Lions at Elks, Aug. 11 2024

[Toppy Vann]

Doelegala wasn't horrible; has a strong arm but not strong accuracy but we already knew that. Nice to see a mostly short pass and running game but what was that in the second quarter with the long bomb, incomplete pass on 3rd and 5 when in FG range?

D just couldn't stop the Elks in the 4th quarter when they had to.

And Dano, what did Jim Barker say at the half that Matt Dunigan endorsed?

If you missed it, it was along the lines of with Dolegala not accurate downfield and a back up, give him more he can be successful with - the runs and the short stuff - but in the right mixture (my add after the hyphen).

I knew on the first run call in the 2nd Q that pretty much despite another call play action that could have been a run, the mix of plays focusing on the run was done. The Elks knew it as well.

In the 1st Q, with the runs for BC something like 5 to 3, did anyone notice how fired up the BC Offensive LIne was?
I did. Esks lined up 7 or 8 for full pressure and the Lions OFF Line held them off.
Why, IMO they Elks weren't yet convinced that the deep ball, pass crazed OC was losing the plot and tossing his script away and run/pass mixes lacked any sense of rhythm or tactical purpose.

Brice's fumble comes from fantasy reps where no one hits you. He does like he can play.

It's also hard for a DEF to held when they know the OFF is done for the night.

On kick returns, there was an emphasis of returning up the sideline. Likely this week's brilliant innovation by the ST coach.

[SammyGreene]

The Lions warts are being exposed elsewhere as the 400 yard passing games become ancient history.

Today showed how they miss Josh Woods big time and how Bo Lokombo is not the answer at WILL at this stage of his career. If you turned his missed tackles into a drinking game you would have been drunk by the 2nd quarter. His absence in the 2nd half wasn’t the problem.

It’s amazing how QBs still find gaping holes in Phillips terrible rush 3 & drop 9 zone pass coverage that he leans so heavily on.

[tak06]

Take the points unless 47 yards was outside Whyte’s range.

Crazy decision by Campbell, we'll never win with him at the helm, always been a loser wherever he's coached

[yukonlion]

Yes Sammy Greene I'm amazed how a 3 rush 9 drop stymies our offence yet we give up huge chunks playing it...

[TheLionKing]

It’s amazing how QBs still find gaping holes in Phillips terrible rush 3 & drop 9 zone pass coverage that he leans so heavily on.

Lions don't or won't cover the guys slipping into the flats. Teams have been doing this for the last few games. You can bet your last dollar, the Bombers will be doing the same thing.

[TheLionKing]

Take the points unless 47 yards was outside Whyte’s range.

Crazy decision by Campbell, we'll never win with him at the helm, always been a loser wherever he's coached

Turning point of the game in my opinion. Sure you're going into the wind. It's early in the game. Absolutely no logical reason to be gambling. You need 5 yards. Throw a short pass or run. Instead, they go deep. Even worse, Dolegala overthrows the receiver. Edmonton takes over with good field position and scores. Frustrating

[David]

This is my problem with Campbell. He has no feel for the game.

Takes no chances when it counts (e.g., Ontaria Wilson's trapped catch in Winnipeg) but takes an unnecessary risk today on 3rd and 5. I was yelling at the TV, "Please be a hard count! Please be a hard count!"

I don't know what play was called in the huddle, but it sure looked like Jake made up his mind to go deep, even though he had shorter, safer routes. McInnis was open and Mackie released to the flats.

Still, a reckless boneheaded decision not to take points. It's not like Janirion Grant was back to receive it if Whyte missed.

I have lost faith in Campbell to really have the pulse of this club and losing faith in RP as a D-coordinator.


DH

[cromartie]

Check, please.

[don corleone]

Looks like that is it for the season series with the Elks scoring more points even though it is unlikely to come down to that.

[DanoT]

This is my problem with Campbell. He has no feel for the game.

Takes no chances when it counts (e.g., Ontaria Wilson's trapped catch in Winnipeg) but takes an unnecessary risk today on 3rd and 5. I was yelling at the TV, "Please be a hard count! Please be a hard count!"

I don't know what play was called in the huddle, but it sure looked like Jake made up his mind to go deep, even though he had shorter, safer routes. McInnis was open and Mackie released to the flats.

Still, a reckless boneheaded decision not to take points. It's not like Janirion Grant was back to receive it if Whyte missed.

I have lost faith in Campbell to really have the pulse of this club and losing faith in RP as a D-coordinator.


DH

I'll add, I'm losing faith in MacSymic as a OC.

[Toppy Vann]

It appears that recently that the DEF and ST players (running into the kicker) are more focused on big hits than the tactical being in the right position to make the right play at the right time. They're looking to kill the guy yet not demonstrating the right techniques like taking the right angle on a player and not chasing him in circles when you know (Tre Ford) he has turn back towards the LOS at some time. Basic stuff like that all over the CFL at times is being missed.

There are criticisms that can be made of the coaching decisions but I'd not be calling for the tar and feathers for any of their staff. It's a conservative, traditonal set of coaches with their philosophies set basically in stone.

Realistically, every coach and fan had to know that this team would go only as far as Vernon Adams play where they're racking up big passing yards.

Campbell's odd decisions as to when to gamble are surprising and also that dumb onside kick by on a FG play that they tried in another game. It's evident that his criteria for when/where to gamble are either flawed are he's flying by the seat of his pants.

Jarius had an interesting decision to kick the FG on 3rd and inches when it looked like a gimme despite it being fairly safe BC would not be scoring two single point converted TDs to tie. That must have been tempting as a first down there could have been a TD if they played that well.

BC was never going to be a balanced offense and play calling to set up the passing and the deep balls - it was always going to be VA able to hit receivers at any depth from short, medium to long. He was until the Bombers blow out in WPG.

It blows my mind a bit to hear them talk of the BC OC as one of the brightest offensive minds in the CFL when they don't have a running game to speak of . They have some decent plays in their play book but it's how play calls early in a game that give that offense some rhythm all of sudden disappear. I don't grasp how they can't see that the ability to run the ball not just for 5 to 8 yards must be in their tool kit.

Another HC who seems to want to die on the passing is Milanovich. Why with Butler would you not also want to have a run game? Philosophy.

Edmonton has to get some credit for their inspired team play last game. They wanted that game more and even after Tre Ford was done they kept their heads in the game.


Campbell coached teams usually bounce back and just maybe this is a good time to get this group re-focused and re-inspired.

Ryan Phillips didn't become a bad coach all of a sudden,

[Sir Purrcival]

Maybe not bad coaches but prone to boneheaded decisions too often. It sucks to be always worried that the Lions, when they are looking like they are on a good path, suddenly and inscrutably make drastic and energy draining strategy changes that make games closer than they should and/or turns them into losses. 3 in row now. One they could have easily won, one that they should have been better in and one that they seemed to have the upper hand until part way through the first half. If I had to diagnose it, I'd say that this team has ADD. They lose their focus. They abandon working strategies and then don't work around their players strengths. That 3rd and 5 was one of the worst play calls for that situation ever. You take a low % pass, couple it with a QB that doesn't have a ton of accuracy on the long ball, throw it in a situation where the 3rd down gamble was reckless and unnecessary and you get a very predictable result. From that point on, it was a downhill spiral that a good team would have found a way to come out off. This is not a good team.

[B.C.FAN]

The ill-fated third-down gamble that turned the game is a reflection of the limitation of Sean Whyte's soon-to-be-39-year-old kicking leg. His range is about 50 yards in the confines of B.C. Place. Campbell must have felt that 47 yards into the Commonwealth wind was not likely to be successful. Wally Buono would have had the Lions punt in that situation, but Stefan Flintoft is not a reliable directional kicker and might have shanked the ball out of bounds for a penalty or into the end-zone for an insignificant single. I'm not sure of the play call, but the Lions' short, quick passing game was working well in the early going. Putting the ball into the hands of Cottoy or McInnis near the first-down marker would have been a much better gamble than trying to hit Hatcher on a deep corner route into the wind in double coverage.

[David]

This is my problem with Campbell. He has no feel for the game.

Takes no chances when it counts (e.g., Ontaria Wilson's trapped catch in Winnipeg) but takes an unnecessary risk today on 3rd and 5. I was yelling at the TV, "Please be a hard count! Please be a hard count!"

I don't know what play was called in the huddle, but it sure looked like Jake made up his mind to go deep, even though he had shorter, safer routes. McInnis was open and Mackie released to the flats.

Still, a reckless boneheaded decision not to take points. It's not like Janirion Grant was back to receive it if Whyte missed.

I have lost faith in Campbell to really have the pulse of this club and losing faith in RP as a D-coordinator.


DH

I'll add, I'm losing faith in MacSymic as a OC.

I think Maksymic gets a bit too much praise (kind of a media darling) but, until recently, we have been the top-rated club in several statistical offensive categories. We have to remember he has only been an O-coordinator since part-way through the 2019 season.

My biggest complaint is his seeming unwillingness to deviate from a game plan and adjust (e.g., when clubs have been rushing 3 and dropping an extra man in coverage and continually trying to go deep...or not creating simple hot routes, screens, draw plays etc. when clubs decide to blitz the hell out of us).

That being said, I thought we were well-prepared for Dolegala. Dedication to the run game, lots of quick releases. Had the defense held up its part, we could have been telling a different story. The Hollins and Berryhill drops hurt. Despite a jaw-dropping, one-handed stab there was a ball in coverage Hatch normally comes up with.



DH

[don corleone]

This is my problem with Campbell. He has no feel for the game.

Takes no chances when it counts (e.g., Ontaria Wilson's trapped catch in Winnipeg) but takes an unnecessary risk today on 3rd and 5. I was yelling at the TV, "Please be a hard count! Please be a hard count!"

I don't know what play was called in the huddle, but it sure looked like Jake made up his mind to go deep, even though he had shorter, safer routes. McInnis was open and Mackie released to the flats.

Still, a reckless boneheaded decision not to take points. It's not like Janirion Grant was back to receive it if Whyte missed.

I have lost faith in Campbell to really have the pulse of this club and losing faith in RP as a D-coordinator.


DH

I'll add, I'm losing faith in MacSymic as a OC.

Macsymic was a video coordinator who got bumped up to O.C.

Ryan Phillips same thing.

Realistically both were cheap easy hires without the qualifications to support them hoping for the best.

Lions are fortunate to have Mike Benevides imo.

Devone Claybrooks got a year.