Lions Receiving Corps ...

[Dan_Payne_fan!!]

i think Ryan Thelwell is coaching somewhere anyway

[Rammer]

i think Ryan Thelwell is coaching somewhere anyway

IIRC it is with the U of C Dinosaurs, not sure the exact position he has though.

[David]

No Thelwell appearance, then OK no sacrifice.

Again, whatever. Not a big deal. But it kind of looked to me like Peterson was a sacrifice for the drop, and to keep the cuts going at that time.

Letting this go now ...

Peterson had drops in two straight games. However, it was the one against the Bombers on the 8 yard line that had Wally doing the slow burn (Wally also said he'd been missing some assignments). Kamau no longer had speed; his hands were his calling card and, as such, just had to make that catch. Had it been Gore or Johnson, I think there's a little bit of slack there. But that was an ill-timed drive staller and momentum killer.

I really don't think Thelwell would be considered unless Jackson's knee problem flares up. He certainly looked good in practice last week and told me that he feels great.

DH

[WestCoastJoe]

No Thelwell appearance, then OK no sacrifice.

Again, whatever. Not a big deal. But it kind of looked to me like Peterson was a sacrifice for the drop, and to keep the cuts going at that time.

Letting this go now ...

Peterson had drops in two straight games. However, it was the one against the Bombers on the 8 yard line that had Wally doing the slow burn (Wally also said he'd been missing some assignments). Kamau no longer had speed; his hands were his calling card and, as such, just had to make that catch. Had it been Gore or Johnson, I think there's a little bit of slack there. But that was an ill-timed drive staller and momentum killer.

I really don't think Thelwell would be considered unless Jackson's knee problem flares up. He certainly looked good in practice last week and told me that he feels great.

DH

I think Kamau is exactly what one would expect since Wally started negotiating with him. It seems he has never had the best hands. His hands improved over time from his shaky career start I would suggest. His speed was deemed adequate when he was signed. His hands were deemed adequate when he was signed. His ability to get open was deemed adequate when he was signed. If not adequate for any of these areas, then it was pointless to sign a guy we thought was not good enough.

Salary dump?

Scape goat?

These rationales still seem on the table to me.

And the latter is even moreso if Thelwell is brought in.

Or just a player found wanting after an extended tryout? Possible. But as an insurance policy player, to replace him with Thelwell would lean towards scapegoating IMO.

If Peterson is dumped, rather than bring in Thelwell, I would prefer a guy like Nate Binder, a previous draft of ours. Dunno if he is on a practice roster (checked one site which indicated he is a free agent). Or even Matt Chapdelaine. He has size, probably decent speed, and probably decent hands.

[ziggy]

Two receivers no one is mentioning that really helped our cause were Collins and Grice Mullen. Collins was offside twice and GM dropped the ball. Maybe Peterson can get resigned by the Shmoes and help out as well.

[Hambone]

Kamau no longer had speed; his hands were his calling card and, as such, just had to make that catch.

My assessment of Peterson over the years has been the exact opposite. I've always felt that throughout his career his hands have been his most inconsistent attribute save those 2 good years in Edmonton. He tended to make a difficult catch on one play and drop the one that hit him in the 8 on the next. Every Lion fan remembers when he held onto that one at Commonwealth despite being destroyed by the Lion defender. Sitting up in the nosebleeds of Commonwealth for that one I distinctly remember commenting to Eskinator and Great White North "fine time for him to bring his "A" hands with him today". In my opinion the inconsistency of his hands have been what has stopped him from ever reaching his tremendous potential save those two seasons. For much of his career he was an underachiever.

[David]

My perception of Kamau was that he was really inconsistent early in his career, but very reliable these past few years. He'd probably still be an Eskimo had he not ruptured his achilles (very classy guy too, the way he's handled everything since coming over). I've seen more evidence of the old Kamau since he's been in the BC line-up - making the tough catches, but dropping the easier ones. Again, just IMO. Your opinions are valid too, Dale.

DH

[Hambone]

I don't have anything against KP. By all accounts he is a true professional and class act both on and off the field. I can't take anything away from his two 1000 yard seasons but in 2009 he again dropped back to what was more his normal production of 63 receptions for 788 yards. Eskimo fans lamented when he was released as though they had lost a perennial 1000 yard receiver. In reality his 10 year career numbers showed him to be a 700 yard receiver who had two out of the ordinary 1000 yard seasons. The cup half full guy looks at the 1000 yard seasons as though they are the norm. The cynical cup half empty guy (me) looks at him as a 700 yard receiver who happened to put together 2 career seasons out of his 10. That doesn't make him a bad receiver. I just think with more consistency he could easily have become a perennial 1000 yard receiver.

Kind of reminds me a bit of John Olerud. He flirted with .400 for several months back in 1993 before fading back to finish at .363. It probably took Jays fans 2 or 3 years to stop thinking of him as the second coming of Ted Williams and accept him as a solid .290 to .300 hitter who just happened to have an unreal season once.

[Rammer]

I don't have anything against KP. By all accounts he is a true professional and class act both on and off the field. I can't take anything away from his two 1000 yard seasons but in 2009 he again dropped back to what was more his normal production of 63 receptions for 788 yards. Eskimo fans lamented when he was released as though they had lost a perennial 1000 yard receiver. In reality his 10 year career numbers showed him to be a 700 yard receiver who had two out of the ordinary 1000 yard seasons. The cup half full guy looks at the 1000 yard seasons as though they are the norm. The cynical cup half empty guy (me) looks at him as a 700 yard receiver who happened to put together 2 career seasons out of his 10. That doesn't make him a bad receiver. I just think with more consistency he could easily have become a perennial 1000 yard receiver.

Kind of reminds me a bit of John Olerud. He flirted with .400 for several months back in 1993 before fading back to finish at .363. It probably took Jays fans 2 or 3 years to stop thinking of him as the second coming of Ted Williams and accept him as a solid .290 to .300 hitter who just happened to have an unreal season once.

Count me in the category of KP not catching the easy tosses and didn't get the hard ones until he was Edmonton. That said, Olerud did have a remarkable season, and looking up his stats, I can't believe that was the only +300 with the Jays with starting time. I did see he had a nice season with the Mets later on, batting 354, but his AL average was below 300 over the course of his career. That saddens my day, as I thought that the guy with the batting helmet on 1st base was better than that.

[KnowItAll]

I don't have anything against KP.

I hate pealing potatoes.

[WestCoastJoe]

(Old article. Old thread.)

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Futu ... story.html
Some excerpts from the article by Mike Beamish ...

"I've thought about maybe going to vet school after this, but I'm not really sure," Binder admitted Thursday. "I'm trying to canvass some doctors to get a second opinion about med school. Science and biology really interest me. For now, I'm just concentrating on football."

A rookie with the Lions, the slotback is gifted athletically and highly accomplished academically.

Binder not only was an accomplished receiver at Tusculum — he was the team's second leading receiver in 2009 and tied a school record with nine TD receptions in '08 — he became the Jerry Rice of academics. The E.H. Sargeant Science Award, Dean's list, Athletic Director's Honour Roll, SAC Commissioner's Honour Roll, Charles Oliver Gray Honours List represent some of the non-football hardware he's trucked home.

Yikes. Being smart doesn't stop a guy from being a good athlete. But not all top athletes need to be the smartest guy in school either. (Hello Terry Bradshaw, who when questioned about his supposed lack of brilliance, once said: "How smart does a guy have to be, anyway, to play quarterback?")

"He's extremely intelligent," says Mike Benevides, the Lions defensive coordinator and director of Canadian scouting. "Rookies have a hard time at first, because there's so much new terminology to learn. You get thrown out of your comfort zone. But Nate picks it up very quickly. He's a very composed, mature young man."

From Binder, and Akeem Foster, another highly rated draft pick, one would hope we can find a guy who can play and contribute this year.

Still, Binder admits that the first two days of camp have been "mentally and physically tough." And the intensity will be ratcheted up a degree or two more when the veterans report and two-a-days begin on Sunday.

I hope the weather allows the players to show their stuff.

(Old article. Old thread.)

[WestCoastJoe]

Why are we wasting time on Kamau Peterson and possibly Ryan Thelwell, when a guy like Nate Binder is apparently a free agent at this time.

We drafted him just ahead of Akeem Foster.

Build for the future. Quit grabbing at short term solutions.

And besides, whatever guy we have, Peterson, Thelwell, or even a guy like Binder, they are just insurance, behind Paris Jackson and Marco Iannuzzi.

[notahomer]

...
Build for the future. Quit grabbing at short term solutions.
...

Which is exactly why I thought Buono wanted to start four rookies this year at reciever? He puzzles me with some of this stuff. Yes, Bruce looked like a positive addition to the lineup during the Eskimo game but it kinda flies in the face of what he said he wanted to do this year (which obviously wasn't working). Buono had to make changes due to our record but our record sucked last year at this time too. I don't think lots of young recievers is how you help a young quarterback get his feet under him. Foster and Gore both look awesome at times. Hope they are in Lions unis for many seasons.

[sj-roc]

I don't have anything against KP.

I hate pealing potatoes.

There is a ring of truth to that.

[Toppy Vann]

...
Build for the future. Quit grabbing at short term solutions.
...

Which is exactly why I thought Buono wanted to start four rookies this year at reciever? He puzzles me with some of this stuff. Yes, Bruce looked like a positive addition to the lineup during the Eskimo game but it kinda flies in the face of what he said he wanted to do this year (which obviously wasn't working). Buono had to make changes due to our record but our record sucked last year at this time too. I don't think lots of young recievers is how you help a young quarterback get his feet under him. Foster and Gore both look awesome at times. Hope they are in Lions unis for many seasons.

It is less puzzling to me as it looked like a super media ploy to take the heat off the coaching staff and GM and look like they were doing something. It worked as the fans and media were all abuzz as Arland Bruce watched the game in his no. 1 shirt or a Lions golf shirt - (which shirt depends on if you believe the HC or the media and photos as 'what you think you see might not be the actual' according to Wally).

On the strength of Arland's play with the Ticats over three games he then had clearly lost his job and was not going to be sought out by anyone until Wally called. In his last game with the CATS he actually knocked down a pass to the very open Matt Carter! That is how bad things were.

"It will be up to someone else to cast aspersions on Arland Bruce III. Up to somebody else to suggest that Bruce’s last time touching the ball with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats pretty much symbolized what the receiver was on the verge of becoming to a team with big plans.

“That one was going to Carter,” Tiger-Cats quarterback Kevin Glenn said to a questioning offensive co-ordinator and quarterbacks coach Khari Jones Friday night, a slightly bemused look on his face after Bruce stuck his hand up in a desperate attempt to snag a pass that would otherwise have likely landed in the hands of an open Matt Carter. Shortly afterward, Bruce could be seen sitting on a trainer’s table with his leg propped up, arms crossed and a towel around his neck.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/f ... le2119017/

Maybe Bruce just can't stay with a team for too long as he either starts to lose his focus. Not sure as you sort of can't Toronto and what happened with Bart Andrus and Bruce for much. Andrus was a whack job coach.


He was not having the success of 2010 when he did this nice 32 yd pass to Carter:



I wonder if JC would go for this old standby of earlier years when HBs would pass? In those days some of the HBs were also QBs. Parker, Ploen. Leo Lewis the Lincoln Locomotive would do that too IIRC but he was solely a RB.

There was a thread on the Halfback option and the Lions a while back:

http://lionbackers.com/bc_lions/viewtop ... 18&start=0