect he got much more than he bargained for.

He got a full time mentor. Discuss the "suit and sit" decisions for the games. Play safe or attack philosophy. He got a full time overseer at each practice. Either up on the rooftop. Or up on a tower, when practice was on the artificial turf. He got undermined, probably indirectly, with the players by the huge shadow of Wally. Players know.

Benny got criticized publicly by his boss, his mentor.

Benny took the heat for losses.

Did Benny get to call the shots? Or did Benny just get to take the shots, from the media, from the fans?

I can't help but see Wally Buono's fingerprints all over this mess that we have.

As asked by a local reporter, what self-respecting Head Coach could be wooed to come into this environment?

This might also explain why men such as Paul LaPolice and George Cortez turned down offers to come here as the OC. No real power.

This might explain why a soldier such as Solomon Elimimian says he loves Benny, and would play for him anytime.
..........

Not absolving Benny. He wanted the job. But Benny's resume is just so thin, especially in comparison to the guys across the league. And, Yes, Benny found himself in way over his head, with a huge anchor on his back, overseeing.

I have sympathy for Benny. To a degree. He got the big bucks. He took the job.

But who will take that job now? I guess some guy will.

At this time, the most likely scenarios that I see are: 1. Wally keeps Benny. Great fit for Wally. Wally calls the shots. Benny takes the heat. 2. Wally removes Benny and reinstates himself as Head Coach, a position he never truly let go.

Teflon Wally to the rescue.

Our 9 and 9 might look OK. But I think in actuality it is worse than that. And it just might get a lot worse.

Shambles. Train wreck. Yup. More to come.

Too harsh? Let us not forget 50-3 in a playoff game, before the dogs were called off. An aberration? Ummm ... I don't think so.

November 1st, Edm 37 - BC 3. Pounded.

November 7, Cal 33 - BC 16, with Calgary barely breaking a sweat, running vanilla systems.

November 16, Mon 50 - BC 17. Annhilation. Humiliation. In your face mugging. Hey, Benny is the Head Coach (in name). Put it on him.

At this point I would have to put most of the responsibility on Wally Buono. He made the hire, a huge mistake (based on some kind of faulty decision making). But then he cut the legs out from Mike Benevides.

Just IMO ... (No sportswriter here. No media guy here. No need for access to the team. No need to pull the punches.)

Yes, in 2003, I was delighted when Bobby Ackles got Wally Buono out of Calgary, away from the F Troop. Wally brought us great stability, and success on the field. The league caught up, evolved, saw sharp new coaches arrive. We have not adapted. We are sliding down the slope.

Disagree? That is fine. No debate here. These are just my opinions. As a fan of the Lions since the 1960s, in the days of Willie Fleming, Joe Kapp, and all the ferocious defenders.

[MexicoLionFan]

Again, brilliant Joe...do we know where Blitz is? I am having Blitz withdrawals...I would love his input on this as well...