Lions release Hugh O'Neill

[Rammer]

Blitz you neglecting the most important tangibles that McCallum brings to the K/P position. He brings the ability to play when the game is on the line, coffin corner kicks, onsife Ks (nobody is better), and he knows when to pull the ball down and hit a receiver when the team needs it. It really is garbage to dwell on the shanked punt, it happens to all punters, and rarely to McCallum.

[Blitz]

Blitz you neglecting the most important tangibles that McCallum brings to the K/P position. He brings the ability to play when the game is on the line, coffin corner kicks, onsife Ks (nobody is better), and he knows when to pull the ball down and hit a receiver when the team needs it. It really is garbage to dwell on the shanked punt, it happens to all punters, and rarely to McCallum.

I understand all the important tangibles that McCallum brings. I have been a huge fan of his and believe he is a better pressure field goal kicker than Passaglia ever was - just look at his playoff field goal kicking record.

I do like McCallum's coffin corner punts. I was a huge supporter of McCallum when Whyte was here and wanted us to resign McCallum and not go with Whyte even though McCallum was expensive.

However, I was not picking on McCallum regarding his one shanked punt. He shanked a few of them last year too and had a number of miscues in the punting department. I thought he was trying to do too much or be too tricky with the football.

Do I still want McCallum as our field goal kicker and punter. The answer is a definite yes. I had hoped that O'Neil would work out as our kickoff specialist and also be a guy we could use for a long type field goal attempt.

I am just surprised that we decided to drop O'Neil at this juncture, rather than at the end of the season and felt that he was very good insurance, especially with McCallum's age and at this point we don't know when the drop off will take place and he has been injured and didn't have a good game last game overall.

It seems that our Leos thinking is that McCallum will play better without O'Neil on the roster or that, if O'Neil was not going to sign an extension at the dollars that Wally wanted, he decided it was better to cut O'Neil lose now. I would have waited until season end. Obviously, if we were wanting to sign O'Neil to an extension, we didn't think he was that bad.

[Hambone]

It seems that our Leos thinking is that McCallum will play better without O'Neil on the roster or that, if O'Neil was not going to sign an extension at the dollars that Wally wanted, he decided it was better to cut O'Neil lose now. I would have waited until season end. Obviously, if we were wanting to sign O'Neil to an extension, we didn't think he was that bad.

Of course we don't know what was going on behind the scenes. It seems we often think it's just as easy as snapping one's fingers to sign a player. Such negotiations are never as easy as that. Obviously WB and MB thought enough of O'Neill to want to extend him. But if O'Neill had no interest in getting extended or only had interest if Wally was willing to pay more than what he thought was fair market value then they were at an impasse. The other aspect to consider is the club's position in the standings, depth at various positions and need to position themselves best for both pre and post expansion draft. In what is obviously an ultra competitive battle for the top 3 spots in the West could they really afford the luxury of carrying what is effectively a redundent kicker for the rest of the season? I think they found themselves at a point where O'Neill was expressing little or no interest in signing an extension and it became time to fish or cut bait or in this case cut kicker. Given the fight they are in for to get a home playoff date they needed much more out of O'Neill's active roster spot than just a KO specialist who wasn't producing anything terribly special versus the alternative.

[GoHugh]

Just for the record, Hugh absolutely loved it in Vancouver, loved playing for the Lions, and was very much hoping to sign a new contract even it if meant continuing to play behind McCallum.

[Ravi]

I will respectively disagree Ravi on it being easier to move 10 yars on 4 down ball. Just have to look at the field size to realize that finding room to move is hard, time to hit an open receiver even harder to do. I like both games, but am more interested in seeing the offenses make drives. And yet I can appreciate a good defensive battle as long as it isn't based upon two lousy O's not making plays.

That is a fair point, Rammer. I have to admit that it has crossed my mind about how successful a team would be if they used all three downs every time. I don't think that we will see a pro coach stick his head out on that one anytime soon though.

[BCLions4Ever]

No kicks in football? I wouldn't mind. When we scrimmaged other teams in preseason, the kicking game was left out of it. It was run a number of plays then switch O and D. A number of series. To me that is the heart of football.

Hmmm.....Football without kicking....so what would we call it? Throwball, Runball, Gridiron Oblate Spheroid Game...maybe just "Ball"? Methinks that the foot must strike the ball from time to time for the name to be retained.

[sj-roc]

No kicks in football? I wouldn't mind. When we scrimmaged other teams in preseason, the kicking game was left out of it. It was run a number of plays then switch O and D. A number of series. To me that is the heart of football.

Hmmm.....Football without kicking....so what would we call it? Throwball, Runball, Gridiron Oblate Spheroid Game...maybe just "Ball"? Methinks that the foot must strike the ball from time to time for the name to be retained.

Technically it's a prolate spheroid. Oblate means the sphere is flattened, shaped like a Smarties candy; prolate means the sphere is elongated and more rod-like.

The prolate spheroid is the shape of the ball in several sports, such as in Rugby union, Rugby league, and Australian rules football. In American football and Canadian football, a more pointed prolate spheroid is used (one resembling a vesica piscis in cross section)

I had to know which of these was which when I did my chemistry courses years ago; I made up the mnemonic that pROlate = ROd-like.

[WestCoastJoe]

No kicks in football? I wouldn't mind. When we scrimmaged other teams in preseason, the kicking game was left out of it. It was run a number of plays then switch O and D. A number of series. To me that is the heart of football.

Hmmm.....Football without kicking....so what would we call it? Throwball, Runball, Gridiron Oblate Spheroid Game...maybe just "Ball"? Methinks that the foot must strike the ball from time to time for the name to be retained.

LOL Well that crossed my mind of course. Take the foot out of football, and what do you call the game?

New name? Sure. Something to do with the running and passing games.

Or just keep the name football. Carrying the mail by foot in the running game could justify the name.

........

This is not a serious wish to rid the game of kicking. Well, not entirely serious. But I do prefer the running game and the passing game to the kicking game.

[Toppy Vann]

Just for the record, Hugh absolutely loved it in Vancouver, loved playing for the Lions, and was very much hoping to sign a new contract even it if meant continuing to play behind McCallum.

It was a tough situation for him and the BC Lions. He would appear to have a very good chance to be the new Ottawa kicker and no doubt might have ended up in WPG if this happened earlier than the Bombers bringing in Deangelis earlier this week (BUT not going to WPG might have been a good thing too).

[Lions4ever]

Hmmm.....Football without kicking....so what would we call it? Throwball, Runball, Gridiron Oblate Spheroid Game...maybe just "Ball"? Methinks that the foot must strike the ball from time to time for the name to be retained.

Everyone knows it would be handegg.

[GoHugh]

Hugh is now an Eskimo. GL to the Lions for the rest of the season... I'm off to bother those guys now.

[B.C.FAN]

Hugh is now an Eskimo. GL to the Lions for the rest of the season... I'm off to bother those guys now.

All the best to Hugh, especially against the Stamps and Riders. I hope he gets to be the No. 1 guy.

[MexicoLionFan]

Yeah, I think Blitz is right about the Lion's thoughts here...McCallum had a great game Saturday against Calgary as a message back to Wally saying "thanks" for the vote of confidence...I am not sure how many years left McCallum has...every time I think he is done, he just keeps on rolling...and he's already hit a 47 yarder this season. And short of that one shanked kick, I haven't seen his punting this good in years, as well as his kickoffs...and really, with some of the issues we have on defence and STs, we couldn't really afford to be dressing 2 kickers...so if McCallum can give us another 2 good seasons, it was likely the smart play...

[WestCoastJoe]

Hugh is now an Eskimo. GL to the Lions for the rest of the season... I'm off to bother those guys now.

Best of luck to Hugh. And to his fan club.

[MexicoLionFan]

Yes, best of luck to Hugh...I think he is going to make a good CFL kicker.