Changes you'd like to see over the bye week

[InUrFace]

Great post MexicoLionFan.

There is no one in the organization above Wally who has the background to question the decisions being made in the football operations. This is where Ackles is sorely missed, never mind the marketing side either.

When the Lions cut Tim Brown on May 24, just 10 days or so before training camp, I was naive enough to think Teford had simply found someone better and younger with his connections down south. Here we are today with the lead-footed Antolin doing nothing with return game while Brown continues to be very productive with a division rival that is already light years ahead of BC. Simply pathetic.

He also came here with this “quarterback whisperer” reputation yet there is no willingness to give a youngster like Jennings quality playing time to excel his development. The Lions are hitched to Lulay regardless of how bad he struggles at times and it’s a 34-year-old back-up behind him. Extremely discouraging for this franchise moving forward.

I know Tedford came back to the CFL for the health reasons to avoid the longer hours and stress that comes with high-profile positions down south but I was hoping he would be a hell of lot more hands on than he has been thus far.

To tell you the truth this starts with Wally. I believe he is telling Jeff to continue with Lulay. Why money he is being payed even though they adjusted his contract he is still getting a lot. Wally is forcing the issue with this. That is also why the offense is so out of wack. They are using the same play book because of Lulay being at QB. I feel if it was Jennings out there we would see an attacking and new scheme offense. This is all Wallys fault. Forcing things to happen when they dont work. He is know for this. His way or the exit. As for this D I believe Washington is out of place and out of mind. He has no freaking clue how to run a defense or put blitz packages and different looks together. Instead he uses the same Calg D schemes as Wally. Hes scared to be creative. While he should be scared of getting fired. So why not make adjustments with the D.
This team is hard to watch period in all aspects. Special teams. Well whats special about them Nada. Garbage blocking for KR and PR. They have nothing going. Mcmann should of been shown the exit by now. Period!
This team doesnt need to do soul searching or self searching or what ever they want to call it. They need to wake the F*** up and start from scratch like its beginning of the season. Meaning new play book, schemes, ideas, different looks and right personnel changes, positions where the players are a good fit. Not miss placed. Use there strengths and skill sets ...not make them fit into the play book make the play book fit them. I believe if we dont see in the next game or three massive changes ... ITS GAME OVER! Till next year and hopefully Wally will step down and had enough before his contract is done next season. Personally if hes back next year I think Im done until he is gone. Cant handle another one like now.

[CardiacKid]

When the Lions cut Tim Brown on May 24, just 10 days or so before training camp, I was naive enough to think Teford had simply found someone better and younger with his connections down south. Here we are today with the lead-footed Antolin doing nothing with return game while Brown continues to be very productive with a division rival that is already light years ahead of BC.

There are a number of things I would like to see changed; most of which have already been touched on. I really want to see some upgrades in the special teams, in particular the return game. The offence would really benefit from getting a shorter field; I believe Lulay really began to blossom as a quarterback when Yonus Davis was setting up the offence with a shorter field and moving Travis out from the shadow of his goalposts. And the fact we have a quality punter, a quality returner would be huge for tilting the battle over field position.

When it comes to Tedford's plans for the return game, I can only guess his plans were to utilize Lavelle Hawkins as the primary returner and jettisoned Brown. But of course, Hawkins broke his arm and the rest is history. Murray-Lawrence has been bit of a revelation and deserves more time as both punt and kick returner; why he hasn't been given that time is bit of a mystery. If Tedford is not prepared to give SML more touches in the return game, I hope he is prepared to look for quality elsewhere. And if he doesn't have any diamonds in the rough lined up, well...I hope he is taking suggestions.

Etauj Allen was a training camp cut of the Eskimoes as he was unable to unseat Kendial Lawrence and make the conversion to receiver from db. But his return game has got game...big time. He runs a 4.4 40yd dash which is marginally faster than Murray-Lawrence and has been compared to Brandon Banks.

From NFL.com:
STRENGTHS Excels as a punt returner. Has excellent suddenness to avoid phone-booth traffic and has instant acceleration to escape from side door and around corner....Punt-return specialist who averaged 18.4 yards per return with three touchdowns in 2014. Allen lacks size, but he has toughness and traits that could free him as a punt returner on the next level.

From Gil Brandt:
Five NFL teams were in attendance [at Henderson State], and the day’s standout player was Etauj Allen (5-foot-9 1/8, 171 pounds) from Ouachita Baptist. He posted 40 times of 4.40 and 4.46 seconds, including a 10-yard split of 1.48, which is phenomenal. He also had a 33-inch vertical, a 9-10 broad jump, a 4.44 shuttle, a 7.15 3-cone drill, and 10 strength lifts. Allen is one of the top punt returners in the country in terms of average, and with his speed and quickness, a team is likely to bring him into camp.

I would be happy to send Tedford and Wally some film if need be....

[JohnHenry]

I believe the Lions brain-trust wanted to clean out the deadwood and develop some new players this season. They are the youngest team in the league (especially after getting rid of McCallum). Logan looked used up last year as a RB and lacked his usual burst on returns, although he's looked rejuvenated in Mtl this season. It was cutting Brown which hurt the most. The Lions have been trying to get rid of him for the last two seasons, but he was just too good. I guess he lacked the breakaway speed to take it to the house...but Brown wasn't a problem that needed fixing. Antolin seemed woefully out of shape his first couple games but has slimmed down and regained some quickness.

The Lions could do a lot worse than Wally as GM and probably Tedford too. If the Lions were 5-3 instead of 3-5, fans wouldn't be questioning the coach and GM. A bounce one way or the other can often mean the difference between winning and losing...and a coach can only be as good as the players he has to work with. I don't think good coaches get stupid all-of-a-sudden which results in the team losing.

I know every time the Lions lose a couple games, many fans demand Wally, Chaps, Dorazio, McCann, Washington and Dickey Dee the ice-cream truck driver be fired. Then when the team turns it around and and wins a few games...those suggestions seem foolish in hindsight. It could be worse. In Wpg they haven't won the Cup for 25 years. Now fans there want to clean house of their GM and coaches and start over. That's what losing franchises do. Wally is a great football man and we are lucky to have him. Tedford has excellent credentials and I'll bet he'll turn out to be a good coach too. The team just needs to win.

While the Lions defence has it's issues, I believe there's something very wrong with the offence. I don't want to name names and call out tenured coaches whom I'm sure are trying their best...but there seems to be a disconnect between the coach, QB and receivers.

Another factor could be that the Lions "re-structured" Lulay's contract this off-season. Instead of letting the injured QB play out the option year of his signed contract, the team requested a "re-structuring" or Travis possibly could have been released. The restructuring was likely to reduce his base salary and add a "starting bonus" (which would bring his salary back up his previous level if he started all 18 games, for example.) The Lions did not extend the deal, so Travis can sign with any team next season. So that's where we're at. Potentially QB'less next season (see Bombers pre-Willy). Will Travis still want to sacrifice his body for the BC Lions, to plunge for that 1st down, scramble in traffic, when he has to keep his body intact to sign a new contract next season?

If Lulay isn't in the Lions plans for next year and allowing him to play out his option is a strong indication (which normally is a Wally taboo) they need to find out if Beck and Jennings can play. I liked the zip Beck had on his passes in the Hamilton game. So far he's completed 26 of 53 passes for 384 yds as a Lion with 6 Td's and no picks. Beck also had a 24-yd scamper in the Ticat game. Jennings looked great in camp and preseason so perhaps he could be given a shot if Travis can't get it going. Other QB options might include R. Ray, H. Burris, K. Glenn, D. Tate, J. Crompton.

[Toppy Vann]

I too am thrilled to see the deadwood thriving as kick returners - Brown with the Stamps (just just before TC) and Logan with the Als.

Freaking brilliant move to make room for Antolin.

Calgary Combined Return Yards after 8 games.
1. Brown, T CGY 999
2. Parker, A OTT 22
3. Hecht, J CGY 4

Montreal:

1. Logan, S MTL 1,009
2. Ellis, D MTL 26
3. Joseph, J MTL 10
4. Klassen, M MTL 4

BC Lions

1. Murray-lawrence, S BC 477
2. Antolin, K BC 270
3. Tillman, A BC 120
4. Iannuzzi, M BC 96
5. Westerman, J BC 32

The Lions total for these 5 players is 995.

Like they say "Wally knows best."

However if you added the called back Logan returns and I'm not sure about Tim Brown's this season (I think fewer than Logan) you'd not be able to get close to his numbers. Logan had a 102 yarder called back against OTT.

Tim Brown was highly regarded apparently as the HC then said and the media reports even when he was shafted and sitting on the PR. Now Calgary is a class organization and is not playing games with him. He gives that team a lift as does Logan. You can their STs can't wait to get out to bring back a kick as these dudes can break it open and they know what they are doing.

Another electric returner is Banks with the Ticats and he's had lot called back and no one would call him deadwood. Hot head maybe.


Combined Return Yards
1. Banks, B HAM 764
2. Sinkfield Jr., T HAM 48
3. Collins, J HAM 11
4. Daly, M HAM 7
5. Primé, C HAM -2

[Fred.Fonce]

Since WB moved upstairs we've seen two head coaches paralyzed in indecision, poor personnel deployment, ineffective coordinators, suboptimal player recruitment and less than adequate results. In addition we have a president that appears to have no authority to make changes. This is Wally's team and Wally's problem. I wasn't a MB fan so I will leave that aside but for sure Jeff Tedford didn't get stupid as soon as he crossed the border....getting reacquainted with the CFL for sure, give him that. I've witnessed this first hand in a $6B multi-national corporation...where a new CEO came in and paralyzed our company with indecision, back stabbing, and poor personnel and strategic decisions. WB was an effective HC...he is a lousy GM and as a hall of famer, his shadow is large and intimidating in this organization.
I thought the Montreal game was worse than the Hamilton game...a total beat down can happen, just isn't our day kind of thing, especially against the best team in the league. But the Montreal game was winnable on every level, and they had no scheme, no personnel, no push back, nothing. This is all on WB.

[WestCoastJoe]

Since WB moved upstairs we've seen two head coaches paralyzed in indecision, poor personnel deployment, ineffective coordinators, suboptimal player recruitment and less than adequate results. In addition we have a president that appears to have no authority to make changes. This is Wally's team and Wally's problem. I wasn't a MB fan so I will leave that aside but for sure Jeff Tedford didn't get stupid as soon as he crossed the border....getting reacquainted with the CFL for sure, give him that. I've witnessed this first hand in a $6B multi-national corporation...where a new CEO came in and paralyzed our company with indecision, back stabbing, and poor personnel and strategic decisions. WB was an effective HC...he is a lousy GM and as a hall of famer, his shadow is large and intimidating in this organization.
I thought the Montreal game was worse than the Hamilton game...a total beat down can happen, just isn't our day kind of thing, especially against the best team in the league. But the Montreal game was winnable on every level, and they had no scheme, no personnel, no push back, nothing. This is all on WB.

Good post. Keep 'em coming.

[B.C.FAN]

The Lions could do a lot worse than Wally as GM and probably Tedford too. If the Lions were 5-3 instead of 3-5, fans wouldn't be questioning the coach and GM. A bounce one way or the other can often mean the difference between winning and losing...and a coach can only be as good as the players he has to work with. I don't think good coaches get stupid all-of-a-sudden which results in the team losing.

I know every time the Lions lose a couple games, many fans demand Wally, Chaps, Dorazio, McCann, Washington and Dickey Dee the ice-cream truck driver be fired. Then when the team turns it around and and wins a few games...those suggestions seem foolish in hindsight. It could be worse. In Wpg they haven't won the Cup for 25 years. Now fans there want to clean house of their GM and coaches and start over. That's what losing franchises do. Wally is a great football man and we are lucky to have him. Tedford has excellent credentials and I'll bet he'll turn out to be a good coach too. The team just needs to win.

Yeah, fans are fickle. With Chapdelaine, Dorazio and Benevides gone, Wally and Washington have become the fans' favourite whipping boys. I always try to fight the urge to believe the coaches are stupid. I appreciate your more balanced perspective. It's still early in the season and in Tedford's tenure with a young team. I'm still optimistic that things will improve in the second half of the season.

[InUrFace]

Since WB moved upstairs we've seen two head coaches paralyzed in indecision, poor personnel deployment, ineffective coordinators, suboptimal player recruitment and less than adequate results. In addition we have a president that appears to have no authority to make changes. This is Wally's team and Wally's problem. I wasn't a MB fan so I will leave that aside but for sure Jeff Tedford didn't get stupid as soon as he crossed the border....getting reacquainted with the CFL for sure, give him that. I've witnessed this first hand in a $6B multi-national corporation...where a new CEO came in and paralyzed our company with indecision, back stabbing, and poor personnel and strategic decisions. WB was an effective HC...he is a lousy GM and as a hall of famer, his shadow is large and intimidating in this organization.
I thought the Montreal game was worse than the Hamilton game...a total beat down can happen, just isn't our day kind of thing, especially against the best team in the league. But the Montreal game was winnable on every level, and they had no scheme, no personnel, no push back, nothing. This is all on WB.

I Am glad you feel the same way I do. Ever since Wally became GM we have not gotten the right coaching staff the right type of players for the position they came for and still the same play book for O and D is given to every coach that comes to this organization. Its Wallys rep that keeps him here but also his bad rep to players that keep them away. So how to fix this problem, like I have been saying either he steps down or be fired after season ends. When this happpens then who is the right candidate to replace him. Any suggestions. Would Jeff have what it takes ? Or would it be someone Wally picks before stepping down which will even be a worse situation. Maybe he keeps it in the fam and gives it to his daughter. loljk On a serious note who would fit here as a GM ...Any suggestions ?

[Toppy Vann]

Manny Arseneaux keeps proving Rick Moffatt right:

Emmanuel Arceneaux @arceneaux84
I'm out here helping build a kid's Future & these foolish ppl still talking about an interview, C'mon I have way more important stuff to do
9:21 AM - 25 Aug 2015
1 1 Retweet 4 4 favorites

BUT this says that he still hasn't grasped how his TWO interviews have shown disrespect for not only the Alouettes who won but his team, the Lions itself and the CFL.

Like in business you have to listen to the conversations your staff are having as to what their issues are, the Lions need to do this too.

Arseneaux might have changed his twitter from "The Manny Show" to Arseneaux84 but his tone of defiance will have repercussions across the CFL with no love gained from anyone like media.

Funny the Lions don't seem to care so if they don't care - then should fans even bother with this lot?

It's a long season and the record isn't 0 and 5 but the trend like the stock market is down with no signs yet of a bounce back.

[CardiacKid]

I clearly remember the team making that long, lonely walk up the ramp to their portable dressing room at Empire Field after that fifth-straight loss to start the season in 2011. A more abject group of grown men I have never seen up close; the body-language on display made me think they would never regain the confidence needed to win a game that year. Let that time serve as a blueprint...don't blow up the team. Tedford has enjoyed success and that success likely screwed with our collective expectations. It certainly skewed mine and leaves me feeling disappointed in the moment. But the youth of this team and Tedford's undeniable pedigree still leaves me optimistic for the future.

But those 2011 Lions did make some alterations. So......

To paraphrase Bill Clinton, “It’s our under-sized interior line, stupid”!
I can’t shed any new light on our d-line woes….but will repeat the usual refrain.
-move Westerman back inside and play Roh outside. I see the d-line working it's ass off game in and game out but they are too often mismatched.
-I want to see Maxx Forde get some playing time as he was reported as having the best analytics in the draft despite going in the last round. Sit Smith to get him that time.
-If Minter and McFarland are not deemed good enough by the coaching staff, go sign Demonte Bolden and Torrey Davis. The interior has to get bigger…no more DT Smurf.

On offense:
-Adekolu and Burnham in place of Gore and Taylor. The one thing I have taken from Adekolu’s limited reps, he puts his body on the line to make a catch.
-Hire a quarterback consultant to work with Travis a la Jeff Garcia in Montreal. I know Tedford is the quarterback guru but I suspect he is spread thin these days. Plus Travis has and needs his mental toughness, I would hate to think he is in danger of loosing his mental edge because of how recent games have gone down.
-Add to the playbook some plays especially created for Jennings.
-Mush up some anti-OCD meds into Cortez’s food, he needs some help to let go of those old schemes, etc.

In general:
-Hire a sport psychologist; the players look tighter than a drum.
-Coach and scheme to create points; attempt to block punts, line guys up onside during punts, etc. Can’t score points the conventional way? Scratch and claw for anything you can get!

[DanoT]

The thing with both Westerman and Loh playing out of position by design and not necessity, is that if it had worked then we would be in awe of Tedford's genius, instead he is sticking with this failed experiment and it is insanity. That pretty much defines this team for me.

[B.C.FAN]

The thing with both Westerman and Loh playing out of position by design and not necessity, is that if it had worked then we would be in awe of Tedford's genius, instead he is sticking with this failed experiment and it is insanity. That pretty much defines this team for me.

Roh has surprised me by getting 4 sacks, which leads the team and puts him in a crowded 8-way tie for 8th in the league standings, 2 behind THE league leaders, but he has just 11 tackles overall.

Tackles (sacks) by defensive linemen:
Brooks 31 (1)
Westerman 16 (0)
Roh 11 (4)
Smith 11 (3)
Bazzie 11 (2)
Menard 5 (1)

[MexicoLionFan]

The Lions could do a lot worse than Wally as GM and probably Tedford too. If the Lions were 5-3 instead of 3-5, fans wouldn't be questioning the coach and GM. A bounce one way or the other can often mean the difference between winning and losing...and a coach can only be as good as the players he has to work with. I don't think good coaches get stupid all-of-a-sudden which results in the team losing.

I know every time the Lions lose a couple games, many fans demand Wally, Chaps, Dorazio, McCann, Washington and Dickey Dee the ice-cream truck driver be fired. Then when the team turns it around and and wins a few games...those suggestions seem foolish in hindsight. It could be worse. In Wpg they haven't won the Cup for 25 years. Now fans there want to clean house of their GM and coaches and start over. That's what losing franchises do. Wally is a great football man and we are lucky to have him. Tedford has excellent credentials and I'll bet he'll turn out to be a good coach too. The team just needs to win.

Yeah, fans are fickle. With Chapdelaine, Dorazio and Benevides gone, Wally and Washington have become the fans' favourite whipping boys. I always try to fight the urge to believe the coaches are stupid. I appreciate your more balanced perspective. It's still early in the season and in Tedford's tenure with a young team. I'm still optimistic that things will improve in the second half of the season.

Scotoma...people will see what they NEED to see in any situation, regardless of what is really there. Two nights ago I had a long conversation with a good friend of mine who played in the CFL for a lot of years, and still keeps in touch with the game...I gave him my viewpoint on things and asked him to comment...he said that if Wally wasn't such a omnipresent figure in Vancouver, the situation would be massively different right now. He said that its been obvious for years that the Lions have IGNORED the trends of what is working in the CFL, he called it a "stubbornness to see the obvious" that could only come from the top (Buono). He also said that the Lions still think that they are attracting top talent and developing young players and THEY'RE NOT, and that the full consequences in failing in these key areas hasn't been fully realized yet. His "best guess" as to what was going to happen in Vancouver was that things were only going to get worse, a LOT WORSE, until Wally steps aside. He said that its clear that Wally STILL has control over the HC even with what it happening on the field, as "there's no way that Jeff Tedford is this stupid or slow to react"!

Basically he said that the press, not only in VAN but all around the league, would be a lot harsher than it is if it wasn't for Buono's presence, and that only when the whole thing comes crashing down around Wally's shoulders will the full truth of what has been going on in Vancouver over the last 5 years be fully revealed. It's his belief that Wally has continued to "coach" the Lions since he retired and has down so "quietly" through manipulation and secrecy...and this is from a guy who is the Vice President of an International Corporate entity that lives in TOR!

Again, everyone can believe what they wish, but to say that "some fans here" have rushed to judgment of Buono and Co. is beyond laughable. Since CFL teams last season figured out Mark Washington's cheat, they have DECIMATED a talented group and its only getting worse...our Special Teams are the worst in the CFL and that's with the league's best overall kicker. And our Offence is ANYTHING but a resemblance of Jeff Tedford's past, so WHAT GIVES? I can't help but think there are a few people here that are Kevin Bacon in Animal House, trying to assure themselves that "everything is ok", when its CLEARLY NOT!

To be very clear, from my own perspective, I feel that the Lion's franchise is in real trouble because our talent base, especially in the "Skilled" positions has sunk to the bottom of the league. Add to that the worst coaching in the league that is only teaching BAD HABITS and you have a LONG TERM FIX, not a short one. Whether Tedford stays or not doesn't really matter at this point because until the GM of this team starts to guide this franchise in the direction of a smart, fast, tough, aggressive football team, we are only going to continue to get worse, and LOOK AWFUL doing it...not something a resident of Vancouver will want to support live in an expensive city! And a fan base sinking below the "Mendoza line" is likely the most accurate judgment of what is happening with the Lions, but again, the human brain will see what it needs to see.

[TheLionKing]

Scotoma...people will see what they NEED to see in any situation, regardless of what is really there. Two nights ago I had a long conversation with a good friend of mine who played in the CFL for a lot of years, and still keeps in touch with the game...I gave him my viewpoint on things and asked him to comment...he said that if Wally wasn't such a omnipresent figure in Vancouver, the situation would be massively different right now. He said that its been obvious for years that the Lions have IGNORED the trends of what is working in the CFL, he called it a "stubbornness to see the obvious" that could only come from the top (Buono). He also said that the Lions still think that they are attracting top talent and developing young players and THEY'RE NOT, and that the full consequences in failing in these key areas hasn't been fully realized yet. His "best guess" as to what was going to happen in Vancouver was that things were only going to get worse, a LOT WORSE, until Wally steps aside. He said that its clear that Wally STILL has control over the HC even with what it happening on the field, as "there's no way that Jeff Tedford is this stupid or slow to react"!

Basically he said that the press, not only in VAN but all around the league, would be a lot harsher than it is if it wasn't for Buono's presence, and that only when the whole thing comes crashing down around Wally's shoulders will the full truth of what has been going on in Vancouver over the last 5 years be fully revealed. It's his belief that Wally has continued to "coach" the Lions since he retired and has down so "quietly" through manipulation and secrecy...and this is from a guy who is the Vice President of an International Corporate entity that lives in TOR!

X2

[David]

I encourage you to listen to this podcast (ff to near the end at 58:10) to hear how defensive Wally gets - which lends credence to the fact that he's heavily involved in on-field scheme/personnel decisions:

http://www.tsn.ca/radio/vancouver-1040- ... 3-1.343628

There are several factual errors in Wally's defense:

"By putting Biggie as the over guy, it plays to Biggie's athleticism"
No. Having him play linebacker and inserting a dime back in passing situations plays to the team's strengths.

"Craig Roh is 6'3" 270+ lbs - Jabar Westerman is 6'0, maybe 262 lbs."
Not according to their roster. Roh is 6'5" 265.* Westerman is 6'2" 285.

"Craig Roh is a much much better run player with his stoutness coming from Michigan"
Roh was a linebacker/rush end at U of M

"We don't want to play the 300lb guys again because you need to be able to chase the quarterback.
Really? There are still a lot of very effective 300lb defensive linemen in this league."


* according to this Vancouver Sun article by Mike Beamish on 7/22, Roh has trouble keeping his weight up:

"....Both Roh, who has trouble keeping up his weight (a good problem to have unless you’re a football player) and Jabar Westerman, a defensive tackle by trade in his first year playing on the outside, are adjusting to positions not normally considered their sweet spot. Defensive tackle Michael Brooks, another first-year starter, is also new to the CFL, leaving D-end and senior citizen Khreem Smith as the only constant from last season....” full article here.



DH