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Prowl, Growl and Roar!
You don't have any business making those kind of assumptions or insinuations.
Maybe it is just your frustration with the game, team, coaches ,etc that is making you do that?
Of course I have business making those judgments. Not frustrated. Disgusted more like it.
Tire fire, Man. Reilly deserves his share of the blame, imo. It is his team. He was given the keys to the car. Hervey. Claybrooks. Jackson. Stubler. Reilly. All deserve blame for the tire fire.
So it's Reilly's fault the defense is awful? It's Reilly's fault the offensive line doesn't block? I saw a stat a couple weeks ago that showed Reilly has been getting the ball out in 2.5 seconds so it's not like he's holding on to the ball too long.
I get being frustrated, but blaming Reilly is wrong.
I will stand by my criticism of Reilly, along with Hervey, Claybrooks, Jackson, et cetera.
As noted earlier, not frustrated. More like disgusted with the team's performance.
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.
This team is a tire fire. More and more, I think Reilly deserves a large share of responsibility. He undermined his HC. He only wants to throw long. He wants to show how tough he is. He wants 5,000 yards passing. He has allowed himself to get mixed up, to the detriment of the team. IMO.
O'Brien gets to finish the game. Well, they changed that philosophy, for this game at least.
If “stats” are what motivated Reilly, he would have stayed in Edmonton with Maas where he had the most yards and touchdowns in the league 3 years in a row...
This team is a tire fire. More and more, I think Reilly deserves a large share of responsibility. He undermined his HC. He only wants to throw long. He wants to show how tough he is. He wants 5,000 yards passing. He has allowed himself to get mixed up, to the detriment of the team. IMO.
O'Brien gets to finish the game. Well, they changed that philosophy, for this game at least.
If “stats” are what motivated Reilly, he would have stayed in Edmonton with Maas where he had the most yards and touchdowns in the league 3 years in a row...
New team. New contract. New challenge. Close to Seattle. More money. He chose the Lions' offer. And yes, I believe he wants 5,000 yards passing, along with TD passes, victories, playing the whole game, et cetera.
While I think the performance of the team has been abysmal, it is obvious Reilly is giving his all. His physical courage is second to none. I do wish he had made it easier for Claybrooks to pull him out of games. I wish the team had a plan to develop a backup with game reps. The team has not followed his example of giving it up on each play.
I wish Reilly's heavy influence, his input on the game plan, led to more short routes, outlets, consistent use of run plays, draws, screens, rollouts, tight end sets, et cetera. Same with his use of audibles and options. And I wish we did not feature so many long, slow developing routes that are pretty much always well covered. Those routes seem to be the heart and soul of our offence. They seem to be what Mike wants.
Presumably Mike has been satisfied with the offensive game plans, which he participated in, before the games. He has the status to get what he wants in those plans, methinks.
I don't think we see quick passes to zones vacated by blitzers as much as could be beneficial. I don't think we see RBs sneaking out of the backfield into space for short tosses as much as could be beneficial.
Criticize Reilly? Sure, but not for lack of effort. He gives his all. He cannot do it alone, and, imo, he needs different game plans from what we have seen, and different team offensive philosophy, as mentioned with some examples here.
Claim to know how to fix this team? No. These are just ideas.
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.
In the second game of a back to back series against the Riders, playing at home, after a tough loss, one would think that we would play like we had the heart of a Lion. But instead of a roar, all our Leos provided last night against the Riders was a whimper.
I didn’t think things could get much worse, after last season’s 0-25 score on Wally Buono Night or our 48-8 playoff loss, the worst playoff loss in Leos history (and we had experienced some bad ones over the past number of seasons). We had missed the playoffs the previous season.
I really believed that with Buono gone, Wally Wednesday’s now in the dust bin, and “You know, you know, you know, you know, you know guys, we just didn’t execute and make plays” now just located in part Ed Willes mind as a great football quote, we were on to better things.
But I should have known better. Buono hired Ed Hervey as GM and Jarious Jackson as OC and signed both to two year contracts. Buono’s decisions are still having a powerful impact at this moment, when a football season that so many thought offered so much promise has turned to ashes.
I was not one of those people who predicted Hervey’s big splash free agent signings were going to lead our Leos to the Promised Land. I was clear and confident , from Game 1 of last season that Jarious Jackson’s RPO offensive scheme, combined with his play calling was a disaster and posted so often.
I believed, when we retained Jarious Jackson, as OC, for this season it was about the coaching cap and he would change his scheme. I could not see Mike Reilly signing with B.C. with the knowledge we would be using the same incompetent offensive scheme that he played in when Mcdoo and Jackson were in Edmonton. I was wrong.
IN BED WITH ED
Yesterday, against the Riders, Mike Reilly only completed 42.1% of his passes for 66 yards FOR THE ENTIRE GAME. Last season, Hervey blamed Jennings for not being at the practice facility enough. Hervey pointed out that Mike Reilly practically lived at the practice facility when Ed was in Edmonton.
Well, guess what Ed? It doesn’t seem as if Reilly spending so much time at the practice facility studying tape is working out so well. I guess more tape study doesn’t make for better quarterback play in Jarious offence.
Maybe Reilly needs an IQ test because he does not appear to be ‘smart enough’ to run this offence, as Jackson implied was the case of our quarterback play last season. Or maybe Reilly needs an eyesight test, so he can get rid of seeing so many deer in his headlights”.
THE HERVEY VISION
It takes time to be able to analyze the patterns of a GM and determine his vision. Ed’s recipe for a team to be eating a Grey Cup meal is:
1) Bring in as many ex-Edmonton players as you possibly can. It doesn’t matter if they were good players. It doesn’t matter if they were ever starters. All that matters is that they wore green and gold at any point in time, and especially during your time as GM in Edmonton.
2) Get rid of as many Leo players as possible who were in B.C before you arrived
3) Change the player leadership paradigm in a BIG WAY. If Wally liked those Sunday school types used words like “gosh and double darn it” and never swore and thought the Andy Griffith show was a bit risky, then Ed Hervey has gone for the opposite.
Hervey likes ‘leaders’ like Odell Willis and Duron Carter, whose penchant for drama and dysfunction somehow is appealing to Ed. He seems to want player leaders who could lead a dysfunctional teenage street gang in Compton rather than lead a professional football team.
4) Keep on signing every team’s castoffs (especially Edmonton’s) with the hope that one or two of them will work out. Its not the quality that’s important. Just keep signing players and trading for players. If you are an active GM, people will think you are a good GM.
5) Put all your SMS money on offence. That way you can completely deplete your defense of talent. Once you have signed the most expensive free agent out there, heck, spend another $250,000 grand on a National offensive guard. Then, when it should be obvious that your defense is in trouble at training camp, go out and spend huge money on a backup linebacker in Adam Konar.
6) Stay away from the press. Wally was a press and media hound. There wasn’t a newspaper reporter, television reporter, or radio host that Wally wouldn’t run towards at breakneck speed. Wally played it as if it was part of his job but the reality is that Wally, while playing modest, loved the attention and also knew that the approach greatly worked in his personal favor. Ed has zero empathy so therefore he gets into trouble quickly if he speaks.
7) Hire Torey Hunter. This is a guaranteed way that you will not haven any talent to supplement your roster.
ITS NOT 'ON' FOR DEVONE
When Devone Claybrooks was hired by our Leos as Head Coach, he was considered the best candidate available for the job. I would have loved to see us hire Paul LaPolice but I thought Claybrooks was a good choice.
He had been mentored in the Calgary organization and his role models had been John Hufnagel, Dave Dickenson, and Rich Stubler. He was respected and liked by his players and colleagues.
I believed he would bring a lot of the Calgary organization’s way of doing things to B.C. If nothing else, he would be very prepared and well organized.
My first alarms went off when Claybrooks began hiring his staff. First of all, Jarious Jackson and Marcus Howell remained and that spelled potential BIG TROUBLE. Then Claybrooks hired a bunch of rookie pro assistant coaches in Drew Tate, Ryan Phillips, Nik Lewis, Keith Stokes and Chris Ellis.
Claybrooks and especially his coaching staff have spent too much time ‘overcoaching’ as rookie coaches often overdue. There is a lack of both player leadership and coaching leadership on this team. Its not just our record but how our team is playing.
One could forgive mistakes if one saw inspired play. Our response yesterday against Regina indicated that this team has no chemistry or sense of togetherness. Its just a hodge podge of new Leo players thrown together by Ed Hervey with no real apparent plan, other than to make a new recipe.
CHEERING FOR OTHER TEAMS
I have been a die hard Leos fan for a very long time so its shocking to me to find myself, on occasion, cheering for the opposition team against our Leos.
This is not a Leo team I identify with. There are very few players here who have been here for any length of time. I cheer for the Bryan Burnham’s and Hunter Steward’s but there are so few of them.
Yesterday, the Riders, (Cody Fajardo, Manny Arseneaux, Sol E, Louchez Purifoy, and Corey Watson) had more players to cheer for than our Leos. When the Bombers play, it’s difficult to watch Andrew Harris and Chandler Fenner and Winton Rose playing so well for them while watching our Leos team that has gone through so much change in so many years.
Ricky Collins, now with Edmonton, is 4th in CFL receiving. Last season he was criticized on Lionbackers for not getting open. Seems he has no problem getting open in Jason Maas’ offence. Yesterday, against the Riders, our leading receiver was Bryan Burnham with 48 yds. Cottoy was our second leading receiver with 1 catch for 10 yds.
THIS IS HUMILIATING OFFENCE
So much for all those expensive, big splash free agent signings on offence. Reilly completed 8 passes in the entire game for 66 yds. total. Lemar Durant did not have a reception.
Our offensive line, revamped again, gave up 4 sacks and too many pressures. Hervey, who decided to go with ex-Edmonton Eskimo John White as his tailback had 29 yds rushing on 9 carries for a 3.2 yd. average.
We can’t run the football, we can’t pass the football, we can’t protect our quarterback.
Last season it was more than convenient to blame Jennings and Lulay. Neither one of them nor our entire offence played this badly last season. One lousy field goal and 110 yds of offence for an entire game.
Jarious Jackson, if he had any honor, would resign in shame. But all this can’t be dumped on Jarious Jackson. The offensive scheme and play calling are very bad. But this team also lacks talent on defense and it is uninspired. There is no player leadership on this team or if it exists, Odell Willis and Devon Carter are giving us leadership leading to a gutter.
WRAP
We have a bye week. It couldn’t arrive at a more opportune time. This football team is a tire fire right now. It needs some serious fixing and there are many who need to do some serious soul searching. A franchise that was already in trouble is being destroyed in front of our eyes.
Its a sad and painful thing to watch.
"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)
If Hervey tries to patch things up by trading away future draft picks for American talent then I’m officially out as a fan of this team.
In the meantime, it’s been a swing and a miss on all american talent brought it in for the last 2-3 years. It really is amazing.
We’ve given up draft equity with trades for Sutton (puke) and Davon Coleman.
We’ve given up a neg list player for Shawn Lemon.
Can’t get to the quarterback, can’t protect the quarterback. That’s no way to play football.
Want to talk about leadership? Was at practice a couple of weeks ago and the last two players to finish their gassers pulling up the rear? Duron Carter and Odell Willis
-Believes in building from the trenches outwards. A great O-Line and D-Line guarantees an above average team.
-A coach that has to give a motivational pregame speech is probably a coach that is insecure about his game plan.
Congrats Jarious you have made what many to believe the best QB in the league look completely inept. That's hard to do. Brian Chiu you have turned the offensive line into a bunch of pylons. That unit yesterday featured 4 starters from last year and no way were they that bad under Dorazio.
Devon: Did you really think Maleki Harris could be an impact starting LB when he was nothing more than a spare part for you over 4 seasons in Calgary? Oh well, he is only 3 tackles away from matching his career total in Calgary which tells you how much he played. At least Herdman-Reed is used to all the losing from his days at SFU. The Edwards/Woodman x-Eskimo combo are garbage compared to what Foster and Lokombo brought a year ago.
This is Ambrosie's worst nightmare. A league that has been trending in the wrong direction in attendance and TV numbers now has complete on-field dumpster fires in two huge and critical markets. Sad times for the Lions and the league.
Well, I usually come out to a couple of games a year from Winnipeg but I now have a 4 figure amount I can use for something else. I've been a fan since I was 10 and living in Richmond. I'm 71 now and can't believe what I'm seeing. I certainly won't be watching another Montreal type team in the "making".
I agree with most of the comments on here regarding Wally's choices prior to retiring. The decisions made by Hervey and Claybrooks' on coaches and players , has obviously been a disaster. There was one or two good things I took away from the game. Braley has lost even more money on the value of the team Sollie played a great game. And has been mentioned Bobby Ackles would never allowed this to happen. Given the way the Lions are going, how many season ticket holders will there be next year. Someone want to start a pool?
Listening to the post game radio show last night it dawned on me that all of the Lions players that were interviewed were 1st year Lions---of course they are because Ed has gutted the team. Combine that with Claybrooks, a rookie HC, goes and hires a bunch of rookie assistants but is also saddled with a second year OC who had a horrible rookie OC year and then Jackson didn't change his playbook in the off season and he still has no feel for play calling a game.
Lions will need some luck like they got against the Argos if they are going to get any wins the rest of this season.
KnowItAll - this site is about people making assumptions and posting their views.
Nothing is more crazy than in open forums when someone says someone's views can't be made. It's all about assumptions!
If Hervey is such a fine judge of talent, a few of those ex-Lions on the Riders pretty much showed that to be a bit of a stretch. I liked Jerry Mullis' Tweet suggesting a "re-think" of Hervey's view that the film shows when a players time is done. Purifoy, Sol E and Fajardo showed up last night - again.
OFFENSIVE LINE - this is where the problem begins on OFF as the QB has little to no time to do more than look for a short open receiver and the Riders especially Sol E knew that and played accordingly.
I know Mike Reilly isn't see open downfield receivers as most of the time all REC are blanketed and his tosses downfield into coverage are based on lack of time to look the whole field over.
OFF SCHEMES - are a problem but fixing the O-Line is critical.
While Farhan was calling down the rookie coaches on offence, he's missed the fact that Jarius seems not open to their input. Jackson needs to be told to get every OFF coach involved or else to get both schemes and play calling that will provide something to help.
IF there was any semblance of creativity in this offence it would help.
DEFENSIVE LINE:
No rush and less sacks than Charleston Hughes? Time for a replacement here. This might give the inexperienced and average play at times leading to big plays a boost and expose less the lack of leadership on the DEF.
LINEBACKER:
Watching SOL E must have been heart breaking for fans as he showed what leadership is. He is a student of the game and that contributes to being a top player. He's a thinker when it comes to football and even in the gym with Bighill he was questioning/discussing things despite working hard.
That LB corps collectively lacks the leadership and experience needed to win.
Missed tackles by LBs and DBs and poor angles like on the Powell TD where he ran, stopped and got a bus transfer and then headed for the end zone successfully was brutal.
STs
Sask faked a punt on us. Purifoy run the kick back for TD - that will happen as Lions got 2 TDs from that but they need to improve on cover here.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
Don't really care where players come from at this point. If there is an infusion of talent from Edmonton, Hamilton, or Wilmington, so much the better. As DC, Benny saw him last year and said that he is good.
I'm guessing that if he some played TE in college, he might have some quick feet. Maybe a little light at 300lbs, but he has to be better than what Foucault has shown thus far, continually getting beaten around the edge.
Speaking of Benvides, I would like to see him replace Taylor Altilio as Special Teams Coordinator, whose units can charitably be described as "ill-prepared," giving up TDs, unable to stop fakes, taking untimely penalties etc.
"We have a bye week. It couldn’t arrive at a more opportune time. This football team is a tire fire right now. It needs some serious fixing and there are many who need to do some serious soul searching. A franchise that was already in trouble is being destroyed in front of our eyes."
At least there is a silver lining. We can be absolutely confident that the Lions aren't going to lose next week.
Tell me how long must a fan be strong? Ans. Always.
