Lionbackers.com

Some random impressions ....

Very nice to see Messam show his talent. Very good in the open field. Better to use Davis on short yardage IMO. It puts more pressure on the D. IMO. The idea of power running over and through a D for short yardage is archaic thinking IMO. Unless that runner has the innate skills of Joe Smith, and those are rare. Even Smith made guys miss more than purely running over them. However, I do think, between the two, I would much prefer Messam running the ball than Rolly.

Nice to see Rolly being a beast once again on STs.

Nice to see Harris show his talent.

Messam looks like he could be very good on screens and swing passes.

Steven Black has made a very good impression on me. It starts with confident catching. Good size and speed.

Geroy. Hall of Fame in front of your eyes. We will not likely see his like again.

Yonus. Simply an awesome weapon, and a cool guy.

Arakgi. Give your head a shake.

Crawford. See how the action looks from the bench.

Aluminum. Pow.

Banks. Suitor likes Chip Cox. My vote is for KB.

Dante.

Brown.

Benevides and Stubler. DBs. ?

Casey. 300 + 2 TDs. 20 hits. Management.

Dorazio. Still failing with pass protection.

Chapdelaine. Still failing with anti blitz schemes.

JC. Better play calling for extended times.

Too many penalties. Not playing smart. As time goes by, some of Wally's guys seem to get dumber.

Running game. Promising.

Passing game. Too slow developing.

Personnel management. Very nice pickups in McGrath, Newman, Brown. Assets Lumbala, Gore.

Eventually, sometimes by osmosis, Wally gets most things right. He can't ignore all the criticism from the media, although he denies it.

Congratulations to the coaches and players. And cheers to the most loyal fans, guys like BCFAN and David.

WestCoastJoe wrote:Dorazio. Still failing with pass protection.

Printers often reminds me of a squirrel crossing highway. Seems to me a lot of sacks he takes come when he starts running one way then changes his mind and reverses right back into a DL he just eluded. I'm going to try paying more attention and starting counting steamboats but often it seems like where a Dickenson or Calvillo only needs 3 steamboats to make their reads and decisions before getting rid of the ball Casey needs at least 5. It's not very often you see him make a quick decision and release the ball. I was listening to the Montreal game last week on Sirius with the Montreal broadcast crew doing the honours. One of the comments from the analyst was that in his opinion Casey still cannot make the hot read thus needs more time and protection than most QBs.

One crowd pleasing highlight should be mentioned: the kid interviewed during the first quarter BC Hydro promo who said he saves electricity by turning off his TV whenever the Argos are playing.

Hambone wrote:
Printers often reminds me of a squirrel crossing highway. Seems to me a lot of sacks he takes come when he starts running one way then changes his mind and reverses right back into a DL he just eluded. I'm going to try paying more attention and starting counting steamboats but often it seems like where a Dickenson or Calvillo only needs 3 steamboats to make their reads and decisions before getting rid of the ball Casey needs at least 5. It's not very often you see him make a quick decision and release the ball. I was listening to the Montreal game last week on Sirius with the Montreal broadcast crew doing the honours. One of the comments from the analyst was that in his opinion Casey still cannot make the hot read thus needs more time and protection than most QBs.

Completely agree, Dale. Casey can't make the Hot Read, period, and we should get used to that. There will be many more coverage sacks given up this season.

I would like to see this game again on tv (via PVR or whatever) but it was awesome in the stadium, IMO. Watching home games has been tough at times recently, today it was a breeze. Bigbomb making Crawford look like he was lost, Argos knocking at the door but the Lions stop them. McCallum gets bulldozed= no call. But it just seemed like all the breaks went the Lions way. Black looked great. Our return game looked great, IMO. That Argo fumble into the endzone was a riot and Wally won a challenge for a change. I love watching this Lions defence play. They fly around like missiles at times. I'm already looking forward to the Ticats game next Saturday night. McCallum really had me chuckling. He was steamed at his non-call and then seemed even more choked when the Argos got the benefit of a roughing call.

I'll add my props to Ravi for a classy post, as always.

This is the third straight week the Lions have scored at least 35 points. They're improving on both sides of the ball, capitalizing on turnovers and converting in the red zone.

Here are the players who stood out most to me:

Offensive player of the game
Casey Printers is doing a better job of managing the game each week. He made some good throws from the pocket and on the run. He had his first 300-yard passing game of the season and first game with more than 20 completions. His two TD throws to the corner of the end zone were great reads.

Runner-up: Geroy Simon celebrated his birthday with his first 7-catch game of the season for 133 yads, his second best output of the season, and moved up another notch on the list of the CFL's all-time receiving yardage leaders.

Defensive player of the game
Jonathan Brown made a huge impact against his former team, starting in the first quarter when he stuffed Boyd for a 3-yard loss on third and goal from the 1 yard line. He later added 3 sacks to shut down the Argo offence in the second half.

Runner-up: Solomon Elimimian led the defence with 5 tackles and a sack. He pursues the ball well, stays under control and hits hard. The linebacking corps has improved greatly since he moved into the middle and allowed Anton McKenzie to move back to his familiar WILL spot.

Special teams player of the game
Many of us have been waiting for Andrew Harris to get a chance to show what he can do. He didn't disappoint, averaging 39.7 yards on 3 kick returns, including a 72-yarder to open the second half and set up the momentum-changing touchdown. Harris also averaged 10.8 yards on 4 punt returns.

Runner-up: Rolly Lumbala picked up where he left off last year, leading the Lions with 4 special teams tackles to keep the Argos' dangerous returners in check.

Final notes
One statistic that is misleading in this game is the 8 sacks given up by the Lions. Four of those came in garbage time in the fourth quarter with the Lions leading by 3 scores, including 3 in the final 3 minutes of the game. Why were Printers and Lulay still standing in the pocket looking downfield with the game under control? That's the time to hand the ball to Jerome Messam and eat up some of the clock, even if it means punting the ball away. At least it keeps the quarterback upright and healthy for the second half of the season.

Speaking of Messam, he did a good job as a power back to rush for 2 touchdowns and a 6-yard average on 4 carries.

As the Lions start the second half of the season with their second straight win, their young players are starting to find their game, the offensive line is improving and the quarterbacking along with it. I have believed all along that this team would get on a roll and be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs. It started much later than I expected but it's looking more and more likely that it will happen.

Hambone wrote:

WestCoastJoe wrote:Dorazio. Still failing with pass protection.

Printers often reminds me of a squirrel crossing highway. Seems to me a lot of sacks he takes come when he starts running one way then changes his mind and reverses right back into a DL he just eluded. I'm going to try paying more attention and starting counting steamboats but often it seems like where a Dickenson or Calvillo only needs 3 steamboats to make their reads and decisions before getting rid of the ball Casey needs at least 5. It's not very often you see him make a quick decision and release the ball. I was listening to the Montreal game last week on Sirius with the Montreal broadcast crew doing the honours. One of the comments from the analyst was that in his opinion Casey still cannot make the hot read thus needs more time and protection than most QBs.

Could be Casey not making the hot read. But we don't know that. It could also be the expectations put upon him for the play. He has extremely high ambition for each and every play. If he is not taking the hot reads when he should, that is a coaching thing too.

Like Johnny Unitas, and all the greats after him said: "Take what is there." Don't force it.

And recall that the quick thinking Dave Dickenson also held onto plays forever, never giving up on them, rarely taking a hot read, taking sacks. That might indicate a coaching preference. But we can't read their minds on it.

A few pics from today's game...

Tailgate fun: watching the Als/Cats game on satellite


In case you ever wondered: yes, D *is* a lazy arse!


CP!!


Davis is a SHORT little mofo!










Not a lot of the football action was actually in front of me, so I spent more shots on things that were... Felions FTW!

nice pics soundy! The first felion is a great pic. I love the depth

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Big win and lots of spirit on the bench as the team appears to be finally getting its mojo back....it would now seem doubtful that Darius Passmore will be geting his job back anytime soon with the production the team is receiving from Steven Black…..too bad about Jeremy Geathers. Could be a torn ACL. Great acceleration off the line in his first CFL game - he could have made an impact. This makes signing Ricky Foley an even bigger priority…..why we fell ass over tea kettle to acquire Jamall Lee in the '09 draft only to park him on the bench continues to mystify me……as does why J.R. LaRose isn't given any reps at safety, given that he's a natural playmaker with a lot of experience at the position…… Casey has honed his craft through the years and seldom throws a "dumb" pass into double coverage, but I think he was more elusive (ergo "dangerous") as a rookie……I also think too many Lionbackers are getting hung up on the 8 sacks this afternoon as a raw stat without any context. Fact is, through 3 quarters at least, they gave Casey good protection for the most part. Things went haywire in the 4th when Casey couldn't or wouldn't throw the ball away and/or we had our back-ups in…..I'll judge our O-line when we finally get one of key starters - Sherko Haji-Rasouli - back into the line-up….mark my words, Solomon Elimimian will be a league all-star in a year or two…..crowd was loud and into it, but 2-7 aside, I was expecting at least a couple thousand more on hand (22,703) given that it was A) a Saturday afternoon (family day) B) post-Labour Day C) decent weather D) coming off a big win against the defending Grey Cup Champs…..nice to see Dave Richie on the sidelines taking in the game today.

DH

WestCoastJoe wrote:
Messam looks like he could be very good on screens and swing passes.

Lions run those as often as Paris Hilton works

LaRose brings an intensity David and can't be much worse than what Crawford is showing in coverage (although he is still green), but his speed has always held him back.

I don't see how Crawford can start another game, as he is lost out there, completely without a feel for the game, or the ball.

Given that he is totally out of his element, it's a lock that Wally will start him at Safety on Saturday, while LaRose and his intensity, drive, and ability to get to the ball wilt on the vine.

how about poor Flemons. I have never seen a play like that in my life and doubt I ever will again. the closest was from the NFL when someone ran a fumble back the wrong way into his own endzone. But this was one better. what a hoot - and to witness it live. (on TV) - COOL !

Solar Max wrote:

Hambone wrote:
Printers often reminds me of a squirrel crossing highway. Seems to me a lot of sacks he takes come when he starts running one way then changes his mind and reverses right back into a DL he just eluded. I'm going to try paying more attention and starting counting steamboats but often it seems like where a Dickenson or Calvillo only needs 3 steamboats to make their reads and decisions before getting rid of the ball Casey needs at least 5. It's not very often you see him make a quick decision and release the ball. I was listening to the Montreal game last week on Sirius with the Montreal broadcast crew doing the honours. One of the comments from the analyst was that in his opinion Casey still cannot make the hot read thus needs more time and protection than most QBs.

Completely agree, Dale. Casey can't make the Hot Read, period, and we should get used to that. There will be many more coverage sacks given up this season.

On the positive on CP, he isn't tossing the easy INT's that cost us games this season. I wish that CP would keep in a more upright position when he begins to scramble, many times he is stumbling as he trys to dodge underneath perceived pressure and slows his potential escape by doing so.

As for not making the hot read, he may be just doing that without a good result on who it is going to. Way too often we see teams taking away the Lions hot reads with coverage I like to call sleeping bag like.