The Toronto Argos are lead by first year starter Trevor Harris, who is replacing the injured Ricky Ray. Harris, like Lulay, has had an excellent start to the season and in a number of ways, has been even more impressive. Harris came of age In the Argos second game of this season to lead the Argos on a last-minute touchdown drive to send the game into overtime and then threw two touchdown passes in extra time to lead Toronto to a 42-40 double-overtime victory over the Riders. But the Argos lost a close match to Calgary in their last game as their offence found the going tougher in the second half against Rich Stubler's complex defence.
Harris comes into this game with an 74.7% completion rate. He's thrown 9 touchdown passes and has an incredible 121.5 quarterback efficiency rating. Lulay has completed 66% of his passes so far this season, has thrown 6 touchdown passes so far, and has an excellent quarterback efficiency rating of 107.1
The Argos run a West Coast offence that takes what a defence gives them. Our Lions run a new hybrid tight end offence that last game, for the first time this season, featured the tight end as the primary receiver in our passing attack, as A.C. Leonard, playing his first game led our recievers in receptions. With Lulay passing and running, Harris running and receiving, and Arsenault stretching the defense deep our Leos got an early lead and then held on to victory.
This game has an early appearance of a battle between two quarterbacks who are enjoying early success this season and a battle between two different styles of offences that are off to very good starts. However, the outcome will likely be decided by which team's defence plays better and so far our Leos defense has not been good (and that is a huge understatement).
So the time of the week has arrived for KEYS TO THE GAME. While Lowell Ullrich of the Vancouver Province and Mike Beamish provide commendable insight into our B.C. Lions each week, the best pre-game analysis can be found in the combination of posts by Lionbackers, who each week bring their perspective and insight to our next B.C. Lions contest.(now how about that for a plug for Lionbackers
)Here are my KEYS TO THE GAME and as always, I and many others look forward to reading yours.
OFFENCE
RUN THE FOOTBALL
As already noted above both teams go into this game with their starting quarterbacks off to very good starts. Both have tailbacks in Whitaker (Argos) and Harris (Lions) who are double threat tailbacks. Both offences have a receiver (Owens, Arsenault) who create matchup problems.
But the keys to the success of our Leos offence in this game and the Argo offence as well are both teams respective offensive lines. The ability to run the football successfully will be very important
Last week we surprised the Riders with the read option, with Lulay faking to Harris and getting outside as the Riders defensive ends focused on crashing our inside running attack. The Argos have watched the tape and will be concerned with Lulay keeping it. That will keep the Argos ends focused on contain and will open up the off-tackle gaps. Our Leos need to exploit it. Harris comes into this game fifth in CFL rushing, with a 5.2 yd. average.
First down success with the run will set up good second down scenarios, allow us to use play action which favors Lulay's game, as well as providing possession receivers such as Leanard, Taylor, and Collie to work the Argos zone underneath.
PROTECT LULAY
A lot of attention has been focused on Travis Lulay, either passing or running, Andrew Harris (4th in the CFL in combined yards) and the deep threat of Manny Arsenault. But the most important key to our offence`s early success this season has been the protection that our offensive line has afforded Travis Lulay.
Wally Buono initially said we would start four National offensive lineman this season. He had signed Norman to a contract extension in the off-season and had Dean Valli, with his starters salary, pencilled at the starting guard spot. But Tedford, Cortez, and Malone saw things differently. They decided to go with an import in Foster at center, Fabian had won his spot at left guard before Norman`s injury, and they promoted Player to starting right guard over Valli. Steward was hurt at training camp and Draheim, who can play tackle and center, moved into the left tackle spot.^
Their decisions have paid big dividends so far. Lulay has had the kind of time to throw from the pocket that he never experienced in 2012 or 2013. Kevin Glenn, who is leading the best offence in the CFL so far in Riderville, with an astounding 500 yards of offence per game so far this year, found himself buried under an avalanche of pass rushers, on most downs, here in B.C. last season. Our Lions have given up the least sacks in the CFL so far. Lulay has only been sacked 2 times in our first three games. That low sack total has not been based on Lulay`s mobility. Lulay has been given very good protection.
That same type of protection against the Argos will be the key to our passing attack against the Argos.
Our B.C. Lions will start the same offensive line for the fourth game in a row. Foster, who was nicked in the third quarter against the Riders will start again at center.
Our Leos offence presently ranks second in the CFL to the Riders (503 average yds per game). We`ve averaged 362 yds. per game of offence in our first 3 games. Our offence will need to be good again in this game if we want to come away with our third straight victory.
REDUCE PENALTIES
Way too many penalties have been an unanticipated stat so far this season. Tedford is a coach who focuses on disciplined play and attention to detail. But defensively and on special teams those penalties have been costly. We`re the most penalized team in the CFL, while mostly avoiding the procedure calls that too often plagued us last year.
We`ve given up 362 yards in penalties in our first 3 games. That is quite simply unacceptable and needs to change.
DEFENCE
If we want to win this game our defense has to play better than it has this season and finished last season.
Quite simply, our defense has mostly been awful and the stats reflect it. We`ve given up the most average yards per game of any team in the CFL this season ( a whopping 448 yds. average per game). We're 8th in the CFL in giving up the most yards per catch (9.5 yds. per catch). To compare, the Eskimos only are giving up 6.8 yards per catch. So much for the notion that we are just giving up the short underneath stuff.
We`ve also given up the most average yards of rushing per game in the CFL...a very embarrasing average of 156. 3 yards per game. Our time of possession is 17. 09 per game. Compare that with Ottawa`s 33.14 per game. It`s terrible. Our defense is on the field giving up first downs for far too long and getting tired and our offence is watching from the sidelines. If this keeps up, our defense will be worn out by the half way point of the season this year.
The bend but don`t break concept is a fallacy. We`re 7th in the CFL in giving up the most points per game so far...a trend of getting scored upon that has also continued from the last part of the 2014 season. So what is the solution for this game and the remainder of this season?
NO MORE VANILLA, VANILLA, VANILLA
Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is definitely not the solution. Ryan Cranston said:
Our defense is breaking badly. The Argos don't run the football often but when they've handed off to Whitaker he has averaged 7.9 yards per carry so far. That is not a good omen. Whitaker is also ahead of Harris in combined yards and is a threat out of the backfield. The Argos complete 74% of their passes. They exploit what is there and based upon how vanilla our defense has played so far, they will find what is there easily.If you like vanilla, you're not going to like 'Breaking Bad' - you need to like a specific flavor that is unusual, that is different, that takes risks.
The Argos don't have Andre Durie, who is a matchup problem for defenses..The Argos, will have a new look offensive line for this game with Jeff Keeping back at center Van Rotten at right guard and their left tackle Campbell hurt. Jarriel King, will slot in to left tackle and he has played more right guard and right tackle for the Boatmen. This move can be exploited.
But we can't just choose vanilla on defense again and again. Throw in something else... butterscotch, butter pecan, chocolate ripple, black cherry, maple walnut. etc. There are a lot of different flavors of ice cream and a lot of different flavors of defensive strategies to use in a game.
Washington, like Benevedes and McMann is another Buono protégé. No matter what the opinions are, the results are facts - his defence is not performing. He has excellent assistants. Johnny Holland is an excellent linebacker coach, we brought in Robin Ross, who has a commendable background, and we hired an extra assistant to help in Willie Fields to help Washington with the defensive backs this season.
Washington has the best starting linebacking crew in the CFL with Sol E. and Bighill and tons of depth to utilize in Hoffman-Ellis and Lokombo. He has a talented defensive backfield that was significantly bolstered with the addition of Rwabukamba. Alex Bazzie. last season, had the third most sacks for a rookie in Lions history. Jerome Westerman is a very talented National defensive lineman. Zack Minter is one of the leading defensive tackles in the CFL so far statistically. Khareem Smith's sack total last season was up there with the CFL's best. There is just no excuse for our defense to be this bad so far this season nor was there an excuse for it to end so badly last year either.
Its time for Mark Washington to make significant changes to his defensive philosophy, scheme, strategies, and play calling.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Nice to return to a big positive. Murray-Lawrence leads the CFL in kick off return yardage, has a 23.0 return average, and has the longest kick return this season. Why we are not using him as a punt returner is an interesting question? Murray-Lawrence's speed could also be utilized in our offence on occasion but so far that really hasn't happened.
Tillman has been our main punt returner, with Iannuzzi fielding punts as well. So far the results are not stellar and both Logan and Brown have performed better for their new teams but that may also be a result of better blocking.
Richie Leone has the 2nd best punting average in the CFL (49.0 yd. average) in a season in which most punters are really kicking the hell out of the football. Toronto's Pfeffer is averging 48.9 yds per punt. But our net punting yardage is 39.1 to Toronto's 44.3 which means that our downfield punt coverage needs to improve.
WRAP
With both the Argos and our Leos at 2-1, with both teams executing very good offences, the team that comes to play defense will likely be the one that walks away victorious. Right now the Argos are the better defensive team. That will need to change on Friday night.
This is a key game for our Leos. A win would be huge. Go Leos go!!
