Wally reacts to Saturday's humiliation in Edmonton.....

[WestCoastJoe]

A GM evaluating his HC in the media? Dunno about that ...

Sometimes, in a dreadful season, a vote of confidence is given by the guy in the upstairs office. This is at the other end of the spectrum from a vote of confidence.

Wally has been known to throw players under the bus publicly.

He has now ripped his HC publicly.

He has also included himself in the criticism and accountability.

Just words this time? Dunno ...

" ... Mike didn't coach well."

I don't think Wally is following a blueprint. It seems to me he is just expressing his feelings and attitudes. His judgments. Appropriate for a GM to rip his Head Coach in the media? Dunno about that ...

In any case, Wally owns this mess, in my opinion. He made the hire. He gave the extension of the contract. He did not do a continent-wide search for the best candidate. He did not seek outstanding credentials, wide-ranging experience, nor an outstanding record of success. He chose his protégé.

First time Wally hires a Head Coach, and the jury is out. Not looking good.
...........

"Games like Saturday in Edmonton, get GM's and coaches fired."

" ... the heat is on all of us."

I do not for a second think that Wally's job is on the line. Should it be? Well, without his Teflon shield it would be, it seems to me. Disastrous hiring of a Head Coach, IMO.

Wally does have that lifetime contract from David Braley. Is more of a ceremonial role in order for Wally at this time of his career? That is David Braley's call.

Will he fire Mike Benevides? He certainly could. Wally is first and foremost a survivor. That outweighs Wally's loyalty to coaches who have been with him seemingly forever.

How bad is it? We are middle of the road. And slipping. We just got drubbed, humiliated. For the last time? Probably not. Not the end of the world for some fans. Off the cliff for others. Product on the field? Hmmm ... Revenue at the box office? Ouch ...

Not nice when a GM goes public. But it is a mess, and there is debris everywhere. Jobs are on the line. Just not Wally's.

[Rammer]

Wally has to account for the bottom line, the loss cost the Lions any chance of hosting a playoff game, but it also meant that the Stamps game is mean nothing game now. That hits Braley, and it potentially hits the Lions in the remaining seats available for GC, as going through Alberta to get to the GC is as imposing as it was in 94 going into it. Catching lightning in a bottle again is unlikely.

[WestCoastJoe]

Can we win anything in the playoffs? Yes. Yes. Some of us still think we have talent. Some of us still think that Neil McAvoy, Kelly Bates, Wally Buono and the personnel department have loaded the roster with guys who can play at a high level.

There is player pride. There are players' jobs on the line. We could rally. Our coaches could put together great game plans.

What are the odds on that? What are the odds that as we move on, we will see ourselves out-coached on a too-frequent basis?

Well, the ball is in Wally's hands. And for the time being, it is in the hands of Mike Benevides.

Could we make a miracle run? Are you going to contact the bookie on that?

For me it comes down to the product on the field. Not good enough. Not consistent enough. The players tanked last game. Save for Solomon and some others, who do not have quit in their vocabulary. When the team tanks, that is on the coaches.

[sj-roc]

Wally has to account for the bottom line, the loss cost the Lions any chance of hosting a playoff game, but it also meant that the Stamps game is mean nothing game now. That hits Braley, and it potentially hits the Lions in the remaining seats available for GC, as going through Alberta to get to the GC is as imposing as it was in 94 going into it. Catching lightning in a bottle again is unlikely.

Funny thing is, travelling anywhere but AB for div playoffs has been the death knell of this franchise since day 1. But I wouldn't foresee hewing to this itinerary helping us any this year. We'll be underdogs wherever we step off the plane.

We also hosted Cgy in the final weekend of that 1994 campaign — a game that ended in a narrow loss to the team that had already clinched 1st with ourselves locked into 3rd — and drew a crowd that we haven't matched since. Is it too late to launch Paul McCallum Night?

[274always]

i'm pretty sure that in a rematch in 2 weeks the outcome will be a lot different.

[sj-roc]

i'm pretty sure that in a rematch in 2 weeks the outcome will be a lot different.

I agree, we could very well lose by a considerably closer margin — should the opportunity to return present itself.

[notahomer]

Well LU and Beamers will obviously be having a fun week out in Surrey this week. Is there blood in the water? Probably overreaction on my part.

Its too late to make any major changes. It often seems, based on recent seasons, that anything after training camp is TOO LATE to make any major changes. Admitting there is a problem is the big step in getting towards solutions.

I am really looking forward to seeing this game Friday versus the Stamps. It may show a lot about whats to come. Will we be able, as fans, to get some of that bad taste out watching a SOLID performance by the Lions? Or will we watch another beatdown, even though some KEY Stamps will not be starting? Friday can't come soon enough, because another night of that kind of offence by the Lions is NOT something I want to watch again.....

[TheLionKing]

I for one have little faith in the Lions winning in the playoffs. The warts that were evident back in June is still here and has not been addressed ie. offensive line, special teams, undisciplined penalties, pass rush.

[Toppy Vann]

Hey TLK, the proverbial 100% support my coach at the other end of the spectrum - lol... that usually means the guy is toast at the end of the season.

Most coaches don't want that.... ask Kavis Reed..lol.

I do agree that this hits the Lions budget as did the guaranteed win night for the Riders when they had to issue tickets not paid for. That is the heat on Wally but I think Braley will always give him a Mulligan based on his regard and record for Wally Senior.

In some ways Mike Benevides statement pre-season that they won't be as good as they will be in 180 days (end of season) is proving true - this was his statement with his new OC and DC.

If they catch the lightning in a bottle and 2014 finishes like 1994 wouldn't that be insane.

In the West they have the Eskimos right where they want them. Fat and sassy and knowing that the Lions are mere pussycats. That could be the proverbial let down the Lions need to win that game. Then some of the same with the Stamps and its off to the GC in Vancouver with chest bumping Mikey the toast of the town.

[Big Time]

I can tell you this. I have spoken to Wally on a few occasions. He doesn't do anything without a reason. You can bet that if he's going out into the media and saying that Saturday's game is the type of game that gets a coach fired, you can bet your last dollar he is sending a message to MB. Wally knows EXACTLY what he's doing when it comes to the media.

Sometimes as fans we get the impression that the team management lives in a bubble and that they don't see or hear the same things that we do. I can assure you from the people I have known involved in professional sports that they see everything the same way the fans do. All the great observations on this forum are not lost on Wally. He's also privy to the inner workings of the room, something that as fans we are left only to speculate.

I'm fairly certain that Wally has told MB that his performance is in no shape or form good enough as a head coach. Calling him out in the media puts him on further notice. He may have made a mistake in giving MB an extension, by I'm certain that if he feels MB has lost the room, he will make amends and fire him.

Do I think Wally needs to go? No I do not. I am, and always will be, a fan of Wally. He has brought stability, respectability, and talent to a Lions organization that was rotting away under the Adam Rita regime. You need look no further than the Argos or the Bombers for examples of how poor management kills a fan base. I look at the Lions talent and I don't see a team that is far off from anyone else. They have a championship level defense. They have good parts on offense. If the coaches that MB put in place aren't getting the job done, if MB isn't getting the job done, Wally will make a change in the off season. You can count on it.

[Toppy Vann]

Wally is pretty smart when it comes to the media and the narrative.

By publicly acknowledging it stunk including the HC's coaching is exactly how you get fan tension and anger reduced. It's when they refuse to see what fans see that fans get really angry.

I do think he's sending a strong message about jobs on the line as this allows him to fire with dignity for all versus the 100% behind my coach - only players are to blame.

I 'm with those who think Wally is safe but not so much his HC - although he's not quite at the door and maybe he will be saved by scapegoating Khari and Joe.

[Blitz]

Actually notahomer, the most telling statement wasn't pinning some blame on himself. That I would have expected.

No, to me it was "...Mike didn't coach well," not "the coaches didn't coach well." To directly name the HC as being partially responsible for a beatdown loss in a crucial game against a division foe, is quite unusual to say the least. On the Blitz rating system, that statement was worth "two Bene Belly Bumps."


DH

I rate this post

Interesting that Squire Barnes said tonite that if the Leos keep playing badly he wouldn't be surprised to see Benny and the Belly gone at the end of this season.

I wouldn't bet on it though. Our Leos had better hope they are the cross-over team. I doubt they would want to go back to Edmonton again ...although it would be a motivation to go back there and play well. However, go back there and play badly again and Wally would have a difficult time keeping Benny on. After all, it was Benny that wanted to make changes to his offensive staff this season.

I do see Khari Jones making some adjustments. He has used Lumbala more in the last few games, gone with more tight end sets.

But the offence has been absent all season of play action on first down, quick pass plays (did you see the swing screen pass and the motion screen pass in the first half by Edmonton - now that's coaching), screens, draws, zone read action plays, hitch screens, the passing game is devoid of motion outside of Jackson or Arsenault switching sides, bunch formations, wide bunch formations, stack receiver sets etc. and the run game has two plays, the inside zone read and the once or twice again fly sweep. Its rare or completey absent to see a pitch toss, counter run, shovel pass, direct snap etc. There is no misdirection play action, rare semi-boots or moving the pocket. By the way, we ran all of those with Chap from 2011-2013 and everyone said his offence was predictable so what do we call this?

As for Benny, this was not just a one-sided loss when everything went bad. The players try to avoid him coming off on the sidelines - they don't want a hand slap, a belly bump (temporariy extinct) a hug or anything. Its ver obvious that they do not see him as a leader, the vets are very unhappy about the treatment of Dante Marsh, and there is no way, that if Benny bought each member of the team a pumpkin spice latte after practice, that it would go over well.

Angus Reid provided a real heads up about Benny a few weeks ago. Reid, in touch with the players, tried to warn Benny that slogans and gimmicks were not what was wanted - the team needed real leadership from Benny and he needed to step up.

He hasn't!

[TheLionKing]

I can tell you this. I have spoken to Wally on a few occasions. He doesn't do anything without a reason. You can bet that if he's going out into the media and saying that Saturday's game is the type of game that gets a coach fired, you can bet your last dollar he is sending a message to MB. Wally knows EXACTLY what he's doing when it comes to the media.

Sometimes as fans we get the impression that the team management lives in a bubble and that they don't see or hear the same things that we do. I can assure you from the people I have known involved in professional sports that they see everything the same way the fans do. All the great observations on this forum are not lost on Wally. He's also privy to the inner workings of the room, something that as fans we are left only to speculate.

I'm fairly certain that Wally has told MB that his performance is in no shape or form good enough as a head coach. Calling him out in the media puts him on further notice. He may have made a mistake in giving MB an extension, by I'm certain that if he feels MB has lost the room, he will make amends and fire him.

Do I think Wally needs to go? No I do not. I am, and always will be, a fan of Wally. He has brought stability, respectability, and talent to a Lions organization that was rotting away under the Adam Rita regime. You need look no further than the Argos or the Bombers for examples of how poor management kills a fan base. I look at the Lions talent and I don't see a team that is far off from anyone else. They have a championship level defense. They have good parts on offense. If the coaches that MB put in place aren't getting the job done, if MB isn't getting the job done, Wally will make a change in the off season. You can count on it.

Good post Big Time. I hope Wally reads this thread. If the hard core fans (ie. Lionbackers) are fed up with this circus known as the Lions, you can imagine what the casual fans are thinking.

[cromartie]

Once again, I'll remind you, politely, that Wally is the man that overhauled the entire scouting and front office this last offseason, and that included demoting and moving some people with whom he's had some longstanding professional relationships with.

Typically, you would give a GM three to five years of grace, and two coaching choices at the pro level. Wally has a mulligan to use with the coaching staff, so when he chooses to use it (and unlike a lot of you, I'm thinking it's a matter of when, not if), it had best be the entire staff that gets the broom. **

I can tell you that between the guarantee game, the loss of home playoff game revenue and the hit the club is going to take on a non-sellout Grey Cup because the home team isn't there, there is a lot of revenue lost this season, enough to cost some people some jobs. And this is before we take a look at what the decline in season ticket renewals mean for revenue next year. This is a LOT of money lost. And that, in and of itself, should warrant a coaching change.*

*I'd love to be wrong. I'd love for this club to catch fire, roar through the East and make the cup. I'm always rooting for success. But I don't see it, really.
** Here's a wild scenario for you. Marc Trestman loses his job after the Bears slump to a 6-10 finish thanks to a broken locker room and an aging defense. How's that for a turnaround for you?

[Sir Purrcival]

As has already been mentioned, Wally doesn't make statements unless he wants to. His words here are telling. To me it sounds like he saying 3 things.

1. He is serving notice to the players and the coaches that their performance has not been satisfactory
2. He is serving notice to the fans that he is aware of their displeasure.
3. He is making public that heads are on the chopping block if they don't come up with a good next few games..

The performance of this team, this season has cost the organization money. It has taken a fair amount of the enthusiasm out of the upcoming Grey Cup. It was only a couple of weeks ago that the Lions office was on to me about maybe buying some of the as yet unsold tickets for the Grey Cup. If there was any real faith that the Lions might have a chance to get to the dance, tickets would have been sold out long ago. It will probably be several years before BC hosts again and likely it will be Brailey's last as owner. He is a proud man and I don't think that is going to go down easy with him if the Grey Cup is less than big bang. Enthusiasm for the big game has been badly eroded this year among the locals and it doesn't take much to figure why that is. It comes down to a lack of any belief that the local squad is going to be involved. It comes down to having a season of mediocre performances. It comes down to the hardest core of fans saying they haven't gotten good value for their $$ and are thinking twice about laying more down this season or the next.