O-Line issues

[korey&dante4ever]

I believe this topic needs a separate thread.

"Give me 18 games"- Buck Pierce... well Buck, you just took 18 games worth of punishment. If i was you, I'd charge the O-Line with attempted murder.

So.. the big question.. Is this bad player personell, or is it bad preparation due to the fact there is no game film on the Etcheverry defensive schemes. Of course, if it's the former, (and it could very well be) we are in big trouble.. If it's the latter, well let's regroup and when we face a more conventional defense, maybe we can rebound. And when we play Sask. there will be an uber amount of film to study.

Also, we started to slide protect.. I haven't seen that since '05 when our o-line was a complete mess..

It's just, wow.. i mean probably the most important unit on the field...

My philosophy when it comes to the game of football: NO understatement here IMO: IF YOU HAVE A GOOD O-LINE, you will never be a bad offense (you might not be great, but you won't be bad)... Conversely if you HAVE A BAD O-LINE, it's so very tough to have a good O.. (Same thing goes for D-Line, but that's not the issue here.)

PROTECT THE QB AND GET TO THE QB...a sound philosophy IMO.

[TheLionKing]

I don't buy the excuse of not having any films on Etcheverry's defensive schemes. People forget that Etcheverry was a defensive coordinator in this league for a number of years including his stint in BC before he became a Head Coach with Toronto last year. They should have films on his schemes from his days as a defensive coordinator. He may have changed a few things but his basic defensive philosophy is still the same.

[SammyGreene]

Dean Valli looks to be headed to his regular back-up position. By all accounts he got the starting job by default after Jon Hameister-Ries got hurt. Now you have a veteran like Singh waiting in the wings who would be an instant upgrade.

Now we also know why Wally was willing to give Rob Murphy a sizable raise even though he desired to be with an Eastern team.

[Rammer]

Dean Valli looks to be headed to his regular back-up position. By all accounts he got the starting job by default after Jon Hameister-Ries got hurt. Now you have a veteran like Singh waiting in the wings who would be an instant upgrade.

Now we also know why Wally was willing to give Rob Murphy a sizable raise even though he desired to be with an Eastern team.

Well Dorazio had better show why he is the best at his job very quickly, or we will be looking for Lulay sooner than later. Granted that the Riders D was a first up for us, which didn't help the newbies adjust on the fly.

[B.C.FAN]

There were problems on the O-line with all five starters being beaten cleanly, but mostly this was poor preparation. The Lions looked like they had no clue how to handle the Riders' blitzes. Admittedly, they'd never seen them before, but they also didn't adjust to what they were seeing at the line of scrimmage.

I put most of the blame on the coaches for the lack of preparation and on the running backs, who simply failed to notice when four or five Riders were lined up to one side of the field. Smart, Mallett and Lumbala all failed to pick up the blitz. That's really where a great pass-blocker like Joe Smith could have come in handy. All night I watched Mallett stay on the weak side where the Riders had one lineman, and not even look to the opposite side where they were bringing three linemen and one or two linebackers. The offensive line can't be blamed for that. The blitzing linebacker is usually the running back's responsibility. If there's no running back, the quarterback and receivers have to notice and hit quick passing plays.

Buck didn't seem to feel the pressure and was repeatedly hit hard from the blind side. I thought the Lions would have a lot more options in the offence for keeping defences off guard. They used the screen pass a few times but didn't seem to have many hot routes to take advantage of the blitz. The B.C. running game also worked well but it wasn't used enough. And Buck simply held on to the ball too long in the pocket.

We heard in the offseason about the quick-strike offence. We didn't see it tonight. This was a winnable game despite all the mistakes and turnovers, because B.C. made big plays on defence and special teams. The B.C. offence just failed to capitalize on its opportunities.

[David]

Wow. I don't know where to begin. I think I could count every lineman making at least one poor decision, some many more than that. We're in big trouble if that's the best Walter Stith has at left tackle. I am surprised they released Marquez outright, as it appeared to be a neck-and-neck battle in camp and Marquez has the quicker feet. Credit to the Riders for the great push and very good schemes.

Lumbala is not ready at fullback. Bring back Lyle Green.

DH

[Area51]

I think Stith has a chance to be a useful T but I have no hope at all for Valli being anything other than a back up Canadian. Why not bring in a decent import G and sit Valli?

As much as the line looked bad tonight, some of the blame has to go to the Jacques strap they have as an OC. It's basic football play calling that when you're faced with constant pressure you call some screens. Catch the D with three or four guys up field and give the back some room to run. There was one screen executed tonight and it went for big yards - - and would have gone for more if Smart hadn't pulled up lame.

Mix in some quick hitters off 3 step drops. Calvillo has made a career off the 3 step drop in Montreal. I don't care how bad the line is, if the QB takes three steps and the ball's released they're not going to get there fast enough. Try a few roll outs to change up the look.

Tough to blame the QB or the line when you don't put them in the best position to mask their weaknesses.

[cromartie]

At the snap of the ball, start counting. If the QB has time to set his feet, and still has the ball past the 3.5-3.75 second mark (3.25 if your last name is McManus), either the QB is hesitating, or the WRs aren't open. Or both.

Plenty of blame to go around here, from the lack of prep to the oleing ability of our o line to poor pass protection by the backs.

[David]

There was one screen executed tonight and it went for big yards - - and would have gone for more if Smart hadn't pulled up lame.

Bingo.

That play (temporarily) kept the Riders honest. Then they went back to pinning their ears back. One screen pass the whole night. Unbelieveable.

We tied a team record for the most sacks allowed (9) in one game - it happened once in 1984 and once in 2006.

DH

[Hawkballer 14]

Wow. Between this and the Gameday thread, some of you really need to back up off the ledge. It was week one, we lost by four. Almost clawed back from an 18 point defecit; baby steps, yo.

Give the three units more than one full week of preparation. Really, they've only had this past week to familiarize themselves with one another. The week leading up to the second pre-season game doesn't count, as they were still in the process of seeing what they had with the remaining players. A totally revamped roster, with many guys getting their first shot at substantial playing time.

If we're 0-4 or 0-5 and still turning the ball over six times, then you can resume your perches on the ledgetops.

And the drop was 26 years ago, give it a bloody rest. Why no blame for the rest of the team for even letting the game boil down to that situation? Yeah, Scott Norwood missed wide, but the Bills as a team dropped the ball.

[Rammer]

I think that the OL was the weakest link tonight, with holes on other spots, but this is fair game after giving up 9 sacks and multiple pressures. Dorazio is going to have to rethink his protection, and JC is going to have to start rolling out BP to help save him for the entire season.

[Solar Max]

Wow. Between this and the Gameday thread, some of you really need to back up off the ledge. It was week one, we lost by four. Almost clawed back from an 18 point defecit; baby steps, yo.

So you're saying that no one here has the right to vent? Interesting, because as you well know, the coaches and players do it all the time.

If we're 0-4 or 0-5 and still turning the ball over six times, then you can resume your perches on the ledgetops.

Perhaps someday, young Skywalker, you will understand that the paying public has a right to complain about the product they pay to see?

And the drop was 26 years ago, give it a bloody rest. Why no blame for the rest of the team for even letting the game boil down to that situation? Yeah, Scott Norwood missed wide, but the Bills as a team dropped the ball.

Because I see it replayed in my head every day of my life since then, that's why. So give it a rest, why don't YOU?

[CatsEyes]

And the drop was 26 years ago, give it a bloody rest. Why no blame for the rest of the team for even letting the game boil down to that situation? Yeah, Scott Norwood missed wide, but the Bills as a team dropped the ball.

Because I see it replayed in my head every day of my life since then, that's why. So give it a rest, why don't YOU?

And when RGM dropped that one, it just brought it all back again. Except with RGM we could be a little more forgiving because it wasn't right in his hands and it wasn't in an important game.

[lion rampant]

The O-line really has no excuses, the whole league knows Etchevery is agressive with a lot of stunts and the guys have been playing football their whole lives they should know how to pick up the stunts correctly. They simply didn't execute tonight, no team should give up 9 sacks no matter how green the line is.

I also thought Wally made some bad decisions tonight. The choice to go for the 2 point convert with a full quarter to go and the punt instead of field goal were both bad strategy and I personally would have gone for it on 3rd down with 2 min to go instead of going for the field goal.

[Big Time]

I can't believe that people aren't being more harsh with the O-line. That was the flat out worst performance I have ever seen by an O-line in any Lions game. Buck was running for his life all night and they could have given up 20 sacks if it weren't for Buck. I'm actually surprised he didn't get hurt considering the hits he was taking. There was barely a single play where the o-line didn't give up pressure on the QB. Even when they were blocking only three guys they looked like they were about to wilt. BRUTAL BRUTAL BRUTAL.

Wally's decision making once again was totally suspect. The 2 point convert, the punting, all of it adds up.

As usual, Chap's offensive play calling was brutal. I was dying to see Buck open it up down the field a bit. Did he even attempt a pass longer than 15 yards in the first three quarters?

The open field tackling, not to mention last year's huge problem of giving up easy first down's on second and long, also reared its ugly head too.

Total team failure tonight against a team that was almost as bad. There's a ton of work for this team to do if they want to be a contender this year.