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Growing pains come at a price for the Lions
Lions prepared to stick with rookie kicker Richie Leone, despite erratic performances
By Mike Beamish, Vancouver Sun October 18, 2015

B.C. Lions kicker Richie Leone missed his sixth convert in the past 12 attempts and was wide on a makable field goal that nearly turned into disaster as Edmonton’s Kendial Lawrence returned the missed field goal 80 yards, only to have the play called back because of a penalty in a 26-23 overtime loss to the Eskimos on Saturday.

EDMONTON — When the B.C. Lions dumped Old Reliable, Paul McCallum, in training camp this year, the ungracious treatment of a fan favourite did not sit well with many in the team’s constituency.Yet, mesmerized by the power and promise of 23-year-old Richie Leone, the Lions deemed McCallum, 45, expendable in a bold and risky decision to add kicking duties to Leone’s certified talent as a punter.

From the start, GM Wally Buono and head coach Jeff Tedford looked like the smartest men in the room. Leone, who had never kicked field goals for a full season, was purrfect through his first five games — converting all 12 attempts. One of those was a monster 56-yard kick against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in B.C.‘s home opener on July 10. The pressure field goal — the longest in Lions’ history — tied the game with 15 seconds left, a game the Lions eventually won, 35-32 in overtime.

Still, most coaches will take consistency over almost anything else in a kicker. While Leone is a super talent, he is going through the growing pains that have afflicted young kickers through the ages, as if a mandated rite of passage.

“It’s tough, when you’re not used to playing so many games in a year,” said Sean Whyte, the Eskimos’ veteran kicker. “You start to feel the eyes on you. There’s more pressure. It’s not like in university where, if you miss, you still get to play the next week. Here, if you miss, you might not have a job. It’s a different kind of pressure. Once you start to miss, it gets in your head. You’re thinking, ‘Don’t screw up.’ For me, when I miss now, I know what I did wrong. I don’t have any negative thoughts in my mind.”

Whyte, now in his seventh CFL season, booted six field goals, including two in overtime, as the Eskimos defeated the Lions 26-23 at Commonwealth Stadium, another “gut wrenching” defeat (Tedford’s words) partly paid at de feet of Leone. The rookie Leone missed his sixth convert in the past 12 attempts and was wide on a makable field goal that nearly turned into disaster. Edmonton’s Kendial Lawrence returned the missed field goal 80 yards, only to have the play called back because of a penalty.

After his early season roll, placements have turned into something of an adventure for Leone. In B.C’s previous visit to Edmonton, on Sept. 26, he missed an easy 15-yard field goal attempt and shanked a punt, leading to the Eskimos’ winning touchdown.

But Tedford said he’s not prepared to activate Anthony Fera, an import kicker on the Lions’ practice roster. Fera kicked and punted for the Texas Longhorns in 2012 and 2013. He was a consensus All — American and a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, which is given to the best college kicker in the U.S.

No will ever be able to compute just how much a team’s success and momentum is derived from a confident kicker, but there’s no doubt that kickers are difference-makers. Going into Week 17 of the 2015 season, 38 per cent of CFL games had been decided by four points or less, a record. A reliable kicker such as Whyte — he has been successful on 90 per cent of his field goals since he joined the Esks on Sept. 4 — has a statistical as well as mystical worth.

Blitz wrote:Another issue that was highlighted in our Leos loss to Edmonton was Leone missing his 6th convert in the last 12 attempts, missed a very makeable field goal that almost turned into disaster (80 yd. Edmonton return nullified by penalty). Leone shanked a 15 yd. attempt the last time we played Edmonton. Leone's field goal percentage this season is nothing to admire. He got off to a good start but has his struggles ever since.

Wally, going into this season, wanted Leone as his field goal kicker for 2015, even though he knew Leone had only kicked field goals in his last 7 games of his final season at university. Wally also knew that he had attempted to turn Duncan O'Mahoney, a punter with little field goal experience, into an instant field goal kicker with our Leos with very mixed and then unsuccessful results.

So, Buono brought McCallum to training camp and then cut him, hoping McCallum would retire, rather than come back to bite us in the ass. Nice treatmemnt of a veteran who had made such a contribution to our team - completely classless.

Buono has always favored the punting game over the field goal kicking aspect of football. But we could have dealt with things differently. We could have kept McCallum as our field goal kicker and had Leone punt this season while developing his football skills. That would have been more expensive but it could easily have been handled in a variety of ways. Leone could have been given some long field goal attempts.

We could also have gone with Fera and put Leone on the practice roster to develop his field goal kicking. Fera might have cost us 5 yards a punt but he is an experienced field goal kicker. 38% of all CFL football games this season have been decided by 4 points or less this season. With the addition of the 32 yard convert field goal kicking this season was even more important and field goal kicking has always been very important. Fera is no slouch - he kicked and punted for the Texas Longhorns in 2012 and 2013. He was a consensus All — American and a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, which is given to the best college kicker in the U.S.

But no, Wally was cheap as well as rolling the dice. The cost may be a playoff spot. That rips off Leos players and fans who deserve better. Leone may turn into a greatw field goal kicker but, considering his tremendous lack of experience at field goal kicking, either Leone/McCallum or Fera would have been better choices for this season while Leone worked on his field goal under the coaching of Don Sweet.

Growing pains come at a price for the Lions
Lions prepared to stick with rookie kicker Richie Leone, despite erratic performances
By Mike Beamish, Vancouver Sun October 18, 2015

B.C. Lions kicker Richie Leone missed his sixth convert in the past 12 attempts and was wide on a makable field goal that nearly turned into disaster as Edmonton’s Kendial Lawrence returned the missed field goal 80 yards, only to have the play called back because of a penalty in a 26-23 overtime loss to the Eskimos on Saturday.

EDMONTON — When the B.C. Lions dumped Old Reliable, Paul McCallum, in training camp this year, the ungracious treatment of a fan favourite did not sit well with many in the team’s constituency.Yet, mesmerized by the power and promise of 23-year-old Richie Leone, the Lions deemed McCallum, 45, expendable in a bold and risky decision to add kicking duties to Leone’s certified talent as a punter.

From the start, GM Wally Buono and head coach Jeff Tedford looked like the smartest men in the room. Leone, who had never kicked field goals for a full season, was purrfect through his first five games — converting all 12 attempts. One of those was a monster 56-yard kick against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in B.C.‘s home opener on July 10. The pressure field goal — the longest in Lions’ history — tied the game with 15 seconds left, a game the Lions eventually won, 35-32 in overtime.

Still, most coaches will take consistency over almost anything else in a kicker. While Leone is a super talent, he is going through the growing pains that have afflicted young kickers through the ages, as if a mandated rite of passage.

“It’s tough, when you’re not used to playing so many games in a year,” said Sean Whyte, the Eskimos’ veteran kicker. “You start to feel the eyes on you. There’s more pressure. It’s not like in university where, if you miss, you still get to play the next week. Here, if you miss, you might not have a job. It’s a different kind of pressure. Once you start to miss, it gets in your head. You’re thinking, ‘Don’t screw up.’ For me, when I miss now, I know what I did wrong. I don’t have any negative thoughts in my mind.”

Whyte, now in his seventh CFL season, booted six field goals, including two in overtime, as the Eskimos defeated the Lions 26-23 at Commonwealth Stadium, another “gut wrenching” defeat (Tedford’s words) partly paid at de feet of Leone. The rookie Leone missed his sixth convert in the past 12 attempts and was wide on a makable field goal that nearly turned into disaster. Edmonton’s Kendial Lawrence returned the missed field goal 80 yards, only to have the play called back because of a penalty.

After his early season roll, placements have turned into something of an adventure for Leone. In B.C’s previous visit to Edmonton, on Sept. 26, he missed an easy 15-yard field goal attempt and shanked a punt, leading to the Eskimos’ winning touchdown.

But Tedford said he’s not prepared to activate Anthony Fera, an import kicker on the Lions’ practice roster. Fera kicked and punted for the Texas Longhorns in 2012 and 2013. He was a consensus All — American and a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, which is given to the best college kicker in the U.S.

No will ever be able to compute just how much a team’s success and momentum is derived from a confident kicker, but there’s no doubt that kickers are difference-makers. Going into Week 17 of the 2015 season, 38 per cent of CFL games had been decided by four points or less, a record. A reliable kicker such as Whyte — he has been successful on 90 per cent of his field goals since he joined the Esks on Sept. 4 — has a statistical as well as mystical worth.

DanoT wrote:

MexicoLionFan wrote:Excellent comments guys. I would like to make a few comments about Harris...first, I don't think that he is merely a good RB, I think that he is a GREAT RB and that ONE season in a unpredictable offence and Harris will show the entire league just how good he is (2,000 + yards from the LOS). I watched the Vikings game on Sunday vs. KC, and KC knew that on the road with their injuries the only chance they had to win was to shut down Adrian Peterson (my favorite football player). So KC zone blitzed the LOS every time on 1st and 2nd downs to take AD out of the game, and it worked. Peterson rushed 26 times for 60 yards. Why? Because no matter how good you are as a RB you simply cannot pile up the yardage by never being able to run cleanly through a hole. Great backs will always break at least one, but you have to give them a chance. Peterson was given 26 chances vs. KC, Harris was given SIX! Certainly its a different game, but in autumn in Canada, if you can't run the football, you're not going to win games! Harris also had only ONE reception to go along with his 6 carries. On the road in EDM, with a lead, and we ran the football NINE times, 2 of which were QB scrambles! If that doesn't DEFINE STUPID then nothing does!

The Lions have the talent right now to win a GC, this season, if they could only generate a little momentum and thus confidence, but that simply rarely happens with our coaching. If its not a defence that allows the opposition to regularly have 8-12 play drives (sucking the focus and interest out of the Offence), or Special Teams that commit turnovers and are regularly fooled by fakes, its a predictable offence. Until the COACHING of this football team drastically changes NOTHING will improve here, and if Wally continues to lose out on FAs, conduct horrible drafts, and not add key INT personnel until the mid point of the season, then things will only get WORSE, not better.

I want the best for Andrew Harris, and I don't believe one iota that's in BC. As I said before, I would to see Kent Austin build an offence around him in HAM.

Honestly Dano, as you say the "proof is in the pudding" as a return of this coaching staff doing the same things will see the lowest season ticket base in recent history. Fans are tired of a "vanilla" Lion's staff that is getting out coached each game.

^Great post MLF. I have spent most of my life living in BC as a Lions fan but grew up in Hamilton in the 50s and 60s as a Tiger-Cat fan with my dad having season tickets. So the TiCats are my second favourite team and I would love to see Harris end up there. I hope he stays in BC but if Cortez remains OC in 2016 then the boring, predictable, empty backfield spread offense with little or no running game will likely remain. Just watch the fan base dwindle without Harris on the roster. Pretty scary stuff but Wally's stubbornness and ego are also scary.

MexicoLionFan wrote:Excellent comments guys. I would like to make a few comments about Harris...first, I don't think that he is merely a good RB, I think that he is a GREAT RB and that ONE season in a unpredictable offence and Harris will show the entire league just how good he is (2,000 + yards from the LOS). I watched the Vikings game on Sunday vs. KC, and KC knew that on the road with their injuries the only chance they had to win was to shut down Adrian Peterson (my favorite football player). So KC zone blitzed the LOS every time on 1st and 2nd downs to take AD out of the game, and it worked. Peterson rushed 26 times for 60 yards. Why? Because no matter how good you are as a RB you simply cannot pile up the yardage by never being able to run cleanly through a hole. Great backs will always break at least one, but you have to give them a chance. Peterson was given 26 chances vs. KC, Harris was given SIX! Certainly its a different game, but in autumn in Canada, if you can't run the football, you're not going to win games! Harris also had only ONE reception to go along with his 6 carries. On the road in EDM, with a lead, and we ran the football NINE times, 2 of which were QB scrambles! If that doesn't DEFINE STUPID then nothing does!

The Lions have the talent right now to win a GC, this season, if they could only generate a little momentum and thus confidence, but that simply rarely happens with our coaching. If its not a defence that allows the opposition to regularly have 8-12 play drives (sucking the focus and interest out of the Offence), or Special Teams that commit turnovers and are regularly fooled by fakes, its a predictable offence. Until the COACHING of this football team drastically changes NOTHING will improve here, and if Wally continues to lose out on FAs, conduct horrible drafts, and not add key INT personnel until the mid point of the season, then things will only get WORSE, not better.

I want the best for Andrew Harris, and I don't believe one iota that's in BC. As I said before, I would to see Kent Austin build an offence around him in HAM.

pennw wrote:

MexicoLionFan wrote:Excellent comments guys. I would like to make a few comments about Harris...first, I don't think that he is merely a good RB, I think that he is a GREAT RB and that ONE season in a unpredictable offence and Harris will show the entire league just how good he is (2,000 + yards from the LOS). I watched the Vikings game on Sunday vs. KC, and KC knew that on the road with their injuries the only chance they had to win was to shut down Adrian Peterson (my favorite football player). So KC zone blitzed the LOS every time on 1st and 2nd downs to take AD out of the game, and it worked. Peterson rushed 26 times for 60 yards. Why? Because no matter how good you are as a RB you simply cannot pile up the yardage by never being able to run cleanly through a hole. Great backs will always break at least one, but you have to give them a chance. Peterson was given 26 chances vs. KC, Harris was given SIX! Certainly its a different game, but in autumn in Canada, if you can't run the football, you're not going to win games! Harris also had only ONE reception to go along with his 6 carries. On the road in EDM, with a lead, and we ran the football NINE times, 2 of which were QB scrambles! If that doesn't DEFINE STUPID then nothing does!

The Lions have the talent right now to win a GC, this season, if they could only generate a little momentum and thus confidence, but that simply rarely happens with our coaching. If its not a defence that allows the opposition to regularly have 8-12 play drives (sucking the focus and interest out of the Offence), or Special Teams that commit turnovers and are regularly fooled by fakes, its a predictable offence. Until the COACHING of this football team drastically changes NOTHING will improve here, and if Wally continues to lose out on FAs, conduct horrible drafts, and not add key INT personnel until the mid point of the season, then things will only get WORSE, not better.

I want the best for Andrew Harris, and I don't believe one iota that's in BC. As I said before, I would to see Kent Austin build an offence around him in HAM.

Comparing NFL to CFL is an apples to oranges comparison in regards to the use of the run game on account of the it being 4 downs vs 3 .i In the NFL , they can afford to go with more run attempts when they are being stuffed because they stil have two more shots if they do get stuffed . They only need to average 3.34 yards per carry to get first downs , whereas Cfl teams need to get 5 yards per , for the same result . Last game most of Harris' 6 runs were for negative yardage and only got a total of 2 yards on those 6 carries . One of those carries went for a whole 3 yards to get the average into the black . After each run attempt they were left in second and 11 to 12 , the same as getting sacked that many times .Would they have got way more if they had gone to Harris 12 more times in that game ? Or just more 2and outs ? If you do get way more 2and outs you get less opportunities for more attempts .It would have been nice to see Harris have a great game , but he also has to produce as does the Oline blocking and this is not a Dorazio coached Oline anymore . A team can't afford to keep taking those shots if they all get stuffed , mostly for losses . This last game wasn't lost because BC had no run game , they were in the lead right up to the end after all . They played Edmonton right to the wire and the Esks are the top team , with the Number one defence . How did that happen if our offence was that bad ? They were stuffing our run game with a great defence , so what was BC to do , just will it to happen ? Try 12 more times and maybe have that many more 2 and outs ?

The Lions have the talent right now to win a GC, this season, if they could only generate a little momentum and thus confidence, but that simply rarely happens with our coaching. If its not a defence that allows the opposition to regularly have 8-12 play drives (sucking the focus and interest out of the Offence), or Special Teams that commit turnovers and are regularly fooled by fakes, its a predictable offence. Until the COACHING of this football team drastically changes NOTHING will improve here, and if Wally continues to lose out on FAs, conduct horrible drafts, and not add key INT personnel until the mid point of the season, then things will only get WORSE, not better.

MLF

I hope Harris stays in BC but if Cortez remains OC in 2016 then the boring, predictable, empty backfield spread offense with little or no running game will likely remain. Just watch the fan base dwindle without Harris on the roster. Pretty scary stuff but Wally's stubbornness and ego are also scary.
DanoT

If the run game is not working between the tackles because the Esks are stacking the box, then the Lions should be trying to run to the perimeter, screen passes to Harris, shovel passes- they did it once I think, use motion and misdirection, move the pocket and roll out the QB who can then throw a short pass to Harris.

One way or another the Lions, if they expect to win games, MUST get the ball into the hands of their best player.

DanoT

Last game most of Harris' 6 runs were for negative yardage and only got a total of 2 yards on those 6 carries . One of those carries went for a whole 3 yards to get the average into the black . After each run attempt they were left in second and 11 to 12 , the same as getting sacked that many times .Would they have got way more if they had gone to Harris 12 more times in that game ? Or just more 2and outs ? If you do get way more 2and outs you get less opportunities for more attempts .It would have been nice to see Harris have a great game , but he also has to produce as does the Oline blocking and this is not a Dorazio coached Oline anymore . A team can't afford to keep taking those shots if they all get stuffed , mostly for losses . This last game wasn't lost because BC had no run game , they were in the lead right up to the end after all . They played Edmonton right to the wire and the Esks are the top team , with the Number one defence.
pennw

DanoT wrote:
One way or another the Lions, if they expect to win games, MUST get the ball into the hands of their best player.

pennw wrote:

DanoT wrote:
One way or another the Lions, if they expect to win games, MUST get the ball into the hands of their best player.

Lately , that would be Emmanuel Arceneaux(other then Jennings) , who has moved into the upper echelon of receivers since Jennings has become the starter. Manny is currently in 4th in the league , was in 3rd spot the week before . He is neck and neck with the second and third place guys . Only the Rogers , in first , has a substantial lead . Before Jennings started Manny was not in the top 10 , but has pulled way out since . Harris was our top offensive threat earlier , when our QB's couldn't deliver the ball and certainly not deep . Did anyone prefer our earlier offence to what it is now? So they HAVE been getting the ball to their BEST player .
I'll stick by my comment that it wasn't our offence that cost us that game , but there was one dumb play call that IMO made the difference . Had that one gone different we probably would have won and this discussion wouldn't be happening . We were leading the best team before that one play, even with our running game not working .
The Esks are the best defence currently and to say we should have been able to run much better against them is not respecting how good they are IMO . This is the Team that has beat the Stamps their last two games in a row. The fact we could do as well against them says something positive about our team , not the other way around . Had they simply handed the ball to Harris 12 more times than they did , would have made it a lopsided loss for us . Against a very good team , sometimes you have to take what they give you , and they were not giving us the run. So on that front I would credit our coaches for making us competitive against the Esks , we did better then the Hufnagel /Dickenson coached Stamps did against them . When our arm chair coaches prove they their abilities by coaching a CFL team and winning , I'll believe they are better than our current coaches .

Goater’ takes rap for bad Lions snap

QB McGhee admits mistake, but there is lots of blame to go around

By Mike Beamish, Vancouver Sun October 20, 2015

The backward, underhand, between-the-legs handoff from the centre to the quarterback is the most elementary move in football.

It’s called the snap, but it’s anything but, as the B.C. Lions demonstrated to their horror in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game in Edmonton.

Centre Jason Foster — who spends so much time with another man’s hands on his buttocks that he can identify the quarterback blind-folded, just by the feel — realized his greatest fear on an exchange with backup QB Greg McGhee.

Scrimmaging from the Edmonton one-yard line, the Lions simply had to punch the ball into the end zone to take an eight-point lead — possibly nine, with the convert — that might have iced a winning result against the first-place Eskimos.

Bending down, Foster rotated the ball so he could place his right thumb over the laces, let the rest of his right hand fall naturally into place, and then … disaster.

McGhee never got control of the snap, fumbled the exchange and the football bounced into the end zone, where it was recovered and returned 34 yards by the Eskimos’ Deon Lacey. Edmonton eventually went on to win 26-23 in overtime.

“The ball came out a little funky on the snap,” Foster confessed Tuesday, after the Lions returned to the practice field and later discussed the game-turning play. “I’ll put the blame on me. I was cocked too forward to make my block and I muffed the snap.”

As noble as it is for Foster to take the rap, McGhee, whose nickname just happens to be “Goater,” insists he should be made the scapegoat.

“As much as he (Foster) said that, I honestly think it’s my fault,” McGhee admitted. “I didn’t get the ball properly. I didn’t fix my hands the way they were supposed to be fixed. It just has to happen. The ball hit my hand, and I have to catch it.”

Coach Jeff Tedford was deemed just as culpable by many Lions fans for sending McGhee into the game in the first place. It was the only instance against Edmonton where the rookie quarterback got to (mis) handle the ball. Jon Jennings was behind centre for the other 45 offensive plays.

“It doesn’t really concern me getting hurt on a sneak. We can get injured at any time,” Jennings said.

That’s precisely the reason, though, why Jennings was removed temporarily so that McGhee could take the brunt of the defensive push at the goal-line, Tedford explained.

“You take the hits off your (starting) quarterback by doing that,” Tedford said. “It’s like earlier in the year, when Travis (Lulay) was starting, Jennings was running the quarterback sneaks. It’s something that Greg had practised all week long and has done so for the past few weeks.”

The thing is, McGhee, who works with the scout team, usually takes the bulk of his snaps during the practice week from Cam Thorn, the backup centre, not Foster. The evidence might suggest there was a tad of unfamiliarity at play at here. Complicating matters further is that McGhee is left-handed; Jennings’ dominant hand, is his right.

“One hundred per cent. It’s not something we can do in our sleep,” Foster said. “But it’s your livelihood, your job. You gotta do things sometimes that are against your job … and adjust to different styles. This is one of the styles I have to adjust to. It’s my fault.”

The injury issue aside, would it not limit the possibility of bad exchanges to have the starting quarterback take snaps on all plays, including short yardage as is done in NCAA football and the NFL? Jennings took every one at Saginaw Valley State. But that’s not the way in the CFL.

“I guess you could say it’s safer (to have him take the snaps) because I’m more in rhythm, just by being in the game,” Jennings said. “It’s (short-yardage quarterback) just kind of something that is done in the CFL.”

“Here in the CFL game, when you use the shotgun (formation) 99 per cent of the time, you don’t get the under-the-centre reps that you do in other leagues,” says R.J. Archer, the Lions’ fourth quarterback. “That’s some of the reasons (for fumbles). There’s just not as much familiarity with it. But a quarterback sneak is not a normal play. When a team knows you’re going to try and sneak the ball, they start piling everybody in there. The centre has two huge guys in front of him, the quarterback’s thinking about pushing forward as quick as he can, there’s a lot going on. There are a lot of little intricacies that make it tougher than a casual observer would see.”

Perhaps that’s why it’s called a quarterback sneak. It conceals all the things that can go wrong — and did, for the Lions.

Sir Purrcival wrote:Here is a question. Travis is dressed for these games is he not? Why didn't they let him run the sneak?

B.C.FAN wrote:The Lions have been using a backup quarterback (often a third-stringer) to run QB sneaks for years. Jarious Jackson did it for years to spare Dave Dickenson and Buck Pierce from hits and because, frankly, he was good at it. Jennings did it as a rookie earlier in the year while Lulay started.

Many teams use their backups in short-yardage situations. Others leave their starters in. Whichever method they use, all teams except the Lions are successful in their short-yardage offence most of the time. Here are the success rates on 3rd and 1 gambles this year:

Edm 15/18 (83%)
Wpg 14/17 (82%
Sas 11/14 (79%)
Mtl 19/25 (76%)
Tor 9/12 (75%)
Ott 11/15 73%)
Cal 9/14 (64%)
Ham 5/8 (63%)
BC 4/10 (40%)

Having an inexperienced centre and QB may be part of the Lions' problem but I think the biggest issue is the play of the offensive line overall. They just don't get a good push. That's been the situation for many years with different O-line personnel and coaching.