Bellefille to join Lions:

[The_Pauser]

Bellefeuille was fired in Winnipeg; he did not leave willingly. His offences have a penchant for giving up a lot of sacks so hopefully that trend won't continue in B.C.

Exactly. Drew Willy has been a pinata for the past 2 seasons.

How much of that is the result of having poor personnel on the Oline?

[DanoT]

Based on Bellefeuille 's mediocre past successes, I'm not much of a fan but I guess there really isn't too much available O coaching talent out there.

I hope Lulay has a prominent role in game planning. In fact, I would be more comfortable having Lulay calling plays than play calling that I have seen from Jones or Bellefeuille in the past.

[Ravi]

Bellefeuille was fired in Winnipeg; he did not leave willingly. His offences have a penchant for giving up a lot of sacks so hopefully that trend won't continue in B.C.

Exactly. Drew Willy has been a pinata for the past 2 seasons.

How much of that is the result of having poor personnel on the Oline?

I don't know that personnel was the problem this year. Back in '07, Bellefeuille was the offensive coordinator in Montreal and that o-line gave up more sacks that season than they would over the next two or three years combined IIRC. Either KIrk Penton or Paul Friesen wrote a good column recently summing up how mediocre, at best, Bellefeuille has been as an offensive coordinator over the past decade or so.

[QB Club 63]

Thanks for get well wishes. I feel much better today, about 60% recovered, but cannot work till New Year. After Christmas, we should hear more news. Looking for that ST coach now. Now that is crap shoot. No rumours at all who they are looking at.

I've mentioned his name in coaching discussions before, so I'll say it again. If #19 Paris Jackson is finished with playing I think he'd be a good candidate for ST coach. He's a smart guy who knows the CFL game. As a teams player, he was particularly effective on the short kickoff "Hands" team. Yes, the little bit of coaching experience he would bring is high school and throwing camp level, but I see tremendous potential, plus I think Wally would be comfortable with PJack around.

[BC 1988]

How much of that is the result of having poor personnel on the Oline?

I don't know that personnel was the problem this year. Back in '07, Bellefeuille was the offensive coordinator in Montreal and that o-line gave up more sacks that season than they would over the next two or three years combined IIRC. Either KIrk Penton or Paul Friesen wrote a good column recently summing up how mediocre, at best, Bellefeuille has been as an offensive coordinator over the past decade or so.

I found the Penton article for August 31 and November 10. It's obvious that WPG decided Lapo would be a better option, and why.
http://www.winnipegsun.com/2015/08/31/w ... belle-fail
http://m.edmontonsun.com/2015/11/10/mar ... ot-renewed

Monday, August 31, 2015 08:53 PM CDT
It appears Marcel Bellefeuille has forgotten how to protect his quarterback.

As a result, his offences get worse with each stop he makes across the CFL.

A closer look at his previous six seasons as an offensive co-ordinator makes it clear what his preferences are. He loves to run the football more than most, but the result has never been one of the league's most potent attacks.

The most points a Bellefeuille offence has scored in a season was his first as a co-ordinator, in 2003 with the Roughriders. His average this year with the Bombers has dipped to fewer than 19 points per game, all the way down to 18.7, and Winnipeg's offence is the worst in the league by most other indicators as well.

The one area where it's really gone wrong for Bellefeuille since his glory days in Saskatchewan is keeping his quarterbacks upright. He did an excellent job of it with the Roughriders, but then again his quarterbacks were the mobile Nealon Greene and Henry Burris.

It's not the end of the world if a football team gives up the most sacks. If it has the most pass attempts, it likely should give up the most sacks – and vice versa. If you add up the rankings of passes attempted and sacks allowed, the total should be one more than the number of teams there are in the league. In their last four seasons Bellefeuille's offences have given up the most sacks while being in the bottom half of the league when it comes to pass attempts.

That is not good.

The Bombers feel they have better talent on the field this season. While that is true it's still not good enough, so by no means is Bellefeuille the only reason for Winnipeg's 3-6 mark at the midway point of the season. It's just that his offence sticks out like a sore thumb.

There are many factors that go into an offence's statistics, from the strength of the offensive line to injuries to the kind of offensive players on the roster, but the bottom line is Bellefeuille's quarterbacks have been getting crushed since he left Saskatchewan a decade ago.

Winnipeg allowed a franchise record 71 sacks last season. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2008 gave up 67 sacks. And in the most damning statistic, Anthony Calvillo and the Alouettes quarterbacks got dropped a whopping 68 times in 2007 behind one of the league's best offensive lines. This year the Bombers have already allowed a league-high 31 sacks behind what team claims is a better offensive line. That figure is more than Bellefeuille's Saskatchewan squads gave up in each of the 2003, 2004 and 2005 campaigns.

In other words, there were plenty of warning signs before Bellefeuille was brought to Winnipeg in August 2013 that the team's quarterbacks could be in danger. Drew Willy's play tailed off last season due to the repeated punishment he took, and now he's on the shelf for at least another month, and possibly for the rest of the season, with a knee injury sustained on Aug. 9. That occurred two weeks after another injury to the same knee in Edmonton.

Even the mobile Robert Marve got sacked five times on Saturday night in the team's 36-8 loss to the Calgary Stampeders.

So Bellefeuille defenders might be able to point out he can't do much with backup quarterbacks like Justin Goltz, Max Hall, Brian Brohm and Marve – and that's a discussion that needs to take place as well – but it appears Bellefeuille's schemes aren't helping the starter stay healthy.

Bombers head coach Mike O'Shea dismissed questions about Bellefeuille's ability to protect the quarterback in the wake of Willy's injury, saying Winnipeg uses the same protection schemes as everyone else in the league.

If that's the case, then it's time for the Bombers to try something different, because what they're doing now isn't working.

So the big question going into the 53rd Labour Day Classic this Sunday against the Roughriders is this: What are they going to do about it?

Tuesday, November 10, 2015, 12:31 PM
The Marcel Bellefeuille era is officially over in Winnipeg.

It was a move that was going to be made at some point this off-season, but the team decided to get it over with early, announcing this morning that the offensive co-ordinator's contract will not be renewed for the 2016 season.

Winnipeg's offence struggled mightily under Bellefeuille's guidance. It scored the fewest points in the CFL this season, mustering only 17.2 points per game. Last year the offence managed only 19.4 points per game, which was the fourth worst mark in the league.

Bellefeuille joined the Bombers in August 2013, a week before then offensive co-ordinator Gary Crowton was fired. Bellefeuille took control for the rest of the campaign, and the Bombers still scored the fewest points in the league, at 18.1 per game.

The Bombers were without starting quarterback Drew Willy for all but seven games of the 2015 season, which both Willy and head coach Mike O'Shea have mentioned recently as a big reason why the Blue and Gold failed to make the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

One aspect this season that shared characteristics of other Bellefeuille-led offences was the number of sacks surrendered. Winnipeg gave up a franchise worst 71 last season, and this year they gave up 59, which were the second most in the league.

O'Shea will now go about finding a new offensive boss. CFL sources tell the Sun the Bombers have already approached former Winnipeg head coach and offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice to gauge his interest in the job, while other options are B.C. Lions receivers coach Khari Jones and current Bombers receivers coach Markus Howell.

“This has to be someone who can come in and initiate change in our offence and give us a great opportunity to win offensively every week,” O'Shea said in a press release. “We feel we have a franchise quarterback and some solid pieces around him. Our offensive staff, led by our new co-ordinator, will be charged with getting better production from our offensive unit.”

Meanwhile, the Bombers had two players named to the CFL West Division all-star team this morning. Defensive end Jamaal Westerman, who finished second in the CFL with 17 sacks, and cornerback Johnny Adams, who co-led the league with six interceptions, both got nods.

[WestCoastJoe]

I found the Penton article for August 31 and November 10. It's obvious that WPG decided Lapo would be a better option, and why.
http://www.winnipegsun.com/2015/08/31/w ... belle-fail
http://m.edmontonsun.com/2015/11/10/mar ... ot-renewed

Thanks for posting the article, BC1988.

[WestCoastJoe]

It appears Marcel Bellefeuille has forgotten how to protect his quarterback.

As a result, his offences get worse with each stop he makes across the CFL.

Great. Just what we need. Wally has had a number of offences that put the QB in harm's way.

A closer look at his previous six seasons as an offensive co-ordinator makes it clear what his preferences are. He loves to run the football more than most, but the result has never been one of the league's most potent attacks.

Mediocre results for Marcel.

The most points a Bellefeuille offence has scored in a season was his first as a co-ordinator, in 2003 with the Roughriders. His average this year with the Bombers has dipped to fewer than 19 points per game, all the way down to 18.7, and Winnipeg's offence is the worst in the league by most other indicators as well.

Worst in the league? Hooray. He is our guy.

The one area where it's really gone wrong for Bellefeuille since his glory days in Saskatchewan is keeping his quarterbacks upright. He did an excellent job of it with the Roughriders, but then again his quarterbacks were the mobile Nealon Greene and Henry Burris.

It's not the end of the world if a football team gives up the most sacks. If it has the most pass attempts, it likely should give up the most sacks – and vice versa. If you add up the rankings of passes attempted and sacks allowed, the total should be one more than the number of teams there are in the league. In their last four seasons Bellefeuille's offences have given up the most sacks while being in the bottom half of the league when it comes to pass attempts.

That is not good.

Oh boy.

There are many factors that go into an offence's statistics, from the strength of the offensive line to injuries to the kind of offensive players on the roster, but the bottom line is Bellefeuille's quarterbacks have been getting crushed since he left Saskatchewan a decade ago.

A track record of poor QB protection.

Winnipeg allowed a franchise record 71 sacks last season. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2008 gave up 67 sacks. And in the most damning statistic, Anthony Calvillo and the Alouettes quarterbacks got dropped a whopping 68 times in 2007 behind one of the league's best offensive lines. This year the Bombers have already allowed a league-high 31 sacks behind what team claims is a better offensive line. That figure is more than Bellefeuille's Saskatchewan squads gave up in each of the 2003, 2004 and 2005 campaigns.

71 sacks.

In other words, there were plenty of warning signs before Bellefeuille was brought to Winnipeg in August 2013 that the team's quarterbacks could be in danger. Drew Willy's play tailed off last season due to the repeated punishment he took, and now he's on the shelf for at least another month, and possibly for the rest of the season, with a knee injury sustained on Aug. 9. That occurred two weeks after another injury to the same knee in Edmonton.

Injured QB.

Bombers head coach Mike O'Shea dismissed questions about Bellefeuille's ability to protect the quarterback in the wake of Willy's injury, saying Winnipeg uses the same protection schemes as everyone else in the league.

And then O'Shea fired Bellefeuille. Schemes are one thing. How they are coached is another. Teams might have tried to run the Green Bay Sweep made famous by Lombardi. But they would not have the same success. RBs? Lombardi succeeded with more than Taylor and Hornung. OLine talent? Find it. Train it. Easier said that done? Yup.

Winnipeg's offence struggled mightily under Bellefeuille's guidance. It scored the fewest points in the CFL this season, mustering only 17.2 points per game. Last year the offence managed only 19.4 points per game, which was the fourth worst mark in the league.

Fewest points.

One aspect this season that shared characteristics of other Bellefeuille-led offences was the number of sacks surrendered. Winnipeg gave up a franchise worst 71 last season, and this year they gave up 59, which were the second most in the league.

59 sacks.
..............

Meanwhile, the Bombers had two players named to the CFL West Division all-star team this morning. Defensive end Jamaal Westerman, who finished second in the CFL with 17 sacks, and cornerback Johnny Adams, who co-led the league with six interceptions, both got nods.

Oh yeah. We failed to sign the free agent brother of our Jabar Westerman. All Jamaal did was get 17 sacks this year.
..............

So, how is the off season going so far?

Too negative? It is staring us right in the face.

Keep the hopes up. Maybe Marcel will have an epiphany in terms of protecting the QB, and generating high powered offence.

If Wally can make our team competitive, he will have worked a minor miracle, it seems to this fan. And credit will be due. Faint hope? Perhaps.

[The_Pauser]

..............

Meanwhile, the Bombers had two players named to the CFL West Division all-star team this morning. Defensive end Jamaal Westerman, who finished second in the CFL with 17 sacks, and cornerback Johnny Adams, who co-led the league with six interceptions, both got nods.

Oh yeah. We failed to sign the free agent brother of our Jabar Westerman. All Jamaal did was get 17 sacks this year.
..............

Jamaal didn't want to play with his brother.

[WestCoastJoe]

If Wally can make our team competitive, he will have worked a minor miracle, it seems to this fan. And credit will be due. Faint hope? Perhaps.

Competitive? 10 and 8. A few years ago, that would have been disappointing.

Coming off a season of 7 and 11, 10 and 8 would sound pretty good.

[The_Pauser]

If Wally can make our team competitive, he will have worked a minor miracle, it seems to this fan. And credit will be due. Faint hope? Perhaps.

Competitive? 10 and 8. A few years ago, that would have been disappointing.

Coming off a season of 7 and 11, 10 and 8 would sound pretty good.

10 and 8 isn't bad, considering the team is rebuilding. Youngest team in the CFL last year, completely revamped defense. New starting QB. We should be better this year

[maxlion]

Posted this in another thread, should have posted here. According to Farhan, Marcel was hired as receivers coach. If true, it's a good hire. He has a good knowledge of the CFL, and could help with the draft as well.

[BC 1988]

Posted this in another thread, should have posted here. According to Farhan, Marcel was hired as receivers coach. If true, it's a good hire. He has a good knowledge of the CFL, and could help with the draft as well.

Yes, that's a relief if Bellefeuille is only going to coach receivers.
It's interesting (in the Nov 10 Penton article above) that WPG was considering Khari Jones for OC before getting Lapo. So they thought Jones would be a step up from Bellefeuille?

[maxlion]

10 and 8 isn't bad, considering the team is rebuilding. Youngest team in the CFL last year, completely revamped defense. New starting QB. We should be better this year

I agree, and making the playoffs despite the rebuild and subpar qbing is positive. The 2 things that concern me are that we are in our third iteration of coaches since Wally moved upstairs, and are worse off in that regard than ever, and the potential upcoming sale of the team. Will the front office be gutted over the coming months like in Toronto?

[B.C.FAN]

The starting quarterback is more important than the OC in this league. Most teams run similar passing plays but not all QBs can run them effectivey. Two examples:

1. With Cortez as OC in 2015, the Lions averaged 296 passing yards with Jennings at QB and 220 yards with Lulay or Beck at QB.
2. With Bellefeuille as Winnipeg OC in 2015, Drew Willy averaged 261 yards passing in the 5 games were he took most of the snaps. The Bombers averaged 228 yards in the other 13 games.

As long as Jennings stays healthy, the Lions should be able to pass the ball successfully in 2016, no matter who is OC.

[Blitz]

The starting quarterback is more important than the OC in this league. Most teams run similar passing plays but not all QBs can run them effectivey. Two examples:

1. With Cortez as OC in 2015, the Lions averaged 296 passing yards with Jennings at QB and 220 yards with Lulay or Beck at QB.
2. With Bellefeuille as Winnipeg OC in 2015, Drew Willy averaged 261 yards passing in the 5 games were he took most of the snaps. The Bombers averaged 228 yards in the other 13 games.

As long as Jennings stays healthy, the Lions should be able to pass the ball successfully in 2016, no matter who is OC.

Totally agree...and if we take Khari and Bellefeulle, two former offensive coordinators nobody else wants , and stick them together perhaps they won't be as bad as if they were doing it alone...or maybe we'll be worse off for the experience.

However, with Manny and Hawkins, with Jennings, and with an offensive line that should continue to get better, we have good talent on offence for 2016.

However, Khari likes his 5 and 6 receiver empty backfield sets and Bellefeulle as another spread devotee who doesn't protect his quarterback, its a very good thing that Jennings has a quick release, reads quickly, and has poise in the pocket.