Getting Ready for the Red Blacks

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DanoT
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If the Lions can't adequately protect Jennings in the pocket then they need to do something else like roll out or semi roll the QB. Why can't the Lions figure this out? :dizzy: :dizzy:

Jennings needs to run more as well. He needs to force the Redblacks to use a linebacker to spy him and then use that to open up some short passing situations for Allen or Rainy.

Most importantly Jennings needs to have plays that take advantage of what the opposition is giving him. IMO the Lions lost to the Esks in part because they refused to do just that and instead kept at the long passing game in spite of the Esks adapting to stop it. :bang:
Blitz
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If the Lions can't adequately protect Jennings in the pocket then they need to do something else like roll out or semi roll the QB. Why can't the Lions figure this out?

Jennings needs to run more as well. He needs to force the Redblacks to use a linebacker to spy him and then use that to open up some short passing situations for Allen or Rainy.

Most importantly Jennings needs to have plays that take advantage of what the opposition is giving him. IMO the Lions lost to the Esks in part because they refused to do just that and instead kept at the long passing game in spite of the Esks adapting to stop it. Dano T
Its baffling!!!!

The only years we ever really rolled our quarterback out was in 2011 and 2012. We also used a lot of misdirection and fake reverses and semi-boots those two years. Other than that, its been pocket passing

We also are not an offence that is good at adjusting, whether we are playing a blitzing team or a man/cover 2 defense or a press man coverage defense. Its basically this is our offence and we're going to do the same thing, no matter what the defense does. That has also been a pattern of our spread offence for a long time.

A quarterback injury at this point in the season can have a very negative impact. Its important that we do our very best to protect Jennings and move the pocket is one way of making it more difficult for the defence, rather than the defense knowing the exact spot he will be passing the football from.

We have been very fortunate this season that we have suffered very few injuries with out offensive line. Once we started Fabian in Game 3, the only changes were ones we chose to make.

Calgary have started 10 different offensive lineman this season. This year, only centre Jon Gott has been a regular fixture on Ottawa’s O-line to the 12-game mark.

Now they have lost perhaps the best offensive lineman in the league although I could argue that Calgary's Spencer Wilson has also been the league's best and he has played center, guard, and tackle.
Of the misfortune that has visited the Redblacks this season, the most devastating injury of all came last Saturday, when star left tackle Sir Vincent Rogers went down in the second quarter of a 29-12 win over the Toronto Argonauts.

The league’s most outstanding lineman last season, and a CFL all-star, Rogers came with Chiu to Ottawa after the latter’s one and only season as the Argos offensive line coach, in 2014. Rogers underwent knee surgery earlier this week and is possibly through for the season. It’s hard to replace a man who can crush you, with arms too thick for regular shirt sleeves, and whose play and personality inspired his teammates. Ottawa Citizen
Roster choices for our Leos are always interesting.

For example we dress an extra International linebacker (220 lb. Stephen Ontco) even though we have 233 lb.Lokombo who could step into Bighill or Sol E's spot, if either were injured during a game, and we also have 235 lb. Stephen Clarke , 220 lb. Jason Aragki, and 205 lb. Nehemie Kangolonko as back up linebackers. Ontco has had a good season on special teams so far but he has 0 tackles on defense because he doesn't get on the field on defence.

We have three National defensive backs on our game day roster in Fraser, Thompson, and Parker, with both Thompson and Fraser as safeties behind Edem. Yet we only dress one National depth receiver in Adekolu, who never sees the field on offence. While we tend to platoon on defence to use most of our personnel, we don't do that on offence at all.

Why not throw a fresh Adekolu in their on offence for some rotational game reps with fresh legs. If Iannuzzi or Gore ever got hurt, Adekolu will be going in there without any game experience.

The LionKing posted that we need to tackle better on defense this game. Supposedly our defense have worked this week on their gap cancellation to do a better job against the run.
The second half of Saturday’s doubleheader features the BC Lions hosting the Ottawa REDBLACKS. West Division teams have won against East Division teams in eight-straight games, but the REDBLACKS will do everything they can to end that trend this week. It won’t be easy for Ottawa’s defence as the Lions boast the league’s best rushing attack and has a trio of receivers – Emmanuel Arceneaux, Bryan Burnham and Shawn Gore – that can make any secondary dizzy. However, with one of the league’s most efficient pivots in Trevor Harris under centre, the REDBLACKS have what it takes to push back. cfl.ca
Home teams at .500: Home teams have won nine games in a row and have levelled the record to 28-28-1 against road teams.
The wild, wild West: West Division teams have now won eight consecutive games against East Division opponents. West teams are 17-8 versus the East for the season.
"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)
TheLionKing
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DanoT wrote:If the Lions can't adequately protect Jennings in the pocket then they need to do something else like roll out or semi roll the QB. Why can't the Lions figure this out? :dizzy: :dizzy:

Jennings needs to run more as well. He needs to force the Redblacks to use a linebacker to spy him and then use that to open up some short passing situations for Allen or Rainy.

Most importantly Jennings needs to have plays that take advantage of what the opposition is giving him. IMO the Lions lost to the Esks in part because they refused to do just that and instead kept at the long passing game in spite of the Esks adapting to stop it. :bang:
Sometimes coaches are plain stubborn and refuse to adjust when the solution is obvious. Frustrating for the fans. :bang:
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CardiacKid
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Boldewijn has been released; a bit short-sighted in my opinion. Likely deemed expendable with Sinkfield coming onboard but Sinkfield was not given an opportunity to show his stuff with only one target pass last game. Plus the scuttlebutt seems to indicate he came to the Leos because he got a short-term deal.

So the long and the short of it is....we appear to be needing another receiver for next year.
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DanoT
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CardiacKid wrote:Boldewijn has been released; a bit short-sighted in my opinion. Likely deemed expendable with Sinkfield coming onboard but Sinkfield was not given an opportunity to show his stuff with only one target pass last game. Plus the scuttlebutt seems to indicate he came to the Leos because he got a short-term deal.

So the long and the short of it is....we appear to be needing another receiver for next year.
Why not move him to the practice roster or did he refuse and request a release? Either way I don't like it. Not a good depth move. :dizzy:
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B.C.FAN
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DanoT wrote:If the Lions can't adequately protect Jennings in the pocket then they need to do something else like roll out or semi roll the QB. Why can't the Lions figure this out? :dizzy: :dizzy:
As a general rule, Wally doesn't like to use a lot of rollouts, and neither do I. It is much better to force the opposition to defend the entire width of the field, creating bigger passing windows for five or six receivers. When a QB rolls out, defences roll their coverage to that side. A QB generally has two or three receivers on that side and smaller windows to throw into.

Rollouts can be effective against teams that like to blitz off the edge (usually from the side wide of the field). They can also help simplify the reads for inexperienced QBs and to protect the QB when the O-line is struggling. None of those situations applies to the Lions, who gave up 6 sacks in their first meeting against the Redblacks with Levy Adcock struggling at right tackle but have done well at protecting the QB since then.

The Lions appear to have dodged a bullet with Hunter Steward's ankle sprain being deemed minor. With Steward and Antonio Johnson in the starting lineup, the Lions have been effective at running the ball and protecting the QB.

That leads to my three keys to the game:

1. Run the ball
The Lions struggled last week when they couldn't establish the run against Edmonton. The Lions lead the league in rushing. Ottawa leads the league in defending against the run. It's a classic match-up. Winning the line of scrimmage is essential.

2. Don't give up the deep pass
Ottawa's dangerous passing attack leads the league in deep completions of 30 yards or more. The Lions are second last in defending against the deep pass. This is a tough challenge for Mark Washington. If he choses to play a Cover-2 or Cover-3 zone, he opens the defence up to short slants and hitches. The Ottawa receivers are great at turning those short passes into big gains. In the first meeting of the year between these teams, Trevor Harris completed four deep passes for 180 yards, accounting for more than half of Ottawa's passing yardage. He attacked the wide side of the field, against Ryan Phillips in particular. Last week the Lions gave up only one pass of over 30 yards to Adarius Bowman, also to the wide side of the field, but it was a big one, setting up a TD that allowed the Esks to tie the game and turn the momentum.

3. Don't throw interceptions, especially in the fourth quarter
This year CFL teams winning the turnover battle are 39-7, winning 85% of the time. The lions are a purrfect 4-0 when winning the turnover battle. Jonathon Jennings has a good TD-to-interception ratio of 15-8 but late interceptions have been his weakness. Four of his 8 interceptions have come in the fourth quarter or OT. The Lions are 3-3 in games where he threw an interception, 0-2 in games where he threw 2 INTs and 0-2 in games where he threw a fourth quarter INT. Including a fourth-quarter pick thrown by Travis Lulay against Toronto in Week 3, the Lions are 0-3 in games where they threw fourth-quarter interceptions and 0-3 in games where their QBs threw 2 INTs (not counting an INT thrown by Lulay on a 2-pt. convert attempt in Montreal).
maxlion
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DanoT wrote:
CardiacKid wrote:Boldewijn has been released; a bit short-sighted in my opinion. Likely deemed expendable with Sinkfield coming onboard but Sinkfield was not given an opportunity to show his stuff with only one target pass last game. Plus the scuttlebutt seems to indicate he came to the Leos because he got a short-term deal.

So the long and the short of it is....we appear to be needing another receiver for next year.
Why not move him to the practice roster or did he refuse and request a release? Either way I don't like it. Not a good depth move. :dizzy:

Perhaps it was a favour to give him an opportunity to possibly catch on elsewhere. He has spent over a year with the team--which seems like quite a long time for an import receiver--without showing much gametime ability so, either way, it was a good story but I don't see it as a great loss at this point.
maxlion
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B.C.FAN wrote:
That leads to my three keys to the game:

1. Run the ball
The Lions struggled last week when they couldn't establish the run against Edmonton. The Lions lead the league in rushing. Ottawa leads the league in defending against the run. It's a classic match-up. Winning the line of scrimmage is essential.
I have no issue with moving away from the run game if it's not working, but we have to be able to put long, time-eating drives together, whether through utilizing the run or short passes. Stop trying to go for the home run every second series. We have to tire out their D and prevent their offense from getting momentum. All that said, Allen seems to be usually good for 6 yards a carry, which should set us up well.
Blitz
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B.C.FAN wrote:
DanoT wrote:If the Lions can't adequately protect Jennings in the pocket then they need to do something else like roll out or semi roll the QB. Why can't the Lions figure this out? :dizzy: :dizzy:
As a general rule, Wally doesn't like to use a lot of rollouts, and neither do I. It is much better to force the opposition to defend the entire width of the field, creating bigger passing windows for five or six receivers. When a QB rolls out, defences roll their coverage to that side. A QB generally has two or three receivers on that side and smaller windows to throw into.

Rollouts can be effective against teams that like to blitz off the edge (usually from the side wide of the field). They can also help simplify the reads for inexperienced QBs and to protect the QB when the O-line is struggling. None of those situations applies to the Lions, who gave up 6 sacks in their first meeting against the Redblacks with Levy Adcock struggling at right tackle but have done well at protecting the QB since then.


The Lions appear to have dodged a bullet with Hunter Steward's ankle sprain being deemed minor. With Steward and Antonio Johnson in the starting lineup, the Lions have been effective at running the ball and protecting the QB.

That leads to my three keys to the game:

1. Run the ball
The Lions struggled last week when they couldn't establish the run against Edmonton. The Lions lead the league in rushing. Ottawa leads the league in defending against the run. It's a classic match-up. Winning the line of scrimmage is essential.

2. Don't give up the deep pass
Ottawa's dangerous passing attack leads the league in deep completions of 30 yards or more. The Lions are second last in defending against the deep pass. This is a tough challenge for Mark Washington. If he choses to play a Cover-2 or Cover-3 zone, he opens the defence up to short slants and hitches. The Ottawa receivers are great at turning those short passes into big gains. In the first meeting of the year between these teams, Trevor Harris completed four deep passes for 180 yards, accounting for more than half of Ottawa's passing yardage. He attacked the wide side of the field, against Ryan Phillips in particular. Last week the Lions gave up only one pass of over 30 yards to Adarius Bowman, also to the wide side of the field, but it was a big one, setting up a TD that allowed the Esks to tie the game and turn the momentum.

3. Don't throw interceptions, especially in the fourth quarter
This year CFL teams winning the turnover battle are 39-7, winning 85% of the time. The lions are a purrfect 4-0 when winning the turnover battle. Jonathon Jennings has a good TD-to-interception ratio of 15-8 but late interceptions have been his weakness. Four of his 8 interceptions have come in the fourth quarter or OT. The Lions are 3-3 in games where he threw an interception, 0-2 in games where he threw 2 INTs and 0-2 in games where he threw a fourth quarter INT. Including a fourth-quarter pick thrown by Travis Lulay against Toronto in Week 3, the Lions are 0-3 in games where they threw fourth-quarter interceptions and 0-3 in games where their QBs threw 2 INTs (not counting an INT thrown by Lulay on a 2-pt. convert attempt in Montreal).

Really enjoyed your post B. C. Fan and respect your knowledge of the game very much.

I'm pleased to read that Hunter Steward is ok and good to go. Our Leos defense has given up too many big plays this year and will have to guard against Ottawa's big play potential. Most offences have attacked the wide side of our field this season or attacked Stewart is he was on the short side. As you note, Harris is also a high percentage quarterback who can throw successfully underneath and also hit the slants and hitches. Therfore man/cover 2 or Cover 3 is not a good option. However, I do see us using a fair amount of zone defense with two safeties.

Ottawa has the best run defense in the league and we lead the league in rushing. If we rush the football successfully it really helps our passing attack.

Our Leos are fortunate that we have won so many games this season with a minus giveaway/takeaway ratio. As you posted, teams that win the turnover battle in a game win 85% of the time. Turnovers are a key stat and your emphasis and information on this aspect of football has made all of us understand more deeply how important turnovers are. Our defense needing to create more takeaways was also a topic of discussion in the Vancouver Sun and Province this week.

However, there is one area in which we look at things differently and that is movement of the pocket. B.C. Fan, you wrote:
As a general rule, Wally doesn't like to use a lot of rollouts, and neither do I. It is much better to force the opposition to defend the entire width of the field, creating bigger passing windows for five or six receivers. When a QB rolls out, defences roll their coverage to that side. A QB generally has two or three receivers on that side and smaller windows to throw into.

Rollouts can be effective against teams that like to blitz off the edge (usually from the side wide of the field). They can also help simplify the reads for inexperienced QBs and to protect the QB when the O-line is struggling. None of those situations applies to the Lions, who gave up 6 sacks in their first meeting against the Redblacks with Levy Adcock struggling at right tackle but have done well at protecting the QB since then
.

I believe that the quarterback should throw from the pocket more than throwing from any other area. I am not a huge fan of full sprint outs or rollouts, although the occasional one with a very mobile quarterback for a quick throw can be effective. A full sprint out is a good play to hit the wide side receiver and if not open, to throw a quick dump underneath. I agree that full rollouts or full sptint outs allow a defense to roll their coverage and also to be able to defend smaller windows.

However, semi-rollouts do not completely split the field. Throw backs passes are fairly easily done with a semi-rollout. With a semi-boot a quarterback can throw to four of his five receivers without a problem and the 5th receiver, the wide receiver on the side away from the rollout can still be thrown to on a post, a high cross, or a deep ball. Semi rollouts can also create good pass/quarterback run options.

More importantly, I think its important to move the pocket. The quarterback does not always need to throw the football directly behind center. The pocket can be moved slightly so the quarterback is throwing behind the guard or tackle. The offensive line can use slide protection rules. Moving the pocket can move the quarterback away from a defensive end who is getting good pressure by making his route to the quarterback longer. It also can do the same thing to get away from a blitz from the outside.

Not having the quarterback always in the same spot throwing the football also makes it more difficult for the defensive line, in terms of their pass rush routes. It causes more problems for teams that like to stunt their defensive line. It creates more problems for inside linebacker and safety blitzes. Blitzes are designed to get to a quarterback in a certain spot.

The reality is also that a quarterback, with his 3 seconds or less to throw, never goes through five progressions, even when he is in the pocket, He splits the field anyway. He either splits one side or the other or he spits the inside, looking at his three slot backs.

I'm not a fan of vanilla, especially when its played by professionals. It doesn't make sense to me to basically have one running play, a over-focused vertical passing game, or a quarterback who just throws from the pocket, especially when we have a very mobile one who can throw on the run very well and also run the football very well.

You gotta add some other flavors once in a while. That means more than one inside running play. It means having a few, so that you can attack the inside, the edges, and even wide on occasion.

In terms of the passing attack, I believe that you need to stretch the field, both horizontally and vertically in all three layers, therefore having a number of passing plays that can be chosen to attack man or zone and their variations. I believe in moving receivers around to get good matchups and not give the defense the same look with the same receivers all the time. I also believe in the screen game and one receiver having a short pass pattern on each play so that the quarterback has a quick option if under pressure. That receiver can be a tailback, a fullback, a tight end, or an actual receiver.

But even more so, I believe a team should move the pocket for the quarterback so he is throwing not only behind center but also the gaurds and tackles. Mixing in some semi-boots, especially off play action or misdirection play action can be very effective. One or two sprint outs to each side of the field per game, only adds diversity to the passing attack.

Vanilla is fine if you are superior at every position but it does make you more predictable. Team Canada almost lost last night due to a superior strategy by the coach of Team Europe and we were by far the more talented team. The reason that we stop and huddle after each play is to provide the offence with a new play design. Football is a combination of talent, strategy, and execution.

Strategy is much more successful when its not predictable and part of strategy should be using a mix of all your weapons.
"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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