Playoff Thread - Conference Finals

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Hambone
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If Maas had confidence in his D being able to force a 2 and out why didn't he have equal or better confidence in his offence's ability to convert the 3rd and 4 into a 1st down. All due respect to Ricky Ray and his history there is no better QB in the CFL to pull off last minute heroics to win games late than Mike Reilly. While there are absolutely no guaranteed Reilly would convert I would take the chances of him pulling it off any day over the odds of getting the 2 and out. Prior to that decision EE had forced 4 two & outs in 13 possessions and had gone 2 for 2 on 3rd down gambles of longer than QB sneak distances. Worst case scenario if he failed Calgary would be scrimmaging inside their own 13 and if EE got the 2 and out they'd likely get the ball back around midfield with more than a minute to go. IMO another classic case of a coach totally outhinking himself.
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Toppy Vann
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Two horrible decisions in the past two years that won't be easily forgotten by fans.

1. Maas screwed up yesterday going for 3 instead of going for the TD.

2. Dickenson screwed up last year in the Grey Cup leaving BLM and Messam on the bench for there then predictable short run with Buckley at the helm.

Maas will not say it, but I suspect he learned a valuable lesson yesterday much like I'm sure much like Dave D did in last years GC.

It does no good for players to criticize in the heat of the moment but last year Bo LM did and said he and Messam should have been out there which was what fans thought too.

Yesterday Mike Reilly - no doubt simply decided he's not going to go down that road with his HC as he sees no upside to that criticism.

This GC should be interesting as this could be Ricky Ray's last grasp at a GC and if he's not back as QB, not sure how the Argos will fare next year much like the Redblacks after losing Burris this year.
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TheLionKing
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http://www.tsn.ca/maas-i-won-t-ever-reg ... e-1.920671

Still think it's a bad coaching decision.
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I puled for Edmonton because I was pulling for Mike Reilly, a highly respected quarterback across the league. I was also pulling for Edmonton because I did not want to see Bo Levi win the game.

However, from a coaching staff perspective, it was difficult not to cheer for Dickenson and Claybrooks while it was challenging to be cheering for a team coached by Jason Maas and Mike Benevedes...now there are two coaches that are anything but endearing. I feel sorry for the players who play under them.

Easy to pull for Mark Trestmann.. Before the game Ricky Ray commented on what an outstanding play caller Trestmann is. But I pulled for the Riders especially because I would have loved to see Air Canada quarterbacking in the Grey Cup.

Coaching decisions certainly had an impact in both contests. Of course Maas decision was the major one. But there were other coaching decisions that had an impact.

Claybrooks switched to man defense and called more blitzes once Reilly had dissected his defense in the first quarter and it was effective for a while. But Claybrooks switched from man to zone on Edmonton's third down gamble on Edmonton's final drive and Reilly exploited it.

Dickenson ran the football against Edmonton and it took away the Edmonton pass rush that their front four is so good at. Benevedes didn't adapt all game and stayed vanilla.

In the East Final, Chris Jones came up with an outstanding defensive game plan. But Trestmann made a great call on their third down gamble.
Chamblin had an excellent game plan for the Riders, blitzing Glenn repeatedly. While hindsight is a wonderful thing, when Chris Jones pulled Glenn, he should have kept him pulled. Glenn threw two interceptions early on his next two drives. But the Riders had the shot to be in the Big Dance. It came down to the final drive and a third down gamble.

Both games were exciting to watch and the late fourth quarter game action was edge of the seat stuff.
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KnowItAll
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Reilly deserved better than to have the rug pulled out from under him like that. Down with Maas.

Wish we could get Reilly back, or see him go to an Ontario team, as starter of course.
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B.C.FAN
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The playoffs have been marked by questionable coaching decisions.

Mike O'Shea, who has never won a playoff game, likely ruined the Bombers' latest chance with an ill-advised fake punt in the third quarter last week that swung momentum to Edmonton and turned a 1-point deficit into an 8-point deficit. The Bombers lost by 7.

Jason Maas may have topped that blunder by pulling his offence off the field this week to kick a meaningless field goal on third and 4 from the Calgary 13-yard line with 1:48 on the clock . The Eskimos never got the ball back.

Chris Jones pulled Kevin Glenn after he threw a pick-6 in Toronto, then put him back in to throw 2 more first-half interceptions, giving the Argos a commanding 17-3 lead before Rider backup Brandon Bridge mounted a late comeback, but it wasn't enough.

Marc Trestman and Argo OC Marcus Brady squandered an 18-3 third-quarter lead with conservative play-calling, generating just 52 yards of offence in a 25-minute span that included 4 2-and-outs and 6 punts, one of which was returned for a touchdown, before Ricky Ray opened up the offence and led the comeback game-winning drive in the dying minutes.

Suddenly, the deficiencies in Wally Buono's coaching staff seem like a distant memory.
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DanoT
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Maas would gain at least some respect if he would admit that he made a mistake. When everyone knows you screwed up, then what is too be gained by denying it? He seems determined to cement his persona as a high strung asshat who doesn't do well in pressure situations and is too arrogant to admit it. OTOH maybe it is all part of "The Eskimo Way".
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WestCoastJoe
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To Jason Maas:

You needed a touchdown. There was less than 2 minutes left. You were at the 13 yard line. It was 3rd and 4. You had a shot at 1st down, and if you got that, you had 3 more shots at the TD.

Then you gave up possession of the ball for nothing. The FG gave you nothing in terms of the outcome of the game.

Unless you thought you were down by only 6, your decision was a choke job. Your mind went blank. You panicked.

You never got the ball back. You gave up your shot at the touchdown. I would think the odds slightly favoured your team making the 1st down in that situation.

Not only that, but with the useless FG, you gave CGY possession at a better place on the field. You also wasted one play's worth of game time, the kick return. If you missed the 1st down, CGY would have gone straight into their offence near the 13 yard line.

You need to think this over. And then admit to yourself that you messed up. History will not change the verdict that is already out there.
.............

My opinion ... The intensity we see with Maas, can sometimes cause brain farts like this. And of course it can cause dissension in the ranks, as with the assistant coach he berated on a live broadcast. There are times when a cool head prevails.

Has he screamed at his players? Based on what we see in games, I would think so. That is not good in the long run.

And I expect his assistants were aghast that he chose to go for the useless FG. But no one had the nerve to broach the subject with him before they want ahead. That is a failure in leadership and communication in the organization.

Just IMO ...

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Belize City Lion
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Maas was lying through his teeth at the post game press conference.

No way did he make a decision to kick the FG because he had faith in his defence that they would get a two and out, and that he had faith in his offence to then score a TD for the win. If he had so much faith in his team then it was a no-brainer to get the first down, go on to score a TD, then force a two and out. Then you kick a FG (or punt single) for the win. A much easier path to victory. And worse case (assuming Edmonton converts on 3rd and 4) you wind up tied at the end of regulation.

Worst-worse case, you don't get the first down, at least you have Edmonton on their own 13 yard line. If your trusty defence does force a 2 and out, you are going to get the ball back in much better field position to now score a game tying touchdown.

There is simply no way for Maas to justify his decision. Because it wasn't a decision it was a flat out mistake. Now Mr. Temper-Tantrum faces the very real possibility of losing the room. This is the same young coach who has berated players and assistant coaches when they screw up, going as far as to humiliate them in public. He does not have the pedigree to get away with that type of disrespect of his players and staff. Especially not when he makes the biggest mistake of the season and won't own up for it.

The Eskimos were clearly coming unglued mid season after roaring out to a strong start. The rumblings about Maas being the problem were already staring until the Eskimos put together a few wins to close out the regular season. Edmonton is in an interesting position. They have some real talent on that team, so wholesale roster changes are not going to happen. But those same players are not likely to suffer any crap from Maas next year. If the Eskimos struggle at all to start 2018 I would not be surprise to see Maas fired well before Labour Day.
TheLionKing
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Let's not be too harsh on Maas. Hope Edmonton keep him so he can continue making those brain farts when they play the Lions.
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My guess is that the guys in the booth were right (was it Suitor?): he thought the lead was 6, rather than 7, points. This is about the only thing that makes sense. Had the lead been 6, this might have been a reasonable tactic, although I think going for it on 3rd and 4 would still have been the preferred play.

Maas will have seven months to stew about this.... :wink:
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Toppy Vann
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Rob Vanstone calls out Chris Jones for failing overall basically. Talk about a tough review of CJ.

http://leaderpost.com/sports/football/c ... -big-bucks
"Christion Jones did his part.

Chris Jones did not.

At a point in the game when the Roughriders and their fans could almost taste a berth in the 105th Grey Cup game, Jones’ defence could not seal the deal as effectively and emphatically as Reynolds had done two years ago.

Ray — with considerable assistance from Argonauts head coach Marc Trestman — outfoxed the Roughriders’ defence, not to mention their well-compensated co-ordinator.

Saskatchewan needed to make only one play, on third-and-five, to all but nail down a trip to Ottawa for the league final."
I had forgotten Mike O'Shea's booboo on the fake punt call and that was a biggie much like Mass' error.

I too think Maas would be wise to admit he messed up.

Dave Dickenson manned up for his call which failed in my view only as it was too predictable with Buckley at QB and 2 yds to go:

“The ball was on the (two) yard line and I thought it was going to be in my hands,” Mitchell said. “I was about to celebrate.

“The game was over. Ball’s got to be in my hands or (Messam), that’s how I feel. It’s not wrong what (Dickenson) called. It’s a good call. It’s something that we’ve seen in evidence and he thought would work.”

“It’s not to say if we would have handed off we would have got it, but that’s how the game goes. But either way, whatever the call is, we’ve got to execute that call. It’s just a fact. That’s what football is. You can’t ever put yourself in that situation, but they did a good job adjusting.”

Dickenson admitted after the game he would have chosen a different page in the playbook if he had a do-over.

“I was either going to throw the ball or try to work a play we had dialled up,” Dickenson said.

“I regret that call even though we practised it and it had chances.

“It was going to be either a throw or a run/pass option type of thing.”
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Dusty
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I did not think that the O'Shea fake punt call was a "bad" call, given that the call was (relatively) early in the game, near mid field and if it failed, there were plenty of plays to come to overcome losing the ball on downs. In reality, the result of the call seem to spook the Bombers much more than it should have and gave the Esks much more momentum than the turnover would ordinarily give them. IMO, the failed play affected the Bombers much more than the Esks....

The Maas call, given the time of game and location had a much more direct impact on the game result. It certainly seem to surprise those in the Esk's upstairs box.
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Sir Purrcival
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Maas has the personality of a volcano. He is fiery, makes lots of noise and goes off from time to time. It is the kind of thing that over time will turn off a team. He is one of those character types, be a man, grit it out, be tough, that kind of thing but his unwillingness to admit to a bad call makes all the rest of that a sham. But whatever, he is their problem, we have our own kind of incompetence on this side of the Rockies and somehow, I think we are going to have a far more difficult time curing our ills than the Eskimoes, Eskies, Eskers, or whatever the heck they are going to be called will.

I'm looking forward to the final. I don't have a favourite. Would be nice for Ray, he has given a lot to this league but it would also be nice for Dickensen who has also given a lot to this league.
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