Lions and RP21 part ways

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Lionsfan65
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Over the past five seasons or so Phillips has probably been one of my favourite players., however there is no arguing that he has lost a step... or two as evidenced by he mediocre play last season. It appeared that last season he understood and accepted his role as a veteran presence and mentor for some of the younger guys, however it is too bad that him and the club could not see eye too eye this season, but I must admit Wally is rarely wrong at judging players "best before date". While I am sad to see him go, I think the club may be better off without him as this opens the door for the younger guys to step up and play more.
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DanoT
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CardiacKid wrote:
David wrote:Takeaways from the TSN1040 interview with Sekeres:

[*]He'll explore FA options elsewhere, but if nothing comes of those, is prepared to retire. Said he will retire a BC Lion.


[*]Still has utmost respect for Wally. Spoke really highly of him and all they've been through together (that was classy). :thup:

DH :cool:
That is certainly enheartening. I agree that Ryan's season last year wasn't in keeping with what he has accomplished on the field in the past but I think he could go very far as a coach and would be an excellent member of the Leo's football brain trust. I am keeping my fingers crossed that he returns in an off-field capacity.
Recent interviews have Philips coming off as a bit bitter and looking to extend his career elsewhere in the CFL "with a contender". It won't happen imo, unless he accepts someone's low ball offer.
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David
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Interesting article today from Postmedia's Mike Beamish CLICK HERE. RP feels really disrespected by the club's offer for reduced role and salary. I've read a NEWS1130 tweet attributed to an RP quote, a complete TSN1040 interview, and now this Vancouver Sun article and, sadly, each one comes across as more bitter than the last. This is what jumped out today:
...But he was not prepared to accept a salary reduction of “38 to 40 per cent” — a $50,000 haircut — much less agree to playing a secondary role proposed by head coach and GM Wally Buono.
That would mean he was making a base salary of about $130,000 and the club was offering about $80,000. That does not seem way off base for a 34 year old in a reduced role in a salary cap world. Of course, I believe CFL players are underpaid, but that's a completely different matter.
“I was being asked to take a back seat to players who had no accolades, no all-star berths, no history in this league,” Phillips said Friday. “What was really disheartening and insulting is that I would be given no chance to compete. It sounds ridiculous.
I am positive he was speaking in general terms here, and I know he should be afforded a lot of respect for what he's done, but this could easily be misconstrued as taking a run at teammates. Never a good idea. So if he came to camp and someone legitimately took his job and Ryan was released, he'd be in a much tougher spot to land work with another team. That's another way of looking at it.
While not naming specific individuals, both Lee and Phillips said there are backups and role players on the Lions whose contracts could have been restructured to make up the shortfall in Phillips’ negotiations.
Not sure what is meant here, but the inference is to take money from players less deserving. If that's the case, I don't think they're looking at things objectively here. If money is taken from back-ups and role players, it's going to create a lot of ill-will and could make BC a less than attractive destination. Word travels fast in our small league.


I have no doubt he will eventually kiss and make up and find a role with the club. I hope so anyway. In the meantime, it will be interesting to see which team is going to give RP the role/salary he's looking for in a player-rich free agent year. I wish RP nothing but the best. :thup:


DH :cool:
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Dusty
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I recognize all that Phillips has given to the Lions, but I actually thought he would be let go the last time his contract expired but he was signed again. Since then, his coverage skills have slipped and it is not a surprise that he would be offered a reduced role. Last season, it looked to me like he was being exploited and was having a hard time keeping up with the receivers when they made their cut. It's too bad that he sees things differently, but perhaps not surprising.... it is hard to look at yourself the way others do, easier to choose to look at your self the way you want it to be...

As far as coaching goes, making an immediate switch from playing with teammates to coaching former teammates is perhaps not the most realistic approach for a club to take....
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WestCoastJoe
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The time comes, and each athlete, in turn, shows how hard it is to accept the reality of their diminishing skills. Past accolades and accomplishments do not matter.

An aging athlete cannot expect a team, constrained by the cap, to rework younger athletes' contracts in his favour. It does not work that way.

The Lions made an offer. Reduced role. Reduced salary. Tough to take, but it is the reality.

Reduced role? That is the key. The club has made its evaluation. From there, one cannot expect anything like the previous starter's salary. Not in the CFL.

It is a business. It is not personal.

The fans have great respect for Ryan Phillips. But they are not about to protest outside the Lions' work centre.

Even some fans have a hard time letting go. But the longer the fans follow a team, they tend to get used to it. It is just the way it is.

Heck, Joe Montana with the 49ers could not accept the younger, hugely talented Steve Young taking over the starting QB's role.
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Not too much difference from when Marsh and Banks were done with their careers. I don't expect Philips to catch on with another team but if he does it probably won't be for the kind of $ that he thinks he is still worth.
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DanoT wrote:Not too much difference from when Marsh and Banks were done with their careers. I don't expect Philips to catch on with another team but if he does it probably won't be for the kind of $ that he thinks he is still worth.
One of my seat mates was in tears when Jason Clermont was released.... but even then, you could see that he was starting to slip and the beatings that he had taken (and delivered) were catching up to him. Maybe Wally released him one year before his best before date as Jason had one more year left (I think), but then he was truly finished with football. I wish that Jason had stayed at that high level forever, as we have never really replaced his toughness, but age is what it is..... In some ways Bryan Burnham is the closest I've seen to Jason's toughness over the middle....

Ryan had a very long career, likely due to his smarts, his fitness, and the way he played... Good on him, but it is time to move on.
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Ryan Phillips, along with Korey Banks, Carl Kidd, and Dante Marsh have been my favorite all time favorite Leo defenders so its with sadness that I say goodbye to Ryan Phillips and thank him for all his contributions as a Leo.

Phillips had an outstanding rookie season as a Leo. When we moved Phillips to nickel back for a season and had Mark Washington play in his spot, the result was not so good, as Washington got burned time and again until we got wise and returned Phillips to wideside defensive half, the position he mostly played during his long Leo tenure.

Phillips was always a great cover guy and a very good ball hawk. His tackling was not a strength although surprisingly, this season I thought Phillips had one of his best seasons in that area of his game.

However, the fact was, this season, we got burned more on our wide side than our boundary side, although opposition teams picked on Stewart more than they picked on Phillips, who could still cover well most of the time.

But Phillips is 34 years old and it was time to get younger. What frustrates me is that Wally too often does his pay cut number on some vets, while still trying to keep them in a reduced role. It ends up being an insult to the player. It would be better if Wally just said thank you and released them. He did this reduced salary concept to Geroy Simon, Korey Banks, and Paris Jackson for example.

I'm not so sure that Lee will be able to come back from his injury. I'm really pleased that we signed Clarke, who I thought played better than Lee at boundary halfback during his time there before injury. I'm disappointed that Gainor will not be back because he was our best defensive back after Yell went down with injury. Fenner showed enough in his rookie season to get another shot at it next season.

If we can sign Yell, with Yell, Clarke and possibly Lee we have a good nucleus. I would love to see us play Parker at wideside corner and go with an International safety. Yell is the player who could become the leader of our defensive backfield next season, if we can get him signed. He is definitely our best defensive back right now.

Some interesting excerpts below from the Beamish article.

Chalk up B.C. Lions veteran Ryan Phillips as another awkward exit Are you picking up a pattern here?

Other long-tenured Lions who plied their trade with distinction — Geroy Simon, Dante Marsh, Korey Banks, etc. — left town with awkward exits on the far side of their playing careers, a reminder that football is visceral and riveting as a game but raw and ruthless as a business. Discussions with the GM aside, Phillips said Simon was the only member of the Lions organization to communicate with him and offer guidance and strength when the impasse became apparent.

“He’s playing a company role, but that’s what I admire about Geroy,” Phillips said. “He reached out to me as a friend.”
“It’s a raw deal for Ryan,” said Marsh, a retired 11-year cornerback who trains athletes and coaches football at a junior college in Modesto, Calif. “But does it surprise me? Not at all.”

“Ryan had the mindset and the approach of a leader,” Lee said. “Somebody has to take up his mantle. Why not me?”
"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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Blitz wrote:He did this reduced salary concept to Geroy Simon, Korey Banks, and Paris Jackson for example.
The thing that came to a head with Banks was that he and Wally redid the deal almost on an annual basis with Banks getting most of his money up front. Buono knew Banks was a lock to make the team so was OK with it. When it came to the final re-negotiation Banks expected the same sort of deal. Wally didn't feel Banks was an absolute lock and as such wasn't willing to guarantee money up front. Banks being Banks whined publicly and soon found himself in Winnipeg.
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Blitz
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Hambone wrote:
Blitz wrote:He did this reduced salary concept to Geroy Simon, Korey Banks, and Paris Jackson for example.
The thing that came to a head with Banks was that he and Wally redid the deal almost on an annual basis with Banks getting most of his money up front. Buono knew Banks was a lock to make the team so was OK with it. When it came to the final re-negotiation Banks expected the same sort of deal. Wally didn't feel Banks was an absolute lock and as such wasn't willing to guarantee money up front. Banks being Banks whined publicly and soon found himself in Winnipeg.
I believe strongly in the team concept so I never like coaches or players using the media and press for their advantage. Buono does it a lot.... so when players do it, I don't can't accept a double standard.

Korey Banks is only one of several outstanding Leo players that left our Leos bitter under the Buono era so singling him out doesn't do the scenario justice.

I believe our Leos need to get younger in the secondary. I'm thrilled we signed Yell. I can see Yell and Clarke at boundary halfback. I can see Lee, if he recovers at wideside corner or wideside halfback. Buddy Jackson will also compete at that spot. Would love to see Parker at wideside corner and go with an international safety.

I was surprised we signed Brooks but he still has the potential to be an impact player on the defensive line.
"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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Phillips signed a 1 year deal with Montreal.
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BC 1988
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RP was on Sekeres today at 10:30. He sounded a lot more like his usual self now that he's got a job again. (Good to hear it).
http://www.tsn.ca/radio/vancouver-1040- ... s-1.673779
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FYI


Roar Report ‏@RoarReport

Phillips was making $125k last year, wally offered $75/k and be a backup.
MTL gave him $100k/yr

#bclions
#cfl
TheLionKing
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BC 1988 wrote:RP was on Sekeres today at 10:30. He sounded a lot more like his usual self now that he's got a job again. (Good to hear it).
http://www.tsn.ca/radio/vancouver-1040- ... s-1.673779
Good to see Phillips back to his usual self again.
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B.C.FAN
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Montreal has released Ryan Phillips after making him a healthy scratch this past week. We'll have to see if he gets another chance somewhere else.
Montreal, July 16, 2017 – The Montreal Alouettes announced the following transactions on Sunday.

Players released:
Chris Greenwood (I), DB, Albion College
Miles Jones (I), RB, Jacksonville State
Ryan Philips (I), DB, Eastern Washington
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