I may be out to lunch on this but it appears to me that our opposition is using the pass to set up the run. If we are dropping extra people to cover the receivers we have no pass rush and are susceptible to the run. The only reason anyone has to run against us is due to arm fatigue in their QB and sore hands in their receivers. I'm not against stopping the run, but right now its like bailing a boat with a teacup while not patching a hole the size of a volkswagon.Blitz wrote:Well, I agree with you, regarding the offence playing inconsistent. After a first quarter, where both teams moved the football well, the defenses took over for a while and we had more two and outs. However, I made my comments in the context that Calgary's defense was the best in the league in most categories going into this game.ziggy wrote: .
Offensively, we had a much more balanced attack than in previous games. However, our passing attack continues to struggle. It struggled early last season with Dickenson at quarterback and it struggled a lot of times with Jackson at quarterback last season. It struggled early, in our first game, with Buck starting, and it struggled again against the Stamps. Some of that can be laid on the quarterback but not the whole deal. The facts are that we haven't had a great receiving group since Thelwell left. Three players have carried the load now for too long and they need help. More importantly, quarterbacks look great when they have time to throw the football and a lot of good options.
Buck and Jarious have been under pressure every time they've played this season. Why are Burris and Cavillo having great seasons? They both have time to throw...sometimes oodles of time. Their low sack totals also reflect it. They also have a great receiving team to throw to. Our receivers are covered more often than many fans realize. They just assume that a receiver is open every play and Jarious doesn't get him the football. Defenses are programmed to blanket Simon, Clermont, and Paris Jackson. It forces more route adjustments, more difficult throws and in the meanwhile the quarterback is under major pressure when trying to make those more challenging throws.
With regard to your comments regarding the run vs the pass, almost every Grey Cup winner, outside of Toronto, was outstanding at shutting down the run. In 2006 we gave around 80 yards per game in total, and that included runs by tailbacks and quarterbacks. By shutting down the run, you force an offence to become one dimensional and then you can key on that. The run sets up play action and keeps a defense guessing. When a defense is able to shut down the run, they can then pin their ears back and play pass defense. If you aren't able to shut down an offences running game you can't do that!!
The Time Has Come..
Moderator: Team Captains
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PigSkin_53
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This is a most welcome sign as Wally is finally waking up, and ready to challenge the team to a new standard, a new reality.notahomer wrote: Apparently WB 'lost' it and smashed a whiteboard during halftime due to poor play.
If the coach is soft and complacent then it is a sure sign the coaching staff, and the team will follow his suite, but this may be what we been waiting for.
The guys are not use to seeing this kind Wally and I'm ecstatic to see the true Lion in him boiling to the surface.
It is high time the team heard his roar and felt his passion once again.
No free rides for anyone.
The buck stops here!
"Just Win Baby" ~ Al Davis
Kelly Bates just confirmed what I've been saying about Leos practices. In today's Province today Bates said the following:PigSkin_53 wrote:This is a most welcome sign as Wally is finally waking up, and ready to challenge the team to a new standard, a new reality.notahomer wrote: Apparently WB 'lost' it and smashed a whiteboard during halftime due to poor play.
If the coach is soft and complacent then it is a sure sign the coaching staff, and the team will follow his suite, but this may be what we been waiting for.
The guys are not use to seeing this kind Wally and I'm ecstatic to see the true Lion in him boiling to the surface.
It is high time the team heard his roar and felt his passion once again.
No free rides for anyone.
The buck stops here!
"But games can also be lost in practice, and Lions left guard Kelly Bates suggested a lackadaisical workout regimen is driving a stake through the CFL team these days even before they hit the playing field."I wouldn't want to play with any other 42 guys. But I just hope all of us take notice that what we're doing in practice, with each other messing and fooling around and yipping at each other, isn't helping."It's not that I don't think we're applying ourselves. I don't think we're approaching it the way we should. Come to work and let's get something done that's positive."
The article, by Lowell Ullrich, goes on to say:
"Coach Wally Buono publically noted his team's loose attitude at the start of last week and Saturday did not take Bates' comments as a suggestion his coaching staff is too lenient. But the fact is there are far more periods of inactivity at certain spots during practices in recent years compared to Buono's arrival six seasons ago" (Vancouver Province)
I'm very pleased that Kelly Bates had the courage to say it...because it needed to be said.
However, I found it laughable that Rob Murphy commented, "We need to be hungry. There needs to be a sense of urgency. There needs to be a this-stops-now attitude. It's not good when you don't have the answers" after end Mike Labinjo blow past him on the play that resulted in a dislocated finger to Jarious Jackson, along with a few others.
If anyone needs a sense of urgency and a this stops now attitude it's Murphy himself and while Buono didn't take Bates comments that the Leos coaches are too lenient...he should!!!!!!!!!!!!
The article goes on to say:
"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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DanoT
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When the season is over, I'd like to see Wally become President and GM and hire Ritchie as Head Coach. If Ritchie doesn't want to come out of retirement, then hire Ritchie Hall away from Sask.
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TheLionKing
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The blame lies squarely on Wally Buono for that.notahomer wrote: Kelly Bates is concurring with the too much countryclub during practices. I've never been to a practice (Surrey or otherwise) but I certainly have heard that practice can be a little lax.
He's the guy who came in here and established such a professional and hard working tone to our practices. He's gotta get back to it. I imagaine, after being a Head Coach for 18 years, it's not easy to keep that edge as a Head Coach. However, even pros will take advantage. Practicing is not something that pros always look forward to. Football practices have a lot of repetition to them and these guys have been practicing since being pee wees.TheLionKing wrote:The blame lies squarely on Wally Buono for that.notahomer wrote: Kelly Bates is concurring with the too much countryclub during practices. I've never been to a practice (Surrey or otherwise) but I certainly have heard that practice can be a little lax.
However, Kelly Bates has it right...good practice habits become good game habits and our penalties, mental errors, missed tackles, missed assignments, etc. are symptomatic of a team that has gotten lax. It's Wally's job to get that work ethic and mental sharpness back and it starts this week at our first practice session.
"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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Lions4ever
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Interesting revelation from Kelly Bates. During the game on Friday I commented to my wife that BC did not appear to have practiced during the bye week. She mentioned that many players were permitted to go home. I said that was BS and that if I were the coach I would have had them there every damn day working twice as hard.
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TheLionKing
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It's a long season. All teams give their players some time off during the bye week so they can recover from the nicks and bruises.
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DanoT
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The Als, during their by week, started out going over the game plan for the Lions, then got some time off. So they had something to think about during their rest week before starting full practices for the week prior to meeting the Lions this Friday and I expect that the Lions could be in big trouble against the Als this Friday.
That could be true, however often teams come out of a break and need a quarter to turn things up to game speed. It is pertinent that the Lions have a game plan to attack the Als at a high speed off the get go, no waiting for a quarter or longer to shoot some serious bullets at the Als.DanoT wrote:The Als, during their by week, started out going over the game plan for the Lions, then got some time off. So they had something to think about during their rest week before starting full practices for the week prior to meeting the Lions this Friday and I expect that the Lions could be in big trouble against the Als this Friday.
Entertainment value = an all time low
We could, but I seriously doubt it!!Lion Guy wrote:NO ONE can be judged until the season is finished. If we go on to win the GC all of this is moot.
We could go 10-0 for the rest of the year ya know.
Wanna bet we don't even go 7-3????
"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)
Blitz wrote:We could, but I seriously doubt it!!Lion Guy wrote:NO ONE can be judged until the season is finished. If we go on to win the GC all of this is moot.
We could go 10-0 for the rest of the year ya know.
Wanna bet we don't even go 7-3????
Yes, I will take that as an avy bet. I say they will win 7 from here on in, you say they won't.
Whaddya say Blitz?