http://cfl.ca/statistics/statsGame/id/10655
Biggest crowd of the seasons and the Lions laid an egg.
Playing catchup all night
Running game non existent. Andrew Harris 6 carries for 10 yards
Offensive line owned by the Riders defensive line
2 turning points in my opinion:
- the first was the interception in the end zone. Poorly thrown pass by DeMarco. Riders immediately capitalize
- Lions opening the 2nd half with an impressive drive for a touchdown. Riders immediately answered back with a touchdown of their own.
Lions too undisciplined. 13 penalties for 138 yards.
Riders 31 Lions 17 Post Game Comments
Moderator: Team Captains
I knew the Lions were in trouble when I watched the pregame warmup. They just seemed flat and lifeless. The crowd was the same. That was the least energy I've ever felt from a big crowd, especially for a Rider game. There was little noise or excitement. The Riders, by contrast, were determined to break their losing skid. They showed a lot more energy, controlled the line of scrimmage and did a lot more chirping, led by Dwight Anderson, who did exactly what Korey Banks and Josh Bell did to the Riders in Regina. The Riders wanted this one more, and they got it.
I thought the Lions started well, taking a 3-0 lead after the first quarter. The defence did its job, led by Bighill, and kept Durant and the Riders in their four-game funk. That changed with the LaRose pass interference penalty. That play gave the Riders life and set up their first touchdown. Durant's confidence seemed to rise and the Riders exploited Lions' man coverage with some well-executed short crossing routes, helped by a great one-handed catch by Dressler to launch the Riders' second TD drive. That drive was a key turning point, beginning with Dwight Anderson's interception in the end zone, and aided by Shell's pointless facemasking penalty on a field goal attempt. The result of that interception was a 15-point swing in what turned out to be a 14-point game.
Aside from a few crossing patterns and pass-interference penalties, the Riders didn't do a lot offensively. DeMarco outpassed Durant, and Sheets was held to a respectable but probably (for him) disapponting 80 yards rushing, and the two teams put up almost identical offensive yardage. DeMarco's three interceptions and the Lions' 13 penalties were the difference-makers. You don't win many games with either three interceptions or 13 penalties, let alone both.
The Lions mismanaged the run game again. The inside handoffs to Harris are too obvious. DeMarco kept the ball on the Lions' opening offensive play but the Lions kept running Harris into the inside wall. There were no toss plays or reverses and no QB keepers on the zone read or any other misdirection plays. The Lions' biggest rushing plays were a 41-yard sweep by Korey Williams and DeMarco's 21-yard scramble up the middle. Once the Riders realized the Lions were forced to pass, they brought more pressure and picked up five sacks. The Lions, by contrast, got little pressure on Durant from the front four and seldom blitzed. Durant was often able to buy enough time to find someone open when his primary reads were covered.
Williams was the biggest bright spot for the Lions, with 115 yards from scrimmage on five touches, despite often needing teammates to show him where to line up. He obviously doesn't not know much about the position he played tonight but he has great hands and speed and a shiftiness that makes people miss. He may have to wait his turn for a regular spot on the 42-man roster but it will come.
DeMarco was due for a letdown game after throwing no interceptions in his first two games. He will need to be better next week in Calgary. Buck Pierce is not an option based on the confusion and indecisiveness he has shown in his game action so far as a Lion.
I thought the Lions started well, taking a 3-0 lead after the first quarter. The defence did its job, led by Bighill, and kept Durant and the Riders in their four-game funk. That changed with the LaRose pass interference penalty. That play gave the Riders life and set up their first touchdown. Durant's confidence seemed to rise and the Riders exploited Lions' man coverage with some well-executed short crossing routes, helped by a great one-handed catch by Dressler to launch the Riders' second TD drive. That drive was a key turning point, beginning with Dwight Anderson's interception in the end zone, and aided by Shell's pointless facemasking penalty on a field goal attempt. The result of that interception was a 15-point swing in what turned out to be a 14-point game.
Aside from a few crossing patterns and pass-interference penalties, the Riders didn't do a lot offensively. DeMarco outpassed Durant, and Sheets was held to a respectable but probably (for him) disapponting 80 yards rushing, and the two teams put up almost identical offensive yardage. DeMarco's three interceptions and the Lions' 13 penalties were the difference-makers. You don't win many games with either three interceptions or 13 penalties, let alone both.
The Lions mismanaged the run game again. The inside handoffs to Harris are too obvious. DeMarco kept the ball on the Lions' opening offensive play but the Lions kept running Harris into the inside wall. There were no toss plays or reverses and no QB keepers on the zone read or any other misdirection plays. The Lions' biggest rushing plays were a 41-yard sweep by Korey Williams and DeMarco's 21-yard scramble up the middle. Once the Riders realized the Lions were forced to pass, they brought more pressure and picked up five sacks. The Lions, by contrast, got little pressure on Durant from the front four and seldom blitzed. Durant was often able to buy enough time to find someone open when his primary reads were covered.
Williams was the biggest bright spot for the Lions, with 115 yards from scrimmage on five touches, despite often needing teammates to show him where to line up. He obviously doesn't not know much about the position he played tonight but he has great hands and speed and a shiftiness that makes people miss. He may have to wait his turn for a regular spot on the 42-man roster but it will come.
DeMarco was due for a letdown game after throwing no interceptions in his first two games. He will need to be better next week in Calgary. Buck Pierce is not an option based on the confusion and indecisiveness he has shown in his game action so far as a Lion.
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Upper Bowl
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Well, at least we didn't need to bother watching the late night replay on TSN2. Unless there are any masochists among us.
Such an atypical game for the Lions since moving back to B.C. Place. So turnover-prone, undisciplined and generally lethargic. Tonight's game made last year's only regular season loss (against Edm) look like a masterpiece. And you're right B.C. Fan, the crowd was a disappointment. It was more of a factor in the Montreal and Calgary games. Sure, those were wins, but even in the first quarter tonight, the fans weren't nearly loud enough.
I had some pretty big problems with the officiating in the first half. But things did seem a bit more even by the end.
Credit to Sask for playing well and capitalizing on the Lions turnovers and penalties. It's fair to say the Riders are simply too good a team to lose five straight. But the Lions didn't have to make it THAT easy on them.
Also loved what I saw from Korey Williams. I'm a Tim Brown fan, and thought it was wrong he was scratched from the first couple games. But he wasn't getting it done tonight on kick returns, so why not put Williams back there in the fourth quarter and see if he could break one??
Speaking of the B.C. special teams, what happened to them?? Especially the kick coverage! They just don't seem to be penetrating and busting through the wedges, and they sure as heck aren't staying in their lanes. Too bad, because the 'teams' had really rounded into form by mid-season.
I'm sticking with DeMarco, despite the need for improved decision making. He just needs to realize he's not superman, and can't thread every needle. Somehow I don't think the receivers will complain about the way he played because he was giving them a lot of chances to go up and make plays, even though the passes were ill-advised. It's almost like he didn't want to insult the B.C. receivers by throwing the ball away. But as we all know, that's a skill every good QB needs to have.
Such an atypical game for the Lions since moving back to B.C. Place. So turnover-prone, undisciplined and generally lethargic. Tonight's game made last year's only regular season loss (against Edm) look like a masterpiece. And you're right B.C. Fan, the crowd was a disappointment. It was more of a factor in the Montreal and Calgary games. Sure, those were wins, but even in the first quarter tonight, the fans weren't nearly loud enough.
I had some pretty big problems with the officiating in the first half. But things did seem a bit more even by the end.
Credit to Sask for playing well and capitalizing on the Lions turnovers and penalties. It's fair to say the Riders are simply too good a team to lose five straight. But the Lions didn't have to make it THAT easy on them.
Also loved what I saw from Korey Williams. I'm a Tim Brown fan, and thought it was wrong he was scratched from the first couple games. But he wasn't getting it done tonight on kick returns, so why not put Williams back there in the fourth quarter and see if he could break one??
Speaking of the B.C. special teams, what happened to them?? Especially the kick coverage! They just don't seem to be penetrating and busting through the wedges, and they sure as heck aren't staying in their lanes. Too bad, because the 'teams' had really rounded into form by mid-season.
I'm sticking with DeMarco, despite the need for improved decision making. He just needs to realize he's not superman, and can't thread every needle. Somehow I don't think the receivers will complain about the way he played because he was giving them a lot of chances to go up and make plays, even though the passes were ill-advised. It's almost like he didn't want to insult the B.C. receivers by throwing the ball away. But as we all know, that's a skill every good QB needs to have.
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Sir Purrcival
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Pretty much sums up my impressions of the game as well. Sask game basically relied on the short dump pass. The D didn't seem to have an answer for that. Dressler got a TD by using the goal post as a screen and they got a 2 point convert doing the same thing latter on. It looked the Lions were playing liked they believed the press about how they were likely to win. Big thumbs down to Shell on the facemask (on a field goal!!!) Total lack of discipline on his part. Also took the penalty on missed Sask Field goal which ended up pinning us on the 2 yard line. The Procedure call on 2nd and 2 on the 8 yard line was a killer too.B.C.FAN wrote:I knew the Lions were in trouble when I watched the pregame warmup. They just seemed flat and lifeless. The crowd was the same. That was the least energy I've ever felt from a big crowd, especially for a Rider game. There was little noise or excitement. The Riders, by contrast, were determined to break their losing skid. They showed a lot more energy, controlled the line of scrimmage and did a lot more chirping, led by Dwight Anderson, who did exactly what Korey Banks and Josh Bell did to the Riders in Regina. The Riders wanted this one more, and they got it.
I thought the Lions started well, taking a 3-0 lead after the first quarter. The defence did its job, led by Bighill, and kept Durant and the Riders in their four-game funk. That changed with the LaRose pass interference penalty. That play gave the Riders life and set up their first touchdown. Durant's confidence seemed to rise and the Riders exploited Lions' man coverage with some well-executed short crossing routes, helped by a great one-handed catch by Dressler to launch the Riders' second TD drive. That drive was a key turning point, beginning with Dwight Anderson's interception in the end zone, and aided by Shell's pointless facemasking penalty on a field goal attempt. The result of that interception was a 15-point swing in what turned out to be a 14-point game.
Aside from a few crossing patterns and pass-interference penalties, the Riders didn't do a lot offensively. DeMarco outpassed Durant, and Sheets was held to a respectable but probably (for him) disapponting 80 yards rushing, and the two teams put up almost identical offensive yardage. DeMarco's three interceptions and the Lions' 13 penalties were the difference-makers. You don't win many games with either three interceptions or 13 penalties, let alone both.
The Lions mismanaged the run game again. The inside handoffs to Harris are too obvious. DeMarco kept the ball on the Lions' opening offensive play but the Lions kept running Harris into the inside wall. There were no toss plays or reverses and no QB keepers on the zone read or any other misdirection plays. The Lions' biggest rushing plays were a 41-yard sweep by Korey Williams and DeMarco's 21-yard scramble up the middle. Once the Riders realized the Lions were forced to pass, they brought more pressure and picked up five sacks. The Lions, by contrast, got little pressure on Durant from the front four and seldom blitzed. Durant was often able to buy enough time to find someone open when his primary reads were covered.
Williams was the biggest bright spot for the Lions, with 115 yards from scrimmage on five touches, despite often needing teammates to show him where to line up. He obviously doesn't not know much about the position he played tonight but he has great hands and speed and a shiftiness that makes people miss. He may have to wait his turn for a regular spot on the 42-man roster but it will come.
DeMarco was due for a letdown game after throwing no interceptions in his first two games. He will need to be better next week in Calgary. Buck Pierce is not an option based on the confusion and indecisiveness he has shown in his game action so far as a Lion.
Damarco looked a little like a QB who was playing in his 3rd game. Way too many passes into coverage. Also it was very evident that the Riders pass rush was going good tonight. Needed a lot more quick plays and as is the Lion's want, they don't seem to be able to make adjustments. At one point, I actually said before the play that Riders were going to bring the heat and Demarco was going to be sacked which is exactly what happened. A QB draw and/or a screen pass or two might have been a good cure for some of that but not in Chaps playbook evidently. Idiotic.
O line was really not in game tonight. Simply overpowered. Demarco tried to step into the pocked on several occasions only to find there was none. The protection had completely collapsed. Same with the run game.
Was the Larose PI legit.? It was on the far side of the field from me and they don't so the replays on Lions penalties (a piss off). Officiating seemed weak at points although I don't think it affected the outcome of the game.
Our special teams weren't very special tonight. Paul's lack of hang time was really in evidence compared to Sask punts. Low trajectory, lots of run back opportunities which Sanders exploited quite effectively.
Tell me how long must a fan be strong? Ans. Always.
I thought the PIs were weak, but the first one on LaRose got them going. Up until then, the Riders had done nothing.
I like DeMarco. Pierce was disappointing. He looks very out of place.
What happened to our run game? With a rookie QB, the run game is a must and we had nothing. I would not mind it if they let DeMarco run a bit more. On some hand offs DeMarco faked it as if he had kept the ball and I wish he had done so because he would have had some nice gains.
DeMarco is capable. He will certainly do until Lulay comes back. But we need to have a good run game to complement him.
I like DeMarco. Pierce was disappointing. He looks very out of place.
What happened to our run game? With a rookie QB, the run game is a must and we had nothing. I would not mind it if they let DeMarco run a bit more. On some hand offs DeMarco faked it as if he had kept the ball and I wish he had done so because he would have had some nice gains.
DeMarco is capable. He will certainly do until Lulay comes back. But we need to have a good run game to complement him.
Enough is enough.
I don't get it...
Andrew Harris ran for 10 yds...
Demarco surpassed him with 25.
Thats not much of a run game.
Andrew Harris ran for 10 yds...
Demarco surpassed him with 25.
Thats not much of a run game.
"'Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others."
Groucho Marx
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swervynmerv
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Everyone is pretty much bang on with their comments. The Riders wanted it more and we were not sharp at all.
In my key to the game comments I had said that we had to come out fast and keep the Riders down and not allow Durant to get any kind of rhythm. The D had a good Ist quarter but why can't our Offence ever start quickly. Again, a FG instead of a TD early in the game is a momentum changer.
Really, two series were the turning point for me. The interception in the end-zone was the first. Instead of going up 10-7 and grabbing momentum again. The Riders go down the field and score, aided by penalties. The second was after we score an opening half TD in the 3rd quarter, we let the Riders come down and score right away. Hold them to a 2 and out there and we get the ball back and maybe put more points up and it's a different game.
Going forward, we have to get our run game going and improve our offensive line play. This is not just for this season but for next year as well. Our O-line has been an issue for years. We will be playing one and possible two games in outdoor winter conditions if we want to get to the Grey Cup. If we can't establish a run, we will be in trouble.
In my key to the game comments I had said that we had to come out fast and keep the Riders down and not allow Durant to get any kind of rhythm. The D had a good Ist quarter but why can't our Offence ever start quickly. Again, a FG instead of a TD early in the game is a momentum changer.
Really, two series were the turning point for me. The interception in the end-zone was the first. Instead of going up 10-7 and grabbing momentum again. The Riders go down the field and score, aided by penalties. The second was after we score an opening half TD in the 3rd quarter, we let the Riders come down and score right away. Hold them to a 2 and out there and we get the ball back and maybe put more points up and it's a different game.
Going forward, we have to get our run game going and improve our offensive line play. This is not just for this season but for next year as well. Our O-line has been an issue for years. We will be playing one and possible two games in outdoor winter conditions if we want to get to the Grey Cup. If we can't establish a run, we will be in trouble.
This game was lost by the o-line. They were absolutely horrific all night long. Kabongo looks like he doesn't belong in the league anymore. Every time they needed to give DeMarco some time on 2nd and long, they folded like a cheap tent. Demarco I thought made a number of excellent throws, however they couldn't get any momentum due to the pathetic play of the o-line.
People can point to Harris and the running game. However it seems like the scheme is to hand the ball to Harris and tell him to run right into the o-line. It's no wonder he gets 1 yard per carry. The o-line is so bad there is no way they can create gaps for him to run through.
I'm amazed that the Lions still don't use hot routes, crossing patterns, or screens to help free players up. The Riders torched the Lions on those plays all night. Chap ball was its usual ugly self.
Give the Riders credit in that they figured out the Lions weakness and blitzed most of the night. All in all this was a horrible night for the lions.
People can point to Harris and the running game. However it seems like the scheme is to hand the ball to Harris and tell him to run right into the o-line. It's no wonder he gets 1 yard per carry. The o-line is so bad there is no way they can create gaps for him to run through.
I'm amazed that the Lions still don't use hot routes, crossing patterns, or screens to help free players up. The Riders torched the Lions on those plays all night. Chap ball was its usual ugly self.
Give the Riders credit in that they figured out the Lions weakness and blitzed most of the night. All in all this was a horrible night for the lions.
That was a real stinker by the Lions, Lions coaching staff, and the damn CFL officials. The team was not ready to play, coaches were out coached all night long, and some of the penalty calls had me questioning if these CFL officials know the rule book as they should. Terrible game from every angle.
I piss and moan about the guy a lot, but I really do believe it's time for a change at Offensive coordinator. We have a weapon in Harris that never seems to be utilized properly and some of the play calling on 2nd and long has been mind boggling for far too long. Chap ball has run it's course for me and I don't want to watch it any longer. I know it's difficult to make such a change mid-season but I hope there's a change for next year. The time has come to get a new vision in place.
I piss and moan about the guy a lot, but I really do believe it's time for a change at Offensive coordinator. We have a weapon in Harris that never seems to be utilized properly and some of the play calling on 2nd and long has been mind boggling for far too long. Chap ball has run it's course for me and I don't want to watch it any longer. I know it's difficult to make such a change mid-season but I hope there's a change for next year. The time has come to get a new vision in place.
The issues with the Lions have been there ALL year......but they are only exposed when the other team plays well.
Under Chapdelaine's guidance, the only way this offense is successful, is if EVERY player does their job 100% on 100% of the plays....a lot to ask, IMHO.
Most glaring problem.....the offensive line is mediocre/poor on most nights.......and it shows on short yardage and the inside run game (non-existent). There is no point handing the ball to Harris inside, when there is NO hole to run through. Because of poor pass blocking, the QB has to be mobile and Chapdelaine has to be willing to move the pocket or roll the QB (not in Chaps DNA).
A major difference between the CFL and the NFL is player availability.....or more precise, COMPETENT player availability. For every player in the NFL that's starting, there's several capable backups to take his spot. This doesn't exist in the CFL, particularly with Canadian starters. Even if Buono wants to trade ALL of next year's draft picks......there simply is NO COMPETENT Canadian offensive lineman available.
Bottom line.......with the current offensive line.......the 2013 edition of the BC Lions is simply NOT a championship calibre team.
Under Chapdelaine's guidance, the only way this offense is successful, is if EVERY player does their job 100% on 100% of the plays....a lot to ask, IMHO.
Most glaring problem.....the offensive line is mediocre/poor on most nights.......and it shows on short yardage and the inside run game (non-existent). There is no point handing the ball to Harris inside, when there is NO hole to run through. Because of poor pass blocking, the QB has to be mobile and Chapdelaine has to be willing to move the pocket or roll the QB (not in Chaps DNA).
A major difference between the CFL and the NFL is player availability.....or more precise, COMPETENT player availability. For every player in the NFL that's starting, there's several capable backups to take his spot. This doesn't exist in the CFL, particularly with Canadian starters. Even if Buono wants to trade ALL of next year's draft picks......there simply is NO COMPETENT Canadian offensive lineman available.
Bottom line.......with the current offensive line.......the 2013 edition of the BC Lions is simply NOT a championship calibre team.
Lloyd
Shi Zi Mi wrote:The issues with the Lions have been there ALL year......but they are only exposed when the other team plays well.
Under Chapdelaine's guidance, the only way this offense is successful, is if EVERY player does their job 100% on 100% of the plays....a lot to ask, IMHO.
Most glaring problem.....the offensive line is mediocre/poor on most nights.......and it shows on short yardage and the inside run game (non-existent). There is no point handing the ball to Harris inside, when there is NO hole to run through. Because of poor pass blocking, the QB has to be mobile and Chapdelaine has to be willing to move the pocket or roll the QB (not in Chaps DNA).
A major difference between the CFL and the NFL is player availability.....or more precise, COMPETENT player availability. For every player in the NFL that's starting, there's several capable backups to take his spot. This doesn't exist in the CFL, particularly with Canadian starters. Even if Buono wants to trade ALL of next year's draft picks......there simply is NO COMPETENT Canadian offensive lineman available.
Bottom line.......with the current offensive line.......the 2013 edition of the BC Lions is simply NOT a championship calibre team.
Your comments are bang on, Lloyd.
Games like last night glaringly highlite the Lions miss Angus Reid and Kirby Fabien. Throughout the course of the game, Darian Durant had the extra time his O line provided to either find an open receiver, or buy time by breaking containment and stepping up in the pocket. Meanwhile, DeMarco was buried time and time again whenever his protection pocket quickly collapsed.
The addition of Ottawa will only spread out an already thin Canadian talent base.
If we can't run the ball the normal way like everyone else, we need to bring back what we were doing with Kelvin Anderson or I forget who it was, maybe that guy hwo came over from the Argos using the short passing game, leak the HB out to the flats and count that as an extension as the running game, worked pretty well back then
The game was anticipated to be a forocious battle between our Leos, winners of three games in a row and undefeated at B.C. Place this season and the Saskatchewan Rough Riders, losers of four in a row and desperately needing a win.
A victory for our Leos would not only have solidifed second place in the West but also set up a following game with the Caglary Stamps and first place on the line. A loss would mean the Riders would move back into a second place tie with us and have the edge with the final game of the series between both clubs back in Regina.
Both teams had a lot to play for. However for some reason our Leos looked flat and out of sync, especially offensively. There were a number of turning points and keys to this loss.
1. Games are most often won and lost in the trenches. The Riders handed out butts to us. They dominated both lines of scrimmage and laid an #&# whupping on both our offensive and defensive lines. On offence we couldn't open any holes or pass protect woth a dam. On defense, most of the game Durrant could have made a peanut butter and jam sandwich before he threw the football.
2. We lost the turnover battle. DeMarco's first interception looked like a touchdwon written all over it, with Moore wide open in the end zone, but a Rider just got a piece of DeMarco's wrist. DeMarco's second interception of the first half gave the Riders good field position.
3. We were very undisciplined. We took 13 penalties. The LaRose pass interference, a borderline call at best, led to a Riders touchdown. The penalty on the Riders field goal, gave the visitors a first down and they turned it into a touchdown and a two point convert. The penatly would end up costing us 5 points.Our Leos players did way too much 'yapping' during this game and seemed to lose theirfocus at times by doing so and not play with discipline at times. We went into theis game as the least penalized team in the league and 13 penalties is not disciplined play.
4. Our Leos went into this game wtih changes to three receiver positions. Williams made some big plays but was confused at times in terms of where to line up. The game proved that it was too many changes to our receiving corps. Tining with individual receivers is so imporant to the passing ame. Throw in a quarterback with only two pro starts, an offensive line that was so porous that even the quick throwing DeMarco was sacked five times, and the inability to give an inexperieced quarterback the semblence of a running game, plus getting behind early was a recipe for offensive frustration.
5. I rarely complain about referreeing. Its always an easy or convenient excuse for a loss or poor play and it often comes off as just whining. But I'm going to whine. I really thought the refs allowed the Riders to maul our receivers and there were a number of pass interference calls that could have been made against the Riders. I would have no problem with the refs allowing that to happen if they were calling it consistently on both sides. However, we were not alllowed to touch a Rider receiver while the Riders defenders man handled us at will. It may not have been the reason for the loss but the refs impacted the game in my view.
6. There were many turning points in this game but the key turning point to me, was when we scored our opening touchdown of the second half to make the game close and we allowed the Riders to march right back and score a touchdown. It killed momentum and showed that we did not want this game as badly as the Riders did or that lacked the toughness and talent on our offensive and defensive lines to get it done.
Here are some post game thoughts.
OFFENCE
I anticipated that the Riders would try to get pressure on DeMarco by bringing that pressure inside, in his face. There was enough tape on Demarco to realize that inside pass pressure was the best way to take away the strengths of his game. The Riders defensive line wen through our guards and center postion like we were swiss cheeze and they didn't need a full out blitz to do it. Archibald was also cleanly beaten a number of times.
DeMarco had been an accurate thrower who could get the football there in a hurry in his first two games but in this game he was off at times. We tried booting him outside a few times to get away from the inside pressure but that is an area of Demarco's game that he will need to develop. Lulay was always at his best when he could get outside and have a run.pass option. CFL defenses did everthing this season to keep Lulay in the pocket with full out bltizing or spying. Regina showed the blue print for the future in defencing DeMarco. Defneses will blitz a linebacker inside or do a lot of inside stunting or bull rushing to get quick inside pass pressure, forcing even quicker passes or flushing him.
The Riders also played a lot of two deep safeties to take away the long pass.
Demarco threw for 285 yards but offensiely we looked like we were playing our first exhibition game of the season. We looked out of sync and it seemed at times that we were playing in slow motion compared to the Riders.
Nick Moore, with 92 yards was the leading recieiver in the game and Williams with 74 yards also had more yards receiving than any Rider receiver but it was not enough.
The answer also does not appear to be Buck Pierce. While he has not played a lot , Buck has not shown, so far, even with his experience, that he is a better option than DeMarco. Pierce has not looked comfortable at all again out there.
The Riders proved, with Sheets back in the lineup, and a run game or the threat of a run in their offence, that they were a different offence. Durrant only threw for 234 yards but the Riders got some big plays out of their short passing game.
Our Leos continue to struggle to get decent yards on first down rushing the football. We ran for a total of 80 yards but 41 of those yards were on a fly sweep by Williams, who was bottled up but turned nothing into a big gain. Harris had 10 yards on four attempts. There will be some who will criticize our lack of rushing attempts. However, it was obvious that we were going to be in second and long all game if we handed the football to Harris on first down plus we were behind. We just can't seem to open holes in the run game and the Riders did not need a full out bllitz to do corral Harris.
Its a vexing question as to why Andrew Harris, the CFL's leader last season in combined yards has been able to be shut down as well as he has so many times this season. Last year we led the CFL in rushing as well. We are unable to get Harris an initial hole and he is covered very well in the passing attack. Harris is very good in space but is not a tailback who can create his own space on occasion. We just can't find a way to get him into space, the place he excells in both the run game and the pass game. Harris was even well covered on a wheel route last night when we tried to send him deep.
Our offensive line play really has to improve in order to get our run game going. We tried Myddleton at guard and that was unable to make a difference to get the results we hoped for. One way we could change things up is to have our quarterback carry the football more often on the zone read, which we did on our opening play of the game. Secondly, we may have to use Harris in the slot and go empty backfield at times. We are going to have to do something very, very different to open up Harris in the passing attack.
DEFENCE
This was a game that our defense did not play badly and at times played very well. We held Durrant to 238 yards passing and contained Sheets enough to win this game.
A pass interference call on LaRose, an undisciplined penalty on special teams that gave the Riders offence another shot, two key offensive turnovers, and a big play by Dressler on a crossing route were too much to overcome, as were 13 penalties.
One thing that was obvious in this game is that we could not get enough pressure on Durrant from our defnesive line. With Sheets running the football or the threat of him running meant that we could not just pin our ears back, knowing that he would pass. It forced us to blitz at times. We most often sent Eliminian and he is not a good bllitzer and gets picked up and stopped way too easily.
The Riders, with a renewed running attack with Sheets back, did not have to rely completely on the passing attack and Durrant's arm.
Conversely, withut a run game and unale to pass block well enough inside we had to rely on DeMarco's and our receivers and we looked more like the Riders offence of their prevous four games....and having three recievers in different postions added to the woes of being in sync.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Our downfield tackling was not as good as it has recently been. Once again we struggled to get Borwn into space with some initial blocks. McCalllum missed a field goal he usually makes. We took unnecesary penalties on spacial teams.
WRAP
Perhaps we left our energy for this game behind in the opening introductions while wearing our gun metal grey uniforms. It almost seemed as if we thought that the new uniforms were magic enough that we didn't need to play well inside of them.
This was a game taht we were dominated int the trenches and played undisciplined, flat, and 'discombobulated' to use Wally's longest word of his long career.
Its back to the drawing board and its back to some player soul searching. We have a week to find some answers. Calgary is not an easy place to play at the best of times. Its geting colder and a team that cannot run the football in the fall is usually a team that is going to experience some misery. A team that cannot pressure a quarterback with its defensive line is going to experience some pain on defense.
It was so diaappointing to watch our Leos , who had played so insprired and disciplined for the past two games on the road lay an egg at home. But its one game. Time to put it behind us and get better prepared for Calgary.
The game stats are below:
PASSING
DURANT, D 21 31 234 1 0
DEMARCO, T 19 36 286 1 3
PIERCE, B 0 2 0 0 0
RUSHING
SHEETS, K 14 80 21 2
DURANT, D 3 38 20 0
SANDERS, J 2 2 2 0
WILLY, D 1 1 1 0
WILLIAMS 1 41 41 0
DEMARCO 3 25 21 0
HARRIS, A 6 10 9 0
BROWN, T 2 3 2 0
GORE, S 1 1 1 1
PIERCE, B 1 0 0 0
RECEIVING
DRESSLER, W 5 73 45 1
GETZLAF, C 5 70 25 0
SHEETS, K 6 41 21 0
SMITH, T 3 36 25 0
SIMON, G 1 13 13 0
HUGHES, N 1 1 1 0
MOORE, N 5 92 33 1
WILLIAMS, K 4 74 41 0
GORE, S 3 44 20 0
ARCENEAUX, E 3 42 17 0
JACKSON, P 2 28 20 0
HARRIS, A 2 6 6 0
A victory for our Leos would not only have solidifed second place in the West but also set up a following game with the Caglary Stamps and first place on the line. A loss would mean the Riders would move back into a second place tie with us and have the edge with the final game of the series between both clubs back in Regina.
Both teams had a lot to play for. However for some reason our Leos looked flat and out of sync, especially offensively. There were a number of turning points and keys to this loss.
1. Games are most often won and lost in the trenches. The Riders handed out butts to us. They dominated both lines of scrimmage and laid an #&# whupping on both our offensive and defensive lines. On offence we couldn't open any holes or pass protect woth a dam. On defense, most of the game Durrant could have made a peanut butter and jam sandwich before he threw the football.
2. We lost the turnover battle. DeMarco's first interception looked like a touchdwon written all over it, with Moore wide open in the end zone, but a Rider just got a piece of DeMarco's wrist. DeMarco's second interception of the first half gave the Riders good field position.
3. We were very undisciplined. We took 13 penalties. The LaRose pass interference, a borderline call at best, led to a Riders touchdown. The penalty on the Riders field goal, gave the visitors a first down and they turned it into a touchdown and a two point convert. The penatly would end up costing us 5 points.Our Leos players did way too much 'yapping' during this game and seemed to lose theirfocus at times by doing so and not play with discipline at times. We went into theis game as the least penalized team in the league and 13 penalties is not disciplined play.
4. Our Leos went into this game wtih changes to three receiver positions. Williams made some big plays but was confused at times in terms of where to line up. The game proved that it was too many changes to our receiving corps. Tining with individual receivers is so imporant to the passing ame. Throw in a quarterback with only two pro starts, an offensive line that was so porous that even the quick throwing DeMarco was sacked five times, and the inability to give an inexperieced quarterback the semblence of a running game, plus getting behind early was a recipe for offensive frustration.
5. I rarely complain about referreeing. Its always an easy or convenient excuse for a loss or poor play and it often comes off as just whining. But I'm going to whine. I really thought the refs allowed the Riders to maul our receivers and there were a number of pass interference calls that could have been made against the Riders. I would have no problem with the refs allowing that to happen if they were calling it consistently on both sides. However, we were not alllowed to touch a Rider receiver while the Riders defenders man handled us at will. It may not have been the reason for the loss but the refs impacted the game in my view.
6. There were many turning points in this game but the key turning point to me, was when we scored our opening touchdown of the second half to make the game close and we allowed the Riders to march right back and score a touchdown. It killed momentum and showed that we did not want this game as badly as the Riders did or that lacked the toughness and talent on our offensive and defensive lines to get it done.
Here are some post game thoughts.
OFFENCE
I anticipated that the Riders would try to get pressure on DeMarco by bringing that pressure inside, in his face. There was enough tape on Demarco to realize that inside pass pressure was the best way to take away the strengths of his game. The Riders defensive line wen through our guards and center postion like we were swiss cheeze and they didn't need a full out blitz to do it. Archibald was also cleanly beaten a number of times.
DeMarco had been an accurate thrower who could get the football there in a hurry in his first two games but in this game he was off at times. We tried booting him outside a few times to get away from the inside pressure but that is an area of Demarco's game that he will need to develop. Lulay was always at his best when he could get outside and have a run.pass option. CFL defenses did everthing this season to keep Lulay in the pocket with full out bltizing or spying. Regina showed the blue print for the future in defencing DeMarco. Defneses will blitz a linebacker inside or do a lot of inside stunting or bull rushing to get quick inside pass pressure, forcing even quicker passes or flushing him.
The Riders also played a lot of two deep safeties to take away the long pass.
Demarco threw for 285 yards but offensiely we looked like we were playing our first exhibition game of the season. We looked out of sync and it seemed at times that we were playing in slow motion compared to the Riders.
Nick Moore, with 92 yards was the leading recieiver in the game and Williams with 74 yards also had more yards receiving than any Rider receiver but it was not enough.
The answer also does not appear to be Buck Pierce. While he has not played a lot , Buck has not shown, so far, even with his experience, that he is a better option than DeMarco. Pierce has not looked comfortable at all again out there.
The Riders proved, with Sheets back in the lineup, and a run game or the threat of a run in their offence, that they were a different offence. Durrant only threw for 234 yards but the Riders got some big plays out of their short passing game.
Our Leos continue to struggle to get decent yards on first down rushing the football. We ran for a total of 80 yards but 41 of those yards were on a fly sweep by Williams, who was bottled up but turned nothing into a big gain. Harris had 10 yards on four attempts. There will be some who will criticize our lack of rushing attempts. However, it was obvious that we were going to be in second and long all game if we handed the football to Harris on first down plus we were behind. We just can't seem to open holes in the run game and the Riders did not need a full out bllitz to do corral Harris.
Its a vexing question as to why Andrew Harris, the CFL's leader last season in combined yards has been able to be shut down as well as he has so many times this season. Last year we led the CFL in rushing as well. We are unable to get Harris an initial hole and he is covered very well in the passing attack. Harris is very good in space but is not a tailback who can create his own space on occasion. We just can't find a way to get him into space, the place he excells in both the run game and the pass game. Harris was even well covered on a wheel route last night when we tried to send him deep.
Our offensive line play really has to improve in order to get our run game going. We tried Myddleton at guard and that was unable to make a difference to get the results we hoped for. One way we could change things up is to have our quarterback carry the football more often on the zone read, which we did on our opening play of the game. Secondly, we may have to use Harris in the slot and go empty backfield at times. We are going to have to do something very, very different to open up Harris in the passing attack.
DEFENCE
This was a game that our defense did not play badly and at times played very well. We held Durrant to 238 yards passing and contained Sheets enough to win this game.
A pass interference call on LaRose, an undisciplined penalty on special teams that gave the Riders offence another shot, two key offensive turnovers, and a big play by Dressler on a crossing route were too much to overcome, as were 13 penalties.
One thing that was obvious in this game is that we could not get enough pressure on Durrant from our defnesive line. With Sheets running the football or the threat of him running meant that we could not just pin our ears back, knowing that he would pass. It forced us to blitz at times. We most often sent Eliminian and he is not a good bllitzer and gets picked up and stopped way too easily.
The Riders, with a renewed running attack with Sheets back, did not have to rely completely on the passing attack and Durrant's arm.
Conversely, withut a run game and unale to pass block well enough inside we had to rely on DeMarco's and our receivers and we looked more like the Riders offence of their prevous four games....and having three recievers in different postions added to the woes of being in sync.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Our downfield tackling was not as good as it has recently been. Once again we struggled to get Borwn into space with some initial blocks. McCalllum missed a field goal he usually makes. We took unnecesary penalties on spacial teams.
WRAP
Perhaps we left our energy for this game behind in the opening introductions while wearing our gun metal grey uniforms. It almost seemed as if we thought that the new uniforms were magic enough that we didn't need to play well inside of them.
This was a game taht we were dominated int the trenches and played undisciplined, flat, and 'discombobulated' to use Wally's longest word of his long career.
Its back to the drawing board and its back to some player soul searching. We have a week to find some answers. Calgary is not an easy place to play at the best of times. Its geting colder and a team that cannot run the football in the fall is usually a team that is going to experience some misery. A team that cannot pressure a quarterback with its defensive line is going to experience some pain on defense.
It was so diaappointing to watch our Leos , who had played so insprired and disciplined for the past two games on the road lay an egg at home. But its one game. Time to put it behind us and get better prepared for Calgary.
The game stats are below:
PASSING
DURANT, D 21 31 234 1 0
DEMARCO, T 19 36 286 1 3
PIERCE, B 0 2 0 0 0
RUSHING
SHEETS, K 14 80 21 2
DURANT, D 3 38 20 0
SANDERS, J 2 2 2 0
WILLY, D 1 1 1 0
WILLIAMS 1 41 41 0
DEMARCO 3 25 21 0
HARRIS, A 6 10 9 0
BROWN, T 2 3 2 0
GORE, S 1 1 1 1
PIERCE, B 1 0 0 0
RECEIVING
DRESSLER, W 5 73 45 1
GETZLAF, C 5 70 25 0
SHEETS, K 6 41 21 0
SMITH, T 3 36 25 0
SIMON, G 1 13 13 0
HUGHES, N 1 1 1 0
MOORE, N 5 92 33 1
WILLIAMS, K 4 74 41 0
GORE, S 3 44 20 0
ARCENEAUX, E 3 42 17 0
JACKSON, P 2 28 20 0
HARRIS, A 2 6 6 0
"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)
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DanoT
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- Location: Victoria, B.C. in summer, Sun Peaks Resort in winter
Any team willing to go with an aggressive all out blitz will overpower the Lions O line and the Lions have no answer. No pitch outs to Harris to try and get the wide running game going, no draws to counteract the blitz, no screen passes, no Harris. Oh... I get it the are saving Harris for the Calgary game.
Buck looks real rusty and I'm afraid Lulay will be rusty when/if he comes back. So, I'm hoping that the game was a good learning experience for DeMarco. I like the zip that he puts on the ball. He needs to run more and not throw in to coverage as often.
Buck looks real rusty and I'm afraid Lulay will be rusty when/if he comes back. So, I'm hoping that the game was a good learning experience for DeMarco. I like the zip that he puts on the ball. He needs to run more and not throw in to coverage as often.
Good comments on an unfortunate game, Lionbackers....
As already mentioned here (and in the GDT by Rammer
) why do these stinkers usually seem to happen during the big games with the big crowds. Sure winning ROAD games on last second field goals is cool but couldn't you do the same and/or DOMINATE ala what we did to the Bombers, at a HOME game please. I remember McCallum's last walkoff home field goal and its a great way to end a game, IMO.
Did Durant throw the ball to a Marsh -covered reciever all game? Know he made the mistake of tossing a freebie to Philips sometime in the first half. Unfortunately he dropped it.....
As already mentioned here (and in the GDT by Rammer
) why do these stinkers usually seem to happen during the big games with the big crowds. Sure winning ROAD games on last second field goals is cool but couldn't you do the same and/or DOMINATE ala what we did to the Bombers, at a HOME game please. I remember McCallum's last walkoff home field goal and its a great way to end a game, IMO.You summed up my complaints about SOME of the officiating crew. Johnson is my favourite CFL official but #35 and #27 (may have the #'s wrong) seemed to have different rules for each defence. I still think the Lions didn't do enough to win but if the Riders expect that offence to have success they'd better lobby the CFL to have that officiating crew to help get it them some momentum.Blitz wrote:........ I rarely complain about referreeing. Its always a easy or convenient excuse for a loss or poor play and whining is the way I most often see it. But I'm going to whine. I really thought the refs allowed the Riders to maul our receivers and there were a number of pass interference calls that could have been made against the Riders. I would have no problem with the refs allowing that to happen if they were calling it consistently on both sides. However, we were not alllowed to touch a Rider receiver while the Riders defenders man handled us at will. It may not have been the reason for the loss but the refs impacted the game in my view. ..........................
Did Durant throw the ball to a Marsh -covered reciever all game? Know he made the mistake of tossing a freebie to Philips sometime in the first half. Unfortunately he dropped it.....