Games of Week 6 - July 18 - 20, 2019

[WestCoastJoe]

Schedule

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[WestCoastJoe]

Standings

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[WestCoastJoe]

TOR @ CGY. Take Calgary.

OTT @ WPG. Take Peg.

EDM @ MTL. Take the Als. Yeah.

BC @ SSK. Take the Riders. Just when you wonder how one can bet on BC, they might make a survival move. Bad bet, though.

[WestCoastJoe]

9 teams. We look to be #8. Yee haw.

The team Ed Hervey has assembled is in a shambles. The players were told how talented they are. Wrong. The offensive system is just that. Offensive. Players are confused. Thry now expect bodies to be thrown under the bus. Sent to Siberia.

Systems. Fail.

Coaching. Fail.

Management. Fail.

Leadership. Fail.

Personnel selections. Fail.

Budget decisions. Fail.

Coaching selections. Fail. Unproven Head Coach. Unproven OC. Unproven ST coach. 1 and 4 results in poorly played games. Unprepared. No focus. No determination. No paying the price with physical commitment. Mental errors. Penalties. Confusion. Panic.

Player execution of the systems? Fail.

No hope? Nope. There is always hope in the CFL. Can Reilly save this group? Nope. We have seen the results. Rush ends? Nope. O Linemen? Nope. Receivers? Nope.

Offensive system? Possibly. Change it. Jarious has told us that Jennings and Lulay should have been able to make it work. No fingers pointed at Reilly yet. I expect private thoughts around the league from the cognoscenti point to Jarious.

Morale and motivation? Do not know how to fix it with this group, with this staff.

Defensive system? Possibly. Acclimation and integration. Claybrooks and Stubler tell us they just need to learn the system. We will see.

Bring in new players? Desperation measure, but it will happen. Top level rush end and top level INT receivers should help.

Fire a coach? If it gets worse, possibly.

Just imo. Others might see it differently.

[Toppy Vann]

These dudes know that dumping players gets the coaches off the hook for a bit more time lol.

[Gridiron Ernie]

A couple games of Week 6 in the CFL where ex-Lions are everywhere making things extra interesting, will feature ex-Leos debuting for their new teams; J. Jennings in at starting QB for the Redblacks, and the Manny Show expected to take the field at WR dressed in green. I wish them both well personally, but I expect Jennings will have his hands full dealing with the Bomber defence, and while I hope Manny has a fine game (if he's indeed good to go come game time) goes without saying I hope the Lions nicely stifle the offence otherwise. Speaking of stifling an offence, I understand talented DB Nick Marshall is expected back from injury for the Riders for this game. This will further test our so-far feeble aerial game. I wonder if I dare imagine a win this weekend? Or at least that our meows will turn to roars, win or lose.

[WestCoastJoe]

https://www.cfl.ca/2019/07/16/weekly-sa ... fix-lions/

THE WEEKLY SAY: IS THERE ANY QUICK FIX FOR THE LIONS?
The Canadian Press

CFL.CA STAFF

TORONTO — The BC Lions are reaching a critical point in their season.

A home and home against the Saskatchewan Roughriders will either create more separation from the rest of the division, or draw the Lions right back in the playoff race following a 1-4 start to the season.

After a promising off-season, not much much has gone according to plan on the west coast.

On offence the Lions rank last in the CFL with 305 yards per game, while Mike Reilly has been sacked a league-worst 17 times. Reilly has been afforded very little time to find his highly-touted trio of targets consisting of Duron Carter, Bryan Burnham and Lemar Durant.

Defensively, as that unit continues to try and acclimate under DeVone Claybrooks and Rich Stubler, they’ve given up a league-worst 12 passing touchdown and generated only five turnovers.

Coming off a 33-6 defeat at the hands of the Eskimos on home field, the Lions have reached a low point in 2019. What’s it going to take for them to get back on track?

More in The Weekly Say:

What’s your ‘quick-fix’ solution for the BC Lions?

Donnovan Bennett: Get a time machine and bring back Manny Arceneaux and Solomon Elimimian. I would say revert to three step drops to protect their highly paid QB but they’ve already done that and it still hasn’t seemed to help them protect against basic four man pressures.

Jamie Nye: You need to adjust your offence to get the ball out of Mike Reilly‘s hand quicker. The O-line is struggling. More screens, hitches, draws, crossing routes. Take the deep shot every once in a while but you can’t have Reilly standing back there waiting for receivers to get open or he won’t last until Labour Day.

Don Landry: Hot routes. If you can’t presently secure the pocket for Mike Reilly, for any extended period of time at all, get him some open receivers early. That, mixed with a continued running game presence, might just flip the ignition switch on some things for the Lions.

Jim Morris: I don’t think there is a quick fix, but the first step would be retooling the offensive line. There also may need to be a strategy to move Reilly out of the pocket for him to throw. An offence can’t produce if the quarterback is laying on his back or running for his life. Improving the O-line would also assist in the running game.

Marshall Ferguson: Tough to quick fix this but the tackle spots have been a major issue either through injury or poor performance. Have to find a way to upgrade those ASAP.

Chris O’Leary: Fix that O-line. If you can’t protect Mike Reilly you won’t get any offensive production and your star player won’t make it through the season. If it takes a trade, or some ratio juggling with some freshly-signed American players, giving Reilly time to operate would put the Lions back into games.

Matthew Cauz: I would say it’s the offensive line as the Lions are last in sacks allowed, but there’s nothing “quick” about fixing pass protection. Instead of helping Mike Reilly I’ll look to the other side of the ball and say go and get Shawn Lemon back from Toronto. No team has allowed more passing touchdowns than the Lions and Lemon did put up 10 sacks for BC in 2018.

[WestCoastJoe]

Jamie Nye: You need to adjust your offence to get the ball out of Mike Reilly‘s hand quicker. The O-line is struggling. More screens, hitches, draws, crossing routes. Take the deep shot every once in a while but you can’t have Reilly standing back there waiting for receivers to get open or he won’t last until Labour Day.

Many on here have been saying this.

Don Landry: Hot routes. If you can’t presently secure the pocket for Mike Reilly, for any extended period of time at all, get him some open receivers early. That, mixed with a continued running game presence, might just flip the ignition switch on some things for the Lions.

And this.

[WestCoastJoe]

https://www.cfl.ca/2019/07/16/simoni-la ... rbitrator/

CFL.CA STAFF

TORONTO — The Canadian Football League issued a statement Tuesday after learning of an arbitrator’s decision regarding the pending suspension of Hamilton Tiger-Cats linebacker Simoni Lawrence.

The statement reads as follows:

“We are pleased that the Arbitrator has decided to uphold the two-game suspension for Hamilton Tiger-Cat Simoni Lawrence for his conduct during play #4 of CFL game #10 on June 13. Dangerous and reckless play must be disciplined, not simply for the sake of punishment, but to deter such play in the future.

“We all need to take and support strong action to promote and protect player health and safety. We look forward to continuing to work with our players on this mission. Mr. Lawrence is now required to serve his two-game suspension, starting with his team’s next game, scheduled for Friday, July 26.”

Lawrence was handed a two-game suspension on June 17th after the veteran Tiger-Cats linebacker made direct contact to the head of Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Zach Collaros in the Ticats’ season opener on Thursday at Tim Hortons Field.

Two days later, the CFLPA contested the decision which allowed Lawrence to suit up in the last four games for the ‘Cats. The decision prompted the CFL to issue a statement saying that it was “deeply disappointed that the CFLPA has decided to contest the league’s attempt to punish and deter a dangerous play.”

He is a head hunter. He thinks he is innocent, but he has done this before. He is a pro athlete, who can avoid such hits. Many ways to avoid them without giving up physical play.

[JohnnyMusso]

The Lions have done nothing following that last bad game, except sign a reject from Ottawa. They will be going with basically the same lineup and yet somehow expect a different result.

Riders will win the game and I think it will be another blowout. Lions rarely play well in Regina and things go badly for the Lions early this game could go South on them in a hurry.

Ed refuses to look at himself and coaches and blaming the players solely. At the end of he year, the president may blame him and he could be fired. Just cannot see Lions turning it around without some major changes, The longer they wait, more likely it will be too late for this season.

[B.C.FAN]

I'm willing to write off last week's no-show by the offence to the short practice week and the fallout from the injuries to Figueroa and Chungh. The Lions have been competitive, and at times dominant, in the first four games. If Figueroa and Chungh are back in good health, I would expect a B.C. victory in Regina.

[KnowItAll]

wish I could say otherwise, but I am expecting the lions to be the only western team to lose.

[WestCoastJoe]

Lankford 4.36 in the 40 at pro day.

We need that speed.

[David]

**BULLETIN BOARD MATERIAL**

If this column doesn't fire up the Lions this week, nothing will.

Acerbic columnist Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post really let our Leos have it in a scathing column that featured more shots than happy hour at The Roxy, noting our "Matador offensive line," and calling it a "$725 offensive line" (in contrast to Reilly's $725,000 contract) in which the Riders will be "salivating at the prospect of repeatedly putting Reilly on his back on back-to-back Saturdays."

Edmonton has given our line fits, no question. But both Fig and Chungh were hurt last week. The previous Eskimo game? 7 sacks, no excuses. However, we've (only) given up 2 sacks against each of the other teams not named Eskimos. Not great, but maybe not worthy of all of Vanstone's double-barrelled sarcasm.


DH

[Toppy Vann]

If anyone takes in practice as I did this week (Monday) you'll see some overly cocky players and none of them are 89 Duron Carter.