Lions @ Stamps Game Day Thread

[SammyGreene]

A huge game for the Lions that has flown under the radar this week for a variety of reasons, including the return of one certain QB and their neighbours across the street playing a wack of pre-season games.
Lose and the Stamps will win the season series and make it very difficult to finish ahead of the defending champions.
The showings against the Als a couple of weeks ago were encouraging but the feeling around the league and perhaps even here in Vancouver, is the Lions are more pretenders and contenders until they win a game like tonight. What also hasn't helped their reputation are the blowout losses to the Stamps and Bombers, along with being swept by the Tiger-Cats.

Some key changes on defence with the addition of Steve Williams and Shane Simmons. This unit has played well in recent weeks and can't be any worse than the earlier loss to the Stamps. The biggest question is how will Buck stand up with his sore ribs and can he stretch the Stamps defence? Establishing Mallet is a must.

Go Lions.

[WestCoastJoe]

GAME PREVIEW

Lions return to McMahon

THE PREGAME

The Calgary Stampeders return home to lick their wounds after a disappointing 24-17 loss to Hamilton to find their division rivals, the BC Lions, waiting for them and looking for revenge. Calgary (6-5) had its season-best three-game winning streak snapped with the loss to the Ticats but the Stamps are riding a two-game winning streak at home (including the playoffs last season, Calgary also has a four-game unbeaten streak at home against BC).

Last week’s loss combined with Edmonton’s win over Saskatchewan has the Stamps, Eskimos and Roughriders once again tied for first place in the West, all with 6-5 records. The Lions beat the Argos at home last week to raise their record to 5-6 and leave themselves only two points back of first. Calgary currently possesses the tiebreaker with both Edmonton (two wins to one with one game left) and BC (one win to none with two games remaining) but is behind in the tiebreaker with the Riders (one game to none with two games left between the clubs).

Lions head coach Wally Buono became the CFL’s all-time leader in wins with the victory over Toronto. Buono now has 232 wins as a head coach, 153 coming as bench boss for the Stampeders from 1990-2002. Buono had a .653 winning percentage with Calgary, finished first in the West eight times, went to six Grey Cups and won three of them (’92, ’98 and ’01). Since Buono’s move to B.C. in 2003, Calgary is 6-11-1 in the 18 regular-season and playoff games played between the two clubs but is 4-0 in its last four games against the Lions, including a three-game regular season sweep in 2008 en route to the Stamps’ first Grey Cup win since the Buono era. Calgary also beat the Lions 48-10 in Week 4 of the current season at B.C. Place. Calgary is 3-2 at home this year and 3-2 against the West while BC is 2-3 on the road and 2-2 within the West Division.

THE KICKOFF
Kickoff for this week’s game is scheduled for 8 p.m. MDT on Friday, Sept. 25 at McMahon Stadium. The game will be televised on TSN’s Friday Night Football as part of a doubleheader, with the Montreal-Hamilton game preceding it. Calgary’s record on Friday Nights in 2009 dropped to 4-2 with last week’s loss to Hamilton. The game can be heard on the radio at QR77 (AM 770 on the radio dial and am770chqr.com on the Internet) and it will also be broadcast on the Internet on CFL broadband at www.cfl.ca.

THE OFFENCE
Calgary’s offence struggled in the loss to Hamilton, especially in the passing game. The Stamps had 14 possessions in the game and managed just 17 points, 10 of which were offensive points. Calgary had 250 yards of total offence (a season low) and had the ball for only 25 minutes and 48 seconds, its lowest total since the Week 1 loss to Montreal (Calgary’s record dropped to 1-5 when losing the time of possession battle). QB Henry Burris passed for only 114 yards, his lowest single-game (non-injury) total since returning to the Stamps as the starter in 2005 and he had a QB efficiency mark of 54.4.

Calgary’s record is 2-9 in the 11 games Burris has passed for less than 200 yards since 2005. Calgary is 3-1 this year in games in which Burris has thrown for more than 300 yards and 3-4 in games in which he has passed for less than 300 yards. Burris hasn’t exactly torched the Lions over the Stamps’ current four-game winning streak, averaging 221 yards per game, but he does have a healthy eight-to-two touchdown-to-interception ratio during that span.

SB Jeremaine Copeland once again led the Stamps in receiving last week with four catches for 70 yards but he had his four-game touchdown streak snapped as he was held of the scoresheet. Copeland has caught seven touchdowns in his last five games and has 29 receptions for 566 yards over that stretch, including the 500th catch of his CFL career in last week’s game.

RB Joffrey Reynolds made sure the running game carried its share of the load in Hamilton as he chewed up 127 yards on only 13 carries to rack up his league-leading fifth 100-yard game of the 2009 season (Calgary is 4-1 in those games). Reynolds now has 806 yards on the season and is only 120 yards behind the CFL’s leading rusher, Fred Reid of Winnipeg. Reynolds has rushed for over 100 yards in three of his last four games against BC and averages 76.8 yards in his career against the Leos (14 games). Calgary also lost a key veteran to injury in the loss to Hamilton as WR Ryan Thelwell went down with an Achilles injury. That, coupled with WR Ken Yon Rambo’s earlier injury, forced the Stamps to make a trade for help at the receiver position and Calgary acquired SB Romby Bryant and WR Arjei Franklin from Winnipeg in exchange for WR Titus Ryan, WR Jabari Arthur and DE Odell Willis. Bryant led the Bombers in receiving in 2008, catching 65 passes for 1,206 yards and nine TDs. Franklin had a career best 52 receptions for 620 yards in 2008 and while both have had off years in 2009 (Franklin has been injured and Bryant has only caught 20 passes for 262 yards) both are expected to bolster Calgary’s passing game and provide much-needed help for the depleted Calgary receiving corps.

THE DEFENCE
The Stampeders defence surrendered 402 yards of total offence against Hamilton, 65 more than their season average of 345 (fourth best in the CFL). It was the fifth time this year the Stamps have given up more than 400 yards in a game and their record fell to 1-4 in those five games. The defence is slipping back into old bad habits with respect to stopping the run. Calgary averaged a league-worst 144.1 yards per game after seven games this year but seemed to get a handle on the problem over the next two games, leading the CFL with an average of only 67 yards allowed. In the last two games though, the average is back to 143 yards and overall, Calgary still sits in seventh spot at 124 yards allowed per game.

The Stamps did welcome back two familiar faces on defence in DE Charleston Hughes (#39) and DT Tearrius George (#91), both back from time spent in the NFL. George led the team in sacks in 2007 with seven and Hughes led the team in 2008 with five. Their return added so much depth to the D-line that Calgary was able to part with promising rookie Willis in return for more immediate help at receiver. Hughes was back to his old tricks right away in the loss, leading the team in tackles with seven and registering two sacks. George had three tackles in his return as well as a forced fumble.

THE SPECIAL TEAMS
Calgary kicker Sandro DeAngelis had only five points in last week’s game, causing him to lose ground to Montreal’s Damon Duval in the league scoring race. Duval now leads the Calgary kicker by 24 points, 140 points to 116. DeAngelis went one-for-two in field goal attempts and added two converts for his total. DeAngelis still leads the CFL in field goal percentage at 87.1 per cent and has only missed four field goal attempts on the year. Of those misses, only one has been from inside the 40, leaving him with a 94.4 per cent rate inside the 40 compared to the league mark of 88.9 per cent from the same distance. DeAngelis has a 76.9 per cent mark from on 40-to-50-yard attempts, up 14 per cent from the league average but has not attempted a FG from more than 50 yards. His longest attempt this year is 48 yards (missed) and his longest made FG is also 48 yards. KR Titus Ryan was part of the big trade this week and should be replaced by R Markus Howell for the immediate future. Howell was fifth in the CFL in punt returns in 2008 with 591 yards and an 8.8-yard average and has a similar 8.0 average this year on 12 returns.

THE OPPOSITION
The Lions find themselves in unfamiliar territory after 12 weeks of play thus far this season — last place in the West. Part of the reason for their losing record can be attributed to the inconsistent play of the quarterbacks. Injury has also played a factor with opening game starter Buck Pierce (#16) missing time with various injuries (the latest being a concussion) and his replacement Jarious Jackson now on the shelf with a shoulder problem. Pierce is back in as the starter and his numbers for the year put him in eighth spot amongst CFL QBs. Pierce has passed for 1,338 yards, six touchdowns, nine interceptions and rates out at 75.5 (the Lions as a team have a 81.7 efficiency rating, sixth best in the CFL). Pierce got the start in the Week 4 loss to Calgary but was pulled after passing for only 97 yards and an interception.

Running the ball has not been a problem for the Leos, who are third in the CFL with an average of 115.2 yards rushing per game thanks in large part to the efforts of rookie RB Martell Mallett (#35). Mallett is a leading candidate for rookie of the year in the CFL as he is second in CFL rushing with 869 yards. The highlight of his rookie campaign came in Week 10 against Montreal when he rushed for a club record 213 yards on 21 carries in a Lions win.

SB Paris Jackson (#19) and SB Geroy Simon (#81) are up to their usual tricks as they are the main cogs in the Lions passing attack. Jackson moved inside this year from his familiar wide receiver position and leads the team with 54 receptions for 720 yards and five TDs. Simon is having a bit of an off year (for him) but is still in 11th spot in the league with 43 catches for 609 yards and four majors, a pace that should see the former league MOP eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the seventh straight season. Rookie SB Emmanuel Arceneux is also having a solid season in his first CFL campaign, contributing a team-leading six receiving TDs and 471 yards on 38 catches.

On defence, Canadian DE Ricky Foley (#95) is having a great year in his first year as a starter, collecting eight sacks to share first place in the league’s sack race. He was named the CFL’s defensive player of the week for his seven-tackle, three-sack performance against Toronto. He and fellow Canuck Brent Johnson (#97, six sacks in 2009 and five straight seasons of more than 10 sacks) give the Lions a great pair of bookends to compliment DT Aaron Hunt (#90), a three-time Western All-star.

The biggest change on defence for the Lions since the Week 4 loss to Calgary was the addition of former Stampeder MLB JoJuan Armour (#11). Armour was the starting MLB on Calgary’s championship team in 2008 but was cut after training camp and joined the Lions in Week 6 to help with the Lions’ league-worst run defence. After six games with Armour however, the Lions are still last in the CFL in yards rushing allowed with 141.9 per game. Since Armour’s return, BC has averaged 137 yards allowed per game along the ground, with most of that coming in a 403-yard game surrendered to Winnipeg. Take that game out and BC is only giving up an average of 83.9 yards in the other five games since Armour has been in the lineup and has a 4-2 record in the six games.

THE NUMBERS
As mentioned, Calgary is currently on a four-game winning streak against BC and a look at the average numbers over those four games shows Calgary gets full marks for those victories. The Stamps have averaged 38 points per game, totaled an average of 416.7 yards of offence, averaged 237.5 yards passing and a dominating 194 yards rushing per game. During the streak, Calgary scored 16 touchdowns (four per game) while only turning the ball over four times and allowing only nine sacks. Calgary also won the time of possession battle in three of the four games and averaged 33:33 of possession. On defence, Calgary averaged 21.7 points allowed, 334 yards of offence allowed (220 yards passing and 123 yards rushing) and gave up only eight TDs while taking the ball away nine times and collecting 11 sacks.

THE OTHER GAMES
Week 13 gets under way on Friday with a big East Division showdown. Montreal (9-2) takes on the Ticats (6-5) in Hamilton in what is a big game for the Tabbies if they have any hopes of finishing first. Saturday’s doubleheader sees the Riders (6-5) traveling to Edmonton (6-5) for the back end of their two-game set followed by Winnipeg (3-8) hosting the Argos (3-8) in a battle for last place in the East.

THE EXTRAS
This week, we take a look at some of the league stats as well as Calgary’s and see how they compare to years past in terms of increases or decreases. Points scored in CFL games and total offence per game are both down from 2008 with 51.4 points being scored and 695.5 yards of total offence per game being rung up. Those numbers are down nine per cent and 19 per cent respectively from 2008 and are down from totals posted in three of the last four years. Calgary averages 31.4 points scored (first) and 392.7 yards of offence (second) per game in 2009, down from the 31.6 points scored per game in 2008 (second) but up from the 24.3 (third) scored in 2007.

Calgary averaged 411.8 yards of offence per game in 2008 (second) and 402.1 yards (first) in 2007. Passing and rushing yards are also down as you might expect looking at the total yardage numbers as CFL games this year average 516.3 yards passing and 221.7 yards rushing, down 11 and three per cent respectively. Turnovers are up 16 per cent (5.7 turnovers per game this year compared to 4.9 in 2008) and kickoffs are up 23 per cent, not surprisingly considering the rule change that sees teams kickoff after field goals this year as opposed to having a choice in previous years. Calgary has turned the ball over 27 times in 11 games compared to 30 all year in 2008 and is third in the CFL with a plus-6 ratio. Calgary led the CFL in 2008 with a plus-20 but was dead last in 2007 at minus-20 as the Stamps gave the ball away 54 times in 18 games.

Interception and fumble return touchdowns are also up 20 per cent from last year at 20 (Calgary has four) and blocked kicks are up a whopping 215 per cent with 14 already this year compared to just eight in 2008.

— written by Mike Hardiman

http://www.stampeders.com/schedule/the_ ... /?id=17014

[B.C.FAN]

A huge game for the Lions that has flown under the radar this week for a variety of reasons, including the return of one certain QB and their neighbours across the street playing a wack of pre-season games.
Lose and the Stamps will win the season series and make it very difficult to finish ahead of the defending champions.
The showings against the Als a couple of weeks ago were encouraging but the feeling around the league and perhaps even here in Vancouver, is the Lions are more pretenders and contenders until they win a game like tonight. What also hasn't helped their reputation are the blowout losses to the Stamps and Bombers, along with being swept by the Tiger-Cats.

Some key changes on defence with the addition of Steve Williams and Shane Simmons. This unit has played well in recent weeks and can't be any worse than the earlier loss to the Stamps. The biggest question is how will Buck stand up with his sore ribs and can he stretch the Stamps defence? Establishing Mallet is a must.

Go Lions.

Great overview, SammyGreene. This is indeed a test of whether the Lions are legitimate contenders in the West. The Lions have been creeping up after a 1-4 start. B.C. and Calgary are the hottest teams in the West, both going 4-2 in their past six games. A B.C. victory would set up a four-team sprint to the finish in the final six weeks of the season.

[PigSkin_53]

Lions now stand at the threshold of one of the turning points their season pivots on.

The Stampeders are cocky and ripe for the picking, after being softened up by the new-age reincarnation of the Tiger Cats last week.

Buck Pierce must bring his A game to a new level in order to preserve himself as starting Qb in the Leos pecking order.

If he flounders or falters look for Lulay and Champion to get their chance to shine, if not get in some much needed reps.

The pressure is squarely upon Buck as he must rise to the occasion now, and there is no looking back.

He must us his head, stay out of harms way, play a creative and savvy game, and there is every chance of us evening the season’s record with the Stamps tonight.

Go Bucky and instinctively find the form you showed those first years as DD’s backup again, which you convincingly impressed your potential greatness on us all.

[Belize City Lion]

"The biggest game of the season"... while it sounds cliched, get used to that expression. We (hopefully) will be using that phrase a lot in the next 7 weeks. After everything that has gone wrong this year, just imagine; we win tonight and we are in a 3 way tie for 2nd place, with a a plethora of west division match ups for the final 3rd of the season. How exciting that we could be looking at a 6 game "mini-season" to decide the playoff seeding! But first, we need to win tonight.

So yep, it's the biggest game of the season. Until next week at least. GO LIONS!!

[Rammer]

"The biggest game of the season"... while it sounds cliched, get used to that expression. We (hopefully) will be using that phrase a lot in the next 7 weeks. After everything that has gone wrong this year, just imagine; we win tonight and we are in a 3 way tie for 2nd place, with a a plethora of west division match ups for the final 3rd of the season. How exciting that we could be looking at a 6 game "mini-season" to decide the playoff seeding! But first, we need to win tonight.

So yep, it's the biggest game of the season. Until next week at least. GO LIONS!!

Exactly right! With the West tighter than two coats of paint, and the Lions slated to play 6 of our remaining 7 against Western opposition, "the biggest game of the season" will run rampant around here if we can produce some W's early on.

[Spud387]

Go Bucky and instinctively find the form you showed those first years as DD’s backup again, which you convincingly impressed your potential greatness on us all.

If not for us, for Dunnigan who has a man crush on you

[LFITQ]

It is a big game. Win and we are back in the thick of things. Lose and we are looking at the crossover. With 6 losses already on the season, we don't have a lot of wiggle room. A win is needed just to keep "our heads above water".

Hopefully this urgency to win is shown in the play of the players and in the calls of the play callers.

[LFITQ]

Just to add a little more to this game, Glen Suitor just tweeted that Huffnagel has never lost a game to Buono as HC.

[Lion Guy]

It is a big game. Win and we are back in the thick of things. Lose and we are looking at the crossover. With 6 losses already on the season, we don't have a lot of wiggle room. A win is needed just to keep "our heads above water".

Hopefully this urgency to win is shown in the play of the players and in the calls of the play callers.

Amen brother

[TheLionKing]

Just to add a little more to this game, Glen Suitor just tweeted that Huffnagel has never lost a game to Buono as HC.

There's always a first for everything

[zark]

I'm just going to cheer along with the kids. I have no idea what to expect. Will Buck notice Geroy? Will Paris not suffer the dropsies? Will we establish a good ground game? Will Buck throw a pass more than 20 yds....I have no idea at this point, I just want a good game.

If it isn't...the fire ban is lifted and I see the backyard firepit being lit .

[sj-roc]

Is the game on tsn.ca?

[Rammer]

Just to add a little more to this game, Glen Suitor just tweeted that Huffnagel has never lost a game to Buono as HC.

When that was pointed out to Wally in the pre-game show, he said it wasn't to do with Huffer. Yet the timing of our losing streak coincides with his arrival to the game. I have seen Hufnagel laughing at the Lions inability to stop the QB sneak with his second O in, completely embarrassing.