RedBlacks 27 - Lions 16 -- Post Game Stats and Comments

[TheLionKing]

Tedford said on the post game that the Lions were outplayed. Ottawa executed when they had the opportunities and the Lions didn't. When asked about the number of penalties, Tedford only said they will work to reduce it. Ryan Phillips has a pulled hamstring. His status is unknown.

[silverwolf37]

Can't expect to win when your settling for field goals instead of touchdowns. To many missed opportunities from in close, and Lulay looks rusty with a few throws way over the receivers heads. Defense needs to smarten up as well and not fall apart in the fourth quarter.

[PigSkin_53]

Was at the game tonight at Landsdown Park, should have stayed home...could have save myself a lot of money, headache and traffic hassles.

Seen a lot of games the Lions stunk out the park in the last three years, but this one took the cake.

Some one should be fired for keeping Ryan Philips in the defensive secondary, should have been gone 2012.

Offense predictable and boring, defense porous and torn to sheds

Total game plan sucked, confused and disorganize, both sides of the ball

Made the mistake of wearing my Lions jersey to the park...

Wished I had a paper bag over my head, to conceal my identity!

ARRGHHH!!!

[TheLionKing]

Lions had the opportunity to take an early lead and put the RedBlacks in a catchup mode but failed to capitalize and had to settle for field goals. Lions were out of sync in all 3 aspects of the game. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it's their first game in a couple of weeks. One positive is that Travis Lulay looked decisive and made some good throws. He had some rust as one would expect that he hasn't played for a year.

[Larry Key]

Was a disappointing game to watch. We are light years behind the other clubs. Such a bland offensive display and so predictable. Our pass rush was non-existent. Where was Bazzie all game? The 2 interior linemen had no push, wonder if Tyrone Williams can be coaxed out of retirement? What stumped me was we had 3 Americans playing the O-line and they looked porous as last season's did. These guys can't seem to open up crack or seam for our backs to run through. I'd hate to be the tailback on this team. The O-line has been our Achilles heel for the last decade.

[CardiacKid]

An awful lot that went wrong tonight can be remedied by guys going to "school"....getting back to proper tackling technique, using their God-given brains and not making mental errors (too many in the huddle, lining up off-side, being hot-heads, etc.), reviewing film for getting a better handle on the new rules.

And if guys aren't prepared to hit the books good and proper, I hope Tedford doesn't hesitate and sends a message by dropping an "Antonio Warren" by cutting where needed. He was hired in large part because of his contacts below the line and he has access to the NFL cuts; I hope he is prepared to tap into it.

[WestCoastJoe]

Relatively few comments so far. I guess that shows "some" lack of fan interest. And that is probably what the organization deserves. Too complacent, fat and sassy, for too many years. Staying with what was comfortable. The Benny years were years of great decline. The Cup we won in 2011, coming from way back in the pack, no doubt contributed greatly to a misguided sense that all was well. Promote from within. Do not get into the modern day focus on Xs and Os. Play it safe. Play it conservatively.

And yet, this is a good coaching staff. The problem, as noted in numerous threads, including David's "greatest concern thread," is the quality of the opposition. Sharp, modern coaching throughout the league. And we are playing catch up. The failure to develop National O Line talent in the 12 years of Dorazio's regime is hurting us big time. 12 years of experiements in the lab, leaving us with a shambles.

Is there a weak team in the East? I don't think so.

Is there a weak team in the West? Is it us?

Patience. We will need patience.

[DanoT]

Terrible tackling.

Not much pass rush or run stopping by the Dline. I have seen nothing so far from the 2 rookie DTs that would cause them to beat out Eric Taylor. Too bad Taylor was cut before TC and never given the chance to legitimately lose his job.

Not much run blocking from the Oline and the pass protection forced Luay to get rid of the ball early and might have affected his accuracy. At least Lulay showed decent arm strength. I think last year's new INT Oline guy, Hardrick showed more in his first game then either of this year's new INT Oline guys. Too bad Hardrick was not given a chance to get beat out in TC.

So far all 4 of Tedford's new INTs on the O and D line have shown nothing special in TC or game 1. They will need time to gel so it looks like a long time until NFL cuts start happening and thus a long rebuilding year for the Lions.

[David]

Somewhere in South Surrey tonight, Mike Benevides is snickering. This is effectively the same team that closed out the 2014 campaign: a rather pedestrian offensive game plan, conservative defense, can't get a stop when we need one, weak run blocking, penalties, undisciplined play, hurried passes, the odd shanked punt, shoot ourselves in the foot, and struggle to score. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Bright spots: Lulay made it through intact (showed flashes but I don't want to hear 'rust' next week when missing receivers. He's been throwing to the same guys for the past 6 weeks + 2 games), Shaq's returns, Chris R's steady positional work at safety, Manny's big day, and Collie's sure hands and solid route running.

Here's where we need upgrades: 1) a home run deep threat receiver (see Stampeders, Calgary), 2) a defensive tackle that can take on a double team, shake off a tackle, get to the quarterback, and blow up the run, and 3) I know we're not going to see an American running back here, so hopefully Shaq can spell off Harris and even push him a bit. A healthy Hunter Steward at left tackle would help immensely.


DH

[CardiacKid]

Farhan ripping the Lions on 1040 live now.

I could only find the first hour of the post game show available for on demand listening on the TSN site. Does anyone know if the rest of the show with the Lalji segment is available anywhere online? I see Lalji was less than complimentary to the o-line from his twitter feed; was the 1040 segment more the same?

[chewiesrevenge]

Some good points raised.

O line didn't make anything happen for the run game. (What run game?)

D line wasn't very effective either.

Kick returning was lacking too. Tim Brown and Logan aren't long term solutions... but they were better IMO than what we have now.

I also agree that Travis' arm looked tired towards the end of the game. It looked like he changed throwing mechanics slightly. Not good. Rather than a full body natural throw... he favoured an upperbody sidearm hitch motion. Concerning. Yes he was a really good QB in years past. But his injury is one that he will never fully recover to 100%. His accuracy wasn't good enough. Period.

And Ottawa just looked hungrier. More passion. Sinopoli fought for every yard after a catch. And he isn't a big guy. Manny Arx had a catch and was at about the 5 and instead of putting it down and plunging for an extra few yards... or a TD even... he went out of bounds. :/ He's no Nik Lewis... but still.

Ryan Phillips. Tough to watch. Soft play. Misses tackles constantly. Always goes for the INT and increasingly gets burned for it. This game showcased this in a 6 point TD. Should have been a knock down. He might have lost a step so now he's just a bigger liability. Might be good locker room guy. But still. Gotta make plays.

And the start/stop and 'call a new play' offence seems lame. Overthinking it. Just call a play and focus on executing. Period.

Sure... read the D for blitz or man/zone etc or whatnot... and call an audible if you ned to... but just call a play and execute.

[Rodu]

I think you need to sustain drives for the Tedford offence to do it's thing

both lines are my biggest gripes, no holes in the running game and little pressure in the pass rush

liked Collie, if he stays healthy he will have a big year. Lulay already looking his way lots

[B.C.FAN]

The Lions lost the physical battles on the line of scrimmage. That was to be expected given there were two rookie starters on each side of the line but those rookies didn't show any signs that they will be upgrades on last year's players. Centre Jason Foster and LT Tommie Draheim were the weak links on offence. Again, that can be expected in their first starts but a team with three American O-linemen should be expected to open holes for the running game and protect the passer. Andrew Harris didn't have the burst he needs to squirt through holes but he didn't have many holes. The defensive line couldn't stop Chevon Walker when it needed to and couldn't put pressure on Henry Burris. With his receiving corps, he will find players open when given time.

Game-planning overall was weak. Red-zone play-calling was terrible. The two missed opportunities inside the five-yard-line set the tone for the game. On the plus side, Lulay looked strong and was able to attack Ottawa vertically. Emmanuel Arceneaux had a great game and Austin Collie is a strong addition at Shawn Gore's old ranger spot. The Lions got nothing from their two slots, Bryan Burnham and the H-back Cam Morrah, who had one catch each. Burnham has never impressed me. Morrah has yet to show that he's anything more than a big decoy. You can't win in this league without strong production from your slots.

The defence was too soft overall and got no pressure on the QB. Burris went after first year starter T.J. Lee and, to a lesser extent, Ronnie Yell. The Lions had no help from their linebackers, leaving big holes over the middle all night. Safety Chris Rwabukamba showed the ability to cover ground, with three pass knockdowns that could have been interceptions. I believe that when Ryan Phillips was injured, Alex Tillman came in at corner and Cord Parks moved to wide-side halfback. The Lions may have to do the same next week against Calgary unless they can bring Steven Clark back from the one-game injured list. He backed up Phillips through training camp and looked good when he got a chance.

On the whole, I saw enough positive signs from Lulay to believe that he can be effective this year. On offence, the Lions missed some opportunities to produce touchdowns and on defence they missed four potential interceptions, some of which could have prevented Ottawa touchdowns. Those missed opportunities determined the outcome of the game. Those mistakes can easily be corrected. Strengthening the offensive and defensive lines and offensive and defensive game-planning remain bigger challenges.

Postscript: I'm happy for the long-suffering fans in Ottawa. They look to have a good team this year. There is no shame in losing to them.

[SammyGreene]

Some great post game analysis here as always. Having skipped the UBC game, this was my first real look at the 2015 Lions after many missed the first pre season game in Calgary:

Pros:
Travis Lulay: Win or lose, the most significant development of this game was Lulay not only coming away injury free but showing glimpses of his pre-2014 form. He passed on both counts. Sure there were some throws and decisions he would like to have back. But you could see his enthusiasm, confidence and leadership. This was a huge building block moving forward for the franchise with a sigh of relief from everyone.

Austin Collie: The depth chart didn’t fool a lot of people. Too talented and polished to not immediately step into a prominent role. Already has chemistry with Lulay. Stays injury free and easily is a candidate for Top Canadian Award. Have heard no one ask him yet but I’m guessing he’s hoping to re-establish himself here to get another crack in the NFL next season?

Secondary: Gave up some plays but were around the ball most of the night. A Phillips knockdown or INT could have resulted in a much different ending. The new contact rule cost Parks an INT. Was fearing a big game from Ernest Jackson but an extremely quiet night until the late TD. Hardly heard Lee’s name mentioned the entire game. He must have been outstanding.

Shaq Murray Lawrence: Can’t teach that kind of speed and athleticism. No. 1 priority has to be working him more into the offence to spell off Harris.

Cons:
Offensive line: Farhan Lalji ripped this group’s play and for good reason. You better be close to dominant if you are playing three internationals up front. If Matt Norman’s 2014 performance wasn’t good enough then how did Foster grade out with two holding calls and getting pushed back into Harris on that failed 3rd down gamble? I’m fine with the Lions going with 3 Americans with this unit for the time being, but that should also open up a huge talent pool and surely there are better options than Foster and Draheim who also struggled at times.

H-back: Was expecting to see way more out of this position than last night. Morrah seemed to line-up as a 3rd receiver in the slot 90 percent of the time. If that’s the case then just play Shawn Gore there and get him closer to Lulay.

Defensive line: The biggest concern here is too many players are looking ineffective. Lack of talent or scheme? Probably both. Brooks at least showed some flashes. Just not sold on Westerman’s speed to be a DE. An offside flagged on him (it was actually Brooks) was a huge turning point of game. Wiped out 2nd down sack and RedBlacks went on to score.

Mark Washington: Escaped the blanket of firings at the end of last season despite his unit getting lit up over the final month, including the debacle in Montreal. His play calling is far too conservative and vanilla at times. Must be more creative in getting pressure.

Kicking game: McMann loves the directional punting and kickoffs. One instance Leone’s kickoff went to the 20, an offside call meant a redo and he kicked it 15 yards further because he had to. They also passed on a 52 yard FG late in the first half. Just unleash his leg. Again playing not to lose.
I remember Ricky Schmidt killing the ball with the Riders at BC Place then looking like a totally different kicker with the Lions last season. Sure hope this isn’t going to happen with Leone too.

[BC 1988]

As others have mentioned, Travis did look good in the first 3 quarters, but started to fade in the 4th. I think, at this early stage of playing following rehab, he needs to be managed like you would a pitcher in baseball (with a pitch count). The Lions should have planned for this by having a 2 QB system.