Leos on the Road Again vs the Eskimos

[Blitz]

Our Leos return to action on Friday night vs. the Edmonton Eskimos to play a very important road game. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers, winners of 7 games in row are not tied in the standings with our Leos but our Leos have a game in hand to play.

Our Leos have the best road record of any CFL team this season.

The Eskimos, even though they have one of the CFl's best offences are 5-7 this season. However, Edmonton played Calgary to overtime at home the last time the two teams played each other so the Eskimos are more than capable of playing excellent football.

Jason Maas has accomplished what he was expected to accomplish with Edmonton's offence.

An interesting aspect of this game is that Mike Benvedes will be coaching on the Eskimos sideline. Benevedes is now the Edmonton Eskimos Associate Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator. Benevedes, with his baseball hat worn backwards over his wrap around shades, had coached and posed for an Edmonton defense that has often struggled.

Therefore this game offers an opportunity for the return of the "Benny Bumps rating system.

Lets have a closer look at this upcoming game.

OFFENCE

Our Leos offence will be coming off its best offensive game of the season. With Hunter Steward returning to his left guard position and Antonio Johnson returning to right tackle for the departed Levy Adcock, our Leos running attack was awesome against Montreal. We rushed for 252 yards as our offensive line opened up big holes for Jeremiah Johnson and Chris Rainey and both ran the football hard and fast.

Jonathan Jennings also threw for 341 yards in that game, with Bryan Burham leading our receiving core with 138 reception yards, with a chunk of that yardage due to yards after the catch. With the run setting up the pass, our Leos put up 591 yds. of offence against a good Als defence.

Our Leos offence will be facing an Edmonton defense that has talent. Almondo Sewell, Odell Willis, Deon Lacey, Patrick Watkins, J.C. Sherritt, and Marcel Young have all shown they are capable of playing championship defence in the past. Edmonton also has added Phillip Hunt to their defensive roster after 4 seasons in the NFL.

Outside of a blow out loss in Calgary, the Eskimos have been in every game to the end, lost two overtime game, and have blown numerous big leads this season. They could be 9-3 or at least 8-4 this season if their defense had just played a little better.

In Edmonton the finger is being pointed more and more at Mike Benevedes. Earlier in the season, with having to replace a number of key starters from the Eskimos Grey Cup champion defense the season before, was given leeway. But its mid-September now and the problems of the Eskimos defense have continued.

Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun wrote:

Benevides’ philosophy relies on front-four pressure. But when he isn’t getting it, it exposes his exceptionally weak secondary.
But most maddening is when the team is ahead, especially big, he coaches gaps in the downfield zone that become massive intentionally. They’ve cost both Hamilton and Calgary games in my opinion.

This is the area that our offence can exploit on Friday night. If we can give Jennings time to throw, Benevedes defense can be exploited. Edmonton's defence ranks 8th in terms of points scored against and 7th in net offence against. : They are sixth against the rush and 8th against the pass, giving up an average of 331 yds. per game. They are 8th in quarterback sacks.

However, an offence can't be complacent against the Eskimos defense. They are 4th in interceptions and 1st in defensive touchdowns so they can be opportunistic.

DEFENCE

Shutting down the Edmonton Eskimos offence is another story. Led by one of the best quarterbacks in the CFL in Mike Reilly, Edmonton has a lot of offensive weapons. Reilly leads the CFL in passing yards, is difficult to sack (Edmonton has given up the second least sacks in the CFL) and he is a threat to run on every play. Reilly is the CFL's leading quarterback in rushing and has compiled 319 yards. running with the football so far this season.

Reilly has completed 70% of his passes this season, thrown 20 touchdown passes, and has a 101. 6 quarterback efficiency rating.

Edmonton's offence rings up more yardage each game (414 yd. average) than do the Calgary Stampeders. They have the most pass completions and the most first downs in the CFL. They also have the best second down conversion rate in the league.

Edmonton's passing attack focuses on two receivers - Adarius Bowman and Derel Walker. These two receivers lead the CFL in receiving with both well over 1,000 yards each with 6 games to play. But even though defenses realize this, the two are very difficult to contain because both have very high skill sets and are always dangerous.

Nor can a defense focus on Edmonton's passing game. The Eskimos are 3rd in CFL rushing yards and 2nd in rushing attempts.

This is a game in which are defense will need to be ready to play. The Edmonton offence presents an outstanding challenge. Our CFL lead leading sack defense will need to get good pressure on Reilly while linebackers Sol E. and Adam Bighill will need to be aware of Reilly's penchant to take off with the football.

Our secondary, hurt by injuries to Lee, Clarke, and Ronnie Yell will need to have good games. Gaitor will be tested as will all of our defensive backs. Not giving up big pass plays will be important.

First down defense is a huge key each game. Edmonton has the second best 1st down offence in the CFL, averaging 6.9 yds. per attempt. Putting Edmonton's offence in second and longer will be a key to containing Edmonton's "O".

SPECIAL TEAMS

As with all games, special teams can hold the key to victory.

Edmonton's Sean White has only missed 3 field goals this season and has the CFL's best field goal conversion rate at 90% of all attempts. Leone has improved his field goal kicking recently and has improved to a 70% success rate.

Leone continues to be the CFL's best punter with a 50.1 average. If we can force some Edmonton two and outs, Edmonton is only averaging 44.3 yds per punt and we can tilt the field for our offence. Edmonton is also last in the CFL in net punting.

Our Leos also have the best punt return average in the CFL (14.8 yds.) while Edmonton is last in this category (7.6 yds. per game).

This would be a great game for Rainey to break a huge one.

WRAP

The games of autumn bring increased importance. A win and we continue to be in second place in the West. A loss and we will be tied with the surging Blue Bombers.

Our defense will need to play one of its best games of the season while our offence takes advantage of a defense that has talent but plays a defensive style that can be exploited.

Edmonton is a much more dangerous team than their record shows. They have had a lot of very close games and defensive lapses have cost them.

We will need to be ready to play and play hard and fast. Go Leos!!!

[BC 1988]

Therefore this game offers an opportunity for the return of the "Benny Bumps rating system.

I miss that!
Seriously though, there is a lot at stake given how competitive the West is. Right now, every game is a statement game. BC has to exploit the perceived weaknesses.

[Blitz]

Therefore this game offers an opportunity for the return of the "Benny Bumps rating system.

I miss that!
Seriously though, there is a lot at stake given how competitive the West is. Right now, every game is a statement game. BC has to exploit the perceived weaknesses.

The Eskimos, I'm thinking, will be really motivated. They are coming off an embarrassing loss (at least for them) against the Riders. They have been close in every game, except one game against Calgary. They've lost two overtime games.

It will be interesting to see if we activate Sinkfield. He was getting some first team reps in practice.

Boldwijn was coming on as a receiver, even though he made some mistakes in his last game. He had 4 receptions against Ottawa and 5 receptions against Montreal. He has great size at 6'4" tall and 220 pounds. He's run a 4.24 40 yard dash. He is fast. I think he would have been better as a wide out boundary receiver, rather than an outside slotback. I think he would have continued to get better.

But Springfield is more what our offence needs right now, with Calgary being so good and the Bombers playing so well. Springfield is scary fast. He also has more experience than Boldewijn, who is still learning.

Douglas McNeil, another receiver who was added to our practice roster is intriguing. McNeil played 11 games and caught 66 passes, 18 of which went for touchdowns in the Arena League. He's 6'3", 200 pounds, has long arms, is fast, has a 36-inch vertical leap. and is awesome at catching the ball at its highest point, according to scouting reports.

Kelvin Palmer also brings depth.

But offence is not the area where I believe our team needs to improve the most right now. With Steward and Antonio Johnson back in the lineup, with Vaillencourt and O'Neil for depth, with two good running backs, and Jennings at quarterback our offence has very good talent. We've added depth at offensive tackle on the practice roster in case of injury or to sign Boyko, which would be huge, but he is still waiting to decide on his future.

There are a couple of areas of our defence that I see that we need to improve. We really need a better pass rush from our boundary defensive end. Craig "Death Row" has been steady but nothing special. Hudson and Darius Allen have one sack each but have not shown the flashes of potential that one would hope for.

Jabar Westerman has 12 defensive tackles and 5 sacks. He's quietly had a very good season. But Brooks has 11 defensive tackles and 0 sacks and has not been the player he was since coming back off injury.

But its our secondary that worries me. We need to get Stewart back to the wide side but in order to do that we need the type of cover guy who can play Yell's spot. Jeremy Harris, who we just signed could be the answer. From a size perspective, Harris would be more suitable at defensive half and Gaitor at corner but that would be too much of a change at this point in the season.

Defensively, we're very close to having a championship defense. We're 3rd in points allowed, 2nd in opponents touchdowns, 1st in opponents net offence against, 1st in opponents first downs against, 2nd in opponents rush yards, 3rd in opponents pass yards, 1st in sacks (which are drive killers and very important due to that fact) and we are best against second down.

Where could we improve? Well, with such a good pass rush, we shouldn't be 8th in interceptions and 7th in takeaways. We're also given up more big plays of over 30 yards (39) than any other CFL team than the Riders (40).

Our defense has played very well for us in some big games, holding us in there until our offence got untracked in the fourth quarter or coming up with some crunch time defensive stands.

With an edge rusher who could get more pressure on the quarterback to compliment Bazzie and solidifying our secondary, we have the remaining talent on defense to go all the way.

[SammyGreene]

Great read Blitz. Sure seems like a much more dangerous team than a 5-7 record. Outstanding quarterback and a pair of dynamic receivers that happen to match-up against the Lions' greatest area of concern right now. Reilly puts up 300 yards passing in his sleep.

Great to see Wally sign Sinkfield. Offence definitely sells tickets but too bad its not a shutdown defensive back or a dynamic defensive end. As you have pointed out with the Eskimos' suspect defence, maybe Wally is thinking he made need to have more bullets in his holster to win a potential shootout and against the Bombers too?

Eskimos should have beat Calgary 2 weeks ago. 17-3 halftime lead and had them 13-yards back on a must-make 2 point convert in overtime after delay of game penalty and couldn't stop it. Then let them march to the end zone again on the 2nd possession. Reilly throws for 432 yards in a loss!

Mark Washington, who enjoys huge kudos for the job he has done this year, has a really tough call in this one. How much blitzing does he do to take advantage of the Eskimos' sometimes porous pass protection compared to dropping guys to take passing lanes away from Bowman and Walker? Frankly, either of them matched up 1-on-1 against anyone in the secondary is scary.

[WestCoastJoe]

A tough CFL matchup.

IMO we do not take a back seat in terms of talent. Probably ahead in fact.

Will the O Line be relaxed, motivated and confident? So will we have good pass protection and run blocking? Keys to the game.

I expect JJ will play well. His level of play has been remarkably consistent at a very high level. He is young, however, and subject to the mistakes of youth.

Hopefully we run the ball well. Play calls. Execution.

This fan has always liked Mike Benevides very much as a person. Not so sure he can be a top DC, although he has had some success in the past. Hopefully we have a good offensive plan of attack.

Defensively Mike Reilly presents a challenge. As do his receivers. I expect MW will have a good package of attack defence. He better have or the Schmos could light us up a bit.

Looking forward to seeing Sinkfield play. He might be a bit tight, playing his first game. If Boldewijn plays, although he has straight ahead speed, I have not seen where he can be a deep threat. Along with speed a receiever needs some deception to get separation.

Thank you for the detailed preview, Blitz.

[Blitz]

Great read Blitz. Sure seems like a much more dangerous team than a 5-7 record. Outstanding quarterback and a pair of dynamic receivers that happen to match-up against the Lions' greatest area of concern right now. Reilly puts up 300 yards passing in his sleep.

Great to see Wally sign Sinkfield. Offence definitely sells tickets but too bad its not a shutdown defensive back or a dynamic defensive end. As you have pointed out with the Eskimos' suspect defence, maybe Wally is thinking he made need to have more bullets in his holster to win a potential shootout and against the Bombers too?

Eskimos should have beat Calgary 2 weeks ago. 17-3 halftime lead and had them 13-yards back on a must-make 2 point convert in overtime after delay of game penalty and couldn't stop it. Then let them march to the end zone again on the 2nd possession. Reilly throws for 432 yards in a loss!

Mark Washington, who enjoys huge kudos for the job he has done this year, has a really tough call in this one. How much blitzing does he do to take advantage of the Eskimos' sometimes porous pass protection compared to dropping guys to take passing lanes away from Bowman and Walker? Frankly, either of them matched up 1-on-1 against anyone in the secondary is scary.

I don't see us blitzing a lot against Edmonton. Bowman and Walker are too good for single coverage as you note Sammy. I think Washington will send the occasional linebacker on a blitz but that will be it, unless absolutely necessary.

Reilly is hard to sack. Edmonton has given up the least sakcks in the CFL, other than Calgary and Reilly is also a threat to run on every down.

We tend to rush four on first down and three on second down, unless its second and short. Because of that tendency, we really need a better edge rusher to compliment Bazzie.

The best way to beat Edmonton would be to sustain a lot of long drives offensively. We ran the football so well last game. That will be hard to duplicate but keeping Edmonton's offence off the field as often as possible while wearing down Benevedes defense would be huge.

Edmonton's weakness this season has been in their secondary. Patrick Watkins,, Young, Kenny Ladler, Neil King, Deon Lacy are talented players so there is no good reason why the Eskimos have given up so many passing yards.

The biggest complaint coming out of Edmonton is that Benevedes uses a lot of four man rush and vanilla zone defense and that his front four have not gotten sustained pressure up front. The Eskimos are 8th in quarterback sacks. Therefore the secondary has had to cover for too long. There have also been big gaps In their zone coverages at times. Benevedes has been getting heat. Maybe he needs to turn his baseball hat sideways and then get his head screwed on better.

I didn't know that Sinkfield only signed for the remainder of this season. I thought he had signed for next year too. So he may only be short term. Sinkfield becomes a free agent once again at the end of 2016.

Sinkfield’s arrival also represents a bow shot to rookie Geraldo Boldewijn: Pick up your game or be gone. Boldewijn was expected to fill some of the void left after veteran NFL receiver Lavelle Hawkins unexpectedly retired during the first week of training camp. While Boldewijn has shown flashes, he has been routinely inconsistent. And Sinkfield’s acquisition represents a possible upgrade in the receiving corps.

“We have to push Geraldo to be better,” Buono admitted. “Part of that is bringing in guys to compete.” Vancouver Sun

Boldewijn's commnents are interesting.

He (Sinkfield) seems like a really cool guy. I like what I’ve seen so far,” Boldewijn said. “I don’t know what it means for me. What they (management) do doesn’t concern me. I can only control what I do. I don’t think it’s a challenge to me (personally). I’m just worried about Edmonton, really.”

I haven't seen us use Boldewijn, WCJ, on many deep patterns so far. Most of the time, his patterns have been over the middle or possession type of patterns. He's a big, tall receiver who could win some jump balls on deeper patterns if we used him that way.

I laughed when I read this quote from Benevedes in a Cam Cole article in 2012. The guy always made me wonder what goes through his head.

“I’ve been described as an *beep*,” Benevides admits. “But I’ve always said: I learned from the best.” By which, presumably, he means Buono.

Benevedes had Marcus Howard, Deon Lacey, Odell Willis, Almondo Sewell, Eddie Steele, JC Sherritt, Marcell Young, and Patrick Watkins to work with this season and he signed Cord Parks to play field corner. Hervey also brought in Kenny Ladler, who has 53 defensive tackles, two special teams tackles, two interceptions, including a 65 yd. interception touchdown return against Calgary, and two fumble recoveries and two pass knockdowns.

Benevedes had to replace two defensive backs for the 2016 season. Our Leos have had to replace our boundary halfback three times this season and our boundary corner Ronnie Yell is injured. We've incorporated a new field corner (Stewart), new safety (Edem) as well. We've switched Stewart to boundary corner the last two games and used National defensive back Parker at field corner. Those are a lot of changes and more changes than Benvedes has had to deal with. Benevedes started the season with both Young and Watkins as his boundary defensive halfbacks -two very good ones. He chose to cut Cauchy Muamba, who had started at safety for the Eskimos last year and go with Neil King instead. Belue was with the Eskimos last year. Parks has experience. Its also September.

No reason for the Eskimos defence to playing as poorly as they have been and the buck stops at Benevedes door. Benevedes likes to rush four and play a lot of straight up zone.

You’re a great defence when you can rush four and win games that way. I want to play to the strengths that they have here, and that is the front with Odell, Howard and Sewell,” Benevides says.

That philosophy worked well in B.C. in 2011, when he had Brent Johnson, Khalif Mitchell at his best, Keron Williams, and Aaron Hunt up front, along with Sol E., Korey Banks, Dante Marsh, Ryan Phillips. Our 2011 Grey Cup season was also a down sort of season for the CFL. With Montreal decaying,Winnipeg closing 3-7, a wide, unreliable middling teams in and Saskatchewan, and Toronto lost in the wilds, it was a lower-case CFL, all in all. The Winnipeg team that we beat in the Grey Cup was not a very good team.

Its a much higher level of football being played in the CFL right now. But still, there is no good reason for the Eskimos defence to playing as poorly as they have been and the buck stops at Benevedes door.

Lets hope Benevedes defence continues to have its stuggles until after we play them twice.

[Hambone]

No reason for the Eskimos defence to playing as poorly as they have been and the buck stops at Benevedes door. Benevedes likes to rush four and play a lot of straight up zone.

Not to make excuses but the Esks did lose some pretty important pieces from last year's squad.

Aaron Grymes and Dexter McCoil headed to the NFL. John Ojo was lost for the season due to an injury in training camp. Ojo, Grymes and McCoil were all CFL West All-Stars last year with Ojo and Grymes also making the CFL All-Star team. Also starting OLB Otha Foster left for the Riders as a FA. That's 1/3 of last year's GC winning starting defence gone.

[Blitz]

No reason for the Eskimos defence to playing as poorly as they have been and the buck stops at Benevedes door. Benevedes likes to rush four and play a lot of straight up zone.

Not to make excuses but the Esks did lose some pretty important pieces from last year's squad.

Aaron Grymes and Dexter McCoil headed to the NFL. John Ojo was lost for the season due to an injury in training camp. Ojo, Grymes and McCoil were all CFL West All-Stars last year with Ojo and Grymes also making the CFL All-Star team. Also starting OLB Otha Foster left for the Riders as a FA. That's 1/3 of last year's GC winning starting defence gone.

True, Hambone, it lost four players and some very good ones. Parks is no Ojo at field corner but he does have experience and played the position successfully in the past. Edmonton had Lacey to step in beside Sherritt and Ladler is a very good one. The entire defensive line was back this season. Their boundary side pass defense is back.

One could expect the Eskimos defense to take a step back or two steps back to start the year. One could expect them not to be as good as last year's defense. But they should not be 8th in the CFL in defence, with the talent they have.

Edmonton has 21 sacks so far this year (8th in the CFL). Last season, at this time, they had 37 sacks and were 2nd in the CFL. That pressure was a key to their defense. They basically have the same defensive line this season.

[TheLionKing]

Aside from the players they also lost their coaching staff.

[Blitz]

Aside from the players they also lost their coaching staff.

The Eskimos defense is coordinated by Benevedes. They also have Casey Creehan coaching their defensive line, Demetrious Maxie coaches their linebackers, and Barrin Miles coaches their secondary. Creehan has been a defensive coordinator with 3 CFL teams (Toronto, Hamilton, and Winnipeg, and also coached the defensive line in Calgary and Montreal.

The Eskimos recent signing of Phillip Hunt is a very good one. He had 16 sacks for Winnipeg before going to the NFL for 4 seasons. Hunt sacked Bo Levi 2 times when the Eskimos played Calgary a couple of weeks ago and Bo Levi had only been sacked 10 times before that game.

[Blitz]

More intrigue to this game against Edmonton.

Sinkfield will start.

[Blitz]

More intrigue to this game against Edmonton.

Sinkfield will start.

“We went over some film, from his time in Hamilton, and we were struck by how diverse he is,” said Lions’ offensive coordinator Khari Jones. “He can run out of the backfield, he can be a receiver on hitch plays, he can return kicks. It’s my job to put him in a place where he can be successful.

[DanoT]

Wally likes the 2 man punt and kick return team, so having Sinkfield and Rainy out there together could scare some teams. Having Rainy and Sinkfield in the the backfield together could scare some teams.

[Blitz]

Wally likes the 2 man punt and kick return team, so having Sinkfield and Rainy out there together could scare some teams. Having Rainy and Sinkfield in the the backfield together could scare some teams.

No kidding! They are both burners!

I'm exciting to see what Sinkfield can bring to our Leos this season. But he may be gone next year. I still find myself cheering for the success of Boldewijn longer term. I love this attitude and his approach.

Landry: Don’t Bet Against the Man They Call Amsterdam
BCLions.com

Don Landry


I’m trying to get the pronunciation of Geraldo Boldewijn’s last name just right, but I’m failing.
“BOLD-e-vine?” I ask.

“Yeah… well… I’d say it more like BOLD-e-VEHN,” he says, with the last syllable landing in between the sound of a flat A and a flat E. I try again and he grudgingly gives me a pass on the attempt.“Really, my last name is hard to pronounce for a lot of people. So, I just give them the option of something easy,” says the BC Lions’ second-year receiver.

“Amsterdam” will do just fine for the 25-year-old native of The Netherlands, who has been getting the nickname pretty regularly since heading to North America in order to take the next steps in football eight years ago.

You know how it goes in sports. Teammates just have to bless you with a nickname. Seemed like a natural one to give the young man when he arrived in Boise, Idaho back in 2008, where he played one year of high school football before joining the Boise State University Broncos.

“I don’t mind the name Amsterdam,” Boldewijn says. “I take great pride in being from Amsterdam. I always try to remind myself where I’m from. I’m trying to do my best to represent Amsterdam as best as possible.”

Amsterdam is sounding relaxed and laid back, fitting right in with the culture of the West Coast. He likes Vancouver, even if its mountainous backdrop is far different from home.

“It’s way different from Amsterdam because Amsterdam is super flat,” he chuckles. “It’s the same kind of weather, though. Amsterdam gets pretty rainy as well.”

“It’s been really good being out here,” Boldewijn says. “I feel very comfortable in that orange,” he laughs, when asked about the Lions’ predominant colour, one that suits his home country’s sensibilities perfectly. “Oh yeah.”

Boldewijn is in a bit of a precarious position with the Lions these days. Maybe precarious isn’t the exact word for it; “challenging” might be better and you’ll see why as you read further.

After starting six games this season – he first cracked the lineup in Week 6 after appearing in two late-season games in 2015 – Boldewijn will be relegated to backing up Terrell Sinkfield when the Lions meet the Eskimos Friday night. Sinkfield, the former Ticat and Argo, was signed by the team this week and the Lions are opting to toss his speed into the receiving mix for the Edmonton game.

For a guy who came overseas as a teenager (with little command of the English language at the time) looking to improve his football skills, it’s just another chapter in the adventure of a flag football player charting a course for pro football success.

Precarious? Nah. Challenging, sure. And Boldewijn is always up for that.

“I’m always trying to get something out of the competitiveness,” Boldewijn says when asked to react to the addition of Sinkfield to the Lions’ roster. “It keeps you sharp and it’s part of the job. You’ve always got to stay competing. There’s always new guys out there that will kill to get this job.”

Boldewijn knows that well, having tried out for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons after he competed for and won a wide receiver’s job at Boise State. His stint at Falcons’ training camp – chronicled, in part, for the television show “Hard Knocks” – taught him some crucial lessons. “And while he didn’t make the Falcons’ roster, he impressed enough to earn some kind words from Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan, who had this to say about Boldewijn when contacted by CFL.ca for a quick quote:

“Amsterdam just continued to get better while he was here. You could see his development every time we hit the field during camp, and I know we all thought he had some real upside. He had such a large catch radius, I know the quarterbacks enjoyed throwing to him.”

Boldewijn is energized when told of Ryan’s kind words. “That’s pretty awesome, man,” he says, brightly. “I have nothing but good things to say about Matt Ryan and all those guys I got to work with for the time that I was there.” He pauses a moment and then continues. “It’s really motivating as well. It’s good to hear.”

Matt Ryan offered high praise of the former Falcons receiver (Atlanta Falcons)

At 6-foot-4′ and 214 pounds, Geraldo Boldewijn is even bigger than BCs’ bulldozer of a slotback Manny Arceneaux. The Lions, it seems, want Amsterdam to play a little more like The Manny Show. It’s an adjustment for Boldewijn, who’s played wide receiver most of his life and has been used to the feel of the game out along the rail.

You know how it is in the CFL, though. Adapt or perish. Boldewijn is up for this new detour and says he’s doing his level best to give Head Coach Wally Buono what he wants.“When he talks, he’s got a message,” he says of Buono. “You’ve gotta listen to him when he’s talking. I really believe what he’s saying.

“It’s a bunch of stuff that I’ve gotta work on,” Boldewijn adds when asked to expand the point. “I’ve always been so comfortable on the outside and now I’m playing a different kind of position. It hasn’t been too bad but it’s just so much to learn.”

Learning is something that Boldewijn has been doing so much of when it comes to football, pushing his own comfort zone in order to improve.

That included expanding his horizons – literally – by travelling to Idaho as a teenager in order to take part in a Boise football camp, long before he caught on with a high school team there. He and a few buddies saved up for the trip, choosing Boise because they knew that another native of The Netherlands – linebacker Cedric Febis – was already there and playing for Boise State.

“It was just something I’d never experienced before,” Boldewijn says of the venture. “There were so many football players and for a whole week all we did was play football.”

Ever since he was enticed to come out to a flag football practice as a kid, Boldewijn has loved the game and been trying to get better at it. Watching the Amsterdam Admirals play in NFL Europe solidified his desire and fuelled a motivation to fulfill his wishes.
“I just started falling more and more in love with the game,” he says. “I was going to represent Amsterdam at the Amsterdam Arena. That was the only thing that mattered at the time.”

Boldewijn’s favourite player, as a kid, was not a receiver but, rather, a linebacker by the name of Akwasi Mensah, a Dutch native who cracked the Admirals’ line-up in 2006 and 2007. “He was my idol,” says Boldewijn, who might well have been a linebacker himself had he bulked up a bit.

However, catching the football was his thing, not trying to separate receivers from it. The camp in Boise paid off. He met a family that would become his billet hosts when he returned to play one year at Capital High School. Next, it was Boise State, where he became a teammate of the aforementioned Febis. Along the way, Boldewijn learned and polished his English, making him a four-tool man when it comes to language (Dutch, German and Surinamese being the others). “I think just opening up and talking to people was the hardest part at first,” he says of the adjustment.

Now, faced with another adjustment to make and fighting for his spot with the Lions, Boldewijn seems quite accepting of that fact and maybe that ought not to be surprising, considering his history. Flag football to tackle football. The Netherlands to Idaho. Dutch to English. Four downs to three downs and now outside receiver to slot.

“That’s pretty much the world we live in,” he says. “That’s how it goes.

“I can only control my own play. All I can really worry about is making sure that I do my job when I’m on the field.

“I think it’s only gonna get better from here on,” says Boldewijn.

Considering the route he’s taken so far and the determination needed to stay on that course, it might be unwise to bet against the man they call Amsterdam.

[Blitz]

Some interesting changes for this game other than the likelihood of Sinkfield slotting in for Boldewijn.

The changes are on defense. First of all, it looks like we will dress only one import defensive tackle (Brooks) and go with a rotation of Westerman and Forde. On the outside, Bazzie, Roh and Allen will be at defensive end, along with Menard.

Darius Allen gets another opportunity to show that he can get pressure on the quarterback, after Hudson was ahead of him for the last few games. We're used an extra International defensive end a lot of games this season and not getting value so far this season. Allen and Hudson only have one sack each. Darius Allen has been the rotational defensive end in 7 games. Roh is not all that impressive as a starter either. I wonder if we shouldn't have kept Palacio instead. He is now on the Seahawks practice roster.

Defensive end is where I would love to see us bring in an NFL cut.

But its in the secondary that the big changes are taking place. Phillips has been moved to boundary halfback beside Stewart, who was switched to boundary corner, after Yell's injury. On the field side, Fenner gets his first start at wideside halfback and Gaitor has been moved to wide side corner.

The moves to Gaitor at corner and Fenner to half back make good sense. Fenner is taller, bigger, and a better choice to play inside. Gaitor is smaller and quick and better suited for the corner position. He's also aggressive to come up to play the outside run.

Tough that Parker doesn't get to start at corner, even though he played well in his two starts.

While we did not activate Jeremy Harris for this game, he could see action this season. He has good size at 6'2", 195 lbs. and he is physical. He was a 7th round draft choice of Carolina, hurt his back and missed his rookie NFL season, and started 6 games for them the following season. He also had a start with Washington.