The Province Mentions Lionbackers Posters Today!!

[Blitz]

Not sure where the negative comments directed towards Jason Jimenez are coming from, I think most people hare have liked Jason's play this year. Personally, I think that he's been our best and most consistent O-Lineman all season.

I've thought Jiminez has played well this season, outside of last game, where I thought he got pushed back into the quarterback a couple of times and was not as aggressive and commented to that effect. However, Jason is having a good season...Murphy not... so far.

I think it's a good thing that reporters and some Leo players themselves read Lionbackers. They may find, at times, that posters are not happy with specific play. However, there are also lots of accolades, when they play well too. There are very knowledgeable football fans on this board and it does provide feedback that they may not even get from thier coaches. If they don't want it....they don't have to read it. We're 4-4 and in last place in the West..and we were picked my most experts to win the West again this season. When a team doesn't play to it's potential or individuals on a team are not playing to their potential they have to expect that fans won't be happy.

I've mentioned the Leos practice habits since last season...others have as well. However, it's only become a public topic of discussion amongst the players since Kelly Bates spoke out but it was also a topic of discussion at the Leos player meeting a couple of weeks ago. Lionbackers was onto this concern well before it was commented on by players or sports writers other than Lowell Ullrich.

The quality of the posts on this website...the fact that so many are thoughtful and considered and come with a background of football knowledge make it a quality football website and other fans of other CFL teams have come on here and also passed on their compliments, wishing their football sites were more like Lionbackers.

Lowell Ullrich would not have commented about Lionbackers unless he felt that the quality of the conversations were worthy of mentioning this site and he did that more than once in his article. This isn't a website of blind fanaticism that ignores poor play or unwise strategy. However, it's also a fan site that recognizes and cheers good performance too. Everyone who posts here regularly is a die hard Leos fan who wants the best for our Leos team.

Sometimes sports writers are in a Catch-22 in terms of reporting. They have to work closely with the team, know the players, and are in a more difficult position to comment on poor individual play or coaching strategy. Sometimes coaches, dealing with players who can be very sensitive, also sometimes choose to ignore players who are not playing to their potential and hope they can snap out of it. There are lot of dynamics involved in coaching.

Lionbackers don't have those same kinds of restrictions. They can comment more freely about what they see, from their viewpoint of the game. It's interesting that Wally commented on the lack of aggressive play of his offensive line, after it was a major discussion here. Jamal Johnson is playing more, following strong comments on Lionbackers that he deserved to play a lot more and he's gone from getting very few or zeo reps on defense to now being involved in three of the five defensive packages. Perhaps those things and many others that occur, after many posts on Lionbackers about a specific topic are coincidence and we have zero impact. Then again, perhaps comments on here are at least read and even sometimes considered. Who will ever know...but one thing we do know is that this website is being read often by sports writers and players and that is not the usual case for a sports website.

Kudos to all who post and make this website pretty special!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[No Ordinary Joe]

Not sure where the negative comments directed towards Jason Jimenez are coming from, I think most people hare have liked Jason's play this year. Personally, I think that he's been our best and most consistent O-Lineman all season.

I've thought Jiminez has played well this season, outside of last game, where I thought he got pushed back into the quarterback a couple of times and was not as aggressive and commented to that effect. However, Jason is having a good season...Murphy not... so far.

I think it's a good thing that reporters and some Leo players themselves read Lionbackers. They may find, at times, that posters are not happy with specific play. However, there are also lots of accolades, when they play well too. There are very knowledgeable football fans on this board and it does provide feedback that they may not even get from thier coaches. If they don't want it....they don't have to read it. We're 4-4 and in last place in the West..and we were picked my most experts to win the West again this season. When a team doesn't play to it's potential or individuals on a team are not playing to their potential they have to expect that fans won't be happy.

I've mentioned the Leos practice habits since last season...others have as well. However, it's only become a public topic of discussion amongst the players since Kelly Bates spoke out but it was also a topic of discussion at the Leos player meeting a couple of weeks ago. Lionbackers was onto this concern well before it was commented on by players or sports writers other than Lowell Ullrich.

The quality of the posts on this website...the fact that so many are thoughtful and considered and come with a background of football knowledge make it a quality football website and other fans of other CFL teams have come on here and also passed on their compliments, wishing their football sites were more like Lionbackers.

Lowell Ullrich would not have commented about Lionbackers unless he felt that the quality of the conversations were worthy of mentioning this site and he did that more than once in his article. This isn't a website of blind fanaticism that ignores poor play or unwise strategy. However, it's also a fan site that recognizes and cheers good performance too. Everyone who posts here regularly is a die hard Leos fan who wants the best for our Leos team.

Sometimes sports writers are in a Catch-22 in terms of reporting. They have to work closely with the team, know the players, and are in a more difficult position to comment on poor individual play or coaching strategy. Sometimes coaches, dealing with players who can be very sensitive, also sometimes choose to ignore players who are not playing to their potential and hope they can snap out of it. There are lot of dynamics involved in coaching.

Lionbackers don't have those same kinds of restrictions. They can comment more freely about what they see, from their viewpoint of the game. It's interesting that Wally commented on the lack of aggressive play of his offensive line, after it was a major discussion here. Jamal Johnson is playing more, following strong comments on Lionbackers that he deserved to play a lot more and he's gone from getting very few or zeo reps on defense to now being involved in three of the five defensive packages. Perhaps those things and many others that occur, after many posts on Lionbackers about a specific topic are coincidence and we have zero impact. Then again, perhaps comments on here are at least read and even sometimes considered. Who will ever know...but one thing we do know is that this website is being read often by sports writers and players and that is not the usual case for a sports website.

Kudos to all who post and make this website pretty special!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is probably my favorite post that you've ever made, and you make some damn good posts, Blitz. This is the reason why I love this site, because people on here are educated and the discussions that take place are intelligent and well-thought out. No other message board have I posted at has this much insight and knowledge about a specific sport as this one does and it's what makes this such a great forum. The fact that players post here too is a true indication as to the quality of the people here and the subjects discussed, good and bad. I haven't seen another board where players will get involved in fan discussions. Surely this is far from a group of guys is mom's basement. Besides, as paying customers, we're allowed to have our opinions and I haven't seen anybody be overly critical of any specific player, merely just stating facts and I'm sure the players or coaching staff themselves are far harder on themselves than any of us could ever be, and if somebody happens to say something that may be construed as contrary to what's actually going on, there are players that will step up to the plate and call BS like Jimenez has in the past.

[smphantom]

Mr. "Reality" posted again:

Reality said:
Thanks Lowell....my little experiment worked well. Enjoy Montreal.

I'm still waiting for a report on lionbackers on how each guy arrived at the airport and whether or not (in their expert opinion) they seemed ready to fly. Were their ties straight - did Murphy walk with determination to the gate or did he lazily stop for a water? Was Javier Glatt wearing a shirt that everyone approved of?

[Toppy Vann]

Mr. "Reality" posted again:

Reality said:
Thanks Lowell....my little experiment worked well. Enjoy Montreal.

I'm still waiting for a report on lionbackers on how each guy arrived at the airport and whether or not (in their expert opinion) they seemed ready to fly. Were their ties straight - did Murphy walk with determination to the gate or did he lazily stop for a water? Was Javier Glatt wearing a shirt that everyone approved of?

======

Quite frankly and I will be blunt. I do not think that Reality is some disinterested reader of the newspaper who took exception to Ullrich commenting on what posters on Lionbackers have been saying.

Reality did not get on that site and do a drive by slamming of Lionbackers posters because he woke up and read that blog and just had to comment on it as he found it so offensive. There is stench to this!!!

Why the need for multiple posts on this issue to discredit this site??????? Would a casual or regular reader of this blog feel this way given how innocently this site was mentioned? I doubt it. This is a bit strange and maybe his IP will tell them who it is and expose this clown.

As to how the players were at the airport. These guy doesn't remember the media coverage of Ray Emery now in freaking Russia playing and not the NHL when he missed his flight due to getting up late and getting into an altercation with the motorist he had the little fender bender with? That sort of off field stuff like that is not dissimilar to a player getting into a fight in a club or arriving late for games or practices. That suggests that other stuff is going on and yes, would be reported or commented upon on a fan board like this.

While many disagree here and some dumb things get said that make no sense - these are views of the paying fans and without us these players wouldn't get paid at all.

Note that Reality doesn't mention players posting here.... so clearly he is not a guy from here or if he was not a current poster but someone out to damage the site's credibility.

[Lion Guy]

The guy, or gal, is entitled to his or her opinion. Face it, on-line groups such as this are a waste of time in alot of people's eyes. You don't know who you are reading most of the time and really people can say whatever they wish just to see what kind of reaction they will get.

Think about it, every time you read a post here do you really understand the reasoning behind it?

The reader of the paper was suggesting that LU "stick to what he can prove or can back up with credible sources", a very common theme amongst journalists.

I understood the comment, and respect it.....and I post here obviously.

[Wakesbetterthanyou]

The guy, or gal, is entitled to his or her opinion. Face it, on-line groups such as this are a waste of time in alot of people's eyes. You don't know who you are reading most of the time and really people can say whatever they wish just to see what kind of reaction they will get.

Think about it, every time you read a post here do you really understand the reasoning behind it?

The reader of the paper was suggesting that LU "stick to what he can prove or can back up with credible sources", a very common theme amongst journalists.

I understood the comment, and respect it.....and I post here obviously.

Yea thats true but obviously LU sees this site as a place where educated fans gather to discuss/*beeotch* about football. I doubt he would mention the site at all if he read posts that were uninformed/just plain dumb. Tho it is nice to see the opinion of this community branch out beyond this site.

[Lion Guy]

The guy, or gal, is entitled to his or her opinion. Face it, on-line groups such as this are a waste of time in alot of people's eyes. You don't know who you are reading most of the time and really people can say whatever they wish just to see what kind of reaction they will get.

Think about it, every time you read a post here do you really understand the reasoning behind it?

The reader of the paper was suggesting that LU "stick to what he can prove or can back up with credible sources", a very common theme amongst journalists.

I understood the comment, and respect it.....and I post here obviously.

Yea thats true but obviously LU sees this site as a place where educated fans gather to discuss/*beeotch* about football. I doubt he would mention the site at all if he read posts that were uninformed/just plain dumb. Tho it is nice to see the opinion of this community branch out beyond this site.

This site is a gathering of one small sample of opinion. But you are right it is an opinion source, albeit a small random one.

How many LB'er members are there? How many post on a regular basis? Compare that to a game's attendance or tv and radio audience tuned into the game. Believe me there areALOT more fans "out there" with opinion; just because they don't post here doesn't mean that we are the "voice of the people" by default.

[Wakesbetterthanyou]

The guy, or gal, is entitled to his or her opinion. Face it, on-line groups such as this are a waste of time in alot of people's eyes. You don't know who you are reading most of the time and really people can say whatever they wish just to see what kind of reaction they will get.

Think about it, every time you read a post here do you really understand the reasoning behind it?

The reader of the paper was suggesting that LU "stick to what he can prove or can back up with credible sources", a very common theme amongst journalists.

I understood the comment, and respect it.....and I post here obviously.

Yea thats true but obviously LU sees this site as a place where educated fans gather to discuss/*beeotch* about football. I doubt he would mention the site at all if he read posts that were uninformed/just plain dumb. Tho it is nice to see the opinion of this community branch out beyond this site.

This site is a gathering of one small sample of opinion. But you are right it is an opinion source, albeit a small random one.

How many LB'er members are there? How many post on a regular basis? Compare that to a game's attendance or tv and radio audience tuned into the game. Believe me there areALOT more fans "out there" with opinion; just because they don't post here doesn't mean that we are the "voice of the people" by default.

never said that, tho if they wanted to spread their opinion they could, the lionbackers have been around since i was a kid, so like what, 15-20 years? i was a lionbacker before there ever was a website. Now for the posting, not many and not often, as you can see my name covers damn near the whole first page. sometimes i get bored at work....

[No Ka Oi]

LU is probably the source of 90% of the Lions info on this site and Team1040 also. Any news or rumours about the Lions from other stations or sources is usually wrong 90% of the time.

I feel a bit sorry for some of the Lions players sometimes, who I know do read Lionbackers and other sites (R. Murphy sent me a PM through Lionbackers to confirm that he indeed was getting paid $150k for two seasons, after I had doubted he was getting that much) and read scathing criticisms of their talent or effort. People can be very cruel at times when discussing the worthiness of their sports idols, so we should remember that CFL players live in our community and read the sports pages and websites like most sports fans (ok, mabey not Joe Smith)... and most CFL players aren't being paid much more money than the average fan in the stands...these guys are not your typical unapproachable NFL/NBA/NHL millionaire player.

[Toppy Vann]

LU is probably the source of 90% of the Lions info on this site and Team1040 also. Any news or rumours about the Lions from other stations or sources is usually wrong 90% of the time.

I feel a bit sorry for some of the Lions players sometimes, who I know do read Lionbackers and other sites (R. Murphy sent me a PM through Lionbackers to confirm that he indeed was getting paid $150k for two seasons, after I had doubted he was getting that much) and read scathing criticisms of their talent or effort. People can be very cruel at times when discussing the worthiness of their sports idols, so we should remember that CFL players live in our community and read the sports pages and websites like most sports fans (ok, mabey not Joe Smith)... and most CFL players aren't being paid much more money than the average fan in the stands...these guys are not your typical unapproachable NFL/NBA/NHL millionaire player.

I am not knocking Team 1040 but if you don't think NW and those guys get it wrong, that is plain wrong. Not a month ago I was listening to updates for several hours on 1040 that NW had reported on at the noon sports and two hours later 1040 was still wrong on the item. They didn't update. While NW is on the air during the day less, those guys get it right as the other guys are on air I guess and don't get a chance to do the research.

As to LU being the source of 90% of the stuff on this site, that too is erroneous. I do think that lately that he has been saying a lot of stuff that has been posted here as all of us have our views and ideas and we know the game.

[Wakesbetterthanyou]

LU is probably the source of 90% of the Lions info on this site and Team1040 also. Any news or rumours about the Lions from other stations or sources is usually wrong 90% of the time.

I feel a bit sorry for some of the Lions players sometimes, who I know do read Lionbackers and other sites (R. Murphy sent me a PM through Lionbackers to confirm that he indeed was getting paid $150k for two seasons, after I had doubted he was getting that much) and read scathing criticisms of their talent or effort. People can be very cruel at times when discussing the worthiness of their sports idols, so we should remember that CFL players live in our community and read the sports pages and websites like most sports fans (ok, mabey not Joe Smith)... and most CFL players aren't being paid much more money than the average fan in the stands...these guys are not your typical unapproachable NFL/NBA/NHL millionaire player.

Aint that the truth, you'd think a pro player could relax and train in the offseason, but unless ur a superstar in the CFL that just isnt the case. whats the league minimum? 40K? will i'd take it for a 5 month gig it still is pretty low. But I guess thats what keeps a season ticket for the lions less than a preseason game for the seahawks....

[Blitz]

Mr. "Reality" posted again:

Reality said:
Thanks Lowell....my little experiment worked well. Enjoy Montreal.

I'm still waiting for a report on lionbackers on how each guy arrived at the airport and whether or not (in their expert opinion) they seemed ready to fly. Were their ties straight - did Murphy walk with determination to the gate or did he lazily stop for a water? Was Javier Glatt wearing a shirt that everyone approved of?

======

Quite frankly and I will be blunt. I do not think that Reality is some disinterested reader of the newspaper who took exception to Ullrich commenting on what posters on Lionbackers have been saying.

Reality did not get on that site and do a drive by slamming of Lionbackers posters because he woke up and read that blog and just had to comment on it as he found it so offensive. There is stench to this!!!

Why the need for multiple posts on this issue to discredit this site??????? Would a casual or regular reader of this blog feel this way given how innocently this site was mentioned? I doubt it. This is a bit strange and maybe his IP will tell them who it is and expose this clown.

As to how the players were at the airport. These guy doesn't remember the media coverage of Ray Emery now in freaking Russia playing and not the NHL when he missed his flight due to getting up late and getting into an altercation with the motorist he had the little fender bender with? That sort of off field stuff like that is not dissimilar to a player getting into a fight in a club or arriving late for games or practices. That suggests that other stuff is going on and yes, would be reported or commented upon on a fan board like this.

While many disagree here and some dumb things get said that make no sense - these are views of the paying fans and without us these players wouldn't get paid at all.

Note that Reality doesn't mention players posting here.... so clearly he is not a guy from here or if he was not a current poster but someone out to damage the site's credibility.

I believe that Reality is someone who has a grudge against Lionbackers...it seems unusual for someone to make such a big deal about the fact that a sportswriter mentioned a fan website in his blog. It would be fun to find out who this varmint is!!

Lionbackers does not represent every B.C. Lion fan. However, it does represent the diverse views of a number of die hard Leos fans and therefore does provide feedback to sports writers, Leos management, coaches, and players. It's one way of guaging the thoughts of fans, along with call in shows and football fans who respond to blogs such as the one Lowell Ullrich writes.

The fan is the game! Without the fan, there would be no professional football team, no coaches, no players, no player accollades for records, no criticism for less than stellar performance. Players would not become heroes and coaches would not get air time on televsion for their insights. Too often the football fan is ignored or taken for granted, outside of needing the fan to purchase season tickets.

It's easy to lose sight, that it was die hard Leo fans that stuck it out during a lot of lean years, when our Leos team's performance, in the front office, in the coaching ranks, and on the football field was dismal. David Braley may have played a very important role in saving the franchise but so did those die hard fans who stuck with their team, though thick and thin.

It's the fan, who decides to use that rusty old lawnmover for another year or the worker who brown bags his peanut butter and jam sandwiches so he can afford to buy a ticket, pay for his parking, or purchase an overpriced hotdog for his son, who is often the real hero of professional football here in B.C. and across the league. It was the fan, who brought his hard earned produce, created from the sweat of his brow, to Regina, to exchange for a ticket to a game, that kept football alive in Regina during the lean years.

By recognizing Lionbackers, Lowell Ullrich, in a way, honored all Leo football fans. My mentioning a fan website, a rarity among sports writers or sports media, Ullrich recognized that football fans are an integral part of the game. Instead of crticizing Ullrich..Reality should be expressing appreciaton. The comments of coaches and players are the focus of pro football coverage, as they should be. However, coaches and players, more often than not, will want to provide the best possible reflection of themselves in most situations.

However, the thougths and views of fans are also a part of the game and while only a breif mention, brought a little bit of recognition, to those fans who often live and breathe Leos football and perhaps a little appreciation, at least from one sportswriter. Accolades to Lowell Ullrich, for doing that!!!!

[Tighthead]

Someone on the blog is now suggesting it is a Lions staffer, "Justin C"

[West Coast Blue Fan]

Someone on the blog is now suggesting it is a Lions staffer, "Justin C"

Is that short for Justin Credible?

[Soundy]

The quality of the posts on this website...the fact that so many are thoughtful and considered and come with a background of football knowledge make it a quality football website and other fans of other CFL teams have come on here and also passed on their compliments, wishing their football sites were more like Lionbackers.

Lowell Ullrich would not have commented about Lionbackers unless he felt that the quality of the conversations were worthy of mentioning this site and he did that more than once in his article. This isn't a website of blind fanaticism that ignores poor play or unwise strategy. However, it's also a fan site that recognizes and cheers good performance too.

Well... mostly. Thanks largely to posters like Blitz

Unfortunately for every intelligent Lions/CFL thread, there are three more about the state of the BC Place roof, the attendance (or lack thereof), the noise levels (or lack thereof), "Bring Back Casey", and so forth.

Everyone who posts here regularly is a die hard Leos fan who wants the best for our Leos team.

Well, with one or two exceptions - every such site has its share of Negative Nellies who seem to have nothing better to do but find the downside in every situation and harp on it. But I guess if Troy from White Rock gets his say on the Canucks regularly on the radio, the equivalent contingent needs to have to have their say here.

Lionbackers don't have those same kinds of restrictions. They can comment more freely about what they see, from their viewpoint of the game. It's interesting that Wally commented on the lack of aggressive play of his offensive line, after it was a major discussion here. Jamal Johnson is playing more, following strong comments on Lionbackers that he deserved to play a lot more and he's gone from getting very few or zeo reps on defense to now being involved in three of the five defensive packages. Perhaps those things and many others that occur, after many posts on Lionbackers about a specific topic are coincidence and we have zero impact. Then again, perhaps comments on here are at least read and even sometimes considered. Who will ever know...but one thing we do know is that this website is being read often by sports writers and players and that is not the usual case for a sports website.

Well, I don't know how much these changes are "encourage" by reading fan sites, but at the very least the opinions presented can offer WB (or whoever, appropriate to the site in question) can see a new angle to look at things from. I doubt he misses much on his own, but seeing a bunch of comments from obviously knowledgeable fans about, for example, Jamal Johnson's play, may be impetus for him to give it a closer look in video reviews and future games. Just as an example.

Kudos to all who post and make this website pretty special!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!