Stampeders 27 - Lions 13, Post-Stats and Comments

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WestCoastJoe
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Not a fan of Singleton as he seems to be something of a showboat. But he can play. Calgary's defence fully exploits his speed, and his ability to read the play.

His form tackling reminds me of Adam Bighill.

Singleton and JJ24.

(Not many highlights for us in the CFL clip.)


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John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
Blitz
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Right now, Singleton is the best linebacker in the CFL. Not bad for a National who was selected 6th by Calgary in last year's draft and who became a starter part way through his rookie season.

I wouldn't be complaining if he was in a Leos uniform.
"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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Toppy Vann
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Blitz wrote:
Wed Sep 20, 2017 6:45 am
Right now, Singleton is the best linebacker in the CFL. Not bad for a National who was selected 6th by Calgary in last year's draft and who became a starter part way through his rookie season.

I wouldn't be complaining if he was in a Leos uniform.
As Kevin Glenn and Bo Levi say about linebackers like Sol E. 'You don't like him on the field but off he's a great guy' ... 'you want him as your team mate' ... 'you always have to know where he is' - others might say of Singleton.

Just the smiling to match his play making inspires those around him. He was the first half shutdown guy on BC and nothing changed to the half to take advantage of how he played. By then they were sort of done.

As for Ty Long, he's killing it in punting but I'd be interested in the stats on run backs. It seems to me returners are taking advantage of the long ball to get nice long returns where the BC returners are getting shorter punts and crap returns. The long returns from whereever they start give offences a bit of fire. No return yardage unless it's a 15 yard punt get frustrating for a team.

Not knowing the onside rule is freaking ridiculous for a punter like him. That was really bad on the Lions and the coaches for that blunder. It was like the Als DB blunder on the end zone INT who went back in the end zone for a knee giving up 2 pts on an interception! That is coaching usually.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
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B.C.FAN
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Toppy Vann wrote:
Wed Sep 20, 2017 10:20 am
As for Ty Long, he's killing it in punting but I'd be interested in the stats on run backs. It seems to me returners are taking advantage of the long ball to get nice long returns where the BC returners are getting shorter punts and crap returns. The long returns from whereever they start give offences a bit of fire. No return yardage unless it's a 15 yard punt get frustrating for a team.
Long has had three touchdown-saving tackles on runbacks this year, and had at least one or two other tackles negated by penalty on the return team. Not many kickers can tackle like him. The Lions have allowed more long punt and kick returns than any team but they're one of only two teams (with Montreal) that haven't allowed a return TD, thanks to Long.

B.C. leads the league with a 48 yard punting average but has also allowed a league-high 14-yard return average. B.C.'s net punting average is a league-worst 33.2 yards, so Long is clearly outkicking his coverage. B.C. has given up a league-high 12 big plays on kick and punt returns, including 5 punt returns of 30 yards or more (tied with Hamilton and Saskatchewan for the most in the league).

Until this year, Long had never tried directional punting. After some gaffes in early games, he has been punting more for distance than accuracy. He seems to regularly place the ball near the hash marks, whereas more experienced CFL punters place it closer to the sidelines, making it easier for teammates to cover.

B.C.'s special teams problems go well beyond Long. The Lions made a number of roster changes out of training camp this year to get younger and faster on special teams. They dress 8 or 9 defensive linemen primarily so they can play special teams, not because they need that many to rotate in on defence. They added Awe, Burnett, Herdman and Chagnon as linebackers, all of whom are mainstays on cover teams. Awe and Herdman are among the league leaders in special teams tackles but overall the Lions' kick coverage has been poor, as have most aspects of special teams play. The Lions rank at or near the bottom of the league in most kick and punt return stats, despite having some pretty good returners of their own.
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David
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Wally addressed this on 3 Down Radio Monday night. Defended the fact that Rainey isn't getting the return yards this year as (paraphrasing; not a direct quote), "kicking teams are just hitting the ball really high and he has nowhere to go. We need to do the same. Instead of punting the ball 50 yards, hit it 44 yards with more hang time."

I believe we're going to see more of that this week.


DH :cool:
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DanoT
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SammyGreene wrote:
Tue Sep 19, 2017 10:28 pm
So we give Foucault his first-ever start at tackle against the Stampeders then demote him a week later? Where have I seen this movie before?
Oh yes, Levi Adcock making his debut also against Calgary last season and being released soon after.
What a frickin team to be tinkering against.
Absolutely ridiculous the musical chairs that have been going on all season with the o-line, d-line and secondary.

So I guess our $100,000 plus international receiver will be inactive again after zero catches last week. Or maybe the other even higher priced international with zero catches last week should sit given Moore lit up the Ti-Cats back in July. What a mess.

Hate to say it but can't wait for this era to be over. From the owner right on down.
Constant experimenting with the Oline seems to be what coach Dorazio is all about, so I don't expect good results or consistent play.

The best thing about the Lions being in the basement in the standings and possibly finishing there (both teams ahead of the Lions hold the tie breaker over them) is that likely it will mean moving on from some of the seemingly tenured coach staff.
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aklawitter
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I don't think Long is outkicking the coverage, rather I think the coverage stinks. That's on WB. Seems like half the unit is stashed DL
TheLionKing
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aklawitter wrote:
Wed Sep 20, 2017 12:28 pm
I don't think Long is outkicking the coverage, rather I think the coverage stinks. That's on WB. Seems like half the unit is stashed DL
Agree, there were numerous times players were in position to make the tackle and didn't
TheLionKing
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DanoT wrote:
Wed Sep 20, 2017 12:19 pm
The best thing about the Lions being in the basement in the standings and possibly finishing there (both teams ahead of the Lions hold the tie breaker over them) is that likely it will mean moving on from some of the seemingly tenured coach staff.
The only way that's going to happen is with new ownership. As long as Buono is with the Lions or have input into the coaching staff, it's status quo. More of the same boring stuff we've been fed the past several season.
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David
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aklawitter wrote:
Wed Sep 20, 2017 12:28 pm
I don't think Long is outkicking the coverage, rather I think the coverage stinks. That's on WB. Seems like half the unit is stashed DL
:whs:

Chuck McMann: wherever you are sir, I owe you a big apology. :wink:


DH :cool:
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B.C.FAN
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David wrote:
Wed Sep 20, 2017 6:43 pm
Chuck McMann: wherever you are sir, I owe you a big apology. :wink:

DH :cool:
:rotf:
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SammyGreene
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TheLionKing wrote:
Wed Sep 20, 2017 3:26 pm
DanoT wrote:
Wed Sep 20, 2017 12:19 pm
The best thing about the Lions being in the basement in the standings and possibly finishing there (both teams ahead of the Lions hold the tie breaker over them) is that likely it will mean moving on from some of the seemingly tenured coach staff.
The only way that's going to happen is with new ownership. As long as Buono is with the Lions or have input into the coaching staff, it's status quo. More of the same boring stuff we've been fed the past several season.
Really hope we hear the team has been sold within the next 60 days. Season ticket renewals will be mailed out in the next month or so which means moving ahead with their 2018 business plan. I will be extremely disappointed if everything remains status quo or even if Wally leaves and his replacement(s) are just promoted from within.

As LU said the other day on TSN 1040 there are so many lingering questions for this franchise right now it's ridiculous and it all starts with Braley.
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CardiacKid
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SammyGreene wrote:
Thu Sep 21, 2017 7:48 am
TheLionKing wrote:
Wed Sep 20, 2017 3:26 pm
DanoT wrote:
Wed Sep 20, 2017 12:19 pm
The best thing about the Lions being in the basement in the standings and possibly finishing there (both teams ahead of the Lions hold the tie breaker over them) is that likely it will mean moving on from some of the seemingly tenured coach staff.
The only way that's going to happen is with new ownership. As long as Buono is with the Lions or have input into the coaching staff, it's status quo. More of the same boring stuff we've been fed the past several season.
Really hope we hear the team has been sold within the next 60 days.
At the rate this saga has been drawn out, It might be more realistic if you add a zero to that 60 day wish.....
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WestCoastJoe
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Singleton was drafted by the Calgary Stampeders with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 CFL Draft. He became a Canadian citizen in October 2015 and qualified for dual citizenship because his mother was born in Toronto. He signed with the team on May 17, 2016. Singleton made his CFL debut on June 25, 2016 against the BC Lions.[4] Singleton had an exceptional first season in the CFL and quickly became one of the Stampeders important players on defense.[5] Over the course of the season, he played in all 18 regular season games, and the Stamps two playoff games. He contributed 65 defensive tackles, 9 special teams tackles, and 3 forced fumbles.
Became a Canadian citizen in 2015. Smart move. For any number of reasons.

Welcome.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
Blitz
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Good article posted below on the success of the Calgary Stampeders during the Hufnagel era from 2008 to this season.

One of the many reasons why Hufnagel has been so successful is his coaching background. This is a General Manager who guided the Stamps as a Head Coach and then mentored Dave Dickenson.

Hufnagel had many seasons as an offensive coordinator in both the CFL and NFL, as well as being an NFL quarterbacks coach.

Buono only had two seasons as an assistant coach and one season as a defensive coordinator in Calgary before he became the Stamps GM and HC. Buono coached a very simple scheme in Calgary in his one season as a defensive coordinator.

Buono was also very fortunate in Calgary to have Hufnagel as his offensive coordinator, Flutie and Garcia as his quarterbacks, (who were also coached by Hufnagel) and Shivers as his personnel director (who borught in a ton of talent) during that time.

When Buono was not surrounded by people with a lot of football knowledge in Calgary the team slid quickly. When Buono had two losing regular seasons in Calgary he was fired after going 6-10 in his last season.

Good fortune happened again for Buono in his first five seasons in B.C. With Ackles providing guidance and having lots of NFL connections, with Dickenson signed as his quarterback for Buono's first season in B.C., with O'Billovich bringing in talent, and with Ritchie coaching the defense for a period of time, our Leos enjoyed lots of regular season success from 2003-2007 and won a Grey Cup in 2006.

But since that Grey Cup win in 2006, we've only played in one Grey Cup game since. Buono has either been the HC/GM during that period of time or we've had one of his handpicked choices coaching the team.

While Buono is often attributed with developing quarterbacks he has never coached one or coordinated an offence. Hufnagel, while offensive coordinator in Calgary was the the coach who brought the concept of having backup quarterbacks get a lot of practice reps and it was Hufnagel's offensive spread formation, a concept that was ahead of the curve, that played sucha a role in Calgary's success in the 90's in Calgary.

In fact, without wearing a headset nor huddling with his offensive coordinator, Buono doesn't even know what offensive play is being called on most play calls during a football game.

Mostly, what Buono does during a game is bite his lip, cross his arms, get angry at players coming off the field, and decide whether to punt or gamble on third and one (and he usually punts)

When Buono does get involved in direct coaching (Jumbo team, special teams return game) its usually a disaster. Buono's game management and game calls have always been an issue.

Buono really missed out on not having enough of a solid coaching background prior to becoming a Head Coach and has always deferred to assistants due to that lack of coaching background.

I was recently surprised at Pauser's comment that, on Lionbackers, we are always complaining about our offensive scheme even though we've had different offensive coordinators.

But in reality, we really haven't had different offensive coordination since the latter half of 2004, when Buono shipped Burratto to the spotters booth and brought down Chap to the sidelines to call the plays. With the exception of 2007, when Hufnagel served as an offensive consultant and 2011 and 2012, when Chap was allowed to bring in a few motion/misdirection plays and some pro sets into the spread offence, we've ran the same offensive scheme. Its the same scheme that Hufnagel introduced in Calgary in the early 1990's.

It really didn't matter if Chap or Kruck or Dorazio or Chap again, or Khari Jones or Cortez or Khari Jones again is the offensive coordinator - its the same offensive scheme, with some minor variations. So there is no difference no matter who is coordinating the offence or calling the plays.

The same has taken place for the defense, unless there was a formibable defensive coordinator like Ritchie or Stubler coaching the defense. There is no difference between Benevedes or Washington coaching the defence. Its still basically the same passive zone defensive scheme that Buono played as a linebacker in Montreal and the same zone defensive scheme he used in his one season as a defensive coordinator in Calgary.

When we played Calgary last week, the Stamps had our recivers well covered and were jumping our routes. We're easy to pre-scout because we are very predictable.

Wally Buono came into this season, coming off an 11-7 season, and with a team that was loaded with talent. His only real challenges were to find a rush end to replace Bazzie, an outside linebacker to replace Bighill, and to punter/kicker to replace Leone.

But we've regressed, mostly because we don't adapt. There is a reason why Calgary has been so good since 2008 and we mostly haven't been.

Hufnagel has a knowledge and understanding of football that Buono can't compete with. Buono has chosen to go with assistant coaches that he has not been able to develop into top notch coordinators because he doesn't know how. The biggest laugh I've had was during the time when Buono said he would 'mentor' Chap, after Chap was feeling heat from the fans for his offence.

Buono doesn't have a clue about how to mentor an offensive coordinator. He has never designed an offence or even an offensive play. The press and the average fan bought the comment as if it was true. It shows what you can get away with.


Presently, with a boatload of talent, we rank 6th in the CFL in offence and defense.

It was interesting, when Buono was interviewed after the loss to Calgary and he said "Guys, you can say scheme or you can say execution but Calgary made plays and we didn't'. Their players made catches and our players didn't'. It was the same basic denial and deflection that he is so good at.

When we didn't make key scheme changes in the bye week, I realized that this season comes down to this: Our players will have to execute at a very, very high level to overcome our predictability and 'make exceptional plays' that overcome our schemes if we hope to make the playoffs and do something if we get there.

Its a tall order.
Here is the article below:

'We’ll take that as a compliment': Why the Calgary Stampeders are the New England Patriots of the CFL

The Stampeders are 127-44-3 since GM John Hufnagel joined the organization in 2008, which compares nicely with Bill Belichick's record

While it seems like a gaudy comparison, the numbers reveal the truth: the Calgary Stampeders are the New England Patriots of the CFL.

“We’ll take that as a compliment,” Stampeders general manager John Hufnagel told Postmedia this week.

“I don’t know whether it’s fair or unfair. I’m not complaining about the comparison.”

The Stampeders lead the CFL with a 10-1-1 record this season and are 25-3-2 over the last two regular seasons.

That record is nothing new for a team that is now 127-44-3 since Hufnagel joined the organization in 2008. It compares with the record Bill Belichick has as head coach of the Patriots. Since 2000, New England is 201-71, for a winning percentage of .738. The Stampeders’ winning percentage since Hufnagel’s arrival is .730.

Obviously, I had the privilege to work for that organization for a year,” said Hufnagel, who was quarterbacks coach with the Super Bowl champion Patriots in 2003. “I know what they promote and I honestly I have tried to instill some of that in the program that I started back in 2008.”

Hufnagel handed the coaching reins to his protégé, Dave Dickenson, in 2016, and all the new sideline boss has done is win 25 games, while losing only three.

“It’s nice to win,” Hufnagel said. “It’s a lot, lot better to win a championship.
“We’ve been very fortunate. We have had good records and we have been up there in the dance. We’ve had fun at the dance and we’ve been disappointed at the dance.

“Each year is it’s own challenge and each year we work hard to try to win a championship.”

Since 2008, the most losses the Stamps had in a season was seven. The fewest wins they had was 10. They won 15 games twice, 14 games twice and 13 games twice.

The last time they lost two games in a row was in July of 2012. That span will reach 100 games on Sunday, when the Stampeders face the Roughriders in Saskatchewan.

The Stampeders have never lost three games in a row since Hufnagel started.

“We really haven’t stubbed our toes for a while as far as not being prepared to play,” Hufnagel said. “We haven’t always won, but we’ve always battled. There haven’t been a whole lot of blowouts because our guys weren’t ready to play. If we lose, it’s because the other team played better than us, not because we didn’t put the hard work in during the week.”

It would be fair to say in the case of the Stampeders that winning breeds more winning. The success of the team allows management to recruit some of the best available talent — as coaches and players — and allows them to hold onto them.

“I would think that has a part of it,” Hufnagel said. “The players come here and they expect to be very, very competitive. The players we bring in from other teams, I’ll ask them, ‘What’s the difference of playing in our organization or the other one you came from?’ not thinking they’ll praise us, but just trying to find out what the other organizations do to help me make this program better. They say, ‘There’s not a lot, it’s just the expectations are a lot greater.’

“So, it goes with the territory.”

Continuity is a huge part of success. There have been many of coaches hired and fired in the CFL since Hufnagel arrived in Calgary. Just look at where the teams that have fired coaches recently are in the standings this year (Hamilton is 2-9, Montreal is 3-9).

Meanwhile, Calgary is purring along again, looking primed to host the West final and make it to the Grey Cup for a second straight year.

“I’ve been fortunate,” Hufnagel said. “I’ve had a lot of loyalty on my staff. Obviously, some people have left because of better opportunities, as they should. I’ve lost some players because the gap between the offers was just too much for them to not take. But I have a lot of players who understand how we try to do things and maybe they accept a little bit less from us instead of moving on.”

The head-coaching transition from Hufnagel to Dickenson has worked out beautifully. The Stampeders have seemingly not missed a beat and players like quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, running back Jerome Messam and middle linebacker Alex Singleton are thriving under the new coach.

“It has worked out well,” Hufnagel said. “It was a decision that I thought would allow us to continue to have a great chance to be successful, also knowing that we were a better organization with Dave and I in the building than with only one of us.

“Dave was on the fringe of being a hot head-coach candidate. I made a decision that, in my mind, was best for the organization, and I had no doubt that Dave would do a great job.”

SINGLING OUT A STAR
When the Stampeders used the seventh pick of the 2016 CFL draft to select linebacker Alex Singleton, they were pretty sure they were getting a steal.

It turns out they were absolutely right, as Singleton has proven to be an elite talent and the best player from that draft class.

Singleton, an American with non-import status, set a CFL record by recording at least 10 tackles in each of the last three games. Predictably, he was named one of the league’s top performers of the week on Tuesday.
He has 91 defensive tackles through 12 games this season.

“It’s not a surprise, truthfully,” Hufnagel said. “Again, this is good fortune. We had, I think, the seventh pick that year and he was still on the board. If we had the No. 1 pick in the draft, we would have selected him. We thought he was that good of a player and he has not disappointed us.”
,
"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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