What most concerns you about our Leos this season?

[TheLionKing]

Zach Minter might be the candidate. Of course we'll never know til he plays.

[Blitz]

I think the hiring of Jeff Tedford was a brilliant move on the part of the Lions and I've been reluctant to post anything that might be perceived as negative on the guy.

But after game 1 with a completely uninspired offensive package once the RB's got on to the Lions routes and with no running attack at all and their DEF were able to sit back in coverage and wait, it concerns me that this HC is trying to do too much himself. George Cortez has far more CFL experience and if JT's calling the plays then in the 4 th when they really needed something just a little bit different they had Lulay forcing throws into coverage when the crossing route wasn't there. Lulay then deemed rusty but rusty would have been him being INT'd.

George Cortez calls the plays. Lulay and the assistants hear them on their headsets. Quinn Teford signals them in to the other offensive players. I think Tedford's role is more collaborative in helping Cortez shape the offence but he lets his assistants do their jobs on the sidelines.

It's early yet but the Lions had 303 yards offence in their first game with Cortez as OC and Lulay at QB. Saskatchewan is averaging 538 yards after two games with Jacques Chapdelaine as OC and Darian Durant and Kevin Glenn as QBs. I've heard that some people in Saskatchewan were happy to get Chapdelaine to replace Cortez.

BTW, the Lions and Riders are both winless heading into Friday's game at B.C. Place.

My greatest concern is both our offensive and defensive schemes.

One thing for sure, the Riders are not moaning the loss of George Cortez's scheme in Regina. The Riders offence is tops in the CFL and significantly so, even though they've had to use their second string and now their third quarterback for the last two games.

Chapdelaine has been a huge improvement in Regina over Cortez. Yesterday in this cherished space, we enumerated the reasons why the Saskatchewan Roughriders are 0-7. Now starting rookie quarterback Brett Smith , with Durant and Glenn hurt,Saskatchewan leads the league in touchdowns (17), first downs (160) and passing yardage (2,153). Jerome Messam is second in the CFL in rushing and has an very impressive 7.3 yard per carry average and Saskatchewan is 1st in the CFL in rushing yardage (928). To boot, the Riders are doing it with a rookie Canadian center.

I would hate to think how good the Riders offence would be if Malone was coaching their offensive line and not Dorazio. Obviously Chap`s scheme is the main reason why the Riders offence sits atop the CFL. Chap`s scheme in Regina is innovative, combing elements of the PRO STYLE offence, the spread offence, and the West Coast offence. It uses motion and misdirection very well and all three quarterbacks so far have thrived in it.

Meanwhile, here in B.C., if it were not for Malone`s great work with our offensive line, both in terms of run blocking and pass, as well as Harris`s contributions on the ground and in the air, our offence would be in even worse shape. Cortez`s scheme is in the same league as that of Khari Jones last season. Its a boring, unimaginative, stifling offensive scheme that is miserable to watch, outside of Harris and our offensive line`s contributions.

Defensively, enough has been said already. Our defensive scheme is the main reason our defense is the worst in the CFL. A lot has been made of one good half of football against Edmonton but over the first 6 games this defense has been mostly pathetic, giving up huge yards in the air, on the ground while also giving up a ton of big plays.

George Cortz, Mark Washington. Two huge reasons why we are underperforming and sometimes badly. Those are my two main concerns.

[Hang Time]

Well, I agree that a healthy Travis is vital. However, there have been large sections of our six games where the Lions appear to have gone to sleep. Not suggesting that this is all Travis, but our 2 and out spells are a concern. Here are two or three critical plays after long 2 and out sessions. If these plays do not fall in our favor the Lions are more likely to be 1 and 5 (YIKES). 1.) Third down stop with the Riders at home, and a 56 yard field goal by Richie 2.) two Riders cracking heads attempting to catch a lobbed football in the return match at Mosaic.

The Toronto home game was 2 and out from the second quarter on. In the Edmonton game our defense was big in the second half, and we managed to sustain some drives. I am hopeful that we can continue with moving the ball and keep Hamilton off the field as much as we can. Couple that with a bit of good defense and most likely we will have a good result. 2 and out will hurt us.