A Survival Guide for New Leos Fans

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Blitz
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Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2005 8:44 am

I posted this in a different thread this past week, but it was suggested I make it a separate thread so here it is.

A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR NEW LEOS FANS

Are you new and just moved to the West Coast and love football? Or have you just become interested in the game and our B.C. Lions? Whatever the reason, welcome to becoming a new B.C. Lions fan and welcome to Lionbackers.

This guide is written to help you navigate the Alice in Wonderful world of being a B.C. Lions fan, at this juncture, where sometimes things are not what are being presented and often, what you will be presented will not be real.

For example, in the past, if you’re favorite tailback was not re-signed you would have been told he had ‘lost a step’ when he hadn’t. You would have been told it was the quarterback’s agent who was at fault if our present Head Coach had created a quarterback controversy. If our defense gave up too many points in a game, you would have been told that they had once again failed to execute despite excellent coaching.

If you fall down the rabbit hole (and its very easy to do), you’ll encounter The Queen of Hearts, who is a tyrant that dominates everything but the Queen of Hearts will also appear as the Cheshire Cat in an attempt to dupe you while the Mad Hatter coordinates the blocking scheme and running attack (when we do actually run the football)

You’ll also read or hear, whenever our Leos lose a game or if our play is less than steller, that its always the players fault or an individual player's fault. Quarterbacks are especially blamed for all our ills. Over time, if you are not highly conscious, you will be indoctrinated into this mode of thinking.

For example. if our quarterback is not playing well, after having played very well for quite a long time, after becoming our starter, you may read that this quarterback now has ‘deer in the headlights’ syndrome, can’t read a defense, and the opposition knows his tendencies’. Others will also try to sell you the Kool Aid.

Common sense should tell you otherwise, so always rely on it.

But you’ll have to remain sharp or soon you’ll reach the stage when you'll think the only difference between winning and losing is changing the starting quarterback.

This guide is also written to counter the Little Orange Book. An explanation of what it is will be explained later in this post. For now, just know it’s not a written book but a verbal one and you are being advised ahead of time - don’t listen to it.

Here are some guidelines, with a Forrest Gump theme.

1. STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES.

As a new Leos fan, always rely on your eyes rather than your ears.
For example, during a game, you’ll see us run the football ‘right up the gut’ almost each and every time. Most often, on second and short, this running play is shut down for no gain and sometimes for a loss.

At first you’ll think this is crazy, as rarely do we get a first down on the play. You’re eyes will tell you that the defense had 8 defenders in the box and we only had five offensive linemen. You’re eyes will tell you that three of those defenders came free unblocked and tackled our tailback behind the line of scrimmage.

Or your eyes will see us put in the Jumbo Team. When that happens, you’ll watch the opposition put a defender over our center, place two huge tackles in the A gap, and crash down their defensive ends.
But after the game, you’ll hear that ‘our players gotta block better and execute better on second and short’. It will be an attempt to distort your reality.

You’ll start to wonder what is reality -what your eyes saw or what your ears heard after. That is the start of the rabbit hole. Over time, if you are not aware, you’re reality will become what the messenger says it is.

But who is the messenger? Well, its not always directly the Head Coach, although he usually is in control of the message. Newspaper reporters love a Head Coach who is ‘accessible’ and there is no newspaper reporter, radio host, or television sports reporter that our Head Coach will turn down.

He is always available for a quote or an interview (had our Head Coach spent less time in the past with the press and media and more time on his GM duties, as our present GM does, we would have made more trades and signed more players)

Therefore, these media and print types rely on our Head Coach to tell the story and most often they only use his quotes to tell that story.

Therefore, most of the time, what you read and hear, will only be his version. Over time, reality can become very distorted. How will you know what is real? Read Lowell Ullrich on 3 Down Nation. He has to be careful, but he will get you closer to the truth. Read Lionbacker posts. There are many smart Leo fans on this site who have not been indoctrinated.

But mostly use your eyes eyes and remember what your eyes told you while you watched the football game. If you don’t, you’ll end up drinking the Kool Aid and it will be presented in many colors and with may flavors.

It may come extra sweet, like on Wally Wednesdays or it will arrive extra orange, as in “I’m only coaching again out of my loyalty to David Braley and for Leo fans”

2. THE LITTLE ORANGE BOOK.

"Drill Sergeant: Gump! What's your sole purpose in this army?

Forrest Gump: To do whatever you tell me, drill sergeant!

Drill Sergeant: God damn it, Gump! You're a god damn genius! This is the most outstanding answer I have ever heard. You must have a goddamn I.Q. of 160. You are goddamn gifted, Private Gump. Listen up, people...

Forrest Gump: [narrates] Now for some reason I fit in the army like one of them round pegs. It's not really hard. You just make your bed real neat and remember to stand up straight and always answer every question with Yes, drill sergeant.

Drill Sergeant: ...Is that clear?

Forrest Gump: Yes, drill sergeant!

During the Chinese Cultural Revolution, Chairman Mao created The Little Red Book. It was a guide as to how the Chinese people were expected to think. Intellectuals were often sent to internment camps for ‘re-education, where they would spend hours and hours reciting The Little Red Book.

In Maoist China, everywhere Chinese citizens went, the Little Red Book was recited – on trains, and buses, on the radio and on television, over and over and over again.

Why? The best way to brainwash a person or a group of people is to distort their reality and then repeat simple messages over and over again, until they become part of that person’s internal script. The simple, repeated messages also become etched in their brain(s) and sub-conscious.

There is no written Little Orange Book in Leo Land, but the book exists powerfully in a verbal form. The messages are simple and repeated over and over, ad nauseum. Leo players ‘gotta execute’ or ‘gotta execute better’ or ‘didn’t execute’.

Another message from the Little Orange Book is our players ‘gotta make plays’ or ‘didn’t make plays’ or ‘didn’t make enough plays’. A third is our players ‘gotta cut down on our mistakes’ or our players ‘made too many mistakes’.

These simple messages, repeated and repeated, over time to the players and media tend to create predictable repetitive comments from others. Everyone begins to sound the same eg: 'We just gotta execute'.

However, as a Leos fan, if you find yourself at the breakfast table telling your better half, that you ‘gotta execute’ today at work, or you ‘gotta make more plays at work’, or you don’t want to ‘make mistakes’ at work, you are in trouble and its recommended that you seek therapy immediately.

If you don’t, you will have been ‘re-educated’, perhaps forever. You should also seek treatment if you find yourself sounding like Forrest Gump’s mother, saying “What’s normal anyways’.

There can be no deviation from the Little Orange Book for Leo players. Even the smallest hint, within any comment made by a Leo player, that our scheme or play calling could improve, will be interpreted by the Head Coach as extreme insubordination, horrible treachery, and incredible disloyaly and will not be forgotten ever...….. and there will be consequences.

Never cheer for any player that makes a comment that is not one of the standard lines expected from the Little Orange Book – "our coaching staff is great and always puts us in a position to win", "we gotta execute, make plays", and "not make mistakes. If a Leo player even hints that our schemes could be improved will end up tripping the hyperactive ego of a person that is not wise to trip.

Most Leo players know this and understand this. But there will always be a Dante Marsh or an Andrew Harris, a Jeremiah Johnson or a Chris Rainey who will allude that our coaching staff could do something different, whether its playing the corner position tighter or using the tailback more in the passing game or using the tailback more in the red zone, or using our player's speed more in space.

This should be interpreted as a passionate desire to win and help the team win. But it won’t be. So, if it happens in the future, you need to anticipate that this player, at some point, will be playing elsewhere, the soonest he can be replaced.

That player will likely end up playing in Winnipeg or Montreal. For some players Winnipeg is a good place to live and Montreal is an exciting city. But for others, the mosquitos in Winnipeg are the size of birds and the black flies are the size of flying dinasours and can eat you alive in one gulp. (just kidding).

Montreal might be an exciting city but that player will be playing for Kavis Reed, who makes our 'crazy' at least a little less crazy.

Therefore, be prepared for the disappointment of having your favorite player benched or replaced if he does not recite the Little Orange Book verbatim.

3. LIFE IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO GET.

If you believe in this quote, it’s time to become a fan of a different sport, rather than cheering on our Lions or you'll need the patience of Job. In Wally World, variety is a dirty word. Life is not a box of chocolates. Life is about boring, and at times, mind numbing predictability.

If you like your offence simple, you’ll be a happy Leo fan. Wally likes to use only one running play- the inside zone read. He has only used one simplified pocket passing Spread offence throughout his tenure here other than this season, when he has installed a new version of it – an RPO themed, even more programmed, predictable, and very, very conservative offensive scheme.

Our Head Coach likes his defense even simpler – four man rush, drop those linebackers underneath, play soft corner zone defense, with the safety deep and wait for the opposing offence to make a ‘mistake’. On special teams, the philosophy is, when in doubt always punt and on punt returns, the philosophy is for the return man to plunge straight ahead to get better field position.

But don’t let that dissuade you. We have some incredible talent on our Leos team. Quite often, Leo players find a way to step outside Wally’s box and make incredible plays. It’s what makes it all worthwhile. You’ll see some extraordinary plays made by gifted athletes.

A football’s shape also works in opposition to predictability – it can take some strange bounces and be deflected in some unpredictable ways. The CFL game is also designed for wide open excitement, which also counters this design for predictability, simplicity, and control.

You’ll get to see an Odell Willis bring character as well as talent to the game, a Bo Lokombo makes plays that he could have always made had he been given the chance. You’ll see a fantastic cover guy in T.J. Lee and especially if he gets the chance to play man coverage. Of course, if we are playing zone pass defense, Lee’s talents will be reined in some. In the past we took the best man cover defender the CFL has ever had, in Korey Banks, and tried very hard to turn him into a passive zone defender.

Hopefully, you’ll get to see a gravity defying cutback at full speed by Chris Rainey or a jump cut by Jeremiah Johnson that will leave you shaking your head in amazement or a reception by Bryan Burnham that you’ll need to see a replay of in order to believe he could do it.

You’ll hopefully see a Jonathan Jennings deep pass that looks like artistry or a Travis Lulay, when he returns to action, make a special play when it seemed a successful play was not possible.

Hang in there.

MY MOMMA TOLD ME THAT MIRACLES HAPPEN EVERY DAY. SOME PEOPLE DON’T THINK SO BUT THEY DO.

You might reach a point where watching a Lions game feels like hitting your head again and again against a stone wall. You’ll see unsuccessful plays and unsuccessful schemes repeated over and over.

But miracles do happen. Players at times, on rare occasion, rise up and request a new defensive system. Or at other times, you will see us forced to adapt our offence a bit. There will be times when our talent is so good and our players will to win is so passionate that they overcome the predictable schemes.

Like a David vs. Goliath story our players will to win will be victorious over Wally’s fear. In the past, a Dave Dickenson escaped the pocket and a ferocious pass rush and the blitz, and run for first downs to lead us to a Grey Cup victory. There were other times that our defensive line played so great, it didn’t matter that our corners were being forced into a soft zone.

In other moments, a Korey Banks or a Dante Marsh has said to to hell with playing passive for a play and jumped a route for an interception touchdown or a Barrin Miles has ignored Wally telling him to ‘play deeper’ and instead listened to a Dave Ritchie and vacated his deep safety position to snare an interception.

We’ve seen a Travis Lulay type scramble out of the pocket, put the outside linebacker in a bind and throw to an Andrew Harris for a key first down to keep a late game drive alive and just recently we’ve seen a Jonathan Jennings throw a purrfect pass and a Bryan Burnham make a great catch to cue a miracle comeback.

Patience is the key to be a new Lions fan. It will be very frustrating at times but it will be worth it. Write some posts on Lionbackers to make some new on-line connections with other Leo fans. It will help you to get through the difficult times of being a Leos fan.

You’ll also keep learning more and more about the game of football or get different insights. There are a lot of very knowledgeable posters on Lionbackers.

WE GO TOGETHER LIKE PEAS AND CARROTS

Forrest Gump said to Jenny “We go together like peas and carrots, In Wally World’s Leo Land, a lot of things go together like peas and carrots too.

David Braley and Wally Buono. Wally Buono and Dan Dorazio. Wally Buono and inexperienced coordinators (unless desperate). Wally Buono and mind-numbing simplicity. Wally Buono and predictability. Wally Buono and bad game management. Wally Buono and his sayings from the Little Orange Book. Wally Buono and the ‘blame game’. Wally Buono and his version of accountability.

When asked about his own accountability, approximately one month ago, with our Leos at 3 wins and five losses, this was his response:
“Hold me accountable for what? You have to hold me accountable for putting the players on the field, for saying these are the players I’m trusting.

“Have we been purrfect? No. But I’m saying the majority of time the coaches have done a good job. What are they going to do, fire me? What do I care? This is frustrating and it’s hard on everybody. So hold me accountable, but if I could do something more, I’d do it.”
Well, it seems as if, from that moment in time to today, our Leos have found ways to do something more. Buono and imagination do not go together like peas and carrots. But thankfully, there are defensive vets who can make suggestions for a new defensive scheme and there are the Jerry Glanville’s who can embarrass us into offensive adaptions that worked and that had been called for repeatedly on Lionbackers.

I DON’T NOW IF WE EACH HAVE A DESTINY OR WE’RE JUST FLOATIN’ AROUND ACCIDENTAL-LIKE ON A BREEZE. BUT I THINK MAYBE ITS BOTH.

Sometimes being a Leos fan over the past 15 years or so, can be surprising. In 2011, we were 0-5 and then 1-6 after two seasons of identical 8-10 records after terrible starts to the season. In 2011 we went on to win the Grey Cup.

This season has that same feel to it. We got off to a terrible start. The talent is here, just like in 2011. It could be our destiny to win the Grey Cup again.

Wally could end up having another storybook ending, even though he has done almost everything to ensure that story book ending wouldn’t happen for most of this season so far, in spite of Hervey's great work.

But it just may be the destiny of Ed Hervey to win a Grey Cup in his first year here because the Football Gods believe he deserves it and Wally will be the accident than benefits.

Or we could be upset in the playoffs due to our mind numbing simplicity and predictability once again. The key thing is that you never know and no matter how dismal things can look at times, you just never know, when the talent is there.

Most of the time the talent can’t overcome the dreary and deficient schemes but on occasion it does and when it does it feels magical.

Die hard Leo fans have seen the extraordinary many times from our players. Never give up.

WRAP

So, welcome to the jungle. Keep sharp when the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter make their appearances. Use your eyes and not your ears or the Little Orange Book will get you. Also be aware, in terms of what you read. There is sometimes, more than one interpretation to the story and realize when there is only one messagner.

Keep a vigilant eye out for rabbit holes. Patience is a virtue and at times you’ll need it. Always keep hope alive.

Oh, and welcome once again to Lionbackers too – happy to have you aboard.
"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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