Leos/Stamps Keys to the Game
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 3:38 pm
Our 2-3 B.C. Lions have a real challenge on their hands this Friday evening when they take on the 4-0 Calgary Stampeders. John Hufnagel has gotten the Stamps off to a great start again, even with a fairly inexperiended quarterback at the helm. Rich Stubler's defense has given up the least points in the CFL so far this season and that has been the key to the Stamps undefeated record.
On offence the Stamps inexperinced Bo Levi Mitchell has the best quarterback efficiency in the CFL and no wonder. Calgary quarterbacks have had the advantage of a well blocked running attack and excellent pass protection for many seasons now.
Bo Levi Mitchell has been sacked 4 times this season, the least in the CFL. Kevin Glenn, who used to be afforded the same kind of protection in Calgary has been decked 21 times so far in a Leos uniform, the most this season. Those two stats tell an important story.
Lets have a closer look at the keys to this game and likely the keys to the success or not of this Leos season.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Offensive line play of our B.C. Lions has a long history under the Buono era, with Dorazio as our offensive line coach (as well as a co- offensive coordinator, offensive coordinator, and coach of our running game and pass blocking schemes) and most of that story is not a good one. Over the past 10 years our Leos team has been plagued most of the time with poor pass protection, an inability to be able to run successfully in short yardage situations, and terrible stunt and blitz pickup.
Dispite having some excellent quarterbacks with most being very mobile (Printers, Pierce, Jackson, Lulay) or smart in the pocket (Dickenson, Glenn) they have all taken a wicked pounding, often with defenders having unimpeded lanes to the quarterback. Our quarterback have been plagued with serious injuries during this era and missed a lot of games. Here are some stats regarding our pass protection over the past decade:
74 sacks – 2005 worst in CFL
56 sacks – 2006 – worst in CFL
32 sacks -2007 – least in CFL
33 sacks -2008 – 4th in CFL
40 sacks –2009 - 5th in CFL 2009
65 sacks – 2010worst in CFL
29 sacks –2011 best in CFL 2011
30 sacks –2012 2nd best in CFL - 2012
47 sacks –2013 4th in CFL
21 sacks – worst in CFL
The only seasons that we have done an adequate job or protecting the quarterback was in 2007, when Hufnagel came into B.C. for one season as an advisor to Dorazio and Kruck, we with power formations and ran Joe Smith a lot and in 2011 and 2012, when Chapdelaine changed the offence and used power formations on first down and used a lot of motion and misdirection bootleg play action for Lulay. However, in 2013, when defenses did a great job of preventing Lulay getting outside or we were forced to use a pocket style quarterback in DeMarco, we slid quickly again.
The reality is that our Leos offence is not going to be effective unless we do the following 1. Use power formations 2) Run the football a lot and successfully and 3) move the pocket or scheme away from blitzes.
The reason is quite simple. We cannot block effectively, from the spread formation, either for the running game or to protect the quarterback in the passing attack, with Dorazio as our offensive line coach.
Its not a question of offensive line talent or experience. Its a problem of offensive line scheme, assignments, stunt pickup and blitz pickup.
Travis Lulay may be able to return and use his legs to escape a lot but that is not the answer. The answer, for our offensive coordinator, i with Dorazio as our line coach, is to recognize that it is a weakness and design an offence that takes that into account.
There was nothing wrong with the spread offence (ChapBall) that Chapdelaine ran. Its a tried and true ofence that most CFL teams utilize today and have for quite a long period of time. However, it requires the ability to create quick holes inside for running backs with well designed blocking and it requires stunt and blitz pickup. Defenses have known for years and years that you can stunt and blitz us effectively and brutalize our quarterback, when we use the spread formation.
Chap loved the spread offence and it took him too long to move to power formations and misdirection play action passing (JaquesBall). But even Chapdelaine could not overcome a 2013 season when Dorazio couldn't even get Harris holes to run into using power formations and when defenses blitzed Lulay' from the outside and prevented him getting wide, Lulay was trapped too often in the pocket and the pocket is a very unsafe place behind a Dorazio offensive line.
I believed that Khari Jones would figure it out and he had some great advantages. He could see tape of last season. He also knew he had two excellent running backs in Harris and Logan, supposedly a new run blocking scheme that enabled Chap to call running plays that would actually get some decent blocking instead of loss or be stick in 2nd and 10.(Chap had almost given up on running the football mid-season knowing Harris would get stuffed and Jones should have been able to see that power formations, the ability to run inside and outside, with Harris and Logan in power formations, the new run blocking scheme. and the utilization of misdirection play action were the key to our offence this season. We ran for an average of over 200 yds. per game at the end of last season. The recipe was there for Jones.
So what does Khari do? He comes out mostly in spread formation sets in our first two games, our quarterback is under wicked duress as we get stunted and blitzed to death, and we lose. The next two games we go power formations, run the football very well, and we win. I'm thinking ok - the first two games were JonesBall and the second two games are KhariBall. I expect us to use power fomations against Winnipeg (the trend is your friend) and what do we do..go back to the spread again (JonesBall), Glenn is a human piñata, and we lose. Glenn has been sacked 21 times so far and almost every play he has been hit and pressured. It reminded me most of the 2005 and 2006 seasons, when Dickenson took his beatings and 2010, when Lulay and Printers were under siege.
The key to this game is not offensive line play. Its designing our offence around the Mad Professor Dorazio, until he finally hangs up the coaching cleats. In the meantime, with two excellent running backs and a pocket quarterback, it only makes sense to run the football a lot with power formations anyway and set up second and a quick passing attack.
CREATING AN IDENTITY
Our Leos 2014 team has not established an identity on offence or defense. All teams run a lot of the same stuff but all successful teams have an emphasis, a way of playing the game that says "This is who we are".
Dave Ritchie was an innovator and an aggressive defensive coach whose defenses created tunnovers. His defenses were also chamekion. ..he would rush 7 or 8 or 2 or 3. His defenses were like a Forrest Gump box of chocoaltes..you never know what you are going to get on each and every play but he would blitz with every defensive player, pass defenders went for interceptions, and pass rushers got after quarterbacks in a hurry.
Mike Benevdes was a passive defensive coach who usually only rushed four and played passive zone for most of his time. His defense was a bend but don't break conservative defense in the Buono mould. In 2011 Benevedes even started the 2011 season with a 3-4 defense that was a disaster. However, when we went with a 4-3, with a 5 man defensive rotation and finished 2011 with a 6 man defensive rotation, penetration became our defensive identiy and we won a Grey Cup that season due, in part to that change.
Rich Stubler was a defensive geru like Ritchie and Mathews. He came to B.C. in 2012 and created one of the best Leos defenses of all time in a regular season. He used sophisticated, well designed pass coverages and timely blitzes to pressure quarterbacks. That trend continued for a while in 2013 but without inside penetration, the inability to stop the run, and a weak outside pass rush, our defenders had to cover too long and our defense began to slide by season end. Eliminan was out for the game against Regina and our fourth quarter collapse meant his demise.
On offence, we had the most success offensively in 2007 with power formations, an emphasis on the run with Joe Smith and then Jarious went over the top when defenses cheated. In 2011 and especially in 2012, as well as late 2013, our offence really clicked with power formations, a running game emphasis, and misdirection play action.
Screw the 5 receiver set. Line up some big receivers as tight ends, use the fullback to block as well and run the football. Slip the tight ends out on patterns on occasions. We only throw to Arsenanault, Taylor, and Harris in the spread anyway and mostly ignore the outside recievers.
On defense, we have played our best over the past decade with pressure and disguised, aggressive pass coverages and not playing passive zone. Washington should know that and said that we would play more aggressivg this season.
The recipe is simple for offence and defense. On offence run with power formations, move the pocket with misdirection play action. On defense, we should be building an aggressive defense around the best linebacking core in the CFL in Eliminian, Bighill and Jamal Johnson (and Josh Johnson is a very good young one at nickel back.
So far this season we are the worst at getting to the quarterback, we have our linebackers playing back, and our only strength has been the talents of our defensive backs in mostly zone coverage. We also suck when we blitz with poorly schemed blitzes most of the time that get picked up. This is not the kind of defense that wins championships. We need to allow our linebackers to penetrate and play more aggressively and build a defense around them. We need to free Khalif Mitchell up rather than just using him to be a human wall to take on double teams. Mitcheell is best when he is allowed to penetrate.
SPECIAL TEAMS
I'll make this quick. We will never be special on special team returns as long as we have McMann. The only way we break punt and kick returns is when our returner can make something out of nothing.
WRAP
The keys to this game and this season are:
1. An offence based on power formations, a run emphasis, and misdirection play action. Lots of motion is critical. Lining up Logan and Harris as the middle slot back in trips right and left, with an empty backfield is a joke. Send one or both in motion to create speed and matchup confusion rather than line them up as sticks with their feet planted when the ball is snapped. You gotta get it to one of them quick, while moving, especially with an empty backfield, if this formation is to be used.
2. An aggressive defense based on penetration and built on aggressive linebacker play.
3. Prayers that our special return teams will take the bull by the horn themselves, some player will really step up as our 'return game leader', and we can get this part of our team turned around and take advantage of the talents or our return men.
On offence the Stamps inexperinced Bo Levi Mitchell has the best quarterback efficiency in the CFL and no wonder. Calgary quarterbacks have had the advantage of a well blocked running attack and excellent pass protection for many seasons now.
Bo Levi Mitchell has been sacked 4 times this season, the least in the CFL. Kevin Glenn, who used to be afforded the same kind of protection in Calgary has been decked 21 times so far in a Leos uniform, the most this season. Those two stats tell an important story.
Lets have a closer look at the keys to this game and likely the keys to the success or not of this Leos season.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Offensive line play of our B.C. Lions has a long history under the Buono era, with Dorazio as our offensive line coach (as well as a co- offensive coordinator, offensive coordinator, and coach of our running game and pass blocking schemes) and most of that story is not a good one. Over the past 10 years our Leos team has been plagued most of the time with poor pass protection, an inability to be able to run successfully in short yardage situations, and terrible stunt and blitz pickup.
Dispite having some excellent quarterbacks with most being very mobile (Printers, Pierce, Jackson, Lulay) or smart in the pocket (Dickenson, Glenn) they have all taken a wicked pounding, often with defenders having unimpeded lanes to the quarterback. Our quarterback have been plagued with serious injuries during this era and missed a lot of games. Here are some stats regarding our pass protection over the past decade:
74 sacks – 2005 worst in CFL
56 sacks – 2006 – worst in CFL
32 sacks -2007 – least in CFL
33 sacks -2008 – 4th in CFL
40 sacks –2009 - 5th in CFL 2009
65 sacks – 2010worst in CFL
29 sacks –2011 best in CFL 2011
30 sacks –2012 2nd best in CFL - 2012
47 sacks –2013 4th in CFL
21 sacks – worst in CFL
The only seasons that we have done an adequate job or protecting the quarterback was in 2007, when Hufnagel came into B.C. for one season as an advisor to Dorazio and Kruck, we with power formations and ran Joe Smith a lot and in 2011 and 2012, when Chapdelaine changed the offence and used power formations on first down and used a lot of motion and misdirection bootleg play action for Lulay. However, in 2013, when defenses did a great job of preventing Lulay getting outside or we were forced to use a pocket style quarterback in DeMarco, we slid quickly again.
The reality is that our Leos offence is not going to be effective unless we do the following 1. Use power formations 2) Run the football a lot and successfully and 3) move the pocket or scheme away from blitzes.
The reason is quite simple. We cannot block effectively, from the spread formation, either for the running game or to protect the quarterback in the passing attack, with Dorazio as our offensive line coach.
Its not a question of offensive line talent or experience. Its a problem of offensive line scheme, assignments, stunt pickup and blitz pickup.
Travis Lulay may be able to return and use his legs to escape a lot but that is not the answer. The answer, for our offensive coordinator, i with Dorazio as our line coach, is to recognize that it is a weakness and design an offence that takes that into account.
There was nothing wrong with the spread offence (ChapBall) that Chapdelaine ran. Its a tried and true ofence that most CFL teams utilize today and have for quite a long period of time. However, it requires the ability to create quick holes inside for running backs with well designed blocking and it requires stunt and blitz pickup. Defenses have known for years and years that you can stunt and blitz us effectively and brutalize our quarterback, when we use the spread formation.
Chap loved the spread offence and it took him too long to move to power formations and misdirection play action passing (JaquesBall). But even Chapdelaine could not overcome a 2013 season when Dorazio couldn't even get Harris holes to run into using power formations and when defenses blitzed Lulay' from the outside and prevented him getting wide, Lulay was trapped too often in the pocket and the pocket is a very unsafe place behind a Dorazio offensive line.
I believed that Khari Jones would figure it out and he had some great advantages. He could see tape of last season. He also knew he had two excellent running backs in Harris and Logan, supposedly a new run blocking scheme that enabled Chap to call running plays that would actually get some decent blocking instead of loss or be stick in 2nd and 10.(Chap had almost given up on running the football mid-season knowing Harris would get stuffed and Jones should have been able to see that power formations, the ability to run inside and outside, with Harris and Logan in power formations, the new run blocking scheme. and the utilization of misdirection play action were the key to our offence this season. We ran for an average of over 200 yds. per game at the end of last season. The recipe was there for Jones.
So what does Khari do? He comes out mostly in spread formation sets in our first two games, our quarterback is under wicked duress as we get stunted and blitzed to death, and we lose. The next two games we go power formations, run the football very well, and we win. I'm thinking ok - the first two games were JonesBall and the second two games are KhariBall. I expect us to use power fomations against Winnipeg (the trend is your friend) and what do we do..go back to the spread again (JonesBall), Glenn is a human piñata, and we lose. Glenn has been sacked 21 times so far and almost every play he has been hit and pressured. It reminded me most of the 2005 and 2006 seasons, when Dickenson took his beatings and 2010, when Lulay and Printers were under siege.
The key to this game is not offensive line play. Its designing our offence around the Mad Professor Dorazio, until he finally hangs up the coaching cleats. In the meantime, with two excellent running backs and a pocket quarterback, it only makes sense to run the football a lot with power formations anyway and set up second and a quick passing attack.
CREATING AN IDENTITY
Our Leos 2014 team has not established an identity on offence or defense. All teams run a lot of the same stuff but all successful teams have an emphasis, a way of playing the game that says "This is who we are".
Dave Ritchie was an innovator and an aggressive defensive coach whose defenses created tunnovers. His defenses were also chamekion. ..he would rush 7 or 8 or 2 or 3. His defenses were like a Forrest Gump box of chocoaltes..you never know what you are going to get on each and every play but he would blitz with every defensive player, pass defenders went for interceptions, and pass rushers got after quarterbacks in a hurry.
Mike Benevdes was a passive defensive coach who usually only rushed four and played passive zone for most of his time. His defense was a bend but don't break conservative defense in the Buono mould. In 2011 Benevedes even started the 2011 season with a 3-4 defense that was a disaster. However, when we went with a 4-3, with a 5 man defensive rotation and finished 2011 with a 6 man defensive rotation, penetration became our defensive identiy and we won a Grey Cup that season due, in part to that change.
Rich Stubler was a defensive geru like Ritchie and Mathews. He came to B.C. in 2012 and created one of the best Leos defenses of all time in a regular season. He used sophisticated, well designed pass coverages and timely blitzes to pressure quarterbacks. That trend continued for a while in 2013 but without inside penetration, the inability to stop the run, and a weak outside pass rush, our defenders had to cover too long and our defense began to slide by season end. Eliminan was out for the game against Regina and our fourth quarter collapse meant his demise.
On offence, we had the most success offensively in 2007 with power formations, an emphasis on the run with Joe Smith and then Jarious went over the top when defenses cheated. In 2011 and especially in 2012, as well as late 2013, our offence really clicked with power formations, a running game emphasis, and misdirection play action.
Screw the 5 receiver set. Line up some big receivers as tight ends, use the fullback to block as well and run the football. Slip the tight ends out on patterns on occasions. We only throw to Arsenanault, Taylor, and Harris in the spread anyway and mostly ignore the outside recievers.
On defense, we have played our best over the past decade with pressure and disguised, aggressive pass coverages and not playing passive zone. Washington should know that and said that we would play more aggressivg this season.
The recipe is simple for offence and defense. On offence run with power formations, move the pocket with misdirection play action. On defense, we should be building an aggressive defense around the best linebacking core in the CFL in Eliminian, Bighill and Jamal Johnson (and Josh Johnson is a very good young one at nickel back.
So far this season we are the worst at getting to the quarterback, we have our linebackers playing back, and our only strength has been the talents of our defensive backs in mostly zone coverage. We also suck when we blitz with poorly schemed blitzes most of the time that get picked up. This is not the kind of defense that wins championships. We need to allow our linebackers to penetrate and play more aggressively and build a defense around them. We need to free Khalif Mitchell up rather than just using him to be a human wall to take on double teams. Mitcheell is best when he is allowed to penetrate.
SPECIAL TEAMS
I'll make this quick. We will never be special on special team returns as long as we have McMann. The only way we break punt and kick returns is when our returner can make something out of nothing.
WRAP
The keys to this game and this season are:
1. An offence based on power formations, a run emphasis, and misdirection play action. Lots of motion is critical. Lining up Logan and Harris as the middle slot back in trips right and left, with an empty backfield is a joke. Send one or both in motion to create speed and matchup confusion rather than line them up as sticks with their feet planted when the ball is snapped. You gotta get it to one of them quick, while moving, especially with an empty backfield, if this formation is to be used.
2. An aggressive defense based on penetration and built on aggressive linebacker play.
3. Prayers that our special return teams will take the bull by the horn themselves, some player will really step up as our 'return game leader', and we can get this part of our team turned around and take advantage of the talents or our return men.