Argos @ Lions -- Game Journal and Post Game Comments

[SammyGreene]

Was feeling pretty smug about our 2-0 team earlier yesterday. First warning sign was watching the winless Bombers dominate the opening half in Hamilton, followed by nearly 3 hours of frustration at BC Place.
Pretty disheartening walking into a stadium where the attendance was generously announced at 18,900. Looked more like 16,000. There was never an official number on season tickets but I'm guessing it has dipped to 14,000 or so. There was a time you couldn't get a seat between the goal lines on either side of the field. Hardly the case now. Yes, Thursday games suck and it is much easier just to stay at home and watch it for free. But this was a 2-0 team playing at home for the last time in over a month.

Lot of great comments above that I fully agree with. My growing concern is Jennings. I was hoping his play would go a long way to revitalizing the casual fans' interest. Wins are great but there better be a level of excitement and entertainment too. He certainly has the intangibles to deliver that. At least, so I thought. That's two straight home games where the offence has given fans little reason to get out of their seats.

Is it the ball control/conservative scheme holding Jennings back? Is it a receiving core that is lacking speed and size to make big plays? or a QB that just isn't on par with the Casey Printers, Buck Pierce and Travis Lulays that bursted onto the scene under Wally.
These are Jennings passing yards in his last 9 starts:
364
372
224
247
259
56 (playoff game, injured)
248
228
132 (pulled late in 3rd quarter)

Love his demeanour and he has a great arm. But the pedestrian-like passing numbers for a CFL starting QB is getting to be alarming as I keep waiting for his "break out" game. I would have to think his leash just got a bit shorter for his next start given what Lulay did in relief last night.

[WestCoastJoe]

Good running by Allen.

Fumble by Gore.

Good pressure on Ray.

Fumble by Allen.

Ray moving the ball. Durie. FG.

Near miss JJ to Marco.

Penalty on AJ. Penalty.

Phillips misses pick 6.

Good pressure on Ray.

Half time lead for Argos.

That was the ball game.

The second half was worse for us.

JJ had the Lions moving. The D was pressuring Ray. He kept his cool, and found ways to move the ball. We misfired with penalties and fumbles. We lost to a very good team, which made very, very few mistakes. Game over.

After a slow start, Ray showed why he is heading straight into the Hall of Fame. He was under huge pressure early. He rode through it. No doubt it inspired his team. Their motivation was palpable to this fan. Whittaker. The receivers. Bishop at DT. Huge intensity.

This fan likes a lot of what he sees from our team. Running. Passing. Defence. That will win a lot of games for you. STs just ordinary on the night. Penalties and fumbles killed us.

IMO Milanovich, Stubler and Ray beat us. Statistically a close game, except for our mistakes.

[maxlion]

Others have mentioned the overabundance of possession type receivers and lack of speedsters. This was mentioned by Tedford when he came in, and led to Hawkins' signing. With Hawkins' retirement, and Burnham getting a starting role, this has become a real concern again. Burnham and Moore are practically identical twins. I wonder if Rainey could be converted to WR. Or perhaps Bboldewijn will provide a different look if he ever returns.

[WestCoastJoe]

Wally is on the mark in his comments.

http://www.bclions.com/2016/07/07/wally ... -july-7th/

[swervynmerv]

Sammy, I mentioned a similar thing earlier. With Jennings arm and an improved O-Line I was hoping for a return of the days of the long ball with guys like Geroy, Ray Alexander etc getting behind coverage and scoring 50-60 yard TD's.

For the most part, our receivers are possesion guys more suited for the short game than blowing by the opposition DB's. Manny is the only guy I would consider a big-play threat right now and he is exactly a speed- burner.

This has been a problem for years with different OC's and players. I don't know if this team has really replaced Geroy. In reality, you probably can't, but that is the "type" of guy we are missing. Someone that can get behind coverage and take the ball in stride and keep running to the end-zone.

If I am a D coordinator, it would be pretty easy to scheme against BC as they seldom use the long-ball and when they do, are seldom successful.

Hopefully, it is something that will be developed as the season goes on as I think Jennings has the arm and in reality has only started for less than half a season so it will take time.

[WestCoastJoe]

Interesting re our receivers.

They might be good enough, even though we do not have a burner, as such. Moore has been able to get deep on occasion, mostly through deception. Manny goes deep, usually covered, but has the ability to win the ball anyway, with his size and skill. I like Burnham, but he does seem like a possession receiver.

As noted, they might be good enough, as is, if we avoid the penalties and fumbles.

Argos 283 yds passing, 107 running.

Lions 288 yds passing, 107 running.

Obviously we are not going to run the table with wins. But it looks like we can compete. I don't think Toronto can play with such intensity, with so few errors, with Ricky Ray doing a Superman act, keeping his team together, withstanding huge pressure, every time they take the field. The better team won on the night. They kept on the straight and narrow. We drifted off a bit just enough to ruin our chances.

As Wally noted, we missed tackles on defence. Do we have enough size in the middle of the D Line? We certainly seemed to miss Brooks. It seems to me we were not able to step up in his absence. We did not have a guy like Bishop blowing up plays with his power.

[BC 1988]

The one INT by JJ really made the difference in the game. (TL's pick came too late to really matter).
I supported Wally's decision to make the QB change. It won't have any affect on JJ's morale. (He's not Casey Printers).

[B.C.FAN]

As Wally noted, we missed tackles on defence. Do we have enough size in the middle of the D Line? We certainly seemed to miss Brooks. It seems to me we were not able to step up in his absence. We did not have a guy like Bishop blowing up plays with his power.

The D-line was our biggest weakness with Brooks out of the lineup. Turner looks much smaller than his listed 287 pounds. He is much better suited to DE. Turner showed some quickness in getting after the QB but he was getting blown out of the hole on running plays, and Argo linemen were getting into the second level and blocking Bighill and Elimimian. Neither Turner nor Westerman made any tackles. Turner sacked Ricky Ray on the play where Lokombo was penalized for roughing the passer, so the sack didn't count. The Argos followed that up with three runs up the middle for 9 or 10 yards each on the next four plays, with Turner offering no resistance, leading to the only Argo TD of the game.

Chris Burns said on the postgame show on TSN 1040 that the Lions would have done better by playing George Uko at nose tackle with Brooks out of the lineup, and I agree. I'd like to see Turner get reps at DE, where his speed would be an upgrade on Craig Roh.

[squishy35]

I was very frustrated watching the game from the North Endzone.... The abandonment of the running game halfway through the 2nd quarter made no sense as Allen was incredibly effective. No real pressure on Ray and a drive aided by a roughing the passer call that was bogus and... a very good Toronto Defensive secondary made it Toronto's night. The Lions could have easily been ahead in this one if Phillips and Edem make the interceptions.

I believe the team will rebound once Brooks is back in the lineup.

[Blitz]

Well, its back to reality after a 2-0 start. Our early success perhaps created too much hype. We had articles such as 'The Tao of Wally', 'Lions Feel Instant Benefit of the Wally 'Effect', 'Renewed Work Ethic - Buono's Leadership has Leos Off to a Roaring Start;, Bryan Burnham Cranks it Up for Break Out Season' and "Fast Forward - Jennings Feet and Career Moving at the Same Speed". Nothing wrong with those articles but perhaps optimism was a little too high, based on two victories. Nor should pessimism rule the day after a loss to Toronto either.

But the loss to Toronto showed some definite weaknesses that need to be corrected if this is going to end up a successful season. Focusing on the positives first:

1. Our running game looked excellent again and in fact even more impressive with Anthony Allen carrying the rock. He ran the football very well and he turned a short reception out of the backfield into an impressive touchdown. Allen averaged 7.6 yards per carry in the first half and rushed 16 times for over 100 yards, finishing the game with a 6.7 yard average. He showed both speed, power, and the ability to cut.

2. Our defense did an excellent job in the first half of holding Toronto's offence at bay. We got good pressure on Ricky Ray and forced him to mostly throw short passes underneath and we reacted quickly to limit first downs.

3. Our blitzes were mostly very effective well designed.

The Argos came out in the second half and took the wind out of our sails. It was a game in which our offence didn't score a point from early in the first quarter until later in the game. Nor was it the exciting offensive football that will put fans in the stands. In fact I'm sure we lost some fans after this outing.

Some of the weaknesses of our Leos team were exposed in this loss to the Argos.

1. Defending the Run.

Mark Washington's defenses have struggled against the run for the past two seasons. With Brooks out, in this contest, we struggled with the run and badly, in the second half of the game. Bighill and Eliminian, who get a lot of positive press and accolades, had terrible games. They missed tackles, misplayed counters, were blocked too easily, or overran plays. With Brooks out, we just didn't jam up the inside but the problem against Toronto was more than just Brooks out. We did a poor job of shedding blocks, reading, and tackling in the second half.

2. Offensive Passing Scheme

We had run the football very well in the first two games of the season. In the first half of the game, Allen had run for almost a 100 yards and Stubler was being forced to play 5 men on the line of scrimmage. That really should have opened up our passing game. But Stubler over played our slot backs. He understood that Khari Jones has a very slot back oriented passing attack and he also didn't give Gore single coverage. Basically Toronto ignored Iannuzzi and played their safety up. The fact that we use little motion and only waggle our slot backs plays into the hands of an experienced coordinator like Stubler. Often the focus Is on personell, when our passing game struggles. We have a go to receiver in Arsenault and Burnham and Moore are very capable receivers. Gore played very well in his first two games. The question is do we have the right mix. Would we be better with a receiver like Boldejiwn, rather than a Moore or a Burnham. Would Adekolu be a better answer on the wide side? Those questions may need to be answered. But our passing scheme, at least to me, is the bigger problem.

3. Jonathan Jennings. There was a lot of excitement coming into this season, based upon the play of Jennings in the second half of last year. Jennings has poise in the pocket, has a quick release, confidence, and a strong, accurate arm. But at the end of last game he only had a half season of starters experience. Last season, as our third string quarterback coming in to start, he also had a lot less pressure to perform than this year, when he was anointed our starter for 2016. Jennings has made some outstanding throws this season but he's also thrown some dangerous passes, and he has been inconsistent. For those anticipating a 2004 season like Casey Printers or a 2011 season, as Lulay had, may be disappointed. Jennings seems to have all the tools for potential success but being a starting quarterback who can get it done consistently is a challenge. Hopefully Jennings will play better in his next game. He still is a work in progress and it should be anticipated that there may be more ups and more downs.

Football games often come down to 5 or 6 big plays a game. Sometimes those plays are turn overs. Sometimes those plays are individual impressive plays. Sometimes they are a blown coverage or a bad penalty at the worst time. Sometimes they are a key sack or a missed tackle.

Arsenault is a play maker. Allen was a play maker in this contest. Ryan Phillips was close to taking one all the way to the end zone on a great anticipation play but couldn't squeeze the rock.

The Argos made more big plays. We made more mistakes. We fumbled twice (Steward whiffed on a block on Lemon which caused Allen's fumble) and Gore was stripped on an extra effort play on his behalf. Jennings threw an interception. All three plays hurt momentum.

This loss brings us down to earth. What we do with this loss will be important. How we react and come out next game could be a key determining point for the first half of this season. Wally's return has been a positive but its going to take more than the "Tao of Wally' to have a very successful season. It may start with him but we'll need more than that.

[CardiacKid]

The team that dealt us that disappointing loss can also be an example to emulate. The Argos had so much hype to deal with for their home opener at BMO, expectations were huge. And in the kindest words possible, they flat-out laid an egg. Not so diplomatically, they sh*t in their own nest. They were incredibly bad.

But 2 games later, they played a clinical game of football in BCPlace. Complete night and day. And they had way more to fix from game 1 than the Leo's do from last night's game. As long as the coaching staff and the players own up.

[TheLionKing]

Lions' offence played right into Stubler's philosophy that you don't have the patience to continually run the ball down the field. Allen was gaining positive yards on 1st down. Faced with 2nd and short, Lions went to the pass.

[pennw]

Lions' offence played right into Stubler's philosophy that you don't have the patience to continually run the ball down the field. Allen was gaining positive yards on 1st down. Faced with 2nd and short, Lions went to the pass.

The game also turned on a few things like the fumbles and inopportune penalties . A handful of plays , if they had been different , the game could have been different too . The stats were quite close other than the turn overs .

[SammyGreene]

Sammy, I mentioned a similar thing earlier. With Jennings arm and an improved O-Line I was hoping for a return of the days of the long ball with guys like Geroy, Ray Alexander etc getting behind coverage and scoring 50-60 yard TD's.

For the most part, our receivers are possesion guys more suited for the short game than blowing by the opposition DB's. Manny is the only guy I would consider a big-play threat right now and he is exactly a speed- burner.

This has been a problem for years with different OC's and players. I don't know if this team has really replaced Geroy. In reality, you probably can't, but that is the "type" of guy we are missing. Someone that can get behind coverage and take the ball in stride and keep running to the end-zone.

If I am a D coordinator, it would be pretty easy to scheme against BC as they seldom use the long-ball and when they do, are seldom successful.

Hopefully, it is something that will be developed as the season goes on as I think Jennings has the arm and in reality has only started for less than half a season so it will take time.

Some great points Swerv. Watching Ottawa last night, Chris Williams is a legit speed burner and the Stamps were giving him such a big cushion. A quick hitter will get him 10 yards almost every time. He now has 493 receiving yards in 3 games. That's nuts! Simon was "sneaky fast" and could turn a routine crossing route into an 80 yard major.

If I'm playing BC, I'm in press coverage and challenging Jennings to attack it by going up top. I just don't see our receivers getting much separation, especially on go routes. It's also up to Jones to create more isolations for someone like Manny and get the ball in his hands at full speed.

[SammyGreene]

2. Offensive Passing Scheme

We had run the football very well in the first two games of the season. In the first half of the game, Allen had run for almost a 100 yards and Stubler was being forced to play 5 men on the line of scrimmage. That really should have opened up our passing game. But Stubler over played our slot backs. He understood that Khari Jones has a very slot back oriented passing attack and he also didn't give Gore single coverage. Basically Toronto ignored Iannuzzi and played their safety up. The fact that we use little motion and only waggle our slot backs plays into the hands of an experienced coordinator like Stubler. Often the focus Is on personell, when our passing game struggles. We have a go to receiver in Arsenault and Burnham and Moore are very capable receivers. Gore played very well in his first two games. The question is do we have the right mix. Would we be better with a receiver like Boldejiwn, rather than a Moore or a Burnham. Would Adekolu be a better answer on the wide side? Those questions may need to be answered. But our passing scheme, at least to me, is the bigger problem.

3. Jonathan Jennings. There was a lot of excitement coming into this season, based upon the play of Jennings in the second half of last year. Jennings has poise in the pocket, has a quick release, confidence, and a strong, accurate arm. But at the end of last game he only had a half season of starters experience. Last season, as our third string quarterback coming in to start, he also had a lot less pressure to perform than this year, when he was anointed our starter for 2016. Jennings has made some outstanding throws this season but he's also thrown some dangerous passes, and he has been inconsistent. For those anticipating a 2004 season like Casey Printers or a 2011 season, as Lulay had, may be disappointed. Jennings seems to have all the tools for potential success but being a starting quarterback who can get it done consistently is a challenge. Hopefully Jennings will play better in his next game. He still is a work in progress and it should be anticipated that there may be more ups and more downs.

Terrifc breakdown here Blitz. I understand the importance of a balanced attack and establishing the running game but you also better have a passing attack that is explosive and capable of big plays in the CFL. Ironically one of the few on the night to Manny set up BC's only major until the 4th quarter. But going 8 games without breaking the 300-yard barrier with your passing game in this league is alarming. That's routine for the RedBlacks with 543, 395 and 396 so far this season.

It sure does seem like opponents are sitting on our routes because we are that predictable. I agree Jennings does have all the tools to thrive in this league. Probably why I'm getting frustrated as each week passes.