QB
Lulay = Sudden Star, although as is usually the case it was not actually overnight. NFL, Europe, backup, starter, tough times, starter again. Voila, sudden star. IMO he is the prototype for a CFL quarterback. Mobile, smart, courageous, throws well on the move, composed and confident. No rocket for an arm, but I would contend that neither do Ricky Ray, Anthony Calvillo nor did Dave Dickenson.
Reilly and Jackson = good backups.
RB
Robertson ... very good IMO. Davis should get way more reps than he got. He is the maximum weapon. Use him. Good NI backups, with Lumbala very good blocking back.
Underutilized runnning game.
WR
Geroy has help. Arceneaux. Black. Jackson had an off year IMO. Wilson showed well enough last game. Gotta get reps for Gore and Foster or they will fade.
O Line
Very promising with the addition of McGrath, Newman and Olafioye. Valli is strong and motivated, needs to relax more. Hameister is very capable.
D Line
Need a rush end very, very much. The rest of the parts are very good to excellent. No NI backup strength however, unless Johnson will fill that role.
LBs
Excellent group now. McKenzie is not a difference maker IMO.
DBs
Crawford was a weakness IMO. Hyland probably better suited to safety than corner. Phillips needs to play the body much more. Marsh, Reddick, Sanchez (hope he returns), all excellent. Franks will be good IMO.
STs
IMO you stay with the Hall of Famer at least one more year.
Coaching
Personnel is good enough to contend all the way IMO.
IMO Wally returns with his staff intact. If we open up the offence, if we adapt to the specifics of our opponents' weaknesses, if we run the ball more, if we mix it up to keep the D off balance, it won't matter who is OC. IMO.
Overall too conservative, IMO, but waddayagonna do? As long as they play hard, exciting football, it is all good. Playoffs and Grey Cup contention would be nice. Possible? Dunno? We'll know soon enough by the time of the second exhibition game in 2011.
..........
More detail later ...
2010 End of Year Personnel Review
Moderator: Team Captains
Great analysis WCJ. I completely agree with your position breakdowns.
I believe we can be a more dynamic offense next year, but have to design a playbook to Lulay's strengths and become far more imaginative/creative as we've fallen behind teams like Calgary and Montreal (personally I'd like to see Travis roll out of the pocket more often). Better deployment of personnel too (i.e. Jamall Lee)!
I thought the anti-blitz schemes improved toward the back half of the season, but we need a better balance of run and pass as our play-action doesn't fool anyone. We gave up a league high 65 sacks too which we need to address, but I think we have the pieces in place on the O-line.
DH
I believe we can be a more dynamic offense next year, but have to design a playbook to Lulay's strengths and become far more imaginative/creative as we've fallen behind teams like Calgary and Montreal (personally I'd like to see Travis roll out of the pocket more often). Better deployment of personnel too (i.e. Jamall Lee)!
I thought the anti-blitz schemes improved toward the back half of the season, but we need a better balance of run and pass as our play-action doesn't fool anyone. We gave up a league high 65 sacks too which we need to address, but I think we have the pieces in place on the O-line.
DH
Roar, You Lions, Roar
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joe kapp22
- Legend
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- Joined: Thu Feb 25, 2010 3:26 pm
Agree with 95% of that WCJ, believe it or not!WestCoastJoe wrote:QB
Lulay = Sudden Star, although as is usually the case it was not actually overnight. NFL, Europe, backup, starter, tough times, starter again. Voila, sudden star. IMO he is the prototype for a CFL quarterback. Mobile, smart, courageous, throws well on the move, composed and confident.
Reilly and Jackson = good backups.
RB
Robertson ... very good IMO. Davis should get way more reps than he got. He is the maximum weapon. Use him. Good NI backups, with Lumbala very good blocking back.
Underutilized runnning game.
WR
Geroy has help. Arceneaux. Black. Jackson had an off year IMO. Wilson showed well enough last game. Gotta get reps for Gore and Foster or they will fade.
O Line
Very promising with the addition of McGrath, Newman and Olafioye. Valli is strong and motivated, needs to relax more. Hameister is very capable.
D Line
Need a rush end very, very much. The rest of the parts are very good to excellent. No NI backup strength however, unless Johnson will fill that role.
LBs
Excellent group now. McKenzie is not a difference maker IMO.
DBs
Crawford was a weakness IMO. Hyland probably better suited to safety than corner. Phillips needs to play the body much more. Marsh, Reddick, Sanchez (hope he returns), all excellent. Franks will be good IMO.
STs
IMO you stay with the Hall of Famer at least one more year.
Coaching
Personnel is good enough to contend all the way IMO.
IMO Wally returns with his staff intact. If we open up the offence, if we adapt to the specifics of our opponents' weaknesses, if we run the ball more, if we mix it up to keep the D off balance, it won't matter who is OC. IMO.
Overall too conservative, IMO, but waddayagonna do? As long as they play hard, exciting football, it is all good. Playoffs and Grey Cup contention would be nice. Possible? Dunno? We'll know soon enough by the time of the second exhibition game in 2011.
..........
More detail later ...
My only concern:
-Poaching, not as much as in previous years, but I have some trepidations.
-Oline, does Watkins sign this year? Otherwise over the course of the season the depth really blossomed.
-Jarious Jackson, do we keep him? Trade him?
Otherwise, the team was on the upswing when the season ended, there will be some shuffling of Veterans I'd think, but still, mostly intact I'd think.
And the real wildcard is, down south, if there is a labour issue, Wally B and Roy will have the largest crop of import talent to pick through in quite some time as players will be looking for work, there will be a draft, but the Undrafted Free Agents will have no chance to compete in training camp as there will be none.
GM Buono knows this I am sure.
Know the smallest things and the biggest things, the shallowest things and the deepest things. As if it were a straight road mapped out on the ground ... These things cannot be explained in detail. From one thing, know ten thousand things. When you attain the Way of strategy there will not be one thing you cannot see. You must study hard.
Just my 2 cents, but I can see Sean Gore replacing Paris Jackson next year as a starting WR. I don't know how much of a factor injuries played on Jackson's season, but he certainly wasn't featured prominently like previous years.
As far as free safety, Tad Crawford needs to be given an apple and a road map. The injury to Davis Sanchez hurt the Lions when they had to move David Hyland out of the safety slot and reinstate Crawford. All in all, Crawford's performance was sub par throughout 2010.
As far as free safety, Tad Crawford needs to be given an apple and a road map. The injury to Davis Sanchez hurt the Lions when they had to move David Hyland out of the safety slot and reinstate Crawford. All in all, Crawford's performance was sub par throughout 2010.
I'm curious (if the Leos make no changes in the coaching staff this off-season) how the offense will do with Lulay at the helm for a full season. I wonder if the production (points scored, not net yardage) will be up just by virtue of having a better QB? I would think so. But, will it be enough?
I was listening to Giulio Caravatta on the Team1040 (podcast from Monday) with B-Mac and Sekeres, and he said he only saw two QBs that have that intangible that Lulay seems to have, that "it" factor that tells you that regardless of the circumstances, you're never out of the game. And, those two were Doug Flutie and Dave Dickenson. That's very high praise for a quarterback who hasn't even played a full season yet.
The only area in terms of personnel that I might disagree on is running back, but I'm willing to wait and see how Robertson does with a more competent, cohesive offensive line in front of him. I think he did quite well considering the jumbled mess that front line was for at least half the season.
Regardless, a lot of reasons to be optimistic about next year. Bring on 2011 already.
I was listening to Giulio Caravatta on the Team1040 (podcast from Monday) with B-Mac and Sekeres, and he said he only saw two QBs that have that intangible that Lulay seems to have, that "it" factor that tells you that regardless of the circumstances, you're never out of the game. And, those two were Doug Flutie and Dave Dickenson. That's very high praise for a quarterback who hasn't even played a full season yet.
The only area in terms of personnel that I might disagree on is running back, but I'm willing to wait and see how Robertson does with a more competent, cohesive offensive line in front of him. I think he did quite well considering the jumbled mess that front line was for at least half the season.
Regardless, a lot of reasons to be optimistic about next year. Bring on 2011 already.
Excellent analysis, WCJ. The only area where I might disagree is the offensive line. It is much deeper and more consistent than at the beginning of the season, but are there five quality starters for next year? McGrath was an upgrade in B.C. but was considered too soft in Edmonton. Haji-Rasouli wasn't healthy all year. The jury is out on Newman as a starter. Reid's experience and leadership solidified the line but he was considered too small to get the needed push upfront and might not be back. Valli's experience, health and ability to make line calls under pressure remain big questions. Jones won a starting spot at guard but missed most of the season. Hameister-Ries stepped in and seemed to play well but his knee remains a question. Sorensen is a spare part who has not lived up to his promise. Olafioye seems to be the only starter guaranteed a spot, and even he was moved part way through the season.
I sure liked our offensive line a heck of a lot better in the second half of the season. You have to look at the offensive line to begin the season. We had Vaili at center, who had only played center for a portion of a season in 2009. We had two converted defensive tackles playing left guard and the critical left tackle position in Andrew Jones and Duckett. We had at the time, a raw rookie, in Olafioye playing right guard, which was also a waste of an import, for the most part. And finally we had Hameister Rees playing out of position at right tackle. When Sherko first came back from his injury we had him playing right tackle, when he was our best offensive lineman at right guard last season. No wonder none of our quarterbacks were very successful in our 1-7 start. Lulay's first stint, which was not successful was based upon inexperience and we know now that Printers had a knee injury but even Jarious had no time and couldn't get much done either. Adding to the whole problem at the time was that we were keeping our tailback in to block on most occasions and we had no quick release safety valve and teams blitzed the hell out of us.B.C.FAN wrote:Excellent analysis, WCJ. The only area where I might disagree is the offensive line. It is much deeper and more consistent than at the beginning of the season, but are there five quality starters for next year? McGrath was an upgrade in B.C. but was considered too soft in Edmonton. Haji-Rasouli wasn't healthy all year. The jury is out on Newman as a starter. Reid's experience and leadership solidified the line but he was considered too small to get the needed push upfront and might not be back. Valli's experience, health and ability to make line calls under pressure remain big questions. Jones won a starting spot at guard but missed most of the season. Hameister-Ries stepped in and seemed to play well but his knee remains a question. Sorensen is a spare part who has not lived up to his promise. Olafioye seems to be the only starter guaranteed a spot, and even he was moved part way through the season.
Going into next season, Valli will likely return to the starting center spot. Reid will be 35 next season, has only been an all-star once in 2004 (interestingly playing center for Casey Printers for most of that season) and says he thinks he's a starter and doesn't want to back up. Valli brings a stronger presence at center but needs experience in calling out line blocking. I like Hameister-Rees at left guard and Olafioye is going to be a star at left tackle. He made an amazing ajustment to be able to switch sides. With Sherko having trouble with his 'pins' we might see Newman start at right tackle and I believe he's a very good offensive lineman. The question mark will be at right tackle, where McGrath was solid but not spectacular. If Sherko was healthy enough I'd like to see Newman start at right tackle, with McGrath, Jones, and Sorenson as backups.
I think our line is solid enough for next season although I would like to see us draft another Canadian offensive lineman. I believe our offensive line was too maligned, at times, in the second half of the season. For a variety of reasons, Chap Ball gives up a lot of sacks, no matter how good the offensive line is..we gave up the most sacks in the league in 2006. with Murphy and Jiminez here. However, in the second half of the season, with a mobile quarterback and improved anti-blitz strategies (what a treat it was to see the Riders, who began the game with 7 and 8 defensive players at the line of scimmage have to abandon that strategy) our offence was much better.
My biggest worry is at receiver. Geroy Simon is still fast enough but he's lost half a step. He's still silky smooth and smart with his moves but he also dropped more footballs this season than i can ever rememberl. Paris Jackson was moved back to wide receiver, where he played better, following the move but he's 31 and doesn't get in behind anyone easily anymore. Wilson is average at best at wideside receiver. Arsenault was becoming our go to receiver and if he leaves, our receiving group will really be hurt, with Black as our only receiver with upside.
Hopefully next season Gore can step into the receiver group..he's fast and has lots of potential.
Defensively, we were very high on Geathers at rush end. I could see the possibility of Brent Johnson staying one more season in a backup role, if only because we don't have any Canadian depth on the defensive line. Perhaps Andrew Jones will be converted back to defensive line.
At linebacker, I would love to see us say goodbye to Anton McKenzie, who has been a disappointment. Leonard has huge upside and Henderson has a lot of potential. In the defensive backfield we can get another season at wide side corner out of Sanchez. CFL teams are moving more and more of playing a Canadian at wide side corner and Cauchy is working hard in the wings. Phillips is a ball hawk who had to adjust to playing short side half this season, the toughest position in the defensive backfield. He needs to improve his tackling but he should be better at short side half next year. Marsh is stil very good at the short side corner. His age may soon become a factor but it isn't yet. Banks is stil one of the best there is.
However I see two question marks in the defensive backfield. The first is Stanley Franks, who played the easier position at wideside half than short side half. Phillips was so good at wide side half and Franks needs to be better. Finally, we really need to play Hyland at safety as Crawford is not ready but to do that we have to deal with the ratio. With Brent Johnson as an unlikely starter next season, we'll need to find another Canadian starter to get Hyland into the starting lineup at safety.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
Wow. Olafioye a star at left tackle? You must fill me in because I don't watch the line play closely. I'm one of those rubes who watches the ball.Blitz wrote:I sure liked our offensive line a heck of a lot better in the second half of the season. You have to look at the offensive line to begin the season. We had Vaili at center, who had only played center for a portion of a season in 2009. We had two converted defensive tackles playing left guard and the critical left tackle position in Andrew Jones and Duckett. We had at the time, a raw rookie, in Olafioye playing right guard, which was also a waste of an import, for the most part. And finally we had Hameister Rees playing out of position at right tackle. When Sherko first came back from his injury we had him playing right tackle, when he was our best offensive lineman at right guard last season. No wonder none of our quarterbacks were very successful in our 1-7 start. Lulay's first stint, which was not successful was based upon inexperience and we know now that Printers had a knee injury but even Jarious had no time and couldn't get much done either. Adding to the whole problem at the time was that we were keeping our tailback in to block on most occasions and we had no quick release safety valve and teams blitzed the hell out of us.B.C.FAN wrote:Excellent analysis, WCJ. The only area where I might disagree is the offensive line. It is much deeper and more consistent than at the beginning of the season, but are there five quality starters for next year? McGrath was an upgrade in B.C. but was considered too soft in Edmonton. Haji-Rasouli wasn't healthy all year. The jury is out on Newman as a starter. Reid's experience and leadership solidified the line but he was considered too small to get the needed push upfront and might not be back. Valli's experience, health and ability to make line calls under pressure remain big questions. Jones won a starting spot at guard but missed most of the season. Hameister-Ries stepped in and seemed to play well but his knee remains a question. Sorensen is a spare part who has not lived up to his promise. Olafioye seems to be the only starter guaranteed a spot, and even he was moved part way through the season.
Going into next season, Valli will likely return to the starting center spot. Reid will be 35 next season, has only been an all-star once in 2004 (interestingly playing center for Casey Printers for most of that season) and says he thinks he's a starter and doesn't want to back up. Valli brings a stronger presence at center but needs experience in calling out line blocking. I like Hameister-Rees at left guard and Olafioye is going to be a star at left tackle. He made an amazing ajustment to be able to switch sides. With Sherko having trouble with his 'pins' we might see Newman start at right tackle and I believe he's a very good offensive lineman. The question mark will be at right tackle, where McGrath was solid but not spectacular. If Sherko was healthy enough I'd like to see Newman start at right tackle, with McGrath, Jones, and Sorenson as backups.
I think our line is solid enough for next season although I would like to see us draft another Canadian offensive lineman. I believe our offensive line was too maligned, at times, in the second half of the season. For a variety of reasons, Chap Ball gives up a lot of sacks, no matter how good the offensive line is..we gave up the most sacks in the league in 2006. with Murphy and Jiminez here. However, in the second half of the season, with a mobile quarterback and improved anti-blitz strategies (what a treat it was to see the Riders, who began the game with 7 and 8 defensive players at the line of scimmage have to abandon that strategy) our offence was much better.
My biggest worry is at receiver. Geroy Simon is still fast enough but he's lost half a step. He's still silky smooth and smart with his moves but he also dropped more footballs this season than i can ever rememberl. Paris Jackson was moved back to wide receiver, where he played better, following the move but he's 31 and doesn't get in behind anyone easily anymore. Wilson is average at best at wideside receiver. Arsenault was becoming our go to receiver and if he leaves, our receiving group will really be hurt, with Black as our only receiver with upside.
Hopefully next season Gore can step into the receiver group..he's fast and has lots of potential.
Defensively, we were very high on Geathers at rush end. I could see the possibility of Brent Johnson staying one more season in a backup role, if only because we don't have any Canadian depth on the defensive line. Perhaps Andrew Jones will be converted back to defensive line.
At linebacker, I would love to see us say goodbye to Anton McKenzie, who has been a disappointment. Leonard has huge upside and Henderson has a lot of potential. In the defensive backfield we can get another season at wide side corner out of Sanchez. CFL teams are moving more and more of playing a Canadian at wide side corner and Cauchy is working hard in the wings. Phillips is a ball hawk who had to adjust to playing short side half this season, the toughest position in the defensive backfield. He needs to improve his tackling but he should be better at short side half next year. Marsh is stil very good at the short side corner. His age may soon become a factor but it isn't yet. Banks is stil one of the best there is.
However I see two question marks in the defensive backfield. The first is Stanley Franks, who played the easier position at wideside half than short side half. Phillips was so good at wide side half and Franks needs to be better. Finally, we really need to play Hyland at safety as Crawford is not ready but to do that we have to deal with the ratio. With Brent Johnson as an unlikely starter next season, we'll need to find another Canadian starter to get Hyland into the starting lineup at safety.
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TheLionKing
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Lions should keep Valli at center if no other reason to prevent him from pulling and catching a football on a screen pass. 
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joe kapp22
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- Joined: Thu Feb 25, 2010 3:26 pm
Well, TSN has some good info on the potential FA's this year:
Have to wonder if we can afford to resign Newman and keep McGrath?
As for Tad Crawford, I think Hyland did a fine job but Crawford offers ratio relief.
http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=341567
Have to agree, Manny A is still raw as a Wr and his ball handling skills were sub par for most of the season, he really would be better served with another yr.After a productive season, Manny Arceneaux enters the option year on his contract, meaning he can head down south. The decision will be Arceneaux's to make, and it's likely there will be significant NFL interest. Buono said he believes Arceneaux needs another year in the CFL to polish his skills and could then go down south with a far greater opportunity. Arceneaux said he wants to look at all options and is in no hurry to make a decision.
JJax is feeling the itch and I cannot blame him, he wants to start with Lulay cemented into the starting role he is a backup at best in BCJarious Jackson, 33, said he believes he can play four or five more years in the league and would like the opportunity to start at pivot. If a team like the Winnipeg Blue Bombers or Toronto Argonauts come calling, Jackson said he would consider it, but failing that, he would contemplate returning as a backup to Lulay. Buono said he wants him back and will have a discussion with him in the near future
Pity about Brown as I thought he played really well once he got into game shape, Angus really did a great job when we needed some stability and we would be nutz to let Johnson retire after a All Star season and leading the West in Sacks.Johnson said he doesn't want to go anywhere, but Reid made it clear he would move for a starting role elsewhere. Buono wants to get bigger and more physical up front. It sounds like he will only offer Angus the same incentive based role and keep him as an insurance policy.
The kicking situation will also be an interesting one for the Lions. Paul McCallum said he doesn't want a lesser role, and Sean Whyte likely doesn't want to keep waiting. Both kickers are under contract.
Defensive lineman Jonathan Brown said he expects to retire. If that happens, the Lions will try to work something out so he can retire as an Argonaut (he spent several seasons in Toronto).
I'd like to keep Jesse Newman, but if he comes at too high of a price, we do have some options to replace him, including Olfaye or Sherko or even Dane Randolph.B.C. has only three true free agents: Jackson, Jesse Newman and Tad Crawford. Newman has a contract offer but isn't thrilled with it
Have to wonder if we can afford to resign Newman and keep McGrath?
As for Tad Crawford, I think Hyland did a fine job but Crawford offers ratio relief.
http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=341567
Know the smallest things and the biggest things, the shallowest things and the deepest things. As if it were a straight road mapped out on the ground ... These things cannot be explained in detail. From one thing, know ten thousand things. When you attain the Way of strategy there will not be one thing you cannot see. You must study hard.
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Belize City Lion
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Re: Crawford. That position needs to be addressed. Nothing Crawford did this year makes a case that he should keep his job.
Re: PM. I have no doubt that PM would likely be an all star kicker again next year... BUT how long can we keep Whyte waiting in the wings? I'm don't think it would be much of a drop off in production to give Whyte the job with the upside being you keep a guy who will be your kicker for the next 10 years. But, 2011 may be all about the Grey Cup, so maybe PM has the advantage there.
Re: Coaches. Chap needs to go. Or at the very least WB needs to do something to reduce Chaps role in the offense. As for "we need to be less conservative" how many chances does The Chap get to try to evolve his play calling? He's proven game after game, year after year, that he will not change what he calls. He's stubborn, arrogant, and out of touch with the CFL game of today.
Re: JJ. Would not be surprised to see JJ get an offer to compete for a starters job elsewhere. But personally I think it would be a huge risk for him to try his luck elsewhere. No disrespect to JJ, I love this guy, but he's had numerous chances over the past 4 seasons to assume the starters job in BC and just can't seem to establish himself. If JJ goes to Toronto or Winnipeg his success or failure there would be affected by much more than simply what he does on the field. If he does not find himself on a winning team he could find himself out of footbball before the 2011 season is even over. The CFL is not kind to older QBs on struggling teams. Ask Bishop, Joseph, Jones, etc. JJ could easily stay with the Lions for the next 3-5 years in a support role, likely getting a good bit of playing time due to our history of injuries. If he tries his luck elsewhere he may finally get to be the #1 guy, or he might find himself unemployed before he's ready to hang up his cleats.
Re: PM. I have no doubt that PM would likely be an all star kicker again next year... BUT how long can we keep Whyte waiting in the wings? I'm don't think it would be much of a drop off in production to give Whyte the job with the upside being you keep a guy who will be your kicker for the next 10 years. But, 2011 may be all about the Grey Cup, so maybe PM has the advantage there.
Re: Coaches. Chap needs to go. Or at the very least WB needs to do something to reduce Chaps role in the offense. As for "we need to be less conservative" how many chances does The Chap get to try to evolve his play calling? He's proven game after game, year after year, that he will not change what he calls. He's stubborn, arrogant, and out of touch with the CFL game of today.
Re: JJ. Would not be surprised to see JJ get an offer to compete for a starters job elsewhere. But personally I think it would be a huge risk for him to try his luck elsewhere. No disrespect to JJ, I love this guy, but he's had numerous chances over the past 4 seasons to assume the starters job in BC and just can't seem to establish himself. If JJ goes to Toronto or Winnipeg his success or failure there would be affected by much more than simply what he does on the field. If he does not find himself on a winning team he could find himself out of footbball before the 2011 season is even over. The CFL is not kind to older QBs on struggling teams. Ask Bishop, Joseph, Jones, etc. JJ could easily stay with the Lions for the next 3-5 years in a support role, likely getting a good bit of playing time due to our history of injuries. If he tries his luck elsewhere he may finally get to be the #1 guy, or he might find himself unemployed before he's ready to hang up his cleats.
With regard to the quarterback position, right now, there is a lot of excitement about Travis Lulay, who is receving all kinds of accolades including a lot of comparisons with former Leo and Stampeder quarterback Dave Dickenson. Travis Lulay may become an established star in the CFL in the future and possibly a great quarterback for years.
However, in all this excitement, its also important to keep perspective.
In 2004 we had a first year starter and second year pro in Casey Printers, who led us to winning the Western Division while winning the MOP award. Printers finished that season with a record setting quarterback efficiency rating of 115 that season.
Buck Pierce started a number of games in 2006 and looked like he might become another Matt Dunnigan or better. Buck had a quarterback efficiency average that season of 109, which was almost off the map for a player of his limited experience. Missing most of 2007, due to injury, Pierce had a 97.4 quarterback efficiency average in 2008.
Jarious Jackson, in 2007, started for the first time and led us to victory in 9 of his 11 starts. Jackson had some huge games, showed tremendous poise under pressure, and had a quarterback efficiency average of 88.9.
Casey Printers returned to us in the latter stages of 2009 and with a ton of rust on him, demonstrated some of his old magic, led us to a semi-final playoff victory, while achieving a quarterback efficiency average of 99.3
Travis Lulay, a second year pro, finished the season as our starter, with two separate stints in leading our offence. He continued to improve and had an impressive game overall, in our semi-final loss to Regina. Lulay finished the season with a quarterback efficiency average of 84.9
This is not meant to rain on Lulay’s parade but we’ve seen a lot of parades before, with Printers, Pierce, and Jackson. We get excited about young, promising quarterbacks and that’s a good thing. However, before Travis Lulay is coronated by the press and his coaches, its easy to forget that the press, fans, and Wally Buono himself said so many highly positive things about Casey Printers in 2004 and 2009 and also had high praise for BuckPierce in 2006 and 2008, and Jarious Jackson in 2007. Lulay deserves praise and kudos for his improvement and especially for his gutsy, poised performance in Regina.
We've had great quarterback performances in the past with quarterbacks who had limited experience at the time they had those very impressive outings. However, the road is long and filled with many a hazard and numerous potholes in the journey of a CFL quarterback.
as to our backup quarterbacks there is no doubt, with two quarterbacks in Lulay and Reilly (who has tremendous promise) with limited playing experience Wally would like to keep Jarious Jackson around for his leadership and the fact that he has CFL experience if Lulay gets hurt next season. However, Jarious is not cheap as a backup quarterback and at this stage of his career, with Lulay set as our starter, he may want to have the opportunity to compete for a starters position, if a team like Winnipeg offered the opportunity.
As to McCallum the guy has been pure ice for us, never missing a field goal in the playoffs in his entire careerr as a Leo aand had a phenomenal season. He was our MOP representative. You just can't release him. Whyte will have to wait in the wings for another season.
For Luke..Olifiaye was a Western All=Star in his first season this year.
However, in all this excitement, its also important to keep perspective.
In 2004 we had a first year starter and second year pro in Casey Printers, who led us to winning the Western Division while winning the MOP award. Printers finished that season with a record setting quarterback efficiency rating of 115 that season.
Buck Pierce started a number of games in 2006 and looked like he might become another Matt Dunnigan or better. Buck had a quarterback efficiency average that season of 109, which was almost off the map for a player of his limited experience. Missing most of 2007, due to injury, Pierce had a 97.4 quarterback efficiency average in 2008.
Jarious Jackson, in 2007, started for the first time and led us to victory in 9 of his 11 starts. Jackson had some huge games, showed tremendous poise under pressure, and had a quarterback efficiency average of 88.9.
Casey Printers returned to us in the latter stages of 2009 and with a ton of rust on him, demonstrated some of his old magic, led us to a semi-final playoff victory, while achieving a quarterback efficiency average of 99.3
Travis Lulay, a second year pro, finished the season as our starter, with two separate stints in leading our offence. He continued to improve and had an impressive game overall, in our semi-final loss to Regina. Lulay finished the season with a quarterback efficiency average of 84.9
This is not meant to rain on Lulay’s parade but we’ve seen a lot of parades before, with Printers, Pierce, and Jackson. We get excited about young, promising quarterbacks and that’s a good thing. However, before Travis Lulay is coronated by the press and his coaches, its easy to forget that the press, fans, and Wally Buono himself said so many highly positive things about Casey Printers in 2004 and 2009 and also had high praise for BuckPierce in 2006 and 2008, and Jarious Jackson in 2007. Lulay deserves praise and kudos for his improvement and especially for his gutsy, poised performance in Regina.
We've had great quarterback performances in the past with quarterbacks who had limited experience at the time they had those very impressive outings. However, the road is long and filled with many a hazard and numerous potholes in the journey of a CFL quarterback.
as to our backup quarterbacks there is no doubt, with two quarterbacks in Lulay and Reilly (who has tremendous promise) with limited playing experience Wally would like to keep Jarious Jackson around for his leadership and the fact that he has CFL experience if Lulay gets hurt next season. However, Jarious is not cheap as a backup quarterback and at this stage of his career, with Lulay set as our starter, he may want to have the opportunity to compete for a starters position, if a team like Winnipeg offered the opportunity.
As to McCallum the guy has been pure ice for us, never missing a field goal in the playoffs in his entire careerr as a Leo aand had a phenomenal season. He was our MOP representative. You just can't release him. Whyte will have to wait in the wings for another season.
For Luke..Olifiaye was a Western All=Star in his first season this year.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
If Arceneaux is heading into his option year, is that a grandfathered NFL option year window that he is allowed. As I understand it any option year now is at the CFL clubs option, as the NFL option year window is null and void.
Entertainment value = an all time low
Wow. That's impressive to do as a rookie. So, I'm guessing you see some outstanding lineman awards in his future?Blitz wrote:With regard to the quarterback position, right now, there is a lot of excitement about Travis Lulay, who is receving all kinds of accolades including a lot of comparisons with former Leo and Stampeder quarterback Dave Dickenson. Travis Lulay may become an established star in the CFL in the future and possibly a great quarterback for years.
However, in all this excitement, its also important to keep perspective.
In 2004 we had a first year starter and second year pro in Casey Printers, who led us to winning the Western Division while winning the MOP award. Printers finished that season with a record setting quarterback efficiency rating of 115 that season.
Buck Pierce started a number of games in 2006 and looked like he might become another Matt Dunnigan or better. Buck had a quarterback efficiency average that season of 109, which was almost off the map for a player of his limited experience. Missing most of 2007, due to injury, Pierce had a 97.4 quarterback efficiency average in 2008.
Jarious Jackson, in 2007, started for the first time and led us to victory in 9 of his 11 starts. Jackson had some huge games, showed tremendous poise under pressure, and had a quarterback efficiency average of 88.9.
Casey Printers returned to us in the latter stages of 2009 and with a ton of rust on him, demonstrated some of his old magic, led us to a semi-final playoff victory, while achieving a quarterback efficiency average of 99.3
Travis Lulay, a second year pro, finished the season as our starter, with two separate stints in leading our offence. He continued to improve and had an impressive game overall, in our semi-final loss to Regina. Lulay finished the season with a quarterback efficiency average of 84.9
This is not meant to rain on Lulay’s parade but we’ve seen a lot of parades before, with Printers, Pierce, and Jackson. We get excited about young, promising quarterbacks and that’s a good thing. However, before Travis Lulay is coronated by the press and his coaches, its easy to forget that the press, fans, and Wally Buono himself said so many highly positive things about Casey Printers in 2004 and 2009 and also had high praise for BuckPierce in 2006 and 2008, and Jarious Jackson in 2007. Lulay deserves praise and kudos for his improvement and especially for his gutsy, poised performance in Regina.
We've had great quarterback performances in the past with quarterbacks who had limited experience at the time they had those very impressive outings. However, the road is long and filled with many a hazard and numerous potholes in the journey of a CFL quarterback.
as to our backup quarterbacks there is no doubt, with two quarterbacks in Lulay and Reilly (who has tremendous promise) with limited playing experience Wally would like to keep Jarious Jackson around for his leadership and the fact that he has CFL experience if Lulay gets hurt next season. However, Jarious is not cheap as a backup quarterback and at this stage of his career, with Lulay set as our starter, he may want to have the opportunity to compete for a starters position, if a team like Winnipeg offered the opportunity.
As to McCallum the guy has been pure ice for us, never missing a field goal in the playoffs in his entire careerr as a Leo aand had a phenomenal season. He was our MOP representative. You just can't release him. Whyte will have to wait in the wings for another season.
For Luke..Olifiaye was a Western All=Star in his first season this year.