Leos/Bombers West Semi-Final

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Blitz
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As a long time Leo fan, I've seen more playoff losses than wins. Our post-season record is the worst record among current playoff teams at 20-31 all-time.

Anthony Gaitor and Jeremiah Johnson have returned to practice but still no sign of Shawn Gore at Lions walk-through (Lowell Ullrich, TSN 1040).

And this, for B.C. Fan and the "religion of turnovers" :wink:
The Bombers were 11-1 when winning the turnover battle and 0-6 when losing it .
"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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B.C.FAN
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Blitz wrote:As a long time Leo fan, I've seen more playoff losses than wins. Our post-season record is the worst record among current playoff teams at 20-31 all-time.

Anthony Gaitor and Jeremiah Johnson have returned to practice but still no sign of Shawn Gore at Lions walk-through (Lowell Ullrich, TSN 1040).

And this, for B.C. Fan and the "religion of turnovers" :wink:
The Bombers were 11-1 when winning the turnover battle and 0-6 when losing it .
Since you brought up turnovers ...

The Lions were 7-0 when winning the turnover battle, 2-6 when losing it and 3-0 when the number of turnovers were equal.

The Bombers scored a league-leading 149 points off turnovers, or an average of 8 points per game. In two games against the Lions, they scored 26 points off turnovers, an average of 13 per game. Jonathon Jennings threw one-third of his league-high 15 interceptions against the Bombers.

The clear message is the Lions should be fine as long as they don't beat themselves.

As for injury updates, Wally said he expects to dress the same lineup as last week, which suggests Anthony Gaitor and Jeremiah Johnson will play and Bryant Turner Jr. will stay in the rotation on the D-line.

From Mike Beamish on the roster and Turner:
“I’m not sure we need to make any changes,” Buono said Tuesday. “I like his (Turner’s) leadership. I like his versatility.”

That lineup status quo likely includes running back Jeremiah Johnson and cornerback Anthony Gaitor. Both players are over minor injuries picked up in last Saturday’s 41-18 win over the ‘Riders and have declared themselves fit for Sunday.
Mike Beamish: Blue Bombers turned the corner too late for Lions’ Turner

The Lions need to establish more than two receivers in this game. I hope they get the ball in the hands of Rainey, Sinkfield, Adekolu and Iannuzzi early in the game. Perhaps they can target Johnson or Lumbala for a screen or dump pass. That can help open space for Arceneaux and Burnham, who can expect lots of double coverage all game.
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squishy35
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B.C.FAN wrote:
Blitz wrote:As a long time Leo fan, I've seen more playoff losses than wins. Our post-season record is the worst record among current playoff teams at 20-31 all-time.

Anthony Gaitor and Jeremiah Johnson have returned to practice but still no sign of Shawn Gore at Lions walk-through (Lowell Ullrich, TSN 1040).

And this, for B.C. Fan and the "religion of turnovers" :wink:
The Bombers were 11-1 when winning the turnover battle and 0-6 when losing it .
Since you brought up turnovers ...

The Lions were 7-0 when winning the turnover battle, 2-6 when losing it and 3-0 when the number of turnovers were equal.

The Bombers scored a league-leading 149 points off turnovers, or an average of 8 points per game. In two games against the Lions, they scored 26 points off turnovers, an average of 13 per game. Jonathon Jennings threw one-third of his league-high 15 interceptions against the Bombers.

The clear message is the Lions should be fine as long as they don't beat themselves.

As for injury updates, Wally said he expects to dress the same lineup as last week, which suggests Anthony Gaitor and Jeremiah Johnson will play and Bryant Turner Jr. will stay in the rotation on the D-line.

From Mike Beamish on the roster and Turner:
“I’m not sure we need to make any changes,” Buono said Tuesday. “I like his (Turner’s) leadership. I like his versatility.”

That lineup status quo likely includes running back Jeremiah Johnson and cornerback Anthony Gaitor. Both players are over minor injuries picked up in last Saturday’s 41-18 win over the ‘Riders and have declared themselves fit for Sunday.
Mike Beamish: Blue Bombers turned the corner too late for Lions’ Turner

The Lions need to establish more than two receivers in this game. I hope they get the ball in the hands of Rainey, Sinkfield, Adekolu and Iannuzzi early in the game. Perhaps they can target Johnson or Lumbala for a screen or dump pass. That can help open space for Arceneaux and Burnham, who can expect lots of double coverage all game.

I think that the time to look at Lumbala as a key option is huge for this game. He can be the wild card in this game if the lions go to him more often than usual.
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Robbie
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Blitz wrote:Some background history for this game from the folks at the CFL.
The Lions went on to win both of those games, a 33-32 nail-biter in 1977 and a 21-14 edge in 1986, before bowing out each time in the Western Final.....
.....and bowing big time they did by being demolished by the Eskimos in Edmonton.

But this time if the Lions win it won't be in Edmonton. Historically the Lions had better luck at McMahon Stadium at the WDF. Last time was in 2008 in a game that the Lions could have and should have won by dominating most of the first half but just couldn't enter the end zone and sloppy defence allowed the Stampeders to squeak out a narrow win. But the Lions certainly had success there twice before in the most memorable 1994 WDF and also in the underrated, underappreciated 2000 WDF in which the Lions put on one of the finest performances in a road division final as the Lions completely dominated on both offence, defence, and special teams and deservedly won the game as the better team.
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
TheLionKing
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Blitz wrote:As a long time Leo fan, I've seen more playoff losses than wins. Our post-season record is the worst record among current playoff teams at 20-31 all-time.
You're not the only one. I've yet to get over the losses to Edmonton during their dynasty years.
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Robbie
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TheLionKing wrote:
Blitz wrote:As a long time Leo fan, I've seen more playoff losses than wins. Our post-season record is the worst record among current playoff teams at 20-31 all-time.
You're not the only one. I've yet to get over the losses to Edmonton during their dynasty years.
Well, if there's any consolation the Grey Cup game is the most important while home playoff games are more sentimental especially if you attended it.

The Lions have a winning record in Grey Cup appearances at 6-4, unlike a huge losing record with Saskatchewan and Winnipeg.

For home division semi-finals the Lions are 2-0 and let it be 3-0 this Sunday.

And for home west division finals the Lions have a slight winning record at 7-6.
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
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David
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The following is my take on the match-ups:

Quarterbacks
Not to take anything away from Matt Nichols – he has a fast release, can pick apart defenses, and has been a big part of the Bombers' turnaround. But there’s no one I’d rather have for us under center right now than Jennings – with the possible exception of BLM, and that’s primarily due to experience. Does anyone in CFL or NFL have a better touch on the deep ball than him? If JJ sticks to the game plan and play calls and doesn’t try to do too much when facing pressure, it’s…

ADVANTAGE: BC


Running backs
Harris struggled a bit early in the season, but with the massive Travis Bond inserted at left guard and improved run blocking, he’s had good success rushing the football in 2016. Plus, you have to love Harris’ ability to catch the ball out of the backfield on Nichols’s check downs (screens and dump passes). As a defense, you have to be aware of where Harris is at all times or he’ll kill you (why do teams always try to tackle him high? He might have the most powerful legs of any CFL back not named Messam). He’s going to be super-motivated to beat BC too. However, Jeremiah Johnson is no slouch himself, averaging nearly a full yard per carry more than Harris (5.0 vs 5.9). Factor in speedy Chris Rainey who can catch the ball, run the jet sweep or spell off Johnson and it’s…

ADVANTAGE: EVEN (if Jeremiah Johnson is less than 100% though, it’s AVANTAGE: WINNIPEG)


Receivers
Bombers did a really good job of shutting down “Team100 2.0” (Arceneaux and Burnham) last time we faced the Bombers, but you know Khari Jones has looked at the film to try and move the CFL’s #2 and #3 receivers around to mitigate the Man/Cover 2 the Bombers employ. It’s going to open up a lot underneath if Jennings is patient. Losing Gore hurts (I love Adekolu but he’s very green). Still, with Sinkfield as the X Factor, try and get him 1 on 1 with the slower Loffler. I am saying…

ADVANTAGE: BC


Offensive line
Impressive that the Bombers lost C Jeff Keeping early in the season and haven’t missed a beat with Goosen. Very little separates the two lines IMO. We have one of the best left tackles in the league in Jovan Olafioye but Stanley Bryant is no slouch either. Right tackle on BC’s line has been a slight concern for me for the past few weeks.

ADVANTAGE: EVEN


Defensive line
I am really liking Turner and Brooks anchoring the middle of our D-line (was calling for more of this pair earlier in the season – glad to see it’s happening now). Although Bazzie has cooled off from his sack pace early, Craig Roh has greatly improved over last season IMO and has become quite disruptive off the edge. Our Leos ranked 2nd in the CFL this year with 50 sacks. While the Bombers’Jamaal Westerman’s sack production was down this year, he’s still a force.

ADVANTAGE: BC


Linebackers
One would think we have a big edge here with TEAM100 and the hard hitting Loucheiz Purifoy, but the Bombers have some ballers at linebacker too led by Maurice Leggett, Ian Wild, and Khalil Bass. Still, it’s…

ADVANTAGE: BC


Defensive backs
Hard to believe we’ve been as good as we have been with season ending injuries to TJ Lee, Steven Clarke and Ronnie Yell. Still, there are ball hawks and then there’s the Winnipeg secondary. That group has forced a league-high 29 picks (Hamilton the next closest with…wait for it…17!). Jennings has to be careful not to throw into double/triple coverage as this group can kill you in the turnover department. They force fumbles too with swarm tackling. Generating turnovers is the weakest part of BC's game.

ADVANTAGE: WINNIPEG


Return game
With Kevin Fogg out of the game with injury, this comes down to Quincy McDuffie vs Chris Rainey. You have to put your money on the Rain Man.

ADVANTAGE: BC


Kicking game
This is tougher to call than it looks. 2 weeks ago I would have said Winnipeg – easily, as I value field goals more than punts and there isn’t a deadlier field goal kicker in the CFL than Justin Medlock. With McCallum now signed, it adds a slightly different nuance to things. I love McCallum’s accuracy, but his range isn’t quite as far as Medlock’s. There is however a big punting advantage for B.C. with Leone’s boomers. The Lions enjoyed an punt average that was 6.7 yards per kick farther than the Bombers over an entire season. That’s big.

ADVANTAGE: EVEN

Coaching
The Lions have a coaching legend in Wally Buono. He has a sizeable advantage coaching in big games over Mike O’Shea, so the experience factor is huge. But this isn’t to suggest O’Shea can’t get his team up for a “winner moves on” playoff game; I think he can. Further, Wally’s conservatism in big games has held his clubs back IMHO, so his post-season winning % isn’t as good as it could be with the talent he’s assembled. And “conservative” isn’t an adjective I’d pin on Mike O’Shea. He has a knack of knowing when to exploit a team with a surprise fake or gadget play and leverage that with points and momentum. Don’t overlook the O'Shea factor.

ADVANTAGE: EVEN

Intangibles
It’s hard to imagine this 12-6 Lions team losing 3x in a row to the Bombers (or any other team other CFL team for that matter, save the Calgary Stampeders). If BC Place is rocking, the crowd could give BC a big lift (if there are lots of empty seats and the crowd is not a factor due to an early 1:30pm start however, it could have the opposite effect). Don’t discount the “Harris” effect. He’s going to be a man on a mission to stick it to us - that's just who is, he wears his heart on his sleeve - so it’s imperative we have someone like Purifoy spying him at all times. However, I’ve seen evidence of Nichols coming back down to earth in the last couple of weeks with some ghastly INTS. If the Lions can limit the turnovers, it’s…

ADVANTAGE: BC


DH :cool:
Roar, You Lions, Roar
Blitz
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What an outstanding post David. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I won't comment on most areas of your post but will share thoughts on a couple of them.
Quarterbacks
Not to take anything away from Matt Nichols – he has a fast release, can pick apart defenses, and has been a big part of the Bombers' turnaround. But there’s no one I’d rather have for us under center right now than Jennings – with the possible exception of BLM, and that’s primarily due to experience. Does anyone in CFL or NFL have a better touch on the deep ball than him? If JJ sticks to the game plan and play calls and doesn’t try to do too much when facing pressure, it’s…

ADVANTAGE: BC
I have never, ever seen a quarterback throw a deep ball as often and so well as Jennings, CFL or NFL. I'm often in awe, and that's now easy for me to be in awe. When he missed Adekolu deep last game I was relieved to know that Jennings is human. He really has a special arm. He can just flick his wrist, without being set, and throw a 25 yard bullet. Amazing stuff. What Jennings does, in terms of his throws, often while under considerable pressure, is not to be taken for granted. That kind of talent is rare.

Tedford is the one who discovered him and developed him last year. Tedford didn't have a very good season but he did leave us someone special.
Running backs
Harris struggled a bit early in the season, but with the massive Travis Bond inserted at left guard and improved run blocking, he’s had good success rushing the football in 2016. Plus, you have to love Harris’ ability to catch the ball out of the backfield on Nichols’s check downs (screens and dump passes). As a defense, you have to be aware of where Harris is at all times or he’ll kill you.
Harris will kill us if we don't cover him in the flats. We've dropped Bighill to safety a lot in the two previous games but when we kept both Sol E. and Biggie in the linebacker spots, we had them covering underneath hook zones. Against the Bombers we can't do that. When Harris goes to the flat, one of them has to cover him right away.

Thanks again David for an outstanding analysis of this playoff game.
"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)
Blitz
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Last season, Bryan Burnham had 35 receptions for 423 yards (12.1 yd. average per catch)

This season Burnham had 79 receptions for 1, 392 yards. Burnham also led the CFL in average yards per catch (17.6 yds. per reception. Burnham had 15 receptions this year that were for 30 yards or more.

What has been the difference from last year to this year? Well, it wasn't our offensive scheme, which was the same spread offence, vertical passing scheme that Cortez used last year for most of this season. (Jones has made some significant scheme changes the last few games that have been impressive).

The first answer is simple. Burnham had Jonathan Jennings as his quarterback for a full season. The second reason is Burnham himself, who worked out incredibly hard in the off-season and also worked on his speed and route running. Only Adrius Bowman, Derel Walker and Manny Arseneaux had more reception yardage than Burnham.

But those receivers were also targeted much more often than Burnham, who was targeted 106 times. Bowman (168 targets), Walker (154 targets) and Manny (154 targets) were thrown to a lot more and each had less average yds. per reception than Burnham.

Does your offence need a completion? Who would be that clutch receiver to throw to? If you thought Bowman (71.4%), Walker (70.7%) or Arseneaux(68.2%) you'd be wrong. Throwing the football to Burnham (74.5%) would be the best answer.

Offensive Team 100 (Manny, Bryan), in our first game against the Bombers accounted for 358 yds. in receptions with Burnham accouting for 208 of those yards and Manny racking up 150. In our second game against the Bombers Team 100 had 64 yds. in receptions. Burnham had 48 yds. receiving and Manny only had 2 catches for 16 yards. Huge difference as the Bombers took away our deep and deep intermediate game to our two favorite receivers.

We'll need more production from Manny and Bryan on Sunday than the last time we played the Bombers. That will entail Jones moving both receivers around more, getting then out of the slot positions all the time, putting them together on the boundary side at times, etc. Sinkfield had a good game against the Bombers when we played them at home. He had 96 yards in receptions on 3 catches as our leading receiver in that game. For us to win, Sinkfield will need to have that type of game again.

But Jennnings will also need to use Adekolu and Iannuzzi if we want to win. He can't ignore them and allow the Bombers defence to focus on Manny and Bryan or three of our recievers or they will cheat and get interceptions. We'll need to shorten some routes for Team 100 at times. We'll also need to use Rainey, Johnson, and Lumbala in the passing attack with some screens or delayed swings or crossing routes. Misdirction play action and then throwing to the back is a great way to use our tailback or fullback too.

Mike Beamish: Breakout player Burnham among eight Lions named as West all-stars
Mike Beamish
More from Mike Beamish
Published on: November 9, 2016

B.C. Lions' Bryan Burnham makes a reception against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats during the first half of a CFL football game in Vancouver, B.C., on Saturday August 13, 2016. DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS

When yards are adjusted for expectation, third-year player Bryan Burnham might be the greatest overachiever in the CFL.
In February, last year’s sixth-leading pass catcher with the B.C. Lions recorded his ambitious personal and team goals for the coming season, a much-needed insight into a personality that outwardly seems intellectual and laid-back. Among them:

He predicted the Lions would achieve a 12-6 record (they were 7-11 last season). Check.

Burnham vowed to finish among the top five receivers in the CFL (he was No. 43 last season with 423 yards). Check.
He reached for the stars — 1,500 yards (more than three times his production of the previous year). A big task, but he came close.

Falling shy of his third goal by 118 yards, the breakout player of the year nonetheless finished behind only three other CFL receivers — Adarius Bowman and Derel Walker of the Edmonton Eskimos, and Lions teammate Manny Arceneaux — all with notably greater hype and expectation entering the season.

“I knew it was going to be tough,” Burnham said Wednesday, following a practice for Sunday’s West Division semifinal against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. “But the idea was to set your goals high. Even if you don’t achieve those goals, you want to finish somewhere close to that and be happy about it.”

Burnham’s 1,392 yards were 146 more than Ottawa’s Greg Ellingson, the CFL’s fifth-leading receiver who topped the tables in the East Division.

As one who unquestionably pushed the envelope further than others thought possible, Burnham became one of eight Lions named to the West Division all-star team Wednesday.

Burnham, running back/kick-returner Chris Rainey and defensive end Alex Bazzie are the first-timers among the group. Rainey led the CFL with 2,945 combined yards. Bazzie had 10 sacks in his first 11 games, but only one over the closing seven in joining linebackers Solomon Elimimian (fourth time) and Adam Bighill (fifth time) on the defensive dream team.

Left tackle Jovan Olafioye (seventh time), punter Richie Leone (second time) and Arceneaux (second time) were also named to the West squad.

When Burnham set his impossibly high standards months ago they can be considered fearless in retrospect. At the time, the Lions still had former NFL receivers Lavelle Hawkins and Austin Collie on the roster, and Nick Moore, a 1,000-yard receiver with the Lions in 2013, was returning. He signed soon after the free-agency period began.

That’s three very talented receivers, in addition to Arceneaux, the stud pass catcher, all wanting the football.

But Collie, whose professional career was marked by concussion issues, retired before training camp began. Hawkins joined him, one week into camp. And Moore lasted only four weeks into the season. The slotback sustained a freak injury, celebrating a touchdown July 16 against Saskatchewan. His torn ACL put him out for the rest of the season.

“All of those factors played a part in my season,” Burnham admitted. “It would be hard not to. Lavelle, being the playmaker he is, and Austin and Nick being the same. Realistically, you have to say it made a difference. At the same time, I still knew it was possible (to have the season he did), even if those guys were still on the roster.”

There are always two aspects to a professional athlete’s sudden ascension. There is the spectacle that the public sees, when the realization comes over them, ‘Where did he come from?’ And there is the one that players and coaches can see evolving week by week, but do not discuss openly.

“Bryan, we knew, had the potential when said receivers (Hawkins and Collie) didn’t come back,” said Travis Lulay. “He just grabbed the bull by the horns and ran with it. We knew he had a chance to be that guy. And you could tell early on he could be that big, explosive player, with the toughness to catch balls in traffic, and be the clutch player he’s become. Our receiving corps early on, might have been a concern, with Nick going down. Now it’s a strength.”

The Blue Bombers certainly are aware of that.

Burnham had 208 receiving yards (nine catches) against Winnipeg on Oct. 8, helping the Lions erase an early 21-point deficit in a back-and-forth game that ended in a 37-35 Blue Bomber victory. Arceneaux had 150 yards (10 catches) in the same game.

Six days later, the Bombers held the dynamic B.C. duo to a combined six catches (68 yards) in completing the regular-season sweep with a 35-32 win in Vancouver.

“That’s the making of a great quarterback-receiver relationship,” Burnham said. “Sometimes Jonathon (Jennings) is going to make us look good, and sometimes we’re going to make him look good. Whether he throws a bad ball, and we have to make a great catch, or we run a bad route, and he puts it in a purrfect spot, that’s the type of relationship we have. It’s the type of relationship we have to have.”

Because of a belief in himself, and the poise and precision of his second-year quarterback, Burnham is a West all-star — and the best player you never saw coming.
"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)
Blitz
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It seems like Andrew Harris doesn't communicate much with his ex-teammates, other than Ryan Phillips. The split between Harris and Buono was acrimonious. Harris said a win in B.C. would be 'icing on the cake'.

Bombers players voted running back Andrew Harris as the winner of the Cal Murphy Heart of a Legend Award this season.

Harris has hurt us in both games, peeling off a few long runs but its been his receiving out of the backfield that has done the most damage. Harris also had a 71 yard catch and run called back due to penalty.

We need to focus on Harris out of the backfield as a key to our defensive scheme this Sunday.

The Bombers have decided to go with Julian Feoli-GudinoIi rather than Rory Kohlert. Kohlbert, fifth year Bomber had started 67 of the last 70 games for the Bombers.

The Bombers announced that Kevin Fogg would not play this Sunday due to injury and he missed practice on Wednesday but has not been rules out now. Bombers head coach Mike O'Shea wouldn't confirm how serious the injury is nor how long the rookie will be out.
“He's moving around out there,” O'Shea said, “so we'll just give him another day. Kickoff returner Quincy McDuffie would likely pull double duty if Fogg can't play.

West All-Star T.J. Heath on covering Manny Arseneaux in this game:
“He's playing pretty good. He's making a lot of plays,” Heath said. “I love going against the guy, though. It's always a good challenge. I know they're going to throw some balls up, so I always get excited when I know a team's going to throw some balls up because it gives me an opportunity to make a play. I'm looking forward to the challenge again.

“My success rate's been pretty good with him. I never sleep on a guy like that. He's very capable as we all know. He's got 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns, so he's obviously doing something right."
The intrigue for this game builds.

Harris faces his former team in his old stomping grounds

By Kirk Penton, Winnipeg Sun


It doesn't get much juicier than this: Andrew Harris facing his former team in his old stomping grounds for the right to advance to the CFL's West Division final.

The Bombers running back admitted Wednesday he would feel even better if Winnipeg were able to pull off the upset on Sunday at BC Place.

“It'd be a little bit of icing on the cake for sure,” Harris said, “but it didn't matter who we're playing this week. The mentality is the same. For me there's a little more of a personal side to it, but for me it's just another game, another playoff game, and you gotta get ready for it the same way as anything else.”

Harris hasn't won a playoff game since beating the Bombers in the 2011 Grey Cup as a member of the Lions. B.C. went to the playoffs all six seasons with Harris, but they lost the 2012 West final at home and then dropped three consecutive semifinals. He missed the 2014 playoff loss due to injury.

Now that he has helped get the Bombers to the post-season in his first season, Harris is a purrfect 7-for-7 when it comes to playoff berths.

“It's definitely tough (to do),” Harris said. “First of all, it's tough to get in there. It's crazy. There's not many teams in this league, but it's tough to get in there and it's tough to be competitive.

“The intensity, the game speed just gets picked up that much more in the playoffs, and we gotta come ready to match that.”
Harris became a free agent in February and had a chance to come back to his hometown of Winnipeg to spend more time with his family, especially daughter Hazel. The fact the Bombers, who desperately needed to improve their Canadian talent, shelled out $175,000 per season for his services made his departure from Vancouver easier.

Harris has been worth the hefty price tag. He led the team with 1,608 yards from scrimmage, which was the second best mark of his career, and scored five touchdowns despite missing three games due to injury. He has been a workhorse and was a big help to quarterbacks Drew Willy and Matt Nichols when it came to outlet passes and pass protection.

There was plenty of acrimony during the late stages of Harris' tenure with the Lions, especially when the offence struggled, but it would be a stretch to call it an acrimonious split. Harris doesn't communicate with too many of his former teammates, but he does keep in regular contact with defensive back Ryan Phillips.

“I talk to Ryan a little bit, but other than that ...,” Harris said. “It's just friendly things. We're not talking about football. The rivalry and the fact that I played there is out the window. I got the two wins against them (during the regular season). Now it's a whole other season, and we gotta go forward with that.”

Last month's two regular season wins against the Lions will be wiped off the board, however, if the Bombers can't win their first playoff game since 2011.

“Absolutely,” Harris said. “This is the big one. This is the one that counts.”
"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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B.C.FAN
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Arceneaux and Burnham not only lead the Lions in receptions and yardage but they are the receivers that Jennings relies on for clutch catches on second down. They're both among the league leaders in second-down catches for a first down. Edmonton's Adarius Bowman and Montreal's Nik Lewis lead the league with 40 clutch second-down catches. Arceneaux is tied for fourth with 34 and Burnham is tied for sixth with 31. There's a big drop-off before the next Lions receiver, Shawn Gore, at 15.

B.C. SECOND DOWN CATCHES FOR A FIRST DOWN
Arceneaux 34
Burnham 31
Gore 15
Iannuzzi 11
Boldewijn 6
Moore 5
Sinkfield 5
Rainey 4
Allen 3
Johnson 2
Lumbala 2
Taylor 1

It's tough to break tendencies, especially on second down, but not having Gore in the lineup makes it difficult for Jennings to look to anyone else when he needs a first down. The Bombers know that if they can shut down the Lions' two main receivers on second down they can likely force a punt.

Winnipeg doesn't have a clutch receiver who compares to Arceneaux and Burnham. The Bombers spread the ball around to all their receivers on second down but they have an advantage in that they use Andrew Harris effectively in that situation. He has 15 clutch second-down catches, one behind team leader Weston Dressler at 16 and one ahead of Darvin Adams and Clarence Denmark at 14.
Blitz
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Interesting post B.C. Fan in terms of our 'clutch receivers' on second down passing attempts.

Sometimes in sports, we focus on stars but in my coaching days of yore I used to say you're only as strong as your weakest link. You can pick on a weak defensive back, for example.

On defense, you can cheat on the opposing stars. If they won't throw to their 'weakest link', you can beat them.

In big games, in every sport, you can design something that nullifies or at least makes it very tough for the star player. The key to this game, in terms of our passing attack, may not be Manny or Burnham but the willingness of Jennings to throw to Sinkfield, Adekolu, and Ianuuzzi.

The Bombers are going to cheat. If we are willing to throw to our other three receivers and make them a threat, in the first half of the game, we can open things up for Manny and Burnham. But if we are just focused on those two, it could lead to interceptions or a lack of success. But Jennings not only has to throw them a pass or two in the first half but they also have to step up.

We brought Sinkfield in to bolster our passing attack. He has had way too many dropped footballs on easy catches. This is a game for Sinkeild to pay back our faith in him and for sticking with him during games when he was less than impressive.

Adekolu is a long strider - he's a tall, big strong receiver with excellent hands. We really should have thrown some footballs to him against the Riders, when we had the lead but we didn't. Jennings has to believe in him. To beat the Bombers it just can't be the Manny/Bryan Show.
"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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Blitz wrote:

Adekolu is a long strider - he's a tall, big strong receiver with excellent hands. We really should have thrown some footballs to him against the Riders, when we had the lead but we didn't. Jennings has to believe in him. To beat the Bombers it just can't be the Manny/Bryan Show.

Saving him for the Bombers. :wink:
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JohnHenry
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While turnovers can cost you games, the heat J. Jennings takes for his Int's is a little overblown. Yes, it's smart to be cautious but Jennings' 15 Int's are not that bad considering his penchant for the spectacular long bombs.

We should remember another Lions QB, Doug Flutie heralded as the Greatest Player in CFL History, who threw 73 Int's in his first 3 CFL regular seasons. And that was after playing 5 pro seasons in the NFL & USFL. So I don't think Jennings needs to temper it down that much.

One stat which used to be important in the CFL, yardage per pass completion, seems to have been replaced with, yardage per pass attempt. The YPA factors the yardage gained per incompletion (always 0) into the YPC average (sort of a mini-QB rating, I guess) resulting in a 9.4 avg for Jennings, which doesn't really mean that much. His actual pass completion avg. is for an impressive 14.1 yds. Here are the YPC stats:

Name -----
Comp - Att ---% ------Yds --- YPC - Td - Int - QBR
Jennings...371 of 554 (67.0%) - 5226 = 14.1 - 27 - 15 - 102
Harris.......242 of 330 (73.3%) - 3301 = 13.6 - 16 -- 4 - 116
Burris.......180 of 264 (68.2%) - 2419 = 13.4 - 12 -- 9 -- 98
Mitchell....412 of 606 (68.0%) - 5385 = 13.1 - 32 -- 8 - 108
Collaros.... 232 of 347 (66.9%) - 2938 = 12.7 - 18 -- 8 - 101
Reilly........448 of 633 (70.8%) - 5554 = 12.4 - 28 - 12 - 105
Masoli......230 of 332 (69.3%) - 2695 = 11.7 - 15 - 12 -- 94
Durant.....330 of 496 (66.5%) - 3839 = 11.6 - 14 -- 7 -- 93
Glenn.......224 of 318 (70.4%) - 2563 = 11.4 - 13 - 11 -- 94
Nichols.....327 of 471 (69.4%) - 3666 = 11.2 - 18 -- 9 -- 97
Ray..........222 of 298 (74.5%) - 2397 = 10.8 - 15 -- 6 - 106
Willy........ 214 of 304 (70.4%) - 2154 = 10.1 -- 8 -- 5 -- 92

:2cents:
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B.C.FAN
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The Lions have declared their 46-man roster, with no changes to the starting lineup from last week. Jeremiah Johnson starts at RB as expected, Anthony Gaitor starts at CB and Stephen Adekolu starts at boundary WR. Maxx Forde is added to the 46-man roster as a seventh DL, which suggests he'll likely be a game-time scratch.

WSF roster and depth chart
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