Leos/Bombers Rematch

[Blitz]

I've always had a high opinion of the abilities of Stephen Adekolu.

He started his first game as a pro for our Leos against the Bombers. Adekolu drew a 35 yard pass interference call and had one catch for 10 yards on three targets. Adekolu has very rarely been used as a Leo receiver, even though he has impressed at training camps and exhibition games.

Adekolu is a big target at 6'4" and 200 pounds. He has great hands and the ability to make spectacular catches.

I don't know if Adekolu will get a second start against the Bombers or whether Shawn Gore is ready to return, following concussion protocol.

Mike Beamish wrote the following, before Adekolu's start against the Bombers.

STEPHEN ADEKOLU, WIDE RECEIVER

Two years ago, in their first CFL training camps, Bryan Burnham and Stephen Adekolu — two unheralded receivers who self-recruited by sending game tapes to the Lions — announced themselves as intriguing possibilities for the future.

Now in his third season, Burnham is among the league’s top 10 receivers — a legitimate star. Adekolu’s career has moved along in baby steps, rather than prodigious leaps. About to make his first CFL start in place of Shawn Gore (concussion), the 27-year-old Adekolu, a Brampton, Ontario native, not only represents a big target (6-foot-4, 200 lbs), but a player who can stretch out to make improbable catches, similar to Burnham.

“Everyone’s situation is unique,” Adekolu says. “I think I could have been slotted in, in my first year. You’ve just got to maintain that hunger for when they do tap on your shoulder. I’m ready to go.”

I had hoped that Adekolu would get his first start in Gore's boundary wide receiver spot, where he is more ideally suited than Iannuzzi, but we moved Iannuzzi to that position and made two position changes instead of one

Iannuzzi has seemed to get favorable treatment, to me, since he arrived. In 2011, we pined a much better receiver in Paris Jackson to play Iannuzzi. When Jackson came into games, either as a rotational receiver, or due to an Iannuzzi injury, like in the 2 11 playoffs, the difference was obvious, as Jackson made plays and Lulay showed his confidence in Jackson.

My hope is that Adekolu's play can earn him some rotational reps in the future, at the very least.

[B.C.FAN]

Mike Beamish has an interesting line in his article on the breakout season being enjoyed by Bryan Burnham and the improved performance of other receivers. He credits the switch to Khari Jones from George Cortez as offensive coordinator.

A number of Lions are benefiting from the switch to offensive coordinator Khari Jones, who appears to tailor his offence to take advantage of the particular and unique talents of his players. His predecessor, George Cortez, was more regimented and inflexible in approach, requiring his men to fit within the template he constructed.

Unfortunately, Beamish doesn't elaborate on the schematic changes in the article. There's no doubt the B.C. offence is heavily dependent on Burnham and Arceneaux and it struggles when defences take them away.

Beamish: Burnham or Turnham, Lions receiver spells trouble for CFL defences

[David]

I don't know if Adekolu will get a second start against the Bombers or whether Shawn Gore is ready to return, following concussion protocol.

It's looking like Shawn Gore will return to the line-up this week after sitting out last Saturday due to concussion protocol (still don't understand why the Redblack defender wasn't given a penalty and/or fine for rag-dolling Gore out of bounds). We will likely see Bryant Turner draw into the D-line rotation against his former team this week as well.

On the Bomber side of the field, we're going to have our hands full with Tori Gurley lining up at WR, while Julian Posey will likely start in place of injured Lion killer Moe Leggett at the SAM (or strong side) linebacker spot. That's a big loss for the Blue and Gold.



DH

[Blitz]

Mike Beamish has an interesting line in his article on the breakout season being enjoyed by Bryan Burnham and the improved performance of other receivers. He credits the switch to Khari Jones from George Cortez as offensive coordinator.

A number of Lions are benefiting from the switch to offensive coordinator Khari Jones, who appears to tailor his offence to take advantage of the particular and unique talents of his players. His predecessor, George Cortez, was more regimented and inflexible in approach, requiring his men to fit within the template he constructed.

Unfortunately, Beamish doesn't elaborate on the schematic changes in the article. There's no doubt the B.C. offence is heavily dependent on Burnham and Arceneaux and it struggles when defences take them away.

Beamish: Burnham or Turnham, Lions receiver spells trouble for CFL defences

I read the article B.C. Fan. When Beamish says "Khari Jones 'appears' to tailor his offence to take advantage of the particular and unique talents of his players" he's just guessing. There is little difference between the scheme and plays of our offence from this season from last season. I would guess that the offensive players prefer Khari Jones 'personal style' in comparison to the cold, distant approach of Cortez.

The big difference is that we have Jennings at quarterback to start the season, with 6 games of experience in 2015 under his belt. Our offence looked very different and much more successful once Jennings started last year. So much so, in fact, that Wally determined that Jennings would be the starter and Lulay the backup before this season began.

Burnham also did a tremenoud amount of work this off-season to increase his burst speed and route running. As Geroy Simon said earlier this season, Burnham needed to make some changes to his game.

“Burnham, he’s an interesting case, because he’s a totally different receiver this year than he was last year,” said Simon. “I think this year you can see the maturity in him. He’s pretty much changed his game. He looks like he’s a little bit lighter, but he’s playing a lot faster. Last year, he didn’t play very fast and he wasn’t very effective, where he couldn’t really get open. I think this year he’s doing a good job of using his size and his speed. He’s got a huge catch radius where if the ball is anywhere around him, he’s going to catch it.”

Buono added, earlier this season:

“Maybe he was trying to be somebody that he wasn’t,” said Buono. “At times, he would glide in and out of his routes, and that takes too much time. I think this year, he’s played faster, he runs his routes faster and he’s been very productive.”

I'm pleased to read that both Gore is back and we will have Bryant Turner Jr. in the lineup. Gore has played the boundary outside receiver position well this season. Now, if we would only give Adekolu some rotational reps at field side outside receiver, I would be happy, personnel wise, but that will not likely happen. Now if only Stephen's name was Aldo, or Mario, or .....

[maxlion]

It's been suggested by some that the Lions' success on offense has been due to the players' talent in spite of uninspired coaching and schemes. I mostly agree, but just to play devil's advocate, I wonder if the point couldn't be made that Jones has created an offense that is allowing our talent to do what they do best. Jennings is standing in the pocket and hurling it downfield, while Burnham, Arseneaux and others are making big catches and big plays game after game. Not only is it working, and playing to the strengths of our players, but it creates a very exciting product on the field.

Last week our offense put up over 500 total yards and 35 points against a solid and desperate bombers team. That's pretty good. The game was lost by the D not the O. I am not surprised at all to see our D struggling. This has been the story every year under Washington--extended periods of excellence and extended periods where the D plays soft and can't stop anything.

[WestCoastJoe]

It's been suggested by some that the Lions' success on offense has been due to the players' talent in spite of uninspired coaching and schemes. I mostly agree, but just to play devil's advocate, I wonder if the point couldn't be made that Jones has created an offense that is allowing our talent to do what they do best. Jennings is standing in the pocket and hurling it downfield, while Burnham, Arseneaux and others are making big catches and big plays game after game. Not only is it working, and playing to the strengths of our players, but it creates a very exciting product on the field.

Last week our offense put up over 500 total yards and 35 points against a solid and desperate bombers team. That's pretty good. The game was lost by the D not the O. I am not surprised at all to see our D struggling. This has been the story every year under Washington--extended periods of excellence and extended periods where the D plays soft and can't stop anything.

Points well made, max.

The O has racked up the yards in some games. High powered passing attack quite often. Sensational, young QB. Spectacular receiving with Arceneaux, Burnham and company. Good running backs. Khari Jones is doing some things right, and this fan has praised the players but not the OC, as I recall. The players are comfortable in the system.

Room for improvement for sure, also. It seems that Jennings oftentimes makes plays out of nothing, into tight windows and tight coverage, or with his feet. Or that Arceneaux and Burnham in particular make some unlikely plays with superhuman effort.

The running game is more the province of Dan Dorazio with the blocking schemes and design. Some success there too.

The defence seems to have been exposed. Not much stopping power, nor penetrating power, with the D Line, putting too much pressure on our DBs and LBs.

It does seem that teams, including Winnipeg, have game planned for our defence very well lately. We will see what plans they have to stop Manny and Burnie this week, and what plans they have to attack vulnerabilities in our defence.

[Blitz]

It's been suggested by some that the Lions' success on offense has been due to the players' talent in spite of uninspired coaching and schemes. I mostly agree, but just to play devil's advocate, I wonder if the point couldn't be made that Jones has created an offense that is allowing our talent to do what they do best. Jennings is standing in the pocket and hurling it downfield, while Burnham, Arseneaux and others are making big catches and big plays game after game. Not only is it working, and playing to the strengths of our players, but it creates a very exciting product on the field.

Last week our offense put up over 500 total yards and 35 points against a solid and desperate bombers team. That's pretty good. The game was lost by the D not the O. I am not surprised at all to see our D struggling. This has been the story every year under Washington--extended periods of excellence and extended periods where the D plays soft and can't stop anything.

You are definitely playing devils advocate maxlion.

I know the scheme has not changed. Letting Jennings throw downfield into double coverage with perfectly thrown footballs and getting Burnham and Arseneaux to outleap or outfight two defenders has worked mightily this season. The problem is what if we play a team in which they are able to take that away. The unwritten law of passing football is not to throw into double coverage. Did you watch all those highlight reels of our game against the Bombers and see two defenders surrounding our receiver on most of those plays?

But what happens if the opposition can defend those plays. Calgary did it. They shut those long plays down the last time we played Calgary at B.C. Place.

We scored 9 points against Calgary's defence. None in the second half of the game. Jennings passed for 153 yds and had a 45% completion rate in that game. Our only long play completion in that game was a 42 yard pass to Burnham. No other explosive plays. Lots of incompletions. Manny caught 2 passes for 27 yds.

Khari Jones does not have to be an offensive coordinator, when Jennings, Arseneaux, Burnham, and Rainey are making spectacular plays. But when those explosive plays are taken away by a very good defence, he has no answers because his scheme doesn't have the answers to that scenario. Take Jennings out of the picture and see how good (bad) this scheme is. Other team's receivers don't have to beat two defenders to come down with a catch. Their quarterback doesn't have to make purrfect long throws while under heavy heat.

Bo Levi can eat a sandwich and drink a coffee before throwing his pass and he has all kinds of receivers open that he can throw to in single coverage and often very freed up due to the play design.

So yeah, I love the spectacular plays. They're exciting. I dont' want us to stop them. Why stop something that is working, even if it defies the football gods. Its just that we have to have other options if they are not there, like in the last Calgary game.

We also need a running play that attacks the edges if a team is shutting down our inside zone read.

We have all our eggs in a very small basket. Its great when it works, as it has many times this season. But its not wise if the opposition takes that basket away because we don't have Option B.

[TheLionKing]

We also need a running play that attacks the edges if a team is shutting down our inside zone read.

We have all our eggs in a very small basket. Its great when it works, as it has many times this season. But its not wise if the opposition takes that basket away because we don't have Option B.

Agree 100% Lions living on a very precipitous edge continually throwing into double coverage. It will come back to bite us in the playoffs.