Elks vs. Lions Aug. 19, 2021

[maxlion]

So if it was wrong for Dr. Henry to go maskless, where does that leave the full house CFL crowds that went to games in Regina and Winnipeg?

In theory, I expect more of our resident celebrity doctor, but in reality, you are right. No difference.

[David]

This will be a test for Rick Campbell in ensuring his club doesn't get full of itself after shockingly holding the Stamps out of the endzone in their own ballpark. In reality, that felt like more of a 24-9 or 27-9 game given the way we moved the ball. With the excitement of the home opener and a new owner, it may be easy to overlook the 0-2 Elks.

But this will be a challenge. The Esks have a solid front four, even though they will be without disruptive defensive end Kwaku Boateng. Look for them to try and test right tackle Kent Perkins, who gets his 2nd start over Ryker Mathews (head....not sure what that means).

I hate it when my Spidey senses tell me something that turns out to be correct. Our Leos were no match for the Elks' intensity. Probably a combination of 0-2 desperation and a few too many distractions last week on our side.....not loving Maksymic's playcalling or design thus far....seeing far more creativity elsewhere, yes, even Toronto where Jarius Jackson is OC.....why is 1,000 yard wideout Dominique Rhymes so chronically under-utilized in this offense? Also, why did we largely abandon the run game, the only part of the offense that seemed to be clicking?.....I would love to have seen Nathan Rourke come in for a series or two, just to use his feet and change the launch points. It was clear that Reilly's offense was bogging down, most notably in the second half.....smart of Elizondo to run James Wilder down our throats. It paid off in the 4th quarter when our under-sized front 7 were gasping from being on the field too long....kind of sad when the biggest gains of the night were on pass interference calls. And the largest cheers were for our PHO, Dr. Bonnie Henry......as for the in-stadium experience, the "capacity" crowd was energized last Thursday, but had little to cheer for. Yes, there were some stadium hiccups, most notably far too few gates open, but I suspect things will get ironed out in time. Not great for future attendance though (the new normal?) when customers are inconvenienced in so many areas.


DH

[SammyGreene]

This will be a test for Rick Campbell in ensuring his club doesn't get full of itself after shockingly holding the Stamps out of the endzone in their own ballpark. In reality, that felt like more of a 24-9 or 27-9 game given the way we moved the ball. With the excitement of the home opener and a new owner, it may be easy to overlook the 0-2 Elks.

But this will be a challenge. The Esks have a solid front four, even though they will be without disruptive defensive end Kwaku Boateng. Look for them to try and test right tackle Kent Perkins, who gets his 2nd start over Ryker Mathews (head....not sure what that means).

I hate it when my Spidey senses tell me something that turns out to be correct. Our Leos were no match for the Elks' intensity. Probably a combination of 0-2 desperation and a few too many distractions last week on our side.....not loving Maksymic's playcalling or design thus far....seeing far more creativity elsewhere, yes, even Toronto where Jarius Jackson is OC.....why is 1,000 yard wideout Dominique Rhymes so chronically under-utilized in this offense? Also, why did we largely abandon the run game, the only part of the offense that seemed to be clicking?.....I would love to have seen Nathan Rourke come in for a series or two, just to use his feet and change the launch points. It was clear that Reilly's offense was bogging down, most notably in the second half.....smart of Elizondo to run James Wilder down our throats. It paid off in the 4th quarter when our under-sized front 7 were gasping from being on the field too long....kind of sad when the biggest gains of the night were on pass interference calls. And the largest cheers were for our PHO, Dr. Bonnie Henry......as for the in-stadium experience, the "capacity" crowd was energized last Thursday, but had little to cheer for. Yes, there were some stadium hiccups, most notably far too few gates open, but I suspect things will get ironed out in time. Not great for future attendance though (the new normal?) when customers are inconvenienced in so many areas.


DH

Nice recap David in a dud of an overall performance. At what point do we say Reilly not throwing the ball beyond 10 yards at practices (in addition to training camp) is hurting the overall cohesiveness of this offence? Especially developing chemistry with new players such as Rhymes. Certainly they missed their starting tackles big time and it at least appears Matthews will return this week.
I too wouldn't have mind seeing Rourke at some point in the previous two games, especially utilizing his mobility to get out of the pocket.
There are definitely some big questions with this defence, mainly the front 4 and I'm no fan of Campbell playing mainly zone coverage in the secondary and constantly dropping his linebackers. But this team MUST be led by the offence. That's where much of their experience is, never mind probably close to 70 percent of their salary cap too as they have gone very cheap on defence.
And it can be argued it was mostly the defence responsible for the win in Calgary.

It's time for the offence to start leading this team.

[B.C.FAN]

Certainly they missed their starting tackles big time and it at least appears Matthews will return this week.

Mathews is on the 6-game injured list. He's missed 2 games so far. Figueroa's chances of playing this week are about 50-50, according to Rick Campbell on the Rintoul & Surman show today. He has made progress but needs to practise Wednesday and Thursday before the team can make a decision on his status.

[SammyGreene]

Certainly they missed their starting tackles big time and it at least appears Matthews will return this week.

Mathews is on the 6-game injured list. He's missed 2 games so far. Figueroa's chances of playing this week are about 50-50, according to Rick Campbell on the Rintoul & Surman show today. He has made progress but needs to practise Wednesday and Thursday before the team can make a decision on his status.

Ugh! Thanks for that BC FAN. Was at practice last Tuesday and he was dressed but not participating in anything.
Big loss especially in just a 14 game season.

[KnowItAll]

...Also, why did we largely abandon the run game, the only part of the offense that seemed to be clicking?....


DH

I am somewhat confused by this view as I saw a pathetic run game/blocking.

Cooper got one 20 yard gain and went 5 for 15 beside that. Rainey 3 for 6 yards. How is this equal to run game clicking?

[Sir Purrcival]

That was my thought as well. The running game wasn't really clicking at all.

[DanoT]

I liked what I saw out of Butler at RB in the first couple of games. I think if Cooper doesn't do a lot better in this game I would like to see a change at RB for the following game. It wouldn't hurt to make the first part of this season a competition at RB.

[KnowItAll]

Butler has not looked good to me, but that could be the olines fault.

[David]

...Also, why did we largely abandon the run game, the only part of the offense that seemed to be clicking?....


DH

I am somewhat confused by this view as I saw a pathetic run game/blocking.

Cooper got one 20 yard gain and went 5 for 15 beside that. Rainey 3 for 6 yards. How is this equal to run game clicking?

I think you're mistaken. The 20-yarder was negated by an "iffy" holding penalty. Regardless, you have to stick to the run game for it to work properly and not have the opposition pin its ears back and rush the QB each time. I wanted to see more screen passes or draw plays to upset the Elks' rhythm.


DH

[KnowItAll]

...Also, why did we largely abandon the run game, the only part of the offense that seemed to be clicking?....


DH

I am somewhat confused by this view as I saw a pathetic run game/blocking.

Cooper got one 20 yard gain and went 5 for 15 beside that. Rainey 3 for 6 yards. How is this equal to run game clicking?

I think you're mistaken. The 20-yarder was negated by an "iffy" holding penalty. Regardless, you have to stick to the run game for it to work properly and not have the opposition pin its ears back and rush the QB each time. I wanted to see more screen passes or draw plays to upset the Elks' rhythm.


DH

do they still put yardage brought back by penalties in stats? I read that according to cfl stats, Cooper had 6 carries for 35 yards with his longest being 20 yards? In any case, I still have higher hopes for him than Butler

[DanoT]

Butler is 20lbs heavier than Cooper, so I have high hopes for Butler as a blocker and runner.

[Hambone]

...Also, why did we largely abandon the run game, the only part of the offense that seemed to be clicking?....


DH

I am somewhat confused by this view as I saw a pathetic run game/blocking.

Cooper got one 20 yard gain and went 5 for 15 beside that. Rainey 3 for 6 yards. How is this equal to run game clicking?

I think you're mistaken. The 20-yarder was negated by an "iffy" holding penalty. Regardless, you have to stick to the run game for it to work properly and not have the opposition pin its ears back and rush the QB each time. I wanted to see more screen passes or draw plays to upset the Elks' rhythm.


DH

Cooper had two 20 yard scampers. The first came on the first play of BC's first possession in the 2nd half. There was no penalty. Later on in the 4th quarter he had another one brought back due to the holding call on Godber.

83 3 5 B44 Field Goal (11:54) S. WHYTE Field Goal Attempt (51 yds), Good 18 4
84 1 10 B35 Rush (11:36) S. COOPER Run (20 yds), Tackle: T. WASHINGTON 18 4
85 1 10 B55 Pass (11:12) M. REILLY Completed Pass to B. BURNHAM, caught at E48 (9 yds, 2 YAC), Tackle: A. GRYMES 18 4

120 3 2 B31 Field Goal (08:27) S. WHYTE Field Goal Attempt (38 yds), Good 21 16
121 1 10 B35 Rush (08:04) S. COOPER Run (20 yds), Tackle: N. MORGAN, Penalty: Holding called on BC (P. GODBER) (10 yds.) - No Play 21 16
122 1 20 B25 Pass (07:40) M. REILLY Completed Pass to D. MACKIE, caught at B31 (7 yds, 1 YAC), Tackle: A. GRYMES 21 16

[Sir Purrcival]

Here are the Rushing Stats for the Lions for the Season thus far.

Butler 2 games -19 carries 61 yards
Rainey 2 Games 9 carries 49 yarrds
Cooper 1 game 6 carries 35 yards

Total rushing yards for the team so far in 3 games. 145 yards (minus Reilly scrambling for his life).

By any metric, that is woeful. A 50 Yards a game rushing average is indicative of a problem and there is no real way to put a good spin on it IMO.

[B.C.FAN]

Here are the Rushing Stats for the Lions for the Season thus far.

Butler 2 games -19 carries 61 yards
Rainey 2 Games 9 carries 49 yarrds
Cooper 1 game 6 carries 35 yards

Total rushing yards for the team so far in 3 games. 145 yards (minus Reilly scrambling for his life).

By any metric, that is woeful. A 50 Yards a game rushing average is indicative of a problem and there is no real way to put a good spin on it IMO.

True. It starts with not having an established No. 1 back. Jamel Lyles, who probably got more carries than anyone in training camp, had none in the first two games before being moved to the practice roster and then released. Shaq Cooper, who is most effective as a receiver in space and averaged 3 catches a game in Edmonton, has yet to be targeted as receiver in B.C. James Butler, who is a bigger straight-ahead rusher, is averaging only 3.2 yards a carry.

Having both offensive tackles hobbled by injuries since the start of training camp is a factor but the Lions have not used their running backs well in the rushing or passing game.