WestCoastJoe wrote:Blitz wrote:The Bombers also game planned well. The Lions sent five pass rushers on almost every play of the opening Bomber series, rushing Purifoy off the edge, but Nichols capitalized by dumping the ball into holes underneath to march the Bombers down the field. Compounding the defensive problems, the Lions dropped Adam Bighill 20 or 30 yards into deep zone coverage, leaving Solomon Elimimian alone in the middle to try to stop a fired-up Andrew Harris. Elimimian had too much ground to cover by himself and Harris had lots of success early as the Bombers built a 24-3 lead. Elimimian finished with only five defensive tackles, his lowest output in seven games. B.C. FAN
Game planning. It seems we do not game plan in detail against specific tendencies or vulnerabilities in the other team. An approach throughout Wally"s years here. The old school --> We will out execute the opponent, with our basic plays.
Winnipeg fake field goal. We were not prepared. Sound asleep. Our player outside left was completely unaware of the importance of his position, and the vulnerability to such a play. Cut blocked. Play successful. It looked like Solly raced 50 yards to prevent a touchdown.
Pass to Nichols. We were not prepared.
Some coaches disdain "trick" plays. But, in reality, they are plans against weaknesses, that can be devastating.
It doesn't even have to be a trick play. Just capitalizing on a tendency seen in the tape. How a pass defender positions himself or reacts to a move. How a linebacker "cheats." Et cetera ...
They’re football plays. They’re designed because the coordinators see something that they can take advantage of and they’re practiced and executed, and if they’re executed then it results in a good looking play.” -- O'Shea
Time for us to enter the modern age of football planning. Detailed for each opponent.
.............
It continues to seem, as noted numerous times, that our personnel planning in the off season was mistaken in thinking that our International D Line contingent was good enough. There are no dominant types there. Average guys. Our two best players are the Nationals, Westerman and Menard. So it seems to this fan ...
Once again we seem to rely on the individual brilliance of Jennings, Arceneaux, Burnham and Rainey to keep us in games.
I would have to say we were out-coached once again.
So close. So far.
The Harris fumble. Seemed like a quick whistle. It happens. If we need to rely on a fumble to win the game, that is desperation time.
Exciting team, Yes.
What happened to the DC Mark W who earlier this year seemed to have raised his game?
OC Khari? Basic level of generic planning, pablum served up cold.
Just IMO ...
In our loss to the Bombers, there has been a lot of focus on the blown Cammand Center call on the Harris fumble, which has taken the focus off the many mistakes our Leos made in this game, mostly due to lack of preparation and decision making from our Leos coaching staff.
While I agree with so many others, that the Command Center blew the call, there is no doubt that there were too many Leo plays before that blown call, that would have made the Harris fumble meaningless.
The following stand out for me.
1. Bombers Fake Field Goal
The Bombers lined up for a field goal in the first quarter and faked it, with Dressler running outside for 20 yards to our 12 yard line. The Bombers threw to Harris for a touchdown. We were not prepared and it cost us 4 points.
2. Leone's Missed Field Goal
We would have been able to kick the game winning field goal, rather than gambling on third and 3, if Leone had only converted a 35 yd. attempt earlier in the game. I wrote, before this game, that Leone's field goal kicking was going to cost us a future game and it did. We only get a total of 18 yards of improved field position from Leone's punting while getting the worst field goal kicker in the CFL this season.
This is Wally's second attempt of converting a punter who had very little experience kicking field goals in college. The last time Wally did it, we had to ask lure a retired field goal kicker ( McLoughlin) during the season to take over those duties. I don't blame Leone. I blame Wally. We could have drafted a field goal kicker, with McCallum close to the end of his career of kept Fera instead of Leone.
3. Khari's Bad Play Call in the Red Zone
In the first half, with our Leos offence on the Winnipeg 5 yard line, Khari Jones called for a misdirection motion play for Arseneaux. Arseneauxc came in motion inside, reversed his motion, and ran to the flat. The same play, in the red zone, worked for a touchdown against Ottawa. But it was the first time we had run that play. However, making the same play call, against Winnipeg, when the motion to Arseneaux tips off the play, was dum. On second down, Jones should have called a pass play with quick options for Jennings. He didn't have any and was forced to throw a deep incompletion to Rainey.
4. Sinkfield and the Interception
Jonathan Jennings threw a pass to Sinkfield, from our own 28 yard line. The ball bounced off Sinkfield's hands and Heath intercepted it and ran the football down to our 9 yard line. The play cost us an important 3 points.
5. Second and Two
In the 3rd. quarter, with second and 2, on the Winnipeg 24 yard line, we handed off to Allen for a 1 yard loss. We could have had two cracks there to get two yards and didn't. The same scenario would be repeated near the end of the game.
6. McDuffie Kickoff Return
After scoring a touchdown, on Lulay's second attempt from the Bomber 1 yard line (sure glad Wally still runs the short yardage unit), we promptly gave up a 51 yard return by the Bombers McDuffee. Great way to give the Bombers back momentum after a touchdown. Our kickoff coverage team has been awful all season (worst in the CFL) and once again it hurt us.
7. Inability to Run the Football - Pass on Second and Short
With second and 2, on the Winnipeg 38 yard line, Khari Jones called a pass play that was unsuccessful. Conventional logic says we run the football for the first down. We could also gamble with 3rd and one or less, if we don't make it. But we pass and for good reason. Our single play inside zone read is being crushed. Allen had 11 carries for a 2.5 yard average. After his first rush of the game, his first half rushes went for 2 yds, 5 yds. 3 yds. 3yds. 3 yds., -1 yd., 7 yds. -5 yds. and 1 yd. This from the 'best rushing team' in the CFL against a Bomber defense that only ranks 5th best in the CFL against the run.
When you only use one running play - the inside zone read - with zone blocking its a lot easier to defend. For a weird change, the previous game, we used 3 running plays and were very successful...so why do something that may work successfully.
8. The Draw Play
In the 4th quarter, pinned down on our 19 yd. line, Jennings promptly hit Arseneauz on a great throw and catch play for 35 yds to the Bomber 54 yard line. However, Jennings was sacked by Westerman for a 9 yard loss on the next play. With Jennings completing passes all game in the 20 yd. to 55 yd. range, Wally calls for a conservative running play and Jones dials up the draw play to Allen for a 5 yard loss. Our running game has been a disaster all game but we call this very low percentage play. It was a 'give up' play, with our passing game hot from the start of the game.
9. The Sinkfield Non-Factor
We had 358 yards of receiving in this game from two receivers. That is so mind blowing I had to read it again myself. Burnham had 208 yds. of receiving and Arseneaux had 150 yds. The rest of our recievers combined (Sinkfield, Iannuzzi, Adekulo, Allen, Rainey) had 64 yards of receieving (Adekolu did draw a 36 yard pass interference call). But everyone in the park knew that Jennings was throwing to Burnham and Arseneaux and the Bombers defense could not stop them, even with the ball hawking Winnipeg defence in cover 2 and cover 3.
Sinkfield had 2 receptions for 14 yds. We used him as a possession receiver. We signed Sinkfield for big money, for the rest of this season to add a speed element to our offence. Boldewijn, given possession routes, was contributing more to our offence. Its an example of the complete lack of imagination of Khari Jones 'plug and play' offensive scheme and not adapting to his personnel.
This is basically our offence: one running play blocked the same way each game. Our passing attack says: "Ok, Jonathan, stay in the pocket all game, deal with pass rushers in your face, play with poise, no matter what, and then throw the football downfield to Burnham and Arseneaux. They will be double covered often, so make a purrfect throw". "Bryan and Manny - its your job to also make plays! Go up and high point the football or make a spectacular play by fighting off both defenders for a highlight reel catch. Oh,and we want you to get a lot of yards after the catch, so run through 3 or four tacklers after the catch". What a brilliant offensive scheme.
(If that isn't working we'll throw Rainey into the offence and have him outrun every defender without anyone blocking for him).
What a brilliant offensive scheme.
10. Second and Two to Win the Game (Rainey Sweep on Third and One Call)
It's 2nd and 2, on the Bombers 5 yard line. There is 1:24 left on the clock. Jennings has taken the football on our own 28 yard line, with 2 minutes left on the clock. He's completed passes a big pass to Burnham for 41 yds, overcome a 10 yard penalty to hit Iannuzzi for 22 yards, and then completed 2 passes in a row to Arseneauz. Two yards to get a first down. A first down will put us on the Winnipeg 3 yard line. Do we hand off to Allen, behind Stewart and Olifioye. Nope. Loffler knifes in from his linebacking position and makes the tackle to stop Allen for a one yard gain. All we needed was a quick dive play, with no penetration, and let Allen pick up 2 yards.
Then its 3rd and one, with 58 seconds left on the clock. Conventional wisdom says run the quarterback sneak with Lulay for a 1st down. We then have 3 plays to score from the 3 yard line and run out the clock. Scoring quickly will leave time on the clock for the Bombers to attempt to come back with a field goal.
Lulay had easily scored a touchdown sneaking the football behind Steward and Olifoye, earlier in the game, after unsuccessfully trying to run behind center. Steward and Olifioye had blown out their defenders.
There is an old saying "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me". The Bombers had been fooled once. They were not going to be fooled twice.
“Oh yeah. We talked about it right before it happened,” said Leggett. “We knew. We had already seen Rainey on the opposite side of me get a 50-yard run on that exact same play. So I just changed my position up (he flipped sides), we communicated and I spun out of a block and tripped him up
It was the wrong call for the following reasons: 1) The quarterback sneak was the percentage play. We had been successful on 15 of 18 quarterback sneaks this season. 2) We needed to run some more time off the clock 3) if we had gotten the first down, we had 3 more attempts to score a touchdown from the 3 yard line.
I won't even bother going into using Bighill as a safety etc.
We started this season beating Calgary. We went into Calgary and lost in overtime, in a game in which we should have won. But the next time we played Calgary they blew us out on both sides of the football.
As time went on this season, Calgary's superior coaching or our inferior coaching showed up. As Calgary introduced more of its offensive scheme and more of its defensive scheme, they improved at a much higher level than we did, with our restrictive scheme. We had the talent to beat them early in the season but we didn't have the coaching to beat them later.
With great individual performances from Rainey (298 yards in combined offence), from Jennings (73.7% completion rate, 414 yds. passing) and Burnham/Arseneaux (358 yds. receving combined)
If we could have just run the football just a little better, we would have won this game. We came up short on second and two three times in this game...and that is on Dorazio as much as it is Jones because Dorazio coordinates the running game and Wally coordinates the Jumbo team (why I have no idea)
But for how long can we live off Jennings great throws under pressure and Burnham and Arseneaux's spectacular catches.
[
quote]“They’re a good team,” said Westerman. “They have a dynamic quarterback that made me miss once and threw a deep pass, he can make guys miss, run around and keep the play alive. They have big-play receivers like we were saying all week. They live off those chunk, explosion plays. We didn’t do a good enough job of stopping them".
[/quote]
It would be interesting to see Khari Jones coach an offence without a Jennings or receivers like Arseneaux or Burnham making spectacular catches against double coverage. I have do doubt what the results would be. It would be similar to 2014 or worse.
Coaching, scheme, game planning, play calling are our biggest problems...not talent.
"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)
