Leos Prepare to Battle the Stamps

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Blitz
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Most pre-season prognosticators thought that it would be Edmonton and Calgary battling it out for 1st place at this point in the 2016 season. But as we prepare to play Calgary following a bye week for our Leos, its our B.C. Lions who currently are 1st in the West, with the Stampeders only one point behind. Our Leos will solidify their first places standing with a win in Calgary but if the Stamps prevail they will take over the lead in the West.

Edmonton's defense has struggled under former Leo Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator Mike Benevedes in this early 2016 season, leaving our upstart Leos and the Stamps to be leading the West so far. Masoli's consecutive completion record against Benevedes defence allowed Hamilton to come back from a 25 point deficit as the Eskimos defense continues to struggle in 2016.

The Stamps have won three in a row and will want to avenge their season opening loss.

Our Leos enter this contest having lost two starters from our lineup. Nick Moore looks gone for the season with a torn ACL and T.J. Lee is definitely gone with a ruptured Achilles.

Here is a closer look at this upcoming battle for early season bragging rights to being the 'best in the West'.

OFFENCE

Jonathan Jennings is coming off this best game of his career, as he exploited the Riders blitzing defense and blown coverages to throw deep and very successfully to lead our Leos to victory. Anthony Allen started at tailback in our last two contests and impressed with a 6.2 yard rushing average (best in the CFL) along with a 7 yard touchdown run, a pitch back to Jennings for a touchdown run, and a pass reception and run for a touchdown. Whether Allen will continue to get starting reps as our tailback or whether we will go back to Jeremiah Johnson is still not been announced.

What has been announced is that Boldewijn will start in place of the injured Nick Moore. Nick Moore was actually our fastest import receiver. The smooth running Moore brought valuable experience to our receiving core. What Boldewijn will bring is a lot of potential. He is tall, big (220 pounds), has long arms, and is sneaky fast because he, like Moore, glides. He can go up and get a football and he likes contact. Our Leos have been waiting for a while now to see what he can do and Boldewijn will get his chance.

Our Leos come into this contest with the best running game in the West. We'll need to run successfully in this contest if we expect to win. . The Stampeders defense is much better than the one we faced in Regina. The Stamps defense has given up the second least points in the CFL.

Our Leos are 7th in the CFL in scoring. This is one game that we won't be able to leave until the 4th quarter to put up most of our points. Our offence will need to play well in the first half of this game against a tough defense that plays smart.

Jonathan Jennings comes into this contest with a 59.8 completion average (worst of all CFL starting quarterbacks) and a 93.2 quarterback efficiency rating (this is the 2nd lowest QEA in the CFL - only Kevin Glenn at 92.8 is lower in quarterback efficiency). Jennings has thrown 4 touchdown passes and has one interception this season. Jennings confidence got a needed boost in our second half come back win against the Riders. Our passing attack continues to need improvement. Only Shawn Gore (10th) is in the CFL's Top 20 in receiving yards. Hopefully Khari Jones will have made some adjustments in the bye week.

We also need to cut down penalties and turnovers for this contest. Against the Riders we took 16 penalites for 155 yards and we had too many penalties against Toronto. A more disciplined effort is needed for this big game.

DEFENSE

Our Leos defense comes into this game having given up the least number of points in the CFL. But the Stampeders offence can be a very is a very tough offence to defend.

The reasons are simple. Bo Levi Mitchell is a difficult quarterback to play. He has a quarterback efficiency average of 104. He throws few interceptions. He gets rid of the football quickly when he needs to. He is a good escape artist. He knows where all his secondary receivers and safety valves are. He also plays behind a very good offensive line. Calgary has given up the last amount of sacks in the CFL so far this season.

The second reason the Stamps are so tough to play is because they have a tailback in Jerome Messam who is 268 pounds and can run the football. He can beat defenders with a move or he can run over or though them. When he gets a head of steam he is very difficult to bring down. He is also a good receiver out of the backfield. Messam leads the CFL in rushing yards and has a 5.7 yard average per carry.

The third reason is Marguay McDaniel. McDaniel is an excellent route runner. He knows how to get a defenders hips turned. He is very difficult to pass defend. Our Leos defense will need to pay special attention to him. He is Bo Levi Mitchells' go to guy.

Michael Brooks will lead our defensive line against the Stamps. He had a big game in our first outing of the season against the Red and Black. Replacing T.J. Lee at boundary defensive half back will likely be Stephen Clarke. But our Leos have also signed two defensive backs this week. Both were at training camp. Anthony Gator impressed at training camp until he suffered a hamstring injury and was supposedly expressive about his release at training camp. He is a former 7th round NFL draft selection. Chandler Fenner, a well regarded defensive back who was also with us in training camp arrived on Monday. He is a tall, physical defensive back.

SPECIAL TEAMS

In big games, often special teams play a very significant role.

Former Oklahoma scat back Roy Finch will lead the Stamps return unit while Chris Rainey looks to break a return or two for our Leos.

Our Leos have also signed Damaris Johnson. Johnson has 52 career receptions for 601 yards and a touchdown, playing as a wide receiver in the National Football League. As rookie in 2012 with the Philadelphia Eagles, he returned a punt 98 yards for a touchdown, the most impressive of a career total of 70 punt and kick returns in the NFL. He is only 26 years old. He will provide depth as a returner or a receiver or scat back. Our Leos released A.C. Coleman from the practice roster.

WRAP

It should be two very motivated teams cracking helmets on Friday. Should be a good one!
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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The Lions held Jerome Messam to 16 yards on 7 carries in the opener. The Stamps said afterwards that they were unprepared for the B.C. defence, which changed their blocking angles. You can be sure they've studied film and will fnd a way to open some holes this week. Will it be enough?

The B.C. defence is the best in the league but the Stamps will be sure to test the secondary in the absence of T.J. Lee, who was having an all-star calibre season and had a sack and forced fumble of Bo Levi Mitchell in the opener, killing a potential Calgary scoring drive. Rene Paredes is having a poor start to the season, hitting just 71% of his field goal attempts and 55% of his convert attempts, but he is unlikely to miss two field goals, as he did in the opener. Expect the Stamps to score more than the 18 points they scored in the first game.

The Lions' biggest enemy is still themselves. If they can keep from hurting themselves with penalties and turnovers, they'll be tough to beat. A victory this week would give the Lions the season series against the Stamps, with just one game to remaining between the teams on Aug. 19 at B.C. Place. Having a tiebreaker in their back pocket against a key division rival this early in the season should be good motivation for the Lions.
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B.C.FAN wrote:The Lions held Jerome Messam to 16 yards on 7 carries in the opener. The Stamps said afterwards that they were unprepared for the B.C. defence, which changed their blocking angles. You can be sure they've studied film and will fnd a way to open some holes this week. Will it be enough?

The B.C. defence is the best in the league but the Stamps will be sure to test the secondary in the absence of T.J. Lee, who was having an all-star calibre season and had a sack and forced fumble of Bo Levi Mitchell in the opener, killing a potential Calgary scoring drive. Rene Paredes is having a poor start to the season, hitting just 71% of his field goal attempts and 55% of his convert attempts, but he is unlikely to miss two field goals, as he did in the opener. Expect the Stamps to score more than the 18 points they scored in the first game.

The Lions' biggest enemy is still themselves. If they can keep from hurting themselves with penalties and turnovers, they'll be tough to beat. A victory this week would give the Lions the season series against the Stamps, with just one game to remaining between the teams on Aug. 19 at B.C. Place. Having a tiebreaker in their back pocket against a key division rival this early in the season should be good motivation for the Lions.
Great post B.C. Fan. Enjoyed reading it.

The Stamps defense, so far this season, has adjusted very well to new defensive coordinator Devon Claybrooks, who was promoted from his defensive line position. Dickenson was shocked at the end of last season to lose Rich Stubler, who decided he wanted to coach back East and be closer to family.

The Stamps defence, under Stubler was among the league leaders in a number of categories in 2015 including first in least points allowed (16.1 per game), least rushing touchdowns allowed (four), least total touchdowns yielded, least average yards allowed per carry and was in the top three in sacks, least first downs allowed and least offensive yards allowed.

Stubler, in his first season as the Stamps defensive coordinator in 2014, after being dropped by our Leos, led a defense that finished first in the CFL in fewest points allowed, second in the CFL with 43 takeaways and on three separate occasions, Calgary held the opposition to a single-digit point total, as the Stamps defense held opposing offences in check on their way to win the 2014 Grey Cup.

The Stamps did not look at an CFL defensive coordinator like Mike Benevedes as a replacement for Stubler but instead chose to promote Claybrooks. So far that has turned out to be a good decision. The Stamps defense is second in the CFL, having allowed an average of 21.5 points per game). Our Leos defense is the best in the CFL, having allowed only an average of 18.3 points per contest. Its a battle of thethe CFL’s two stingiest defences so far in 2016.

Charleton Hughes is Calgary's leading pass rusher and we will need to do a good job of pass blocking him. Quinn Smith, a National, has two sacks for Calgary and he is a load at 303 pounds on the Calgary defensive line. Ja'Gared Davis is a fast edge rusher this season so far for Calgary who is also playing well.

On offence, Calgary has averaged 28.3 points scored per contest while our Leos have averaged 25.2 points per contest. Looking at those stats, it should be a very close contest.

The season opener, which our Leos won 20-18, was mostly a defensive and special teams battle. Chris Rainey scored two touchdowns and made a clutch second-down catch late in that game, helping the Lions grind out a 20-18 home win. Rainey scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 73-yard punt return with 13:35 left in the fourth quarter helping our Lions to come from behind to surprise the Stampeders. The Stamps held a two-score lead at one point in the third quarter of that contest and our Leos had to come back from a 17=6 deficit.

In that victory, our Leos did a great job of shutting down Calgary's running attack with a well-designed scheme. Calgary will be better prepared this time. Our Leos need to keep Calgary blockers off our linebackers. A linebacker trying to fight off a block and tackle a Jerome Messam at the same time creates a tough bind. We'll need to get Messam running laterally, rather than vertically, as often as possible. That means that Brooks and Westerman will need to play very good games and Washington will need to scheme well again to avoid Calgary's fold blocks that enable Calgary lineman to block downfield for the hard charging Messam.

Our Leos have scored most of our offensive points in the second half of our games. However, falling behind can alter an offensive game plan and no team can put themselves in a hole and expect to come back from behind consistently. Our Leos will need to put some decent points on the board in the first half of this contest to give ourselves the best opportunity to stay in first place in the West. Eliminating offensive turnovers and cutting down on penalties, as you note B.C. Fan, will be important.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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jcalhoun
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Hey all,

I'm really looking forward to this game, because I think it will tell us a lot about what sort of team we really have. After the ridiculous number of penalties in Saskatchewan, I'm hoping to see a disciplined, focused effort. And man do I want to see the team run the ball down Calgary's throat. And control turnovers.

This Lions team has a lot of potential, but right now I think a lot of people are still in the wait and see camp. A win over Calgary this week will be a huge accomplishment, and bode well for a decent crowd when Calgary visits in three weeks.

Cheers,

James
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This is the first Lions game in 2 years that i'll miss watching. We were supposed to go to Calgary for the game, but i got called out to Hamilton for work. My flight home takes place during the entire game!
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jcalhoun wrote:Hey all,

I'm really looking forward to this game, because I think it will tell us a lot about what sort of team we really have. After the ridiculous number of penalties in Saskatchewan, I'm hoping to see a disciplined, focused effort. And man do I want to see the team run the ball down Calgary's throat. And control turnovers.

This Lions team has a lot of potential, but right now I think a lot of people are still in the wait and see camp. A win over Calgary this week will be a huge accomplishment, and bode well for a decent crowd when Calgary visits in three weeks.

Cheers,

James

Looks like former Leo, Zack Minter, all 301 pounds of him, will be lining up at tackle against our Leos. Minter also started against the Bombers and produced one sack.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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Nice analyses, Blitz and B.C.FAN. I'll be particularly interested in Boldewijn's performance. He's a great-looking physical specimen for a WR--6-4, 220, and should, you'd think, be able to beat press coverage and win jump balls. He has very good (but not elite) straight-ahead speed (4.56 40 vs. 4.53 for Moore) and may enable us to find a deep game. He's had stops with the Falcons, Dolphins, Patriots, and Cardinals before signing here, so has worked out with some quality offenses. The issues, of course, will be his hands and route-running--can he achieve separation?

I think the signing of Damaris Johnson is interesting. Seems to fit into the "waterbug" or "smurf" category, variously listed anywhere from 5-7, 171 to 5-8, 175. Has good speed (4.52 40) and also, perhaps more importantly, some extended playing time in the NFL first with the Eagles (minimal playing time) and then with the Texans (where he played the whole season). So an intriguing background. A bit like a younger version (26) of Stefan Logan--about the same body type and similar speed. As you say, Blitz, could help as a receiver, scat back, or returner.
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I think the signing of Damaris Johnson is interesting. Seems to fit into the "waterbug" or "smurf" category, variously listed anywhere from 5-7, 171 to 5-8, 175. Has good speed (4.52 40) and also, perhaps more importantly, some extended playing time in the NFL first with the Eagles (minimal playing time) and then with the Texans (where he played the whole season). So an intriguing background. A bit like a younger version (26) of Stefan Logan--about the same body type and similar speed. As you say, Blitz, could help as a receiver, scat back, or returner. South Pender
Like you South Pender, I thought the siging of Damaris Johnson was intriguing. Right now, he is a practice roster player who provides depth in case of an injury to Rainey.

What I really like about Johnson is that he can play receiver as well as be a punt returner. He's has lined up as a starting receiver in the NFL. He has 52 NFL catches for 601 yds and an 11.6 yd. reception average. He also had 9 NFL rush rattempts for 37 yards. He also has the third longest punt return in NFL history.

While at Tulsa, Johnson led the NCAA in all-purpose yardage in his 2010 season.

He looks like a very good depth signing for our Leos. We may never see what he can do in a Leo uniform but we also may see him play. He certainly looks like good insurance right now.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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Jason Nye, in his weekly picks, favors the Stamps to win on Friday night.
BC @ CALGARY

Will Jonathon Jennings and his Lions hold off the Stamps to stay on top of the West? (CFL.ca)

Game of the week?

I’d say so with the Stampeders starting to make some gains and the Lions coming off a bye week with the division’s top record.

Should be a good night in cowtown. That BC Lions defence should be able to contain the Stampeders offence but not enough that Jonathon Jennings and crew will be able to outscore the opponents.

I’m thinking we have a 25-23 type game however as the Lions continue to prove they’ll be challenging the Eskimos and Stamps right through to the end of the season for a home playoff spot.

Pick: CALGARY
I agree with Nye that the key to winning this game will be a good offensive outing by our Leos. Nye doesn't believe that we can outscore Calgary.

While the odds favor Calgary, playing at home, coming off three wins in a row, and also wanting to avenge their season opening loss, I believe our Leos can win this game.

On offence, if we can shake the rust off early, pound them some in the first half with the run game, avoid costly penalties and turnovers, we can wear that defence down with our big offensive line. What we cannot do is be out of sync to playing speed for very long. Bye weeks can do that. Bye weeks can also create fresh legs and renewed excitement too. Hopefully its the latter.

Here is another game preview for your interest.

Matt Baker

It is likely too early to be talking about playoff implications in late July, but the stakes are mighty high for Friday’s tilt between the Lions and Stampeders at Calgary’s McMahon Stadium; the winner will wake up Saturday in sole possession of first in the West Division. For Wally Buono and company, it’s also a chance to move three points ahead in the standings, and most importantly, assure themselves of winning the season series.

“I think everybody understands the next challenge,” Buono said. “Calgary has been an elite team for a lot of years and going into McMahon is never easy. If you want to be an elite team, you have to beat the elite teams.” While the Lions can be happy with starting 3-1 and sitting atop the division, Buono says a big positive for him is the fact they have not become too complacent after starting the year off with a couple of big victories. “Coming out of camp I felt we had a good team, I felt we needed to steadily improve every game which I think we’re doing. From week one to week four, we are a better football team and the only way you prove that is by going out and winning.”

A few other storylines to watch out for on Friday:

Out for blood:

The Lions know one thing: They are facing an angry opponent this week. Consensus from a few across the Rockies was the Stampeders gave one away in the season opener at BC Place, a 20-18 triumph for the Lions. While Bo Levi Mitchell and company may have missed out on a few opportunities, you cannot take away a couple of the big plays made by the Leos, most notably a 72-yard punt return touchdown by Chris Rainey that put them ahead for good in the 4th quarter, and Mic’hael Brooks stopping Drew Tate shy of the goal line on 3rd and inches. That brilliant tackle prevented the Stampeders from potentially being ahead 17-3 at the half.

Warranted or not, Ronnie Yell says any bulletin board material need not apply. “Whatever they say has nothing to do with us,” Yell said. “We’re worried about ourselves, we’re worried about going out and beating them. We’ll just go out there, play our game and get the win.” The cagey cornerback also says it’s never hard to get up for facing the red-clad foes from Calgary.

“It’s one of our biggest rivalries. When we face Calgary, we know it’s going to be a big challenge but it makes us bring the intensity a little more, be a little nastier and hit a little harder.”

Newcomer’s club:

Receiver Geraldo Boldewijn and defensive back Steven Clarke will make their regular season debuts in place of Nick Moore and TJ Lee respectively, after the latter two suffered season-ending injuries in the July 16th win at Saskatchewan. Boldewijn could prove to be a major wild card after a hamstring injury and stomach virus cut his training camp short. As a result, he missed both pre-season contests and was unable to secure a spot on the active roster until now.

“That’s the most exciting part about it, just being able to get on the field and show everybody what I can do out there. I’m very excited,” said the Amsterdam-born receiver. “It’s been fun watching those guys make plays. Now I finally get a piece of that too. I can’t wait to just be out there and celebrate with my teammates in the end zone.”

Boldewijn’s lone CFL start came in the 2015 regular season finale against these same Stampeders. He contributed by hauling in three catches for 64 yards, including a 50-yard dart from Travis Lulay, which was the third longest completion by the club all year. In Kamloops he turned quite a few heads with his speed and wingspan. Now he will look to cause fits for the Stampeders defence. In Clarke, the Lions have a versatile DB capable of playing multiple positions. He got his first taste of real CFL exposure last season when Ryan Phillips tweaked a hamstring in the Lions’ opener. The Vanderbilt product is motivated to once again prove he belongs.

3 Keys To Victory:

Stop the run: Brooks and company know they once again have their hands full with Jerome Messam rounding into form in the Calgary backfield. The former Lion is averaging 5.7 yards per carry in 2016, but was held to just 16 on seven attempts running the ball in week one. If they can take the bruising back out of the equation and force Mitchell to test the Lions’ deep secondary, it will go a long way in helping them escape Calgary with a victory.

Stay Disciplined: First half penalties nearly killed the Lions in Saskatchewan, but with all due respect to the Roughriders, it will not be easy to dig themselves out of a similar hole this week. With the field position battle so crucial, especially early on, they know those issues will need to be cleaned up from the opening kickoff. Expect them to deliver.

Continue To Spread It Out: Perhaps Jonathon Jennings‘ biggest strength this season has been his ability to rely on multiple targets as four of his receivers have already eclipsed the 200-yard mark through four games. Getting everyone involved will be a big part of the recipe.

Extra Yardage:

The Lions’ last victory at McMahon came on August 1st, 2014 when they handed the Stampeders one of only three losses overall that season, a 25-24 squeaker…..
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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DanoT
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The Lions need to take advantage of Jennings' mobility by occasionally moving the pocket and also utilizing Rolly Lambala as an extra blocker.
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chwk_lionsfan wrote:This is the first Lions game in 2 years that i'll miss watching. We were supposed to go to Calgary for the game, but i got called out to Hamilton for work. My flight home takes place during the entire game!
If you're on Westjet you should be able to watch it.
You're as old as you've ever been and as young as you're ever going to be.
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Interesting article in the Vancouver Sun about our Leos big offensive line.

Our offensive line will be much bigger with the return of Charles Vaillancourt and when Levi Adcock finally plays. Both Kirby Fabian and Antonio Johnson weight 305 pounds. Charles Vaillencourt weights 329 pounds and Levy Adcock is 325 pounds.

Looking forward to the time when we have all five starters playing together on our offensive line.
Iain MacIntyre: Run to daylight? Lions huge O-line doesn't leave much

Iain MacIntyre

July 27, 2016


It’s not true that the B.C. Lions’ resurgent offensive line can do it all because none of its mountainous men is making or returning kicks. Still, the CFL season is only a month old.

When left tackle Jovan Olafioye lined up as a receiver last game and caught a touchdown lob from Jonathon Jennings in the Lions’ 40-27 win against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the Lions’ massive offensive line was briefly in the spotlight.

With five starters either new to the team or new to their deployment on the line, the unit has been a driver in the Lions’ surprising 3-1 start.

As they prepare for Friday’s road game against the Calgary Stampeders, the Lions lead the CFL with 107.3 rushing yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry. B.C. running back Anthony Allen is averaging 6.2 yards per run, easily the best among the 15 CFL players with at least 20 carries.

And Jennings, abused in the Lions’ opener, has been better protected the last couple of games. B.C. is fourth in the CFL with nine sacks allowed.

Considering the size, age and relative newness of the group, this offensive line has the potential to be the Lions’ best since they won a Grey Cup a decade ago behind belligerent and bellicose Rob Murphy, Jason Jimenez and Angus Reid.

“I don’t know if we have the characters that group had,” Lions coach Wally Buono said Wednesday. “I mean, we’re talking Rob Murphy, Angus Reid, Jason Jimenez, Kelly Bates. That was a mishmash not only of athletes, but characters. They were all tough.

“The biggest thing about this group is you can see the improvement every week. You can see their confidence starting to build. To run the ball late in the game, which we’ve been able to do most games, you have to be physical. We’ve done that. I think we’re protecting the quarterback fairly well. We’re making progress.”

Olafioye, already a three-time finalist for the CFL’s top lineman award, was switched this season to left tackle from the right side. Guard Cody Husband was shifted to centre, guard Kirby Fabien moved from left to right and American rookie Antonio Johnson is playing right tackle after newcomer Levy Adcock came down with pneumonia. Left guard Hunter Steward is trying to restart his career after losing most of the last two seasons to injuries.

Across the line, the Lions average 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds.

Allen has trouble some plays adhering to the old running-back axiom, “run to daylight,” because he can’t see any.

“It’s definitely the biggest line I’ve ever played behind, width and lengthwise,” Allen, who is 6-2, said. “I’m kind of a tall guy, but when they stand up, I can’t see anything. A few times I’ve been going downfield and I can’t see the defenders, and a guy just hits me out of nowhere because I couldn’t see him. I’ll take that problem every day.

“It’s great to run behind those guys because they cover up (defensive) linemen so well. They’re so big and so long, they get up on the linebackers and swallow them up.”

Buono was looking for meat-eaters. He identified toughness on the line of scrimmage as an issue last season when the Lions went 7-11 under one-and-done coach Jeff Tedford, and has said since training camp opened that he wanted a more physical, intimidating offensive line.

“If we could run-block every play, we would,” Husband said. “But the CFL is a passing league. If we’re able to get the lead and run the ball a little more, that makes us happy. In the past, it was a big, mean, physical O-line. That’s what you strive for every year. By the end of the game, the defence doesn’t want to play you.”

The front five haven’t yet reached that level of intimidation. Their quiet personalities aren’t menacing. Whatever reputation they build will come from playing.

“You have to be who you are,” offensive line coach Dan Dorazio said. “You cannot manufacture somebody else’s personality. I want them to be who they were, and if they’re not the vocal type, that’s fine. We’ve had many that weren’t (vocal), but all they went out and did was play good football. Get to the Grey Cup and win. That’s OK with me.”

Dorazio said his group was only “OK” during training camp, but is getting better by the week. He noticed an uptick this week at practice when the line returned from five days off focused and ready.

“Sure you wonder,” he said about the changes in personnel and positions since last season. “It’s only natural. But you always expect and hope for the best. You coach to a standard. That’s what we do. The right tackle (Johnson) has only played four games. But you coach him to the standard. He may not be right there every day or every play, but you hold him to that standard.”

“We play a physical sport, you know,” Allen said. “It all starts in the trenches, and if you win in the trenches, more than likely you’ll win the game. That’s the culture we’re trying to start here.”

So far, so good.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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DanoT
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The O line is just not mean, they are the Good Girth Guys.
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It looks like the Lions are trying to keep changes to a minimum with the injuries to T.J. Lee and Nick Moore.

The depth chart for the Calgary game shows Steven Clarke playing Lee's short-side halfback spot rather than the field-side halfback or corner positions he played last year or the nickelback position he played in preseason.

On offence, Geraldo Boldewijn is activated at Moore's slotback (Y) position. Other receiver positions are unchanged.

The only other roster change is the addition of Jeremiah Johnson as fourth-string running back, which indicates he'll likely be the international player scratched at game time.

Depth chart and roster vs. Calgary
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Disappointing to see that Vaillancourt is still on IR.
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