Phillips Likely to Miss Next Saturday's Game...

[MexicoLionFan]

The Lions are calling Phillip's injury, sustained late in the Hamilton game, as a High Ankle Sprain, and as I think everyone here knows they are a very painful injury, and very hard on DBs...they also take a good month to come around, with a lot of rest...

So, personally, I see this as a GOOD thing for the Lions...a month or 6 weeks without Phillips gives the Lions a chance to show off both Josh Bell, great cover guy, and Lin J Shell in Phillips position...and quite frankly, by the time Phillips gets healthy, he might not have a starting job...

I am not trying to pick on Ryan, who has been a good player for the Lions, but I can't stand his soft play was a DB...the Hamilton game was yet another painful example of his soft coverage and non existent tackling skills...Shell is an opposing, physical player who excels in zone coverage...Bell is a physical player who excels in man coverage...both, I truly believe, are going to be major improvements to Phillips at the WIDE SIDE HALF BACK spot...

If we were talking about Phillips back outside on the corner, I may not be saying this, but back inside, he is a liability on this defence...Shell and Bell won't be...and next week's game in Regina is going to be a battle, and I want all of our best warriors out on the field...

Your thoughts...

[WestCoastJoe]

I am surprised Ryan Phillips has lasted as long as he has. His non-physical play would be an instant ticket out of town except for his ability to pick off stray passes. I am not even sure he is that good of a cover guy, but he reacts to the ball in the air very well.

I would very much like to see Shell, Bell and Gerard Lawson get their chance.

Phillips has not been the only problem in the secondary. Cauchy Muamba has taken on Phillps' lack of desire to hit. And Dante Marsh misses a lot of guys with weak attempts at shoulder hits.

[TheLionKing]

According to Phillips he anticipates he'll be ready to go against the Riders

[David]

No way the club is putting Ryan Phillips on the football field with a high ankle sprain. If he's lost so much as half a step he's of no use to the team.

Frankly, as much as I'd like to see Bell and Lawson, I am not sure Taylor Field is the right place and Darian Durant is the person against whom to start these guys. Might be better to start Lin J Shell in Ryan's wideside spot.


DH

[Hawkballer 14]

Hey all,

My take is that this is all just an elaborate ruse to lull Darian Durrant into a false sense of security. Phillips will announce he isn't playing, and will then pop out of nowhere pre-game, rattle Durrant's confidence and spend all game picking off passes. Bank on it.

Phillips gets two picks next week. Callin it now.

Cheers,

James

The LOLs if this happens, oh man it would be awesome. "You got Punk'd!!"

Watching the way he tried to cut and just crumpled to the turf, I thought "That's an Achilles, he's done for the year".

[MexicoLionFan]

If he has a high ankle sprain, he's gone for at least a month, and again, I see that as a good thing...Shell punishes WRs and I would like to see Bell's cover skills in action...

[Reginaldo]

I, too, am not a Ryan Phillips fan...time to get someone else up to speed....as to Cauchy Muamba...I saw him deliver two spectacular hits during the game so I don't think he is soft...just needs playing time and we should be fine...

[WestCoastJoe]

I, too, am not a Ryan Phillips fan...time to get someone else up to speed....as to Cauchy Muamba...I saw him deliver two spectacular hits during the game so I don't think he is soft...just needs playing time and we should be fine...

Good to hear that Cauchy made some hard hits.

As a fan, I've liked Cauchy from the get go. Hopefully he does not catch the no hitter disease.

It seems to me he has excellent size and speed.

[darell]

How can you guys not be a fan of Ryan Phillips? he has been a warrior for us and has been the best playmaker in our secondary ever since Barron Miles left after 2009. He had 12 interceptions in 2007, he had 3 sacks and a forced fumble in a game against Toronto in 2010, and has scored 6 touchdowns (including playoffs) in his career. He makes plays, something our secondary has really lacked the last few years, and is one of the most exciting db's in the game. The argument that he is to soft is silly, he is a db, why dont fans accuse Dante Marsh of being soft? he has missed far too many tackles lately.

[MexicoLionFan]

I think everyone here values what Phillips has brought to the Lions...but if you deny that he plays soft then you are either biased or blind...that's Ryan's game...I would like to see what Shell or Bell can do in his spot...but that's just me...

[TheLionKing]

Like many posters I sometime get frustrated seeing Phillips trying to arm tackle instead of wrapping up the opponent and tckling him. Having said that, he must possess something for him to long as he has

[Blitz]

Like many posters I sometime get frustrated seeing Phillips trying to arm tackle instead of wrapping up the opponent and tckling him. Having said that, he must possess something for him to long as he has

When Ryan Phillips made our Leos team as a rookie in 2005, he started alll 18 games at wideside halfback. He also became a favorite player of mine so i have a bias. Our Leos moved Phillips to nickelback in 2006 and moved Mark Washington into Philllips halfback position, a move I moaned about and the following season Phillips was moved back to wideside halfback in 2007 (Washington moved to nickelback) and Phillips was a Western and all CFL All-Star. He allso tied Larry Crawford that season for the team record of 12 interceptions.

Phillips was a Western and all-CFL Atll-Star two seasons ago, in 2010. In that season he was moved to shortside halfback, perhaps the toughest position in the defensive backfieldl as Korey Bansks was moved to nickelback for that year. In 2011, Phillips started the saason at shortside halfback. again. Our defnese really turned around last season when we picked up Kournegay to play wideside halfback, we moved Banks badk to his more familiar shortside halfback position, and after moving Phillips around, we settled on playing him at wideside corner, where he exclelled last year. Phillips led the way last year with seven pass knockdowns. He also led our Lions with four interceptions, which he returned for 112 yards and one TD.

Ryan Phillips strengths are his great anticipation and his ability to read offences. He has very good coverage skills...you dont start in the CFL at wideside halfback and especially at shortside halfback in the CFL unless you do. IN terms of Phillips tackling ability he is skilled at coming up fast to make the low tacklle but he is not a great tackler in the open field. Dante Marsh is an exclelent tackler but he also likes to tackle low and take a guys legs out and can look bad on occasion when he doesn't wrap up but overall I consider him to be an excellent tackler. Korey Banks tackling ability is outstanding. Muamba made a couple of great tackles last game and he is still tentative at times so far, having started only two games at safety...he is going to be a good one I believe.

Our standards are very high but its easy to forget we're talking about a Grey Cup championship defense that guys like Phillips and Marsh started in last year.

During the off-season I really wondered why we picked up both Byron Parker and Lyn J Shell. Shell made sense because he playes wideside halfback and after dropping Kournegay we needed sonmeone to play there. Parker was a wideside corner and when we picked him up I thought Phillips days were numbered. Then, to my surprise, we moved Phillips back to his old wideside halfback position and put Shell behind Reddick at niclelback on the depth chart and decided to use him as the dime back, where he comes in on passing downs as a seventh back and also is used to blitz. Those moves did not make sense to me.

Going into training camp II felt that we would be better off with either of the following scenarios....move Parker to wideside halfback and Phillips to wide side corner...Parker is a strong physical defensie back who could cover bigger slotbacks and Phillips pllayed excellent at widside corner last season, cut Parker, who did not have a good camp and use Phillips at corner, or start Shell at halfback, Parker at corner, and use Phillips as the dime back.

Now that Phillips is injured it will be interesting to see whether we move Shell to wideside halfback in Phillips spot and play Bell at dimeback or we use Bell at halfback and keep Shelll where he is at dimeback. The first scenario involves two moves whereas the second one is only one change in position in the defensive backfield.

[MexicoLionFan]

"Going into training camp II felt that we would be better off with either of the following scenarios....move Parker to wideside halfback and Phillips to wide side corner...Parker is a strong physical defensie back who could cover bigger slotbacks and Phillips pllayed excellent at widside corner last season, cut Parker, who did not have a good camp and use Phillips at corner, or start Shell at halfback, Parker at corner, and use Phillips as the dime back."



I too was surprised by the Byron Parker signing, especially when Phillips got his deal...and I also agree that Phillips should have been left at his wide side corner position, where tackling skills are at their minimum, and anticipation plays a huge role (fitting Phillips to a T)...by moving Phillips back inside, it forces him back into the vortex of physical play, whether in laying out slot receivers on crossing routes or coming up in run support...we have watched 2 games thus far, and it is the same old Ryan Phillips IMO...

This is why I made the original comment...if Phillips was outside, I don't think this post happens, but back inside, I truly believe that both Shell and Bell are better options and Phillips might just find himself struggling to get back onto the field...

I support Ryan Phillips because he is a Lion and has given us 7+ good seasons of work, but I am an old fashioned football player and fan...football is a violent game and intimidation plays a large role in winning and losing, and to that end, Phillips has never been my favourite player...but again, I greatly appreciate the body of work that Ryan has brought to the Leos...just excited to see Shell or Bell play in that spot...

[DanoT]

Phillips may have played his best football for the Lions at DB, but that was several years ago and last year he played very well at CB so i was surprised to see him replaced by Parker who has been ok but not great. I must admit at 6' Parker does match up well on deep routes with a growing number of tall WRs.