It's Paris Time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 8:11 pm
It's time to give Paris a start at receiver in place of Moore. Innanuzzi should also get some rotational reps in Paris's spot.
Jackson has earned this start. He's only 31, healthy, and he has handled this tough situation with class. He's got excellent hands, can go up and get the football, and is an excellent possession receiver who has shown the ability to get deep as well. Innnazzi can come in and add the speed dimension.
We can get it done with Paris and Innanuzzi. We don't need an import there and we can use the import in other ways.
Below is the Province article on Jackson after his blocked punt that turned the game around against Calgary.
Jackson’s Perseverance Pays Off for Lions
VANCOUVER — Paris Jackson has handled the darkest moments of his nine-year career with remarkable resolve, and so it was that he was instead standing in the visitor’s locker-room at McMahon Stadium in Calgary on Saturday reflecting both on his challenges and the first blocked kick by the B.C. Lions in almost a year.
Jackson got through to punter Burke Dales to record the pivotal play of the Lions’ 32-19 win over the Calgary Stampeders, when his third-quarter block was run in for a touchdown by Tim Cronk.
In a game where the Lions generated exactly three plays over 13 yards and made just one trip inside the Stamps’ 20-yard line, the contribution of Jackson was enormous.
The frustration of a season in which the former 1,000-yard receiver hasn’t even caught a pass didn’t instantly melt away with the play. It did, however, make Jackson reflect on the process required to stay strong enough inside.
“When you haven’t made a play and it’s Week 12 of the season, you wonder what’s going on with my life and my career, and could this be the end,” the 31-year-old said with his usual candour. “Good things happen to people who wait. So I’m just trying to be patient. My time will come, and (Saturday) my time came.”
The past two years for Jackson have been a series of demoralizing setbacks largely associated with the health of his knee. The low point came when the injury failed to respond to off-season rehabilitation, and Lions coach/GM Wally Buono was able to force Jackson into taking a pay cut. Both sides knew he had little market value at the time because of the injury.
Buono, of course, has acted coldly before, and as such Jackson knew where to go for counselling. He’ll get additional guidance in person when the Lions face Jason Clermont and the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday. Clermont was cut by Buono in 2008 when the coach thought his skills were on the decline.
“(Clermont) just told me to stay focused, try to get 100 per-cent and keep mentally strong,” Jackson said. “I respect that man. I know what he’s been though.”
Partly because Jackson kept his frustrations to himself, Buono had to admit Sunday he will at least give some thought of giving Jackson an expanded role on offence, even if the receiver doesn’t believe his punt block will make a difference.
The issue for the coach is not whether adding Jackson would slow the development of non-import Marco Iannuzzi because the Lions, Buono said, are committed to the rookie receiver.
The issue is whether to add an additional non-import at the expense of import sophomore Nick Moore, when the bigger need offensively, in the opinion of the man in charge, is a speed threat like Kierrie Johnson.
“My mind’s racing right now. We’re not getting production out of (Moore),” Buono said, mindful Moore hasn’t caught a pass in three games since returning as a starter.
But the Lions got what they needed at a critical time Saturday from Jackson, and are grateful he hasn’t become a spotlight-seeker. Former starters Jamal Robertson and Eric Taylor have taken demotions gracefully. Jackson can too, no small feat when Buono admitted what he has done to him can be summed up in one word.
“Abuse,” he said. “It’s the dynamics of aging and injury. If it was just humiliation you just cut him. I don’t think when we made the commitment to him (and forced the pay cut) that he was physically ready to play, therefore it took time for him to grips with it. But he’s been a pro and very mature about it.”
Jackson has demonstrated he knows no other way to behave.
Vancouver Province
Jackson has earned this start. He's only 31, healthy, and he has handled this tough situation with class. He's got excellent hands, can go up and get the football, and is an excellent possession receiver who has shown the ability to get deep as well. Innnazzi can come in and add the speed dimension.
We can get it done with Paris and Innanuzzi. We don't need an import there and we can use the import in other ways.
Below is the Province article on Jackson after his blocked punt that turned the game around against Calgary.
Jackson’s Perseverance Pays Off for Lions
VANCOUVER — Paris Jackson has handled the darkest moments of his nine-year career with remarkable resolve, and so it was that he was instead standing in the visitor’s locker-room at McMahon Stadium in Calgary on Saturday reflecting both on his challenges and the first blocked kick by the B.C. Lions in almost a year.
Jackson got through to punter Burke Dales to record the pivotal play of the Lions’ 32-19 win over the Calgary Stampeders, when his third-quarter block was run in for a touchdown by Tim Cronk.
In a game where the Lions generated exactly three plays over 13 yards and made just one trip inside the Stamps’ 20-yard line, the contribution of Jackson was enormous.
The frustration of a season in which the former 1,000-yard receiver hasn’t even caught a pass didn’t instantly melt away with the play. It did, however, make Jackson reflect on the process required to stay strong enough inside.
“When you haven’t made a play and it’s Week 12 of the season, you wonder what’s going on with my life and my career, and could this be the end,” the 31-year-old said with his usual candour. “Good things happen to people who wait. So I’m just trying to be patient. My time will come, and (Saturday) my time came.”
The past two years for Jackson have been a series of demoralizing setbacks largely associated with the health of his knee. The low point came when the injury failed to respond to off-season rehabilitation, and Lions coach/GM Wally Buono was able to force Jackson into taking a pay cut. Both sides knew he had little market value at the time because of the injury.
Buono, of course, has acted coldly before, and as such Jackson knew where to go for counselling. He’ll get additional guidance in person when the Lions face Jason Clermont and the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday. Clermont was cut by Buono in 2008 when the coach thought his skills were on the decline.
“(Clermont) just told me to stay focused, try to get 100 per-cent and keep mentally strong,” Jackson said. “I respect that man. I know what he’s been though.”
Partly because Jackson kept his frustrations to himself, Buono had to admit Sunday he will at least give some thought of giving Jackson an expanded role on offence, even if the receiver doesn’t believe his punt block will make a difference.
The issue for the coach is not whether adding Jackson would slow the development of non-import Marco Iannuzzi because the Lions, Buono said, are committed to the rookie receiver.
The issue is whether to add an additional non-import at the expense of import sophomore Nick Moore, when the bigger need offensively, in the opinion of the man in charge, is a speed threat like Kierrie Johnson.
“My mind’s racing right now. We’re not getting production out of (Moore),” Buono said, mindful Moore hasn’t caught a pass in three games since returning as a starter.
But the Lions got what they needed at a critical time Saturday from Jackson, and are grateful he hasn’t become a spotlight-seeker. Former starters Jamal Robertson and Eric Taylor have taken demotions gracefully. Jackson can too, no small feat when Buono admitted what he has done to him can be summed up in one word.
“Abuse,” he said. “It’s the dynamics of aging and injury. If it was just humiliation you just cut him. I don’t think when we made the commitment to him (and forced the pay cut) that he was physically ready to play, therefore it took time for him to grips with it. But he’s been a pro and very mature about it.”
Jackson has demonstrated he knows no other way to behave.
Vancouver Province
I do believe that Cronk will get consideration for ST PoW, his play was significant to the Lion's W.