Lulay did not roll out enough but it may be due to his knee not quite 100%.
Way too many penalties.
D continues to give up big yardage plays, especially when it is 2nd and long. Same as last year but with only 1 of 6 DBs returning from last season. Makes one think it might be more than just a player personnel problem. IMO this increases the chances of DC Mark Washington not being with the team next season and that would be a good thing.
Stampeders 27 - Lions 18, Post-Game Stats and Comments
Moderator: Team Captains
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SammyGreene
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This bit from LU's story sums up everything for me. Throw in 2015 season and it's a combined 4-21 record against those Western teams.They are 1-9 in their last 10 against Calgary, 0-3 on the road this year against divisional opponents and 3-16 against the Stampeders, Edmonton and Winnipeg since the start of the 2016 regular season.
This isn't about personnel anymore but rather a losing culture that has been established in the twilight years of Wally's career. Certainly a far cry to what he accomplished from 2004-2008.
The game has passed him by and his blind loyalty to some of his longtime assistant coaches will hold this team back until 2019. I get it he is set in his ways and he has had plenty of success doing it his way, but just watching him on the sidelines and being completely out-of-touch with what is going on upstairs for things like replay challenges is ridiculous.
Even Henry Burris pointed out on the TSN Panel last night this is a "very talented Lions team" on paper at least which is a testament to the efforts of Ed Hervey.
Down to their 4th string RB and without two of their top receivers and the Stamps roll anyways. It's what's expected and has been established by Hufnagel and Dickenson. No excuses. Just keep winning.
Yup. How many times have we heard "the players have to stop making dumb mistakes," "we only have ourselves to blame," "we beat ourselves," "these guys can't keep taking dumb penalties and expect to beat good teams" (or variations thereof) post game for the past 5+ years.TheLionKing wrote: ↑Sun Aug 05, 2018 6:46 amWally was very frustrated and animated in the post game interview. When one of the broadcasters brought up the Orange kicking the football, he snapped by saying that we should stop making apologies for the players. He further said the rule (kicking the ball) is clearly in the rule books and everybody knows it.
DH
Roar, You Lions, Roar
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Toppy Vann
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...another gem from TSN in the Ottawa game or one of them this week:
Lions DEF backs struggling in BC fit in well with other teams..... While he didn't blame coaching in BC but being surrounded by better players, it really begged the question of schemes, coaching and how they're instructed to defend. Mark Washington like Mike Benevides needs to be outside the Wally world to learn from other coaches. Benny had Dave Ritchie here but he learned nothing - although since being fired he's now resurfaced and as a DC and his D is not bad at all but I suspect he learned a lot.
There was simply nothing but predictability of the Lions pressure on the Stamps in the entire first half.
But the bottom line is that is Calgary is a very, very good football team with top talent in coaching and players it seems.
I think Wally best get a head set OR give the flag to his DC to watch for PI's on receivers. He's being shown to look silly looking for a replay and last night the STamps called that play quickly and Mark Washington had to rush over with a thumbs down as Wally wandered around looking for information.
Lions DEF backs struggling in BC fit in well with other teams..... While he didn't blame coaching in BC but being surrounded by better players, it really begged the question of schemes, coaching and how they're instructed to defend. Mark Washington like Mike Benevides needs to be outside the Wally world to learn from other coaches. Benny had Dave Ritchie here but he learned nothing - although since being fired he's now resurfaced and as a DC and his D is not bad at all but I suspect he learned a lot.
There was simply nothing but predictability of the Lions pressure on the Stamps in the entire first half.
But the bottom line is that is Calgary is a very, very good football team with top talent in coaching and players it seems.
I think Wally best get a head set OR give the flag to his DC to watch for PI's on receivers. He's being shown to look silly looking for a replay and last night the STamps called that play quickly and Mark Washington had to rush over with a thumbs down as Wally wandered around looking for information.
Last edited by Toppy Vann on Sun Aug 05, 2018 10:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
It was a hard-fought, passionate battle on behalf of our Leos as we took on the Calgary Stampeders. But all game, it felt as if Calgary was in control of the outcome. Calgary ended this game undefeated and are now 7-0 while our Leos dropped to 2-4 and last place in the West.
If any team was going to end the Stamps winning streak to begin this season, our B.C. Lions appeared to have the best opportunity to do so on Saturday night.
Why?
Firstly, our 2018 Leos are one of the most talented teams in the CFL, as Henry Burris emphasized in the TSN telecast. Ed Hervey had an outstanding off-season in signing free agents and making trades to bolster a Leos roster that already included numerous star players.
In the meantime, the Stamps had lost so many key players from their 2017 team, including their star running back in Jerome Messam, who was coming off two 1,000 yd. rushing seasons, their top receiver in Marquis MacDaniel, leading National receiver Anthony Parker, National starting tackle Dan Federkiel, fullback Rob Cote. But the losses didn’t stop there.
On defense, the Stamps were dealing with replacing their best pass rusher in Charleston Hughes and the loss of most of their secondary with the departures of Shaquille Richardson to the NFL, the loss of star defensive backs Tommie Campbell and Joe Burnett to free agency, and Josh Bell to retirement.
The Stamps also had to depart with Roy Finch, their rotational tailback and the best CFL punt returner of 2017.
Yet, somehow, the Stamps had been able to replace all these players and get off to a great start in 2018.
But now they were facing a Leos team oozing with enough talent to beat the Stamps and highly motivated to win.
Both squads came into the game dealing with injuries. The Stamps, whose offence is built around their running game and play action passing were without their two top International running backs, as well as key receiver Eric Davis.
We went into the contest without Shaq Johnson and we were also without Chris Rainey and his 12.7 yd. average per punt return but the Stamps were missing Terry Williams, who had a 17.1 yd. punt return average so far this season, so that was more than a saw off.
Our Leos were without Sol E. for the second game in a row but our run defense has been much better with Herman in the lineup. Plus, we had just traded for Shawn Lemon, which caused Calgary enough concern to start International tackle Richards, even dropping Spencer Wilson as a starter, even that meant they would have to start three International offensive linemen. It was a sign of respect for our defensive line talent.
Secondly, our Leos came into this game led by Hall of Famer Wally Buono, the CFL’s winningest coach being able to concentrate solely on coaching this season. With a two week layoff to game plan and prepare for the Stamps, there was anticipation that his experience and knowledge, combined with the additional preparation time he had to prepare for Calgary could be a difference maker vs. the much less experienced Dickenson, now only in his third season as a Head Coach.
Thirdly, our Leos players all week talked about their motivation to win this game. They were coming off a stinging loss, they needed the victory, and they badly wanted to beat the Stamps. Highly motivated to beat the Stamps, its also been written that they are extra motivated in this “Win for Wally’ final campaign.
Fourthly, we had Travis Lulay at quarterback. The former MOP, in his first two starts of the season, had thrown for over 650 yds in those two contests. With Lulay throwing bullets and playing with poise, with Manny playing like a 25 year old, with Burnham becoming a key offensive cog again, with Jeremiah Johnson back in the lineup, and with our offensive line playing very well (Lulay said it was the strength of our 2018 Leos team) our offence had the tools to exploit Calgary’s pass defense, with a lot of new starters in their secondary.
But, even with all these positives, it was not to be. Our Leo players played hard and with intensity but did not get the result they hoped for.
Here are some post game thoughts with the usual format of “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”.
THE GOOD
On offence, our Leos took on the CFL’s best defense so far this season, and scored two touchdowns against a defense that had only given up four touchdowns in their first 6 contests. Our offensive line provided Travis Lulay with good protection on most pass plays.
The Stamps came into this game as the CFL leader in sacks and yet Lulay was not sacked once in the contest. Lulay completed 64.1% of his passes, for 281 yds. He spread the football around and exploited the Calgary defense deep with passes completions of 48, 36, and 27 yards. Kevin Elliot was our 2nd leading receiver with 62 yards on four receptions, including a 36 yarder.
We also ran the football effectively, other than a couple of Calgary stuffs at the line of scrimmage. Against a very tough run defense, Jeremiah Johnson had 11 carries for 50 yds. (4.5 yd. average)
On defense, once again our Leos defense was tough against the run for the second game in a row. We shut down Romar Morris and that hurt Calgary’s offence. Morris carried the football 15 times for 48 yds. and a miserable 3.2 yd. average, setting up a lot of Calgary second and long situations. We also dropped Davaris Daniels for an 11 yard loss.
Davon Coleman had 6 tackles and a sack. T. J. Lee had an excellent game. Bo Lokombo also was a force on our defense once again.
We also won the field position game as Long averaged over 52 yds. per punt and we had a 45.2 yd. net average. Meanwhile Calgary averaged 43. 6 yds. per punt and only had a 24.1 net average. That was a difference of over 20 yards per punt difference for our Leos in this game.
Trevon Van gave our Leos a real second half spark with an outstanding return.
THE BAD
Calgary struggled with their run game in this contest, a fact Dave Dickenson would lament about after this game. Bo Levi Mitchell only completed 61% of his passes. But he ended up throwing for 370 yds.
Another bad in this game was that our lineup decisions reflected that we did not make a good first round draft choice in 2017.
As Ullrich wrote, post game:
Why didn’t’ Wally see what Hufnagel was able to see? Hufnagel called Singleton the best player in the 2017 draft and considered it fortunate that Singleton was still available.
Our Leos defense had no answer for Kamar Jordan, who had over 185 yds. in pass receptions. Our Leos inability to stop Calgary on second and long really hurt in this contest.
Once again, it seemed as if our players were confused on their assignments. For example, we were in a two deep safety zone and yet allowed Kamar Jordan to have single coverage deep on his first touchdown pass of the game. Same situation later in the game and the same result.
Also, once again, an unnecessary penalty or miscue played a role. Two games ago, we let time run out on the clock and didn’t get to kick a field goal at the half. There were 17 seconds left in the half, when the play started, Buono did not call a time out and we got zero points while in the red zone. Last week, it was a delay of game penalty at a crucial time. This week it was an unsportsmanlike penalty.
THE UGLY
There was not a lot of ugly in this game. We’ve finally got rid of most of the RPO offence we began the season with. We pass block most of the time on pass plays rather than run block or cut block. Jarious has a lot of diversity in our offence.
But one thing that remains that continues to look ugly is our quick screen game to our receivers.
Our secondary gave up too many big plays on second down. Mitchell was 8-11 passing on second-and-10 or longer for 270 yards and a touchdown. The problem is usually identified as a defensive secondary personell issue. But its an issue that has been happening for many seasons now, with a lot of different personnel in our secondary.
Calgary lost most of its excellent secondary from last season and is not experiencing the same problems at all.
The draw play, late in the fourth quarter, looked ugly because we should have known that we had to get a blocker on Singleton, who would be mirroring Johnson, if we wanted to run that play successfully. The higher percentage play would have been a short quick pass. Don't know who made the call. Buono said something to Jarious, just before the play call but it may have been either who made the decision to run the football.
WRAP
This contest was very typical of previous contests with the Stampeders for a long time now. The game begins with two talented teams fighting it out for superiority. The Stamps usually win. Sometimes the Stamps win handily and sometimes the games are close, but the Stamps almost always end up victorious. In the playoffs, against Calgary, we don’t stand a chance.
Since 2008, when John Hufnagel arrived in Calgary, the Stamps have been the CFL’s most successful franchise. Hufnagel’s coaching record was 102 wins, 41 losses, and 1 tie, when he turned over the reins to Dave Dickenson, who was mentored by Hufnagel for the top job with the Stamps. Dickenson, now part way through his third season, has a record of 29 wins, 6 losses, and 2 ties.
From 2004-2007, our Leos were the best team in the CFL. We won four Divisional Championships and played in two Grey Cups during those four seasons, winning one. In 2007, with third string quarterback Jarious Jackson starting our last 11 games, our record was 14 wins, 3 losses, and a tie.
While we’ve had a few good seasons since 2008 and even won a Grey Cup in 2011, we have never returned to that status of being the dominant franchise that we were in the mid-2000’s.
Wally Buono’s coaching record is 49 wins and 49 losses since that 2007 season. Buono’s two hand picked successors, Mike Benevedes and Jeff Tedford had miserable endings as Head Coaches.
Benevedes had regular season success in his first two seasons, with experienced hands in Stubler and Chapdelaine leading our offence and defense, while the Buono mentored Benevedes ranted on the sidelines.
But when those experienced coordinators were jettisoned for Mark Washington and Khari Jones, the wheels fell off for Benevedes.
Our record, dating back from last season, is now 3 wins and 11 losses. With Buono back on the sidelines as our Head Coach, he is now 1-9 against Calgary in his last 10 games.
Ed Hervey was hired this off-season season and has brought in a ton of talent. Mark Washington is highly considered by Buono and is being mentored by the Hall of Famer for a future Head Coaching position. Jarious Jackson is considered a very bright offensive mind. He was the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach when Edmonton won their Grey Cup. Jeff Reinbold is considered an outstanding special teams coach.
Yet there is division amongst Leo fans as to where the main problem of our Leos lack of success lies. Jonathan Jennings was considered the problem but we are now 1-2 with Lulay, despite his fine play.
Anthony Orange was fingered by Buono after the game. But Leo fans were divided as to the major reason why we lost this game.
Lowell Ullrich, in his post game writeup wrote:
After each game, its a busted coverage or a dum penalty or a game management issue, or not calling a timeout, or a dum mistake or we didn't exectute the play properly.
It begs the question, after so, so many losses and so many games of hearing this: Are the players we bring in less intelligent or less capable of learning or less disciplined? Or is there some other reason?
The big question, the one that has to be answered, is WHY is there such a long standing pattern of mental errors and shooting ourselves in the foot.
It we want to get things changed around, that WHY has to be answered.
If any team was going to end the Stamps winning streak to begin this season, our B.C. Lions appeared to have the best opportunity to do so on Saturday night.
Why?
Firstly, our 2018 Leos are one of the most talented teams in the CFL, as Henry Burris emphasized in the TSN telecast. Ed Hervey had an outstanding off-season in signing free agents and making trades to bolster a Leos roster that already included numerous star players.
In the meantime, the Stamps had lost so many key players from their 2017 team, including their star running back in Jerome Messam, who was coming off two 1,000 yd. rushing seasons, their top receiver in Marquis MacDaniel, leading National receiver Anthony Parker, National starting tackle Dan Federkiel, fullback Rob Cote. But the losses didn’t stop there.
On defense, the Stamps were dealing with replacing their best pass rusher in Charleston Hughes and the loss of most of their secondary with the departures of Shaquille Richardson to the NFL, the loss of star defensive backs Tommie Campbell and Joe Burnett to free agency, and Josh Bell to retirement.
The Stamps also had to depart with Roy Finch, their rotational tailback and the best CFL punt returner of 2017.
Yet, somehow, the Stamps had been able to replace all these players and get off to a great start in 2018.
But now they were facing a Leos team oozing with enough talent to beat the Stamps and highly motivated to win.
Both squads came into the game dealing with injuries. The Stamps, whose offence is built around their running game and play action passing were without their two top International running backs, as well as key receiver Eric Davis.
We went into the contest without Shaq Johnson and we were also without Chris Rainey and his 12.7 yd. average per punt return but the Stamps were missing Terry Williams, who had a 17.1 yd. punt return average so far this season, so that was more than a saw off.
Our Leos were without Sol E. for the second game in a row but our run defense has been much better with Herman in the lineup. Plus, we had just traded for Shawn Lemon, which caused Calgary enough concern to start International tackle Richards, even dropping Spencer Wilson as a starter, even that meant they would have to start three International offensive linemen. It was a sign of respect for our defensive line talent.
Secondly, our Leos came into this game led by Hall of Famer Wally Buono, the CFL’s winningest coach being able to concentrate solely on coaching this season. With a two week layoff to game plan and prepare for the Stamps, there was anticipation that his experience and knowledge, combined with the additional preparation time he had to prepare for Calgary could be a difference maker vs. the much less experienced Dickenson, now only in his third season as a Head Coach.
Thirdly, our Leos players all week talked about their motivation to win this game. They were coming off a stinging loss, they needed the victory, and they badly wanted to beat the Stamps. Highly motivated to beat the Stamps, its also been written that they are extra motivated in this “Win for Wally’ final campaign.
Fourthly, we had Travis Lulay at quarterback. The former MOP, in his first two starts of the season, had thrown for over 650 yds in those two contests. With Lulay throwing bullets and playing with poise, with Manny playing like a 25 year old, with Burnham becoming a key offensive cog again, with Jeremiah Johnson back in the lineup, and with our offensive line playing very well (Lulay said it was the strength of our 2018 Leos team) our offence had the tools to exploit Calgary’s pass defense, with a lot of new starters in their secondary.
But, even with all these positives, it was not to be. Our Leo players played hard and with intensity but did not get the result they hoped for.
Here are some post game thoughts with the usual format of “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”.
THE GOOD
On offence, our Leos took on the CFL’s best defense so far this season, and scored two touchdowns against a defense that had only given up four touchdowns in their first 6 contests. Our offensive line provided Travis Lulay with good protection on most pass plays.
The Stamps came into this game as the CFL leader in sacks and yet Lulay was not sacked once in the contest. Lulay completed 64.1% of his passes, for 281 yds. He spread the football around and exploited the Calgary defense deep with passes completions of 48, 36, and 27 yards. Kevin Elliot was our 2nd leading receiver with 62 yards on four receptions, including a 36 yarder.
We also ran the football effectively, other than a couple of Calgary stuffs at the line of scrimmage. Against a very tough run defense, Jeremiah Johnson had 11 carries for 50 yds. (4.5 yd. average)
On defense, once again our Leos defense was tough against the run for the second game in a row. We shut down Romar Morris and that hurt Calgary’s offence. Morris carried the football 15 times for 48 yds. and a miserable 3.2 yd. average, setting up a lot of Calgary second and long situations. We also dropped Davaris Daniels for an 11 yard loss.
Davon Coleman had 6 tackles and a sack. T. J. Lee had an excellent game. Bo Lokombo also was a force on our defense once again.
We also won the field position game as Long averaged over 52 yds. per punt and we had a 45.2 yd. net average. Meanwhile Calgary averaged 43. 6 yds. per punt and only had a 24.1 net average. That was a difference of over 20 yards per punt difference for our Leos in this game.
Trevon Van gave our Leos a real second half spark with an outstanding return.
THE BAD
Calgary struggled with their run game in this contest, a fact Dave Dickenson would lament about after this game. Bo Levi Mitchell only completed 61% of his passes. But he ended up throwing for 370 yds.
Another bad in this game was that our lineup decisions reflected that we did not make a good first round draft choice in 2017.
As Ullrich wrote, post game:
I have to admit its frustrating to watch very talented Calgary National linebacker Alex Singleton, last season’s best defensive player making play after play for Calgary when we could have chosen him over Vandervoot.Waving the flag: Two weeks ago in this space the Lions use of their non-import content was lauded when they started nine Canadians in Ottawa, but get an injury or two and it becomes apparent what they think of some of their Canuck depth.
An apparent shoulder injury to Shaq Johnson in practice put the Lions into juggle mode. They had planned to sit second-year Canadian Junior Luke and go with four imports on the defensive line and still had the ratio flexibility to do so by maintaining the ratio on offence.
Instead, the Lions went to import Kevin Elliott as the replacement for Johnson, which isn’t much positive reinforcement for 2017 Canadian draft pick Danny Vandervoort, who has had just as many practice reps as Elliott but instead was again limited to work on special teams.
Why didn’t’ Wally see what Hufnagel was able to see? Hufnagel called Singleton the best player in the 2017 draft and considered it fortunate that Singleton was still available.
Our Leos defense had no answer for Kamar Jordan, who had over 185 yds. in pass receptions. Our Leos inability to stop Calgary on second and long really hurt in this contest.
Once again, it seemed as if our players were confused on their assignments. For example, we were in a two deep safety zone and yet allowed Kamar Jordan to have single coverage deep on his first touchdown pass of the game. Same situation later in the game and the same result.
Also, once again, an unnecessary penalty or miscue played a role. Two games ago, we let time run out on the clock and didn’t get to kick a field goal at the half. There were 17 seconds left in the half, when the play started, Buono did not call a time out and we got zero points while in the red zone. Last week, it was a delay of game penalty at a crucial time. This week it was an unsportsmanlike penalty.
THE UGLY
There was not a lot of ugly in this game. We’ve finally got rid of most of the RPO offence we began the season with. We pass block most of the time on pass plays rather than run block or cut block. Jarious has a lot of diversity in our offence.
But one thing that remains that continues to look ugly is our quick screen game to our receivers.
Our secondary gave up too many big plays on second down. Mitchell was 8-11 passing on second-and-10 or longer for 270 yards and a touchdown. The problem is usually identified as a defensive secondary personell issue. But its an issue that has been happening for many seasons now, with a lot of different personnel in our secondary.
Calgary lost most of its excellent secondary from last season and is not experiencing the same problems at all.
The draw play, late in the fourth quarter, looked ugly because we should have known that we had to get a blocker on Singleton, who would be mirroring Johnson, if we wanted to run that play successfully. The higher percentage play would have been a short quick pass. Don't know who made the call. Buono said something to Jarious, just before the play call but it may have been either who made the decision to run the football.
WRAP
This contest was very typical of previous contests with the Stampeders for a long time now. The game begins with two talented teams fighting it out for superiority. The Stamps usually win. Sometimes the Stamps win handily and sometimes the games are close, but the Stamps almost always end up victorious. In the playoffs, against Calgary, we don’t stand a chance.
Since 2008, when John Hufnagel arrived in Calgary, the Stamps have been the CFL’s most successful franchise. Hufnagel’s coaching record was 102 wins, 41 losses, and 1 tie, when he turned over the reins to Dave Dickenson, who was mentored by Hufnagel for the top job with the Stamps. Dickenson, now part way through his third season, has a record of 29 wins, 6 losses, and 2 ties.
From 2004-2007, our Leos were the best team in the CFL. We won four Divisional Championships and played in two Grey Cups during those four seasons, winning one. In 2007, with third string quarterback Jarious Jackson starting our last 11 games, our record was 14 wins, 3 losses, and a tie.
While we’ve had a few good seasons since 2008 and even won a Grey Cup in 2011, we have never returned to that status of being the dominant franchise that we were in the mid-2000’s.
Wally Buono’s coaching record is 49 wins and 49 losses since that 2007 season. Buono’s two hand picked successors, Mike Benevedes and Jeff Tedford had miserable endings as Head Coaches.
Benevedes had regular season success in his first two seasons, with experienced hands in Stubler and Chapdelaine leading our offence and defense, while the Buono mentored Benevedes ranted on the sidelines.
But when those experienced coordinators were jettisoned for Mark Washington and Khari Jones, the wheels fell off for Benevedes.
Our record, dating back from last season, is now 3 wins and 11 losses. With Buono back on the sidelines as our Head Coach, he is now 1-9 against Calgary in his last 10 games.
Ed Hervey was hired this off-season season and has brought in a ton of talent. Mark Washington is highly considered by Buono and is being mentored by the Hall of Famer for a future Head Coaching position. Jarious Jackson is considered a very bright offensive mind. He was the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach when Edmonton won their Grey Cup. Jeff Reinbold is considered an outstanding special teams coach.
Yet there is division amongst Leo fans as to where the main problem of our Leos lack of success lies. Jonathan Jennings was considered the problem but we are now 1-2 with Lulay, despite his fine play.
Anthony Orange was fingered by Buono after the game. But Leo fans were divided as to the major reason why we lost this game.
Lowell Ullrich, in his post game writeup wrote:
You can see that this Leos team has the talent to play with anyone in the league. Calgary didn’t dominate us. No team has dominated us. Usually opposing teams don't beat us. Usually we find so many different ways of beating ourselves, and that has gone on for far too long now.Blame Game Part Two: There was no formal poll taken on the matter, but there were just as many post-game callers on TSN 1040 who had it in for Buono as those who came after Orange with torches and pitchforks.
After each game, its a busted coverage or a dum penalty or a game management issue, or not calling a timeout, or a dum mistake or we didn't exectute the play properly.
It begs the question, after so, so many losses and so many games of hearing this: Are the players we bring in less intelligent or less capable of learning or less disciplined? Or is there some other reason?
The big question, the one that has to be answered, is WHY is there such a long standing pattern of mental errors and shooting ourselves in the foot.
It we want to get things changed around, that WHY has to be answered.
"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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Sir Purrcival
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If there is a bright side to that, it is that as this Defence struggles so too falter Washington's chance of being the next head coach. I don't dislike the man but I thought he was so-so as a player and less than so-so as a coach. I shudder to think what will happen if he is given the reigns to this team.yukonlion wrote:Sat Aug 04, 2018 10:37 pmMark W has never coached a top tier defence (yet having two MVPs on his squad) how is he still employed.. the players do not continually bite on short routes on 2nd and long all game long.. obvs there is scheme problems
Tell me how long must a fan be strong? Ans. Always.
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Sir Purrcival
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I know this is repeating an old theme but I can't help but think what this team may have been had Wally had better handled the succession of talent that he had good connections with like Hufnagel and Dickenson
It all just seems like a cluster you know what now. A lost decade because of a complete failure to prepare for the future. Not entirely unlike what happened to Montreal after Calvillo retired. A complete rolling turd that has wasted some of the best talent we have had on this team like Biggie and Solly to name just a few.
I bet you if Bighill were to be completely upfront, he is probably loving where he is at now. He is probably too classy to say it but he is doubtless hugging himself now that he is not with this malaise'd franchise.
I know this sounds very negative but this underwhelming, not very competitive show has gone on way too long because some people at the top are basically atrocious at planning for the future here.
It all just seems like a cluster you know what now. A lost decade because of a complete failure to prepare for the future. Not entirely unlike what happened to Montreal after Calvillo retired. A complete rolling turd that has wasted some of the best talent we have had on this team like Biggie and Solly to name just a few.
I bet you if Bighill were to be completely upfront, he is probably loving where he is at now. He is probably too classy to say it but he is doubtless hugging himself now that he is not with this malaise'd franchise.
I know this sounds very negative but this underwhelming, not very competitive show has gone on way too long because some people at the top are basically atrocious at planning for the future here.
Tell me how long must a fan be strong? Ans. Always.
I don't think there is any question that Andrew Harris and Bighill are happier where they are now.Sir Purrcival wrote: ↑Sun Aug 05, 2018 11:27 amI know this is repeating an old theme but I can't help but think what this team may have been had Wally had better handled the succession of talent that he had good connections with like Hufnagel and Dickenson It all just seems like a cluster you know what now.
A lost decade because of a complete failure to prepare for the future. Not entirely unlike what happened to Montreal after Calvillo retired. A complete rolling turd that has wasted some of the best talent we have had on this team like Biggie and Solly to name just a few.
I bet you if Bighill were to be completely upfront, he is probably loving where he is at now. He is probably too classy to say it but he is doubtless hugging himself now that he is not with this malaise'd franchise. I know this sounds very negative but this underwhelming, not very competitive show has gone on way too long because some people at the top are basically atrocious at planning for the future here.
I believe, as Leo fans, we should be careful not to scapegoat one player or one play, unless that play was very defining.
For example, the headline "Orange has Buono Seeing Red After Loss to Stamps" makes it appear as if we would have won this game without that penalty. Nor would Buono accept that the penalty was a borderline call.
He has good reasons to make a scapegoat of Orange this week. Last week it was Travis Lulay who was the scapegoat. Scapegoating is a narcissisitic trademark to deflect blame to avoid any accountability and responsiblility.
Buono could have chosen to downplay the penalty or amp it up. He chose the latter.
Yes, the penalty on Orange was not a good one to have happen. But Calgary was on their 30 yard line - lots more opportunities for our defense to stop the drive.
There were a lot more plays than a 10 yard penalty (even if it gave the Stamps another opportunity) that cost us the game.
We didnt' convert two third down gambles, Buono did not challenge a pass interference penalty on Manny, and even more importantly, we gave up pass plays of 62 yds, 35, 30, 22, and 20 during the contest.
The biggest reason we lost the game, even though we shut down Calgary's run game, was that we gave up 370 passing yards in the contest, the most passing yards that Bo Levi has thrown this season (and he was without Davis).
We also only scored 18 points and Calgary's offence is too good to be able to beat them with that number of points on the scoreboard. Calgary came into this game averaging close to 30 points per game.
"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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WestCoastJoe
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Points well made, Blitz. Excellent detail as always. 
From the Canadian Press, excerpts ...
https://www.tsn.ca/calgary-stampeders-e ... -1.1153386
From the Canadian Press, excerpts ...
https://www.tsn.ca/calgary-stampeders-e ... -1.1153386
Stampeders extend purrfect record with win over Lions
The Canadian Press
Calgary quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw for season-high 370 yards Saturday, but said his wobbly 53-yard air ball to Jorden in the first quarter "might have been the ugliest pass I've ever thrown."
Jorden made the over-the-shoulder catch for Calgary to take a lead.
"It was definitely a duck, but he put it out there," Jorden said. "One thing Bo always says 'when you see me scrambling, just go, just go.'
"He wants to throw it deep. I trust in that. I just kept going. I saw the ball up there and I got to it."
"We didn't play smart football," said Lions coach Wally Buono, who in another tie-in to 1995 was the coach of that 7-0 Stampeder team.
"We gave them way too many opportunities to beat us and a good football team will always beat you."
"I thought Bo was super-sharp. He and K.J. had something going on," Calgary head coach Dave Dickenson said. "We're still not running the ball like we should. We'll see if we can get some reinforcements back in there."
"Let's take a deep breath. We're in good position, but we haven't accomplished anything yet," Dickenson said.
"There's so many tough games coming up. Let's take care of our bodies, make sure football is important and come back with a little extra energy and hopefully we feel fresh because we're in for it these next few games.
"They're really going to have a big impact on where we finish in the season."
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.
Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.
Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.
Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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Sir Purrcival
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- Location: Comox Valley
No one player should be to blame and they aren't. However, at this stage the blame lies with the organization and management.
At this point, I can't wait for Buono and hopefully his preferred's to be gone. How many subpar seasons does it take to say that whatever they are doing, it isn't working. We might still do atrociously under new management but at least it would be different.
Oh well at this point there are only 8 or 10 games to go before the Wally era is done. I would dearly liked to have him left a legacy of great teams and experiences but for every good moment, there seems to be two underwhelming moments especially in the last 7 or 8 years.
Offended players, failed coaching experiments, front office malaise. Just not a good franchise in anyway at the moment.
At this point, I can't wait for Buono and hopefully his preferred's to be gone. How many subpar seasons does it take to say that whatever they are doing, it isn't working. We might still do atrociously under new management but at least it would be different.
Oh well at this point there are only 8 or 10 games to go before the Wally era is done. I would dearly liked to have him left a legacy of great teams and experiences but for every good moment, there seems to be two underwhelming moments especially in the last 7 or 8 years.
Offended players, failed coaching experiments, front office malaise. Just not a good franchise in anyway at the moment.
Tell me how long must a fan be strong? Ans. Always.
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longtimefan
- Starter
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- Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2002 2:24 pm
- Location: Winnipeg
The problem is WALLY...
Since the passing of Bobby Ackles in 2008, Wally has had free rein with the team and it has spiraled downwards and come to this.
Bobby Ackles was the brain and the heart of the Lions not Wally. Imho Wally was/is incapable of putting a competitive team on the field . 2011 was as far as Wally could go without "the water boy".
Wally like the Cleveland Browns has let the fans down again. Perhaps Mr Braley will now sell the team.
Since the passing of Bobby Ackles in 2008, Wally has had free rein with the team and it has spiraled downwards and come to this.
Bobby Ackles was the brain and the heart of the Lions not Wally. Imho Wally was/is incapable of putting a competitive team on the field . 2011 was as far as Wally could go without "the water boy".
Wally like the Cleveland Browns has let the fans down again. Perhaps Mr Braley will now sell the team.
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TheLionKing
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- Location: Vancouver
If Braley doesn't sell the club in the off season, only he and his close friends will be flying in from Hamilton to see the Lions play
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DanoT
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- Location: Victoria, B.C. in summer, Sun Peaks Resort in winter
I don't think that Braley will sell the Lions next year because he won't find anyone willing to pay his asking price.
In the past Braley claimed he wanted the uncertainty of pending concussion law suit to be settled (likely bs) so he could get maximum value for the team. Now there is the uncertainty of the competing AAF to contend with and this is a legitimate concern for the CFL.
There is also the uncertainty of CFLPA contract and TSN TV deal to contend with. Braley has missed his best oppourtunity for selling the team by 2 or 3 years.
Braley doesn't need the money but imo it is the businessman in him that wants to "win" the deal by getting top dollar for the Lions. Unfortunately his Lions don't seem to be able to win for him on or off the field.
In the past Braley claimed he wanted the uncertainty of pending concussion law suit to be settled (likely bs) so he could get maximum value for the team. Now there is the uncertainty of the competing AAF to contend with and this is a legitimate concern for the CFL.
There is also the uncertainty of CFLPA contract and TSN TV deal to contend with. Braley has missed his best oppourtunity for selling the team by 2 or 3 years.
Braley doesn't need the money but imo it is the businessman in him that wants to "win" the deal by getting top dollar for the Lions. Unfortunately his Lions don't seem to be able to win for him on or off the field.
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WestCoastJoe
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I agree, Dano. I think Braley will not want to sell the club. Why would next year be any different than what has transpired time after time?DanoT wrote: ↑Mon Aug 06, 2018 5:25 amI don't think that Braley will sell the Lions next year because he won't find anyone willing to pay his asking price.
In the past Braley claimed he wanted the uncertainty of pending concussion law suit to be settled (likely bs) so he could get maximum value for the team. Now there is the uncertainty of the competing AAF to contend with and this is a legitimate concern for the CFL.
There is also the uncertainty of CFLPA contract and TSN TV deal to contend with. Braley has missed his best oppourtunity for selling the team by 2 or 3 years.
Braley doesn't need the money but imo it is the businessman in him that wants to "win" the deal by getting top dollar for the Lions. Unfortunately his Lions don't seem to be able to win for him on or off the field.
In terms of the club's value he is living in an alternate universe.
If he does not sell, he will want Wally back. Wiil Wally be able to say no? Maybe not.
Would Hervey opt out if Wally stays? Braley might not worry about that. He still thinks Wally is on top of the game.
We will see. It just seems that the Lions are kind of Braley's good luck charm. And Wally also.
Torture for some of the fans? Yes. Not so much for this fan. I enjoy the games regardless. As noted on here, having coached amateur sports for over twenty years, with all the intensity, I became too concerned with winning. I could not even watch my favourite teams for years. Fortunately that time is past.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.
Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.
Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.
Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
Funny you should mention that WCJ. My attitude to losing has evolved over the last 5 years or so. I used to take losses really hard. Down in the dumps after the game. Sleep would be affected (restlessness) and I would still be a bit PO'd the following day. Now I am more resigned to it (desensitized perhaps?).
As for Braley, I can tell you that LeLacheur is a big fan. Says he's been a pleasure to deal with. Increased resources and given him everything he's asked for. I don't know how big the budget is, but I still don't think it's big enough for this market as I barely notice the Lions' presence outside of social media. Some shroud covering on the outside of transit buses and very small print ads. I have not seen any TV ads (other than the one that ran on TSN during Saturday's game). Have not seen it air on say, Global News at 6:00pm (which isn't to say that it hasn't, only I haven't seen any TV ads).
Obviously, Braley greenlit the price adjustments so there's that I suppose...
DH
As for Braley, I can tell you that LeLacheur is a big fan. Says he's been a pleasure to deal with. Increased resources and given him everything he's asked for. I don't know how big the budget is, but I still don't think it's big enough for this market as I barely notice the Lions' presence outside of social media. Some shroud covering on the outside of transit buses and very small print ads. I have not seen any TV ads (other than the one that ran on TSN during Saturday's game). Have not seen it air on say, Global News at 6:00pm (which isn't to say that it hasn't, only I haven't seen any TV ads).
Obviously, Braley greenlit the price adjustments so there's that I suppose...
DH
Roar, You Lions, Roar