Lions @ Eskimos -- Pre Game Odds and Comments

[chewiesrevenge]

Of course Chap still has to practice hand signals as he won't do like ALL other football coaches - just tell the QB the play and use the time to remind him to get that back picking up ODELL WILLIS. Instead he signals a play so that his entire offense and their entire defense, coaches and spotters can see what the Lions are planning.

Do you think the coaches and spotters for other teams aren't howling with laughter watching Chapdelaine give away his plays whirling, pirouetting and double Salchowing the whole game? While this guy is working on getting a triple lutz and more one-foot axels into his repertoire the team is losing. Could the team be losing as it takes them freaking 7or 8 games each year now to learn Chap's signals when they should learning more running, pass plays and run blocking and pass protection? We know the players council got Wally not to work the darlings too much in TC this year - and it is showing in W's and Ls.

And Wally supports this as it is purrfect JC who just has bad players who are not learning the teacher's lessons very well. If the student's haven't learned the teachers haven't taught.

At least the DC has an excuse for running around waving and strutting like a bantam rooster in heat in a henless chicken coop. He can't use wireless to call in his plays.

For me it is like these two coaches are in some sort of show competition to see who can out whirl, twirl and out signal the other guy while the true objectives of delivering fans a decent football product comes a distant second.

If this team is to win any more games it is entirely on the players and right now it looks like other than the players council guys the rest of the team has collectively dialed down their confidence levels and this impacts overall team play and success.

Lulay looked very rattled post game. Not sure I have seen him like that. Wally might be destroying his QB here with more of the same.

I laughed, cried, gritted my teeth and laughed again while reading this post!!!! Hahaha, MB running around on the sidelines like a chicken with no head, WB pacing back and forth without a clue as to what the other coaches and personel upstairs think, while he picks his fingernails, all of course because he doesn't wear a headset.... and then there's the great JC, the quarterback killer, calling plays like it's '72. EMBARRASSING. This team's coaching staff is embarrassing plain and simple.

Hufnagel, (spelled wrong probablly I know) and Trestman = real pros. Man do these guys coach and carry themselves like sharpened professionals. They look on point, involved, shrewd, but also collected and cunning. There's no need to run up and down and flap your arms and scream like a banshee.

Lol. It's laughable really. I'm insulted that I would be expeced as a fan to pay to see this Goofball at the new Stadium when it's operational.I won't pay to see Chapball anymore that's for sure.

Three Stooges, Gooftroop, anyway your dress it, it's still a duck.

[almo89]

Question is, why does Chap even have a set of headphones when he's so busy using hand signals? Our coaching staff is so old school. All of them need to be replaced except maybe Benevides. Benevides just needs to control his cool a bit.


I almost hope the Leos get blown out again. If they get run over next game, I can see changes happening since there is a bye week ahead.

Never thought I'd see this team do this bad under Wally. This is like watching the Lions in the 90s

[TheLionKing]

Question is, why does Chap even have a set of headphones when he's so busy using hand signals? Our coaching staff is so old school. All of them need to be replaced except maybe Benevides. Benevides just needs to control his cool a bit.

To look cool. Problem is JC hasn't learn to plug it in.

[B.C.FAN]

It seems every thread this week has degenerated into a series of insults about the stupidity of Lions coaches. Perhaps it would help get this thread back on track by focusing on some of the problems of the Eskimos, who have lost two games and four receivers in recent weeks and rushed for negative yardage last week, the first time that has happened in the CFL since 1985, according to stats guru Steve Daniel.

It’s disappointing. It’s disappointing that we did not run the ball effectively. It’s disappointing that we go into this game owing some yards,” said Eskimos head coach Kavis Reed. “We have to improve that. We have to have a run game in order to improve our protection and in order to maintain the time of possession.”

Not only is a negative stat unsightly, it is unusual.

CFL head statistician Steve Daniel couldn’t readily remember another example, although he eventually came up with a 1985 game that saw the Lions dominate the Tiger-Cats to the point where Hamilton finished at an inexplicable minus-20 yards on 19 carries.

Eskimos look to turn negative into positive: Not since 1985 has a team posted posted minus rushing yard in a CFL game

The Lions are in good position to contain the Eskimo running game, having just held Fred Reid and his Bomber teammates to 32 yards on 24 carries. The Edmonton offensive line is also going through a transition.

With Junius Coston out with a knee injury, and the protection for Ray in need of some bolstering, the Eskimos offensive line was revamped on Monday.

Brian Ramsey was working with the first team after spending a game on the sidelines. Greg Wojt, who also left the game against the Alouettes with a knee injury, was also back in the mix.

“(The offensive line) is not the sole reason why things aren’t going well,” said Reed, who spent the last four days looking at both protection and run-game footage.

“Our running backs have to do a better job of helping with protection, we have to be more fundamentally sound in terms of blocking schemes. There are things we have to do overall to help ourselves as a running team and as a team protecting the quarterback.”

Eskimos consider Friday’s showdown with Lions one-game season

If the Lions can contain the Eskimo ground game, the Esks will have to rely on Ricky Ray throwing to newly acquired receivers Dobson Collins, Preche Rodriguez and perhaps Ryan Grice-Mullen, none of whom has much chance to master the Edmonton playbook or work on timing. (Nor have they proved that they can catch in the CFL, but the Esks aren't in position to be choosy.)

EDMONTON - Adarius Bowman, typically a loquacious chap, just shook his head when the discussion turned to the rash of injuries that have struck the Edmonton Eskimos receiving corps.

He wasn’t alone.

“I’ve never been around something like this where we’ve had so many guys go down,” said quarterback Ricky Ray.

Bowman is out with cracked ribs, the sure-handed Fred Stamps is recovering from abdominal surgery, Marcus Henry is waiting to be cleared to return from a concussion, and Jason Barnes has a rib injury.

All four starters were spectators Monday when the Canadian Football League team returned to the practice field looking to fill the holes in the lineup while trying to snap a two-game losing streak.

“I’ve never been around anything like this,” said Henry.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Bowman said when he was finally able to get started. “When you lose a couple of pieces to your puzzle, you do have to do some rearranging and take a different approach. It’s all about overcoming adversity.”

Injuries decimate Eskimos receivers

With the bye week coming up, both teams have a lot riding on this game. It's important to both teams to set the tone early and build momentum. A B.C. win would be the Lions' second in three games, with back-to-back games against the Argos coming up. It would also put the Esks on a three-game losing streak, with back-to-back games against red-hot Calgary coming up after the break. Like last year, the second half of the season could look a lot different from the first half.

[joe kapp22]

Seems like Ricky Ray plays well against us, I do think the D is improving but the ST and Offence now are not doing their portion.

Though both have shown signs that they can, Travis has had another week to work with Bruce, so I hope we are on the upswing.

[1greatmysticbushape]

its gonna be a slaughter!

[DanoT]

[quote="1greatmysticbushape"]its gonna be a slaughter![/quote

I had to lol because when your team has only one win and it is against the worst team in the league, I really don't know which team you think will do the slaughtering and which one will be slaughtered.

[WestCoastJoe]

You can't get to 'slaughter' without 'laughter', so send in the clowns!

Actually, I honestly do think the Lions might really spank the Eskimos.

I'm sort of at the point where I can't decide if I want this team to show some character and claw its way back to respectability this season, or if it would be better for all concerned to just have the team implode so that changes can start being made.

Cheers,

James

If this was a new crew of coaches for some new franchise, and one looked at the sidelines, one would see:

A Head Coach without a head set. Yikes. What do the guys upstairs see? What plays are being called? Should we throw the challenge flag? Out of touch? No wonder there are shaky game management calls. No clipboard. No game card. No decision card.

An OC using hand signals for some questionable reasons. Flapping furiously. To focus the quarterback? I don't think so. IMO it distracts the QB. IMO it is much slower than the wireless. IMO it gives the defence the chance to steal the signal. Listening to a play allows the QB to be thinking about execution as he listens. Translating the hand signals demands total attention. Attention on the OC. Look at me.

A DC who looks like he is emotionally over the top on the sidleines. Running up and down. Shouting. Gesticulating. Imploring his players. His half time pep talks also look over the top.

[bbking]

You can't get to 'slaughter' without 'laughter', so send in the clowns!

Actually, I honestly do think the Lions might really spank the Eskimos.

I'm sort of at the point where I can't decide if I want this team to show some character and claw its way back to respectability this season, or if it would be better for all concerned to just have the team implode so that changes can start being made.

Cheers,

James

I Know what you mean Jcalhoun.

We will be watching the Lions and Esks with a resigned type of attitude. Like "It Is what it is.

However If some laughter (cheering) not slaughter happens ........that would be good.

[joe kapp22]

You can't get to 'slaughter' without 'laughter', so send in the clowns!

Actually, I honestly do think the Lions might really spank the Eskimos.

I'm sort of at the point where I can't decide if I want this team to show some character and claw its way back to respectability this season, or if it would be better for all concerned to just have the team implode so that changes can start being made.

Cheers,

James

I'm surprisingly confident about this one, then again, was last week as well.

[WestCoastJoe]

We have a chance to win.

Eskimos have a struggling O Line.

They have a bunch of new receivers.

They have signed Dobson Collins and Ryan Grice-Mullin. Yikes.

But Ricky Ray may just be able to get them to catch some balls.

We stopped the Bombers running game.

So we would seem to have a chance.

Or we could get blown out, if we tank, or if we get nervous, or if we wait for disaster to happen.

Safer money on the Schmos. Hopeful money on the Lions.

[David]

We have a chance to win.

Eskimos have a struggling O Line.

They have a bunch of new receivers.

They have signed Dobson Collins and Ryan Grice-Mullin. Yikes.

But Ricky Ray may just be able to get them to catch some balls.

We stopped the Bombers running game.

So we would seem to have a chance.

Or we could get blown out, if we tank, or if we get nervous, or if we wait for disaster to happen.

Safer money on the Schmos. Hopeful money on the Lions.

The key to victory will be getting good, consistent pressure on Ray. If we take their patchwork O-line for granted like we did the Bombers D-line missing 2 starters, we could be in trouble. That said, how well will Rodriquez, Grice-Mullen, and Collins be able to grasp the playbook in such a short time?

I would expect the Eskimos' defense to be rock solid like they were agains the Als, and Stubler to try and confuse Travis again. Even with Montreal's high-powered offense, a lot of drives were stalling and they were forced to punt or try for field goals. Eventually though, the D wore down because the Edmonton offense just wasn't moving the ball - mostly due to a ground attack that was non-existant.

DH