Lions' Defence for 2015

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WestCoastJoe
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“I feel we played pretty well. We played sound fundamental football and we were maybe a little conservative in some aspects – we weren’t considered a really aggressive defence, where Montreal would be considered a really aggressive defence. I feel like we held teams quite well – we didn’t give up a lot. I feel like we were quite successful. Not the best we could be now, but we were pretty successful.” -- Adam Bighill
Defence

PPG: 20.3 (3rd)
Passing: 225.9 (3rd)
Rushing: 113.5 (6th)
Total: 315.9 (3rd)
Sacks: 46 (T-6th)
Interceptions: 14 (6th)
Looking at some numbers, it would seem we were an average defence.

I agree with Bighill that we were "a little conservative," that we "weren't considered a really aggressive defence." IMO that reflects the play it safe approach of Mike Benevides and Wally Buono. This year we might see Mark Washington put his own stamp on the defence. IMO playing it safe on defence in the CFL is a loser's game. You need stops. You need interceptions. You need sacks. You don't get those playing it safe.

You can get burned either way: playing it safe or playing attack mode. With an attacking defence you give the offence very little time to make a precise play.

Just IMO ...
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.
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WestCoastJoe
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Possible depth chart for our defence ...

D Line
Westerman ... new to Defensive End, used mostly inside previously
Brooks ... 6'3" 275 ... undersized for DT?
Minter ... 6'1'' 307, great size for inside work
Smith ... the aging wonder

LBs
Bighill ... top of the line
Elimimian ... MOP calibre
Johnson ... very effective IMO

DBs
Parks ... should be just fine on the corner
Phillips ... great cover guy
Rwabukamba ... somewhat unknown to this fan
Lee ... promising
Yell ... we expect a good year from Yell

Coaching
Mark W ... time to see his own personal approach to team defence ... out from the conservative shadow of Benevides and Buono
Robin Ross ... vastly experienced D Line coach
Johnny Holland ... vastly experienced LB coach
............

Can we generate turnovers?

Can we stop the run?

Can we pressure the passer?
.................

We expect good coverage on the receivers.

We expect excellent run stopping from Bighill and Elimimian (within the scheme and the coverage responsibilities).

Will we attack, or will we react? Aggressive or conservative?
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.
TheLionKing
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Tedford has stated he likes an attacking defence and turnovers.
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WestCoastJoe
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TheLionKing wrote:Tedford has stated he likes an attacking defence and turnovers.
Good to hear. :thup:
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.
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WestCoastJoe
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“You play defences like Edmonton,” began Tedford, “people don’t have a lot of success running against that. So you can keep hitting your head against the wall, or you can go away from it and throw the ball. When you’re struggling running the football against a great defence like that, you can stay stubborn and keep doing it, or you do what you’re having success with, so that’s why we were throwing it.”

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

Attacking defence.

Praise for the defence of Chris Jones. Hard to run against. Hard to pass against. It took Jones all of about two weeks to put his defence into place when he became Head Coach of the Eskimos. He had no trouble finding the kind of players he wants.

So it won't wash if people say: "Oh but he has such good players."

And someone might say, "Well, if we had his players, we could play that way." :dizzy:

Coaches do their work according to their philosophy. Jones wants to play aggressive, attacking defence, and that is what he does. No excuses.

Us? We heard talk of aggressive, attacking defence. But we have played deep zone all year. A little more blitzing lately. We still do not like to overload at the LOS. We still keep our guys in stationary spots. We do very little in the way of stunts. We have deep drops in our zone. What we play is the exact opposite of aggressive, attacking defence.

We play to protect against big plays. The irony is that we get hit with big plays all the time. We give too much room to receivers. We give huge gaps for running games. Our LBs are too preoccupied with pass defence. Our defence is out there like sitting ducks, waiting for blockers, who have them all lined up, just like they see on tape.

With our setup on D, we are very vulnerable to QB runs up the middle. Reilly killed us on his final drive to tie the game. It is there all day for the QB. Reilly looked far from 100% physically, but he took the runs to get the win.

It has been painful to watch our defence. It is passive. It is slow death. It stops nothing when the game is on the line. But it is the style of defence that Wally has always wanted, and his protégé Mark W is delivering what Wally wants.
...........

Semi good news ... After half the season, we finally got our guys in the positions they are best suited to.
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.
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MexicoLionFan
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What Joe and I both understand is that in this millennium "running the football" can mean many, many things. It started with Bill Walsh and Roger Craig in SF...their West Coast Offence, and short, quick passing game provided a NEW DEFINITION to the "running game". With SF, both Craig and Tom Rathman redefined what a RB was and is...Andrew Harris took this to heart and is a prime example of the modern RB. So whether Harris takes a handoff from JJ, or a swing pass, or a quick curl or slant, WHO CARES...JUST GIVE HIM THE BALL!

The greatest defensive minds in NFL history worked day and night to find ways to take the SF RBs out of games, and they couldn't do it. So for JT to simply use the excuse that Chris Jones and his Defence is "just too good" is RIDICULOUS. Jeff Tedford doesn't say much to the press, but as the HC for the Lions when he does speak it is UNDERWHELMING to say the least! Great football minds devise ways to be successful that transcend what defences are doing. I have NEVER bought into the school of playing offence based on what the defence is "giving you". I have advocated this notion here for the past 2 or 3 seasons because without a creative offensive system it was the only way for the Lions consistently move the football, and the Lions haven't even attempted to do this. They are pig-headed towards "their way", however, "their way" hasn't worked for half a decade, perhaps a lot longer. Offences have defences over a barrel in that they KNOW where they are going and on which snap count. They have pre-snap motion, they play on a MASSIVE field with enormous end zones. Offences DICTATE games and defences can only REACT. However, when OC's willingly give up their creative advantage over the D, defences will take control! This is EXACTLY what we have witnessed with the Lions for a long time know, as we have been forced to play "Wally-ball", which is lining up against your opponent, mano e mano, and simply beating him. However, in this "new age" of football, its never "mano e mano", its all about stacking boxes, pressure and zone blitzes designed to disrupt things between the tackles, which is why more and more OC's are creating outside of the pocket area...except in BC...we don't subscribe to either notion offensively or defensively...we are still trying to play our analogue "albums" on crystal powered DVD machines. We don't pressure offences out of what they want to do, we allow them to follow their game plans (good or bad) and simply try to react the best way we can, which is exactly why we generate so turnovers or force so few teams into making changes. And on Offence, we allow attacking Defences to constantly make things a "living hell" for our most skilled players, while we "attack" with the Marco Iannuzzi's of the world!

As I said yesterday, I have been watching Groundhog Day again and again and again with the Lions since 2005/2006...and as soon as necessity forces a coach to adapt out of desperation to have success (see 2011 as the purrfect example), along comes King Status Quo to rear his ugly head and force things back into the "same old, same old". Cortez was right to attack blitzing defences out of his Spread Offence, only he didn't have a QB that could throw the long ball, or receivers with physical attributes or skills sets that could catch a deep pass...hmmm, more of that "trying to put square objects into round holes" thinking that has won us so many Grey Cups! Every game against every opponent offers new sets of possibilities! Every single type of defence has a weakness (see the '86 Chicago Bears), it just takes some time to decode the real good ones...but once you do, you can exploit it again and again until THEY CHANGE! The Lions possess sufficient talent on Offence to cause problems for DC's...we just have to start becoming (at the very least) more UNPREDICTABLE, this causes defenders to play off their HEALS instead of up on their TOES...passive/aggressive...which would you prefer to be or to play against????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

...because its that simple...
"Condemnation Without Investigation is the height of ignorance."

Albert Einstein
TheLionKing
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Lions defence has been much improved since the insertion of Minter into the tackle position and moving Roh to end. There has been more blitzes but nowhere near the aggressive defence promised by Tedford.
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WestCoastJoe
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MexicoLionFan wrote:What Joe and I both understand is that in this millennium "running the football" can mean many, many things. It started with Bill Walsh and Roger Craig in SF...their West Coast Offence, and short, quick passing game provided a NEW DEFINITION to the "running game". With SF, both Craig and Tom Rathman redefined what a RB was and is...Andrew Harris took this to heart and is a prime example of the modern RB. So whether Harris takes a handoff from JJ, or a swing pass, or a quick curl or slant, WHO CARES...JUST GIVE HIM THE BALL!
Yep. Seems pretty sad when a team gives up on the run game. Seems pretty sad when a team cannot figure out how to attack 7 or 8 D lined up at the LOS. Do you attack it? Or do you turtle? We choose turtle. Chuck and duck. Or pray that your QB can pull rabbits out of the hat while he rides a unicycle.

From the picks thread ...
Another huge factor has been an Edmonton defence that’s tops in the CFL in fewest points allowed (16.1 per game), yards (290.9), rushing yards (65.3), passing yards (243.9) and passing TDs (17).
Chris Jones plays attack style defence. The Lions leadership knows fans like this style. And players at all levels love to play that style. But somehow, although MW talked about playing it that way, we do not. Wally influence? DC afraid to play on the edge? Prefer to play it "safe"? Prefer the slow death of conservative defence?

Pro sports ... Gotta go for it.

Jones admires the philosophy of Don Matthews. So does this fan.
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.
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