Moderator: Team Captains
The Bombers were 11-1 when winning the turnover battle and 0-6 when losing it .
Since you brought up turnovers ...Blitz wrote:As a long time Leo fan, I've seen more playoff losses than wins. Our post-season record is the worst record among current playoff teams at 20-31 all-time.
Anthony Gaitor and Jeremiah Johnson have returned to practice but still no sign of Shawn Gore at Lions walk-through (Lowell Ullrich, TSN 1040).
And this, for B.C. Fan and the "religion of turnovers"
The Bombers were 11-1 when winning the turnover battle and 0-6 when losing it .
Mike Beamish: Blue Bombers turned the corner too late for Lions’ Turner“I’m not sure we need to make any changes,” Buono said Tuesday. “I like his (Turner’s) leadership. I like his versatility.”
That lineup status quo likely includes running back Jeremiah Johnson and cornerback Anthony Gaitor. Both players are over minor injuries picked up in last Saturday’s 41-18 win over the ‘Riders and have declared themselves fit for Sunday.
B.C.FAN wrote:Since you brought up turnovers ...Blitz wrote:As a long time Leo fan, I've seen more playoff losses than wins. Our post-season record is the worst record among current playoff teams at 20-31 all-time.
Anthony Gaitor and Jeremiah Johnson have returned to practice but still no sign of Shawn Gore at Lions walk-through (Lowell Ullrich, TSN 1040).
And this, for B.C. Fan and the "religion of turnovers"
The Bombers were 11-1 when winning the turnover battle and 0-6 when losing it .
The Lions were 7-0 when winning the turnover battle, 2-6 when losing it and 3-0 when the number of turnovers were equal.
The Bombers scored a league-leading 149 points off turnovers, or an average of 8 points per game. In two games against the Lions, they scored 26 points off turnovers, an average of 13 per game. Jonathon Jennings threw one-third of his league-high 15 interceptions against the Bombers.
The clear message is the Lions should be fine as long as they don't beat themselves.
As for injury updates, Wally said he expects to dress the same lineup as last week, which suggests Anthony Gaitor and Jeremiah Johnson will play and Bryant Turner Jr. will stay in the rotation on the D-line.
From Mike Beamish on the roster and Turner:Mike Beamish: Blue Bombers turned the corner too late for Lions’ Turner“I’m not sure we need to make any changes,” Buono said Tuesday. “I like his (Turner’s) leadership. I like his versatility.”
That lineup status quo likely includes running back Jeremiah Johnson and cornerback Anthony Gaitor. Both players are over minor injuries picked up in last Saturday’s 41-18 win over the ‘Riders and have declared themselves fit for Sunday.
The Lions need to establish more than two receivers in this game. I hope they get the ball in the hands of Rainey, Sinkfield, Adekolu and Iannuzzi early in the game. Perhaps they can target Johnson or Lumbala for a screen or dump pass. That can help open space for Arceneaux and Burnham, who can expect lots of double coverage all game.
.....and bowing big time they did by being demolished by the Eskimos in Edmonton.Blitz wrote:Some background history for this game from the folks at the CFL.
The Lions went on to win both of those games, a 33-32 nail-biter in 1977 and a 21-14 edge in 1986, before bowing out each time in the Western Final.....
You're not the only one. I've yet to get over the losses to Edmonton during their dynasty years.Blitz wrote:As a long time Leo fan, I've seen more playoff losses than wins. Our post-season record is the worst record among current playoff teams at 20-31 all-time.
Well, if there's any consolation the Grey Cup game is the most important while home playoff games are more sentimental especially if you attended it.TheLionKing wrote:You're not the only one. I've yet to get over the losses to Edmonton during their dynasty years.Blitz wrote:As a long time Leo fan, I've seen more playoff losses than wins. Our post-season record is the worst record among current playoff teams at 20-31 all-time.
I have never, ever seen a quarterback throw a deep ball as often and so well as Jennings, CFL or NFL. I'm often in awe, and that's now easy for me to be in awe. When he missed Adekolu deep last game I was relieved to know that Jennings is human. He really has a special arm. He can just flick his wrist, without being set, and throw a 25 yard bullet. Amazing stuff. What Jennings does, in terms of his throws, often while under considerable pressure, is not to be taken for granted. That kind of talent is rare.Quarterbacks
Not to take anything away from Matt Nichols – he has a fast release, can pick apart defenses, and has been a big part of the Bombers' turnaround. But there’s no one I’d rather have for us under center right now than Jennings – with the possible exception of BLM, and that’s primarily due to experience. Does anyone in CFL or NFL have a better touch on the deep ball than him? If JJ sticks to the game plan and play calls and doesn’t try to do too much when facing pressure, it’s…
ADVANTAGE: BC
Harris will kill us if we don't cover him in the flats. We've dropped Bighill to safety a lot in the two previous games but when we kept both Sol E. and Biggie in the linebacker spots, we had them covering underneath hook zones. Against the Bombers we can't do that. When Harris goes to the flat, one of them has to cover him right away.Running backs
Harris struggled a bit early in the season, but with the massive Travis Bond inserted at left guard and improved run blocking, he’s had good success rushing the football in 2016. Plus, you have to love Harris’ ability to catch the ball out of the backfield on Nichols’s check downs (screens and dump passes). As a defense, you have to be aware of where Harris is at all times or he’ll kill you.
Mike Beamish: Breakout player Burnham among eight Lions named as West all-stars
Mike Beamish
More from Mike Beamish
Published on: November 9, 2016
B.C. Lions' Bryan Burnham makes a reception against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats during the first half of a CFL football game in Vancouver, B.C., on Saturday August 13, 2016. DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS
When yards are adjusted for expectation, third-year player Bryan Burnham might be the greatest overachiever in the CFL.
In February, last year’s sixth-leading pass catcher with the B.C. Lions recorded his ambitious personal and team goals for the coming season, a much-needed insight into a personality that outwardly seems intellectual and laid-back. Among them:
He predicted the Lions would achieve a 12-6 record (they were 7-11 last season). Check.
Burnham vowed to finish among the top five receivers in the CFL (he was No. 43 last season with 423 yards). Check.
He reached for the stars — 1,500 yards (more than three times his production of the previous year). A big task, but he came close.
Falling shy of his third goal by 118 yards, the breakout player of the year nonetheless finished behind only three other CFL receivers — Adarius Bowman and Derel Walker of the Edmonton Eskimos, and Lions teammate Manny Arceneaux — all with notably greater hype and expectation entering the season.
“I knew it was going to be tough,” Burnham said Wednesday, following a practice for Sunday’s West Division semifinal against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. “But the idea was to set your goals high. Even if you don’t achieve those goals, you want to finish somewhere close to that and be happy about it.”
Burnham’s 1,392 yards were 146 more than Ottawa’s Greg Ellingson, the CFL’s fifth-leading receiver who topped the tables in the East Division.
As one who unquestionably pushed the envelope further than others thought possible, Burnham became one of eight Lions named to the West Division all-star team Wednesday.
Burnham, running back/kick-returner Chris Rainey and defensive end Alex Bazzie are the first-timers among the group. Rainey led the CFL with 2,945 combined yards. Bazzie had 10 sacks in his first 11 games, but only one over the closing seven in joining linebackers Solomon Elimimian (fourth time) and Adam Bighill (fifth time) on the defensive dream team.
Left tackle Jovan Olafioye (seventh time), punter Richie Leone (second time) and Arceneaux (second time) were also named to the West squad.
When Burnham set his impossibly high standards months ago they can be considered fearless in retrospect. At the time, the Lions still had former NFL receivers Lavelle Hawkins and Austin Collie on the roster, and Nick Moore, a 1,000-yard receiver with the Lions in 2013, was returning. He signed soon after the free-agency period began.
That’s three very talented receivers, in addition to Arceneaux, the stud pass catcher, all wanting the football.
But Collie, whose professional career was marked by concussion issues, retired before training camp began. Hawkins joined him, one week into camp. And Moore lasted only four weeks into the season. The slotback sustained a freak injury, celebrating a touchdown July 16 against Saskatchewan. His torn ACL put him out for the rest of the season.
“All of those factors played a part in my season,” Burnham admitted. “It would be hard not to. Lavelle, being the playmaker he is, and Austin and Nick being the same. Realistically, you have to say it made a difference. At the same time, I still knew it was possible (to have the season he did), even if those guys were still on the roster.”
There are always two aspects to a professional athlete’s sudden ascension. There is the spectacle that the public sees, when the realization comes over them, ‘Where did he come from?’ And there is the one that players and coaches can see evolving week by week, but do not discuss openly.
“Bryan, we knew, had the potential when said receivers (Hawkins and Collie) didn’t come back,” said Travis Lulay. “He just grabbed the bull by the horns and ran with it. We knew he had a chance to be that guy. And you could tell early on he could be that big, explosive player, with the toughness to catch balls in traffic, and be the clutch player he’s become. Our receiving corps early on, might have been a concern, with Nick going down. Now it’s a strength.”
The Blue Bombers certainly are aware of that.
Burnham had 208 receiving yards (nine catches) against Winnipeg on Oct. 8, helping the Lions erase an early 21-point deficit in a back-and-forth game that ended in a 37-35 Blue Bomber victory. Arceneaux had 150 yards (10 catches) in the same game.
Six days later, the Bombers held the dynamic B.C. duo to a combined six catches (68 yards) in completing the regular-season sweep with a 35-32 win in Vancouver.
“That’s the making of a great quarterback-receiver relationship,” Burnham said. “Sometimes Jonathon (Jennings) is going to make us look good, and sometimes we’re going to make him look good. Whether he throws a bad ball, and we have to make a great catch, or we run a bad route, and he puts it in a purrfect spot, that’s the type of relationship we have. It’s the type of relationship we have to have.”
Because of a belief in himself, and the poise and precision of his second-year quarterback, Burnham is a West all-star — and the best player you never saw coming.
The intrigue for this game builds.“He's playing pretty good. He's making a lot of plays,” Heath said. “I love going against the guy, though. It's always a good challenge. I know they're going to throw some balls up, so I always get excited when I know a team's going to throw some balls up because it gives me an opportunity to make a play. I'm looking forward to the challenge again.
“My success rate's been pretty good with him. I never sleep on a guy like that. He's very capable as we all know. He's got 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns, so he's obviously doing something right."
Harris faces his former team in his old stomping grounds
By Kirk Penton, Winnipeg Sun
It doesn't get much juicier than this: Andrew Harris facing his former team in his old stomping grounds for the right to advance to the CFL's West Division final.
The Bombers running back admitted Wednesday he would feel even better if Winnipeg were able to pull off the upset on Sunday at BC Place.
“It'd be a little bit of icing on the cake for sure,” Harris said, “but it didn't matter who we're playing this week. The mentality is the same. For me there's a little more of a personal side to it, but for me it's just another game, another playoff game, and you gotta get ready for it the same way as anything else.”
Harris hasn't won a playoff game since beating the Bombers in the 2011 Grey Cup as a member of the Lions. B.C. went to the playoffs all six seasons with Harris, but they lost the 2012 West final at home and then dropped three consecutive semifinals. He missed the 2014 playoff loss due to injury.
Now that he has helped get the Bombers to the post-season in his first season, Harris is a purrfect 7-for-7 when it comes to playoff berths.
“It's definitely tough (to do),” Harris said. “First of all, it's tough to get in there. It's crazy. There's not many teams in this league, but it's tough to get in there and it's tough to be competitive.
“The intensity, the game speed just gets picked up that much more in the playoffs, and we gotta come ready to match that.”
Harris became a free agent in February and had a chance to come back to his hometown of Winnipeg to spend more time with his family, especially daughter Hazel. The fact the Bombers, who desperately needed to improve their Canadian talent, shelled out $175,000 per season for his services made his departure from Vancouver easier.
Harris has been worth the hefty price tag. He led the team with 1,608 yards from scrimmage, which was the second best mark of his career, and scored five touchdowns despite missing three games due to injury. He has been a workhorse and was a big help to quarterbacks Drew Willy and Matt Nichols when it came to outlet passes and pass protection.
There was plenty of acrimony during the late stages of Harris' tenure with the Lions, especially when the offence struggled, but it would be a stretch to call it an acrimonious split. Harris doesn't communicate with too many of his former teammates, but he does keep in regular contact with defensive back Ryan Phillips.
“I talk to Ryan a little bit, but other than that ...,” Harris said. “It's just friendly things. We're not talking about football. The rivalry and the fact that I played there is out the window. I got the two wins against them (during the regular season). Now it's a whole other season, and we gotta go forward with that.”
Last month's two regular season wins against the Lions will be wiped off the board, however, if the Bombers can't win their first playoff game since 2011.
“Absolutely,” Harris said. “This is the big one. This is the one that counts.”
Blitz wrote:
Adekolu is a long strider - he's a tall, big strong receiver with excellent hands. We really should have thrown some footballs to him against the Riders, when we had the lead but we didn't. Jennings has to believe in him. To beat the Bombers it just can't be the Manny/Bryan Show.
