Bazzie signs with Lions

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squishy35
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http://3downnation.com/2017/09/18/dl-al ... gns-lions/

I believe it will help with our D-Line woes. I hope that O-Line help is on the way.

I hope that a motivated Bazzie can instill some intensity along the D-Line.
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David
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I might be the only one on this board, but I am actually feeling really confident now with our D-line.

Bazzie and Boatright
Luke and Forde
Brooks and Turner
Roh and Menard

It's only taken 12 games, but I strongly believe the right mix above can get it done. :yahoo:


DH :cool:
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CardiacKid
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I definitely think the D-Line will be more successful in applying pressure to the QB. May not see a massive upswing in sacks but I think opposing QBs will be far more harried than before. Couple that with a secondary that I think has finally settled into a workable configuration (Purifoy seems to have settled after not getting bounced around for a while).
I think we'll see the 2 units complement each other better now than we have all season.
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David
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Not to mention the emergence of Micah ("Owie") Awe. Say what you want about his hitting style in Calgary, he's going to definitely have the attention of players and coaches now. Guys are going to have their head on a swivel when catching a ball on his side of the field. He and Solly are the Nigerian Assassins.

The hit on Roy Finch was particularly ferocious. I think he's capable of just lowering his shoulder and inflicting punishment.


DH :cool:
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Rammer
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David wrote:
Mon Sep 18, 2017 2:17 pm
Not to mention the emergence of Micah ("Owie") Awe. Say what you want about his hitting style in Calgary, he's going to definitely have the attention of players and coaches now. Guys are going to have their head on a swivel when catching a ball on his side of the field. He and Solly are the Nigerian Assassins.

The hit on Roy Finch was particularly ferocious. I think he's capable of just lowering his shoulder and inflicting punishment.


DH :cool:
First off I have to say that yes you may be the only one happy with our DL. :mac: I just watch the opposition QB game after game sit in the pocket going through their reads. Then look at the running games, there are too many 5 yard runs. Part of all the issue is on the DC, but I liked the old days when Tyrone Williams pushed the pocket and RB enough to disrupt plays, allowing the DE's to clean up the scraps.

Awe has potential, lots of potential. I love that the Lions have one player who will keep the opposition worrying, because the remainder of the defense (Sol excluded) don't offer much in that department.

Bazzie is an upgrade and will help, but it isn't the middle push the Lions require.
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David wrote:
Mon Sep 18, 2017 2:17 pm
Not to mention the emergence of Micah ("Owie") Awe. Say what you want about his hitting style in Calgary, he's going to definitely have the attention of players and coaches now. Guys are going to have their head on a swivel when catching a ball on his side of the field. He and Solly are the Nigerian Assassins.

The hit on Roy Finch was particularly ferocious. I think he's capable of just lowering his shoulder and inflicting punishment.

DH :cool:
Finally, our Leos are getting the right pieces in place, with Awe starting and also moving Facault to right tackle..both moves I suggested much earlier this season.

When I look at our lineup now, we are really only one offensive lineman away from having the talent to win a Grey Cup. This was a talented team to begin this season and we only needed to bring in good personnel to play rush end and outside linebacker.

Wally really blew the free agent scenario this off-season. Of all the free agents signed, only Chris Williams is a starter and Wally's free agent signings cost us Olifioye.

On defense, with Bazzie, Brooks, Luke, and Roh, with Menard, Forde we have a defensive line now that can get the job done. Our linebacking corps is excellent with Sol E, Awe, and I like our defensive backfield with Yell, Purifoy, and Gaitor, and Thompson is coming on.

Ofensively we have a very good receving crew with Burnham, Manny, Moore, Williams, and Shaq Johnson and there is National depth in Vandervoot and Iannuzzi.

With Jeremiah Johnson and Chris Rainey in the backfield, along with Lumbala for blocking, our backfield is top caliber. Jonathan Jennings showed last season, that he has all the tools. He just needs better protection and a less predictable passing game to execute and his confidence would return.

That brings us to our offensive line. I believe our best offensive lineup would be Steward at left tackle, Vaillencourt at left guard, Husband at center, Fabian at right guard, and Faucault at right tackle. Neither Johnson nor Palmer are good enough. Last season we used had Olifioye, Steward, Husband, Fabian, and Johnson. The only starter missing from last season's offensive line is Olifioye. There is no good reason why our offensive line play has receded so badly.

We have a punter who is leading the league in punting and is providing us with solid field goal kicking. Chris Rainey is the best punt returner in the CFL and Chris Williams adds depth. There is no excuse why our Leos have gone from having the best punt return average in the CFL this serason and there is no good reason why our Leos have gone from protecting our quarterback quite well last season to being worst in the CFL.

Bazzie will bring heat from the outside and force quarterbacks to step up more, givng our defensive tackles better shots inside.

The talent is there on our Leos. Most CFL coaches would love to have this talent. We certainly are not playing to potential on offence or defense or special teams in terms of our return game. Its a shame to think that this team might not even make the playoffs.

Thank goodness this is Wally's last season.
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Bazzie will improved our pass rush but we are still missing an impact defensive lineman or two.
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Bazzie might be a slight upgrade on Boatright. No sure he will have much of an impact, but a positive addition anyways.

I definitely do not share the enthusiasm for Awe's play. Head hunting and cheap shots have no place in sports. I hope he will change his approach but for now, I'm not a fan.
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WestCoastJoe
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maxlion wrote:
Mon Sep 18, 2017 6:24 pm
I definitely do not share the enthusiasm for Awe's play. Head hunting and cheap shots have no place in sports. I hope he will change his approach but for now, I'm not a fan.
I've been avoiding talking about Micah Awe. But I have to express some concern in regards to the safety of football players.

He plays the game with ferocity. He is all in. He puts fear into the opposition. This is to his credit, in a physically violent game.

But he is one hit from disaster. Most likely for the player hit, but there is also great risk for himself. We all know about the thunderous hits that have changed lives, ruined lives.

There is lots of talk about concussions that lead to serious consequences after players retire from football. And just in the last game, I think Awe made three dangerous helmet to helmet hits. He is a super fast, super strong guy. Definitely a heat-seeking missile.

I would hope he evolves into a player such as Solomon Elimimian. I don't think Solly plays that way. Even when Messam went down injured, Solly was there hovering, watching the injured party with concern. I get the impression that Solly does not make helmet to helmet tackles. I get the impression that Solly avoids those kind of hits. In my opinion, almost all helmet to helmet hits can be avoided. Put the helmet to the side. Hit with the shoulder.

I would hope Micah Awe is encouraged to modify his hitting technique somewhat, while keeping his ferocity.

It is an important topic.

And these are just my opinions.
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.

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WestCoastJoe
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Bazzie could be a good signing. He can be very slippery and fast getting to the quarterback.

It seems in years past he kind of ran out of steam as the schedule wore on. That shouldn't be a problem in this now shortened season.

Just IMO ...
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.
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B.C.FAN
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I'm not impressed with the use of Craig Roh at defensive tackle on passing plays. He twists and turns but just bounces off big linemen and doesn't get any penetration. There's also little if any stunting on the D-line. I like the use of Menard as a pass-rush specialist off the edge on second down but would rather keep two big bodies in the middle to try to collapse the pocket.
ZLions
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Honestly in the off season if we kept Olafioye instead of going after Chris Williams I think our team would have been so much better than 6-6. Anyways excited for Bazzie to come back, we already have a solid defense that's only going to get better with him around.
TheLionKing
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The league has apparently spoken to Awe in a conference call and Buono will sit down with him tomorrow when they return to practice.
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CardiacKid
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WestCoastJoe wrote:
Mon Sep 18, 2017 7:37 pm
maxlion wrote:
Mon Sep 18, 2017 6:24 pm
I definitely do not share the enthusiasm for Awe's play. Head hunting and cheap shots have no place in sports. I hope he will change his approach but for now, I'm not a fan.
I've been avoiding talking about Micah Awe. But I have to express some concern in regards to the safety of football players.

He plays the game with ferocity. He is all in. He puts fear into the opposition. This is to his credit, in a physically violent game.

But he is one hit from disaster. Most likely for the player hit, but there is also great risk for himself. We all know about the thunderous hits that have changed lives, ruined lives.

There is lots of talk about concussions that lead to serious consequences after players retire from football. And just in the last game, I think Awe made three dangerous helmet to helmet hits. He is a super fast, super strong guy. Definitely a heat-seeking missile.

I would hope he evolves into a player such as Solomon Elimimian. I don't think Solly plays that way. Even when Messam went down injured, Solly was there hovering, watching the injured party with concern. I get the impression that Solly does not make helmet to helmet tackles. I get the impression that Solly avoids those kind of hits. In my opinion, almost all helmet to helmet hits can be avoided. Put the helmet to the side. Hit with the shoulder.

I would hope Micah Awe is encouraged to modify his hitting technique somewhat, while keeping his ferocity.

It is an important topic.

And these are just my opinions.
I have read a few articles about Awe, all of which have touched on how smart the guy is and how much he relishes learning things. Essentially a very bright guy who has all the mental and intellectual tools to succeed in life well after football is done.

He needs to harness that aggression in such a way so he doesn't put his very bright future (as well as others) in jeopardy.
Blitz
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ZLions wrote:
Mon Sep 18, 2017 9:00 pm
Honestly in the off season if we kept Olafioye instead of going after Chris Williams I think our team would have been so much better than 6-6. Anyways excited for Bazzie to come back, we already have a solid defense that's only going to get better with him around.
I really believe we would have been better than 6-6 with Olifioye here too. He is the only starter missing from last season.

I think we'll be better with Bazzie too.

I would rather curtail the aggression of Awe than watching Tony Burnett play. Burnett was hardly noticeable out there.

Burnett started 10 games for us. He had 25 defensive tackles and 6 special team tackles.

Awe has started 2 games for us and got in some rotational reps prior to starting the last two games. He has 15 tackles and 15 special team tackles (team leader and tied for 4th in the CFL)
"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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