Lions Cut Taylor, Logan

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cromartie
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Have we all departed for the offseason?

http://blogs.theprovince.com/2015/03/02 ... et-taylor/

Am I the only one who's concerned about the lack of depth on the Defensive Line? Someone want to toss some thoughts in on where the pass rush is going to come from this season?
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WestCoastJoe
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I have great respect for Eric Taylor. Underrated IMO. Solid. Much more mobile than one would think, for a giant of a man. In the tradition of Tyrone Williams. He will be missed by his many fans. :thup:

Stefan Logan gave us a real shot in the arm when he returned. :thup:

At least we have drafted a couple of studs for the D Line lately. Westerman and Menard. That helps. Another one this year is necessary IMO. If Daryl Waud fell to us, that would suit me just fine.

Imports? Many available. Evaluating and choosing is the key. We have not had a smooth transition from age to youth.

http://www.tsn.ca/tsn-ca-cfl-draft-prof ... d-1.200431
TSN.ca CFL Draft Profile - Daryl Waud

Tony D'Archi, TSN.ca Staff

Daryl Waud

With the 2015 CFL Combine (Mar. 27-29) and CFL Draft (TBA) approaching on the offseason calendar, TSN.ca profiles some of the prospects who could be taken this spring.

When CIS players are chosen to play in the NCAA Shrine Game, it's seen as an opportunity for a young Canadian player to play against some of the best players from U.S. college football. However, along with that is the fear that they won't belong because of the perception that the level of play from the CIS to the NCAA is overwhelming. For defensive lineman Daryl Waud of Western (along with receiver Addison Richards of Regina), there were some question marks going in.

"It's a different level down there. There were times where I was like, man did I get myself in over my head here? Am I in too deep kind of thing," Waud told TSN. "I just listened to what the coaches were saying, tried my best and I think I fit in fairly well. It was a bit of an adjustment because of the differences in the game so that took a little getting used to, specifically the no yard off the ball. That being said, I think I held my own down there."

With a couple of tackles in the game, including a very noticeable four-yard tackle for a loss, Waud made some plays and didn't look out of place. Yet the differences between the CIS and NCAA were hard not to notice.

"Like I said, it's a different ball game down there. I mean the guys are a lot bigger and stronger. You look at some of these guys and they're 6'5, 330 pounds," Waud observed. "You're lucky if you see a guy that big once in a season up here. That was the stature of the guys across the board. Overall, I think I held my own and I represented myself well and hopefully Canadian football as well."

Playing in the Shrine Game is a week-long experience where players are tested the entire week in practice in front of NFL and CFL scouts. For his part, Waud found it was a huge benefit being invited to the event.

"It was unbelievable. Just to get that opportunity to go down there and compete with some of the best players in NCAA programs was a huge honour for me," Waud explained. "It was a great experience. I learned a lot of new stuff about football and life. It was honestly one of the best weeks of my life. I'm very happy I got the opportunity to do that."

Like many Canadian kids, Waud didn't get started in football until Grade 9 at Sir Allan McNab Secondary school in Hamilton. Despite having a father who played in the CIS at Wilfrid Laurier, Waud concentrated on playing hockey and lacrosse and believes they helped him athletically on the football field.

"Absolutely (it helped). I think playing other sports is great cross-training for football, I mean just the footwork you have to obtain in those games," Waud said. "Just the endurance of playing basketball and lacrosse, the speed and the quickness, it all added up and was a big part of the football player that I am."

What he's become is the highest ranked CIS prospect in the upcoming CFL Draft. Waud was a stellar interior lineman in his four years at Western. His stats don't overwhelm you but in spite of this, Waud was a First Team All-Canadian twice and a three-time OUA All-Star. He describes himself as a well-rounded lineman, one that can rush the passer but also stop the run. What makes him different from most interior lineman is his body type. At 6'5 and 290 pounds, Waud possesses long legs and arms which help him separate from offensive linemen in the trenches. Choosing Western over McMaster still weighs heavily on the Hamilton native.

"It was a tough decision between Mac and Western. They have a great program at McMaster. I knew that they were great people. It was a tough decision to make and ultimately I saw myself at Western and I saw myself having great success here," Waud remembers. "You know if you look back, Mac got to the Vanier Cup a few more times than us but I wouldn't trade my experience at Western. This has been a tremendous last few years for me. It is a rivalry between Mac and Western and I loved every minute of the time I've been at Western."

Despite all his athletic success, Waud hopes he can impress CFL teams at the CFL Combine more with his character as person.

"I think one of the biggest things about football these days, and I learned this a lot at the Shrine game, is personality. If teams are going to invest in a player, they've got to know everything about this guy," Waud said. "I think one of the biggest things for the combine is those personal meetings with teams and really getting to know the player outside of just what they can do on the field. I think that's a big part of the combine outside of everything you do in the testing."

Waud's coach at Western, Greg Marshall, believes his former lineman will be able to make the transition to professional football.

"Daryl is an outstanding athlete with tremendous potential. He has a great work ethic and has been a pleasure to coach," Marshall said. "I really believe he will make a big impact at the professional level. He's had a lot of interest from both CFL and NFL teams. He has been a great teammate and leader during his time at Western."

After the Shrine Game, Waud has put himself on the NFL's radar. Wherever he ends up, Waud just wants to take his football road as far as it takes him.

Next week, we will profile Manitoba receiver Nic Demski, the fifth-ranked prospect in the 2015 CFL Draft.
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Hambone
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WestCoastJoe wrote:I have great respect for Eric Taylor. Underrated IMO. Solid. Much more mobile than one would think, for a giant of a man. In the tradition of Tyrone Williams. He will be missed by his many fans. :thup:
My sentiments exactly. Taylor was to the DL as Anton McKenzie was to LB. Not flashy or spectacular. Just played the game consistently well each and every night. One would be hard pressed to find a game during his stay here where you could say ET was a little off tonight.

I was a bit disappointed about this move but not shocked. When I was looking at rosters a few weeks back (prior to the Foley trade) how the Riders DL was getting old compared to the rest of the league what with Foley hitting 33 in training camp and Chick and George having turned 32. Then I realized that while the Riders had 3 of the 6 oldest DL in the league the 2 eldest of the 6 were in BC with Taylor and Smith.
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WestCoastJoe wrote:I have great respect for Eric Taylor. Underrated IMO. Solid. Much more mobile than one would think, for a giant of a man. In the tradition of Tyrone Williams. He will be missed by his many fans. :thup:
X2.
One of my favorite memories of Taylor was seeing him rumble 19 yards with a fumble recovery last year against Montreal. He seemed as excited as a rookie making his first big play.

Wally explained the move to LU as part of the drive to get younger and better on defence. And the Lions under Wally have generally preferred to release veterans in the offseason, rather than at training camp (with last year's release of Chris Wilson being a high-profile exception).
How else can I say it?” Buono conceded. The Lions have looked in the mirror and aren’t enamoured of the view.

“This has gone through two coaching staffs collectively and the consensus has been consistent. We need to move forward, and part of moving forward is trying to get younger,” Buono continued. “Does that diminish the strength of our team? I don’t believe it does.”

“With Eric we’ve taken away our safety net,” said Buono. “But if you hang on to a player and cut him (in training camp) how hard or fair is that and how much disruption does that cause?”
B.C. Lions chop veteran DT Eric Taylor as get-younger drive continues

I have no problem with Wally's desire to get younger on defence. I'm just puzzled by why some productive veteran players are released with no obvious replacement in sight while others such as Khreem Smith are still here.
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Site issues killed the thread on this already. I will restate that I thought that both Logan and Taylor had at least another year to go for the Lions. Logan especially could come back to bite us as a returner for someone. Just think what he would look like in a Stamps uni in the backfield of that very successful OL of recent seasons. Taylor IMO was the best DL player for the Lions last year, combine that with the departure of Mitchell and the Lions DT situation is dire going into the season. I will join the group thinking that releasing a veteran without any competition behind him doesn't make sound thought for the team. Fine to let them go if the competition is better, but right now the Lions are crossing their fingers for the recruiting to bring someone who is CFL ready for 18 games minimum.
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David
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I don't quite understand Wally's logic here. Sure, by cutting a veteran now he may be able to catch on with another team, but doubtful. How's it working out for Dante Marsh? Teams had their priority free agent signings and likely know how much SMS room they're playing with. What difference is there between releasing a player now and at training camp as far as him catching on with another team goes? On the other hand, training camp provides a real opportunity to asses what the veteran brings versus the rookie beside him.

It just seems a bit risky to vanquish all these veteran players in one fell swoop without knowing if replacements are going to be better.
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Toppy Vann
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The Prov. says just 65% of season tickets are renewed. Is that on par with other years at this time or is this a rebuild with this new HC realizing it especially as his QB is not healthy and there's no logical guy ready to take over.

Is it getting younger and better or younger and cheaper. I suspect the latter.
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Hambone
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David wrote:I don't quite understand Wally's logic here. Sure, by cutting a veteran now he may be able to catch on with another team, but doubtful. How's it working out for Dante Marsh? Teams had their priority free agent signings and likely know how much SMS room they're playing with. What difference is there between releasing a player now and at training camp as far as him catching on with another team goes? On the other hand, training camp provides a real opportunity to asses what the veteran brings versus the rookie beside him.

It just seems a bit risky to vanquish all these veteran players in one fell swoop without knowing if replacements are going to be better.
I don't think this old theory of bringing vets in to "compete" for their own jobs works these days unless they're competing against another vet of similar experience. It's easy to say but really how level is that playing field when there are only about a dozen contact practices and some ex-game reps between the start of camp and final cutdown? The vet knows what to expect. He knows systems. He knows the nuances of the game and doesn't need to spend the first several practices trying to get accustomed to playing a yard off the ball and how that changes angles. The vet comes in having at least one leg up on the rookie. TC is so short now that teams have to enter it with a lot of starters already pencilled and the main focus being to prepare for the season opener. Unless the vet has noticably regressed from the previous season or the rookie is an absolute stud the vet should easily win a "competition" simply because it will take the rookie at least half of camp to get up to speed compared to the vet in so many aspects of what is likely their first taste of 3 down football.
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Rammer
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Hambone wrote:
David wrote:I don't quite understand Wally's logic here. Sure, by cutting a veteran now he may be able to catch on with another team, but doubtful. How's it working out for Dante Marsh? Teams had their priority free agent signings and likely know how much SMS room they're playing with. What difference is there between releasing a player now and at training camp as far as him catching on with another team goes? On the other hand, training camp provides a real opportunity to asses what the veteran brings versus the rookie beside him.

It just seems a bit risky to vanquish all these veteran players in one fell swoop without knowing if replacements are going to be better.
I don't think this old theory of bringing vets in to "compete" for their own jobs works these days unless they're competing against another vet of similar experience. It's easy to say but really how level is that playing field when there are only about a dozen contact practices and some ex-game reps between the start of camp and final cutdown? The vet knows what to expect. He knows systems. He knows the nuances of the game and doesn't need to spend the first several practices trying to get accustomed to playing a yard off the ball and how that changes angles. The vet comes in having at least one leg up on the rookie. TC is so short now that teams have to enter it with a lot of starters already pencilled and the main focus being to prepare for the season opener. Unless the vet has noticably regressed from the previous season or the rookie is an absolute stud the vet should easily win a "competition" simply because it will take the rookie at least half of camp to get up to speed compared to the vet in so many aspects of what is likely their first taste of 3 down football.
What I worry about here is the two different approaches by Wally, and National player needs three seasons to earn his wings. Now an International gets the spot out of training camp without any CFL history even. If Taylor was kept around for another season, he could at minimum tutor the replacement to get him up to speed in one season.
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I'm glad the Lions are finally addressing one of the Lions' weakness that of the pass rush.
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Rammer wrote:What I worry about here is the two different approaches by Wally, and National player needs three seasons to earn his wings. Now an International gets the spot out of training camp without any CFL history even. If Taylor was kept around for another season, he could at minimum tutor the replacement to get him up to speed in one season.
The ratio allows for the two approaches if not dictates them. 7 of 21 NATs on a game day roster must start leaving 14 to dress as backups. On the INT side 16 of the 20 INTs on the game day roster are starters leaving 4 backups. By default 80% of INTs on the game day roster are starting. The ratio allows for NATs to develop on the active roster getting reps with real bullets flying but puts most INT prospects into a position where they are either starting or sitting on the PR. INTs are expected to be awfully damned quick studies because odds are if they are playing they are starting.
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David
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If it's any consolation, the defensive line is one position on the football field in which previous CFL experience is arguably the least vital.

Still, as it stands right now we only have Smith and Bazzie as Internationals, Westerman, Menard, and Doege as Nationals, with INT newcomers Dixon and Minter (to compete inside).

There's a lot of room for growth (and depth) here.
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WestCoastJoe
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Yes, we fans have lots of concerns with our D Line. And this goes back a long way.

It seems to me we finally addressed the need to draft highly ranked D Linemen, rather than just relying on Internationals. IMO we need to draft in this area every year. This year especially.

Re the Internationals. As with OL there is a huge talent pool of International DL available. But your personnel people must evaluate well. We will be put to that test this year, as it has been somewhat neglected recently. We find ourselves with a very thin roster. No phenoms waiting for the chance to start. Too much cautious decision making, counting on aging veterans to get us through.

Not overly worried at this time. Trusting our personnel guys to come up with guys who can play.
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TheLionKing wrote:I'm glad the Lions are finally addressing one of the Lions' weakness that of the pass rush.
In light of performance last year, I would define addressing as making an addition.This is just a subtraction.
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cromartie wrote:
TheLionKing wrote:I'm glad the Lions are finally addressing one of the Lions' weakness that of the pass rush.
In light of performance last year, I would define addressing as making an addition.This is just a subtraction.
It doesn't apply in the case of Taylor but I can't resist. Addition by subtraction?
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