Lions Are Harder to Read Than Tolstoy

[cromartie]

SP...I don't think there is anything wrong with Marco

As a receiver I'm not overly impressed, though that may be a function of scheme.

He has been a serious liability at a critical position on punt returns, however. I haven't seen much the last two weeks to note whether this has been corrected, though I assume so as our return yardage has improved considerably.

[B.C.FAN]

The Lions probably blitzed against Hamilton more than against any other opponent. Banks, Shell, Bighill and LaRose were all in the offensive backfield at various times. Burris was confused and hurried and didn't get a first down until 19 minutes in. He said afterwards that it took a while to figure out what the Lions were doing. Stubler plays mainly a zone defence but he usually relies on taking away the QB's first read and camouflaging his coverage. An experience QB, once he figures out where the seams are, will throw for a high completion rate. After Burris figured it out and started hitting his slots in the seams, he ended up completing 29 passes for 352 yards. It will be interesting to see what Stubler comes up with this week. A variety of blitzes will likely be a big part of it. Perhaps Subler will pull out one of Tolstoy's lesser-known works.

[green road kill]

WHY ALL THE DOOM AND GLOOM ? The team realy isn't that bad we are 6 and 3 not 1 and 8 ,and we are still in a 3 way fight for top spot. Hear are some observations that might show there is some sunshine in those doom clouds. The d LINE despite being udersized and over matched by everybody gives up about 60 yrds a game ( true our lb help ) if it were a true weakness the other 8 teams in the leage would be on them like white on rice pounding the ball up the gut,shoring up the line with a bigger dt would be a good move, but dos the season depend on it , I doubt it. Against the pass ,while maybe not as dominant as in the past , still provides decent pressure( just ask Henry ). The secondary is solid,Larose may not be purrfect but hey I've seen worse. The offence with the injuries to the O line and revamping the recieving core they have don pritty well. G Roy has been missed on and off the feild,hopefully last week was the start of things to come. Travis has had to deal with those changes ( Simon and Bruce were his go to guys ) but maybey just maybey things are starting to come together. THe O line has just been remarkable.The coaches may have laid a few ,but they have in general handled this team very well .AS an oposite to The SIDE SHOW BOB TANDOM OF EDMONTON AND WINNEPEG.

[sj-roc]

WHY ALL THE DOOM AND GLOOM ? The team realy isn't that bad we are 6 and 3 not 1 and 8 ,and we are still in a 3 way fight for top spot. Hear are some observations that might show there is some sunshine in those doom clouds. The d LINE despite being udersized and over matched by everybody gives up about 60 yrds a game ( true our lb help ) if it were a true weakness the other 8 teams in the leage would be on them like white on rice pounding the ball up the gut,shoring up the line with a bigger dt would be a good move, but dos the season depend on it , I doubt it. Against the pass ,while maybe not as dominant as in the past , still provides decent pressure( just ask Henry ). The secondary is solid,Larose may not be purrfect but hey I've seen worse. The offence with the injuries to the O line and revamping the recieving core they have don pritty well. G Roy has been missed on and off the feild,hopefully last week was the start of things to come. Travis has had to deal with those changes ( Simon and Bruce were his go to guys ) but maybey just maybey things are starting to come together. THe O line has just been remarkable.The coaches may have laid a few ,but they have in general handled this team very well .AS an oposite to The SIDE SHOW BOB TANDOM OF EDMONTON AND WINNEPEG.

We may be 6-3 but that's only good enough for 3rd in these parts. At this stage if this holds, I still don't like our chances of winning two playoff games back-to-back (three, really) on the prairies in November against a pair of teams that have yet to lose at home this year, one of whom we haven't even played yet as a true indication of where we stand in the league pecking order. Ssk has yet to have its chance to "be on them like white on rice".

[B.C.FAN]

The Lions still control their own destiny. Their three remaining games against Saskatchewan and two against Calgary will determine playoff seedings. Both rivals are looking vulnerable.

I've said all along that the Lions' passing game will get better in the second half of the season. This is their biggest rebuilding job since 2011, when they started the season with four new receivers alongside Geroy before bringing in Arland Bruce for a much-needed veteran presence. They have new starters replacing Simon and Bruce this year at the two key slot positions, plus Emmanuel Arceneaux at the short-side wideout, who is still building his chemistry with Lulay. Despite all the changes, the Lions are not far off their pace for the first half of last year:

Passing yards per game (first 9 games):
2012: 265.3
2013: 253.1

This team has the same record at the halfway mark as last year's team that finished 13-5. This year's team probably has more talent. It just doesn't have as much experience.

[TheLionKing]

We may be 6-3 but that's only good enough for 3rd in these parts. At this stage if this holds, I still don't like our chances of winning two playoff games back-to-back (three, really) on the prairies in November against a pair of teams that have yet to lose at home this year, one of whom we haven't even played yet as a true indication of where we stand in the league pecking order. Ssk has yet to have its chance to "be on them like white on rice".

Especially the way the Lions are playing on the road.

[Rammer]

WHY ALL THE DOOM AND GLOOM ? The team realy isn't that bad we are 6 and 3 not 1 and 8 ,and we are still in a 3 way fight for top spot. Hear are some observations that might show there is some sunshine in those doom clouds. The d LINE despite being udersized and over matched by everybody gives up about 60 yrds a game ( true our lb help ) if it were a true weakness the other 8 teams in the leage would be on them like white on rice pounding the ball up the gut,shoring up the line with a bigger dt would be a good move, but dos the season depend on it , I doubt it. Against the pass ,while maybe not as dominant as in the past , still provides decent pressure( just ask Henry ). The secondary is solid,Larose may not be purrfect but hey I've seen worse. The offence with the injuries to the O line and revamping the recieving core they have don pritty well. G Roy has been missed on and off the feild,hopefully last week was the start of things to come. Travis has had to deal with those changes ( Simon and Bruce were his go to guys ) but maybey just maybey things are starting to come together. THe O line has just been remarkable.The coaches may have laid a few ,but they have in general handled this team very well .AS an oposite to The SIDE SHOW BOB TANDOM OF EDMONTON AND WINNEPEG.

Valid points, but please don't justiy our coaches by using Edmonton and Winnipeg as the standard, use Calgary or Saskatchewan. Once you do that you see actual difference IMO. Plus both of the latter teams have a running game that allows them the luxory of not having to put everything on the QB's shoulder. Finally our DL deficiencies can't be measUred until we play the Riders who IMO will out muscle the Lions DL like men agaonst boys.

[Blitz]

Great posts to read. Here are my thoughts, which mostly reflect on what has already been posted. I have established them in my order of priority.

1. The Lions really should be a 5-4 or 4-5 at the mid-point of the season based on their stats.

Here are the major issues that I see needing to be resolved in the second half of this season if we want to have the opportunity to get to the Big Dance this season.

1. THE PASSING ATTACK. Our passing attack was the worst in the league prior to the Hamilton game. Chapdelaine simplified the offence and Lulay got the ball out of his hands much quicker against Hamilton. Both were necessary and will need to continue if we hope to have our passing attack turned around. Arsenault, Moore, and Taylor have proven, by their stats, that the decision to go with these receivers in 2013 was the right decision. All three receivers have better passing yards than Simon does in Saskatchewan. However, our non-import receivers, Gore and Iannuzzi, have not been a significant part of our passing attack a the mid-point of the season. While an offence needs primary receivers our offence works best when we spread the football around.

2. DEFENSIVE LINE. Right now our defensive line is not good enough. We are undersized at the tackle position and we have not established a dominant rush end. The concept of moving Keron Williams around resulted in 2 sacks. Khareem Smith and Brandon Jordan lead the team with 4 sacks. Hopefully, moving Keron Williams permanently outside will get our pass rush improved. However, we really need a big, penetrating defensive tackle. Its amazing that Stubler has been able to lead our defense to being the best against the pass without a dominating pass rush. However, against the best teams in the CFL, we will be hurt if we rely on blitzing to get pressure on a quarterback. When Stubler was not able to scheme our defense against rookie starters it showed in the Toronto and Montreal games. Good opposition teams will also be able to run on us if we don't get bigger and tougher inside.

3. THE RUNNING ATTACK. Lulay had an excellent passing game against Hamilton but we have struggled to run the football effectively since Fabian was injured. We will not be able to rely on our passing attack, even with Chap simplifying the offence and Lulay throwing the football quicker, more decisively, etc. Our offence, as with any offence, works best with the ability to run the football. For the poster that laughed at Chap for saying the running game is more difficult to teach - it is. The passing attack is easier to design and to teach. We have a good variety of running plays. We are not vanilla in the running game and Kelly Bates has a good scheme with numerous zone reads, trap plays, quick pitches, wildcat direct snaps, shovel plays etc. What we need to do is block the run better. Defenses have also stacked the box against the run this season as our offence struggled to pass. If Chap/Lulay can repeat their offensive success that they showed against Hamilton it will open up the run as defenses won't be so willing to stack the box.

4. REDUCING PENALTIES, TURNOVERS, AND BIG PLAYS. Ou Leos team has not been as disciplined as they have needed to be this season. We've taken some bad penalties, turned over the football at inopportune times, thrown interceptions at times that have hurt us, and we have given up some big plays that should not have occurred.

5. SAFETY. On two separate occasions this season the safety position has been singled out as a problem and other players have been inserted at safety to the following week and yet LaRose has been named the starter again at game time. He does not have an interception in his career, he reads plays badly, he is slow at getting to the football and takes bad angles, and he puts a lot of pressure on our defensive backs who are afraid to play more aggressively at times because it appears the trust in LaRose is not there. Either LaRose has to get better and there are few signs that he is capable of doing so or we need a change at this spot.

6. BACKUP QUARTERBACK. With the release of Elliot we have little experience at this position should Lulay get hurt. These guys need some game reps in order to be better prepared, should Lulay suffer an unfortunate injury.

7... WINNING ON THE ROAD. We are undefeated at home this season but we have not looked good on the road, especially losing to Toronto and Motnreal when we should have won. Its looking more and more than we will be playing a playoff game on the road this season. We have to get more inspired, more prepared, and more effective on the road this season if we really want the opportunity to go to the Big Dance.

[MexicoLionFan]

Excellent points Blitz...the one great thing about the Lions is that their 2013 problems are not a secret or hard to define...they are very clear...the loss of Fabien has hurt the running game, you are right, but with 8 in the box, Chapdelaine must change the scheme and strategy with our runs...we must start attacking gaps and seams...Dorazio's "zone blocking system" doesn't lend itself well to that...we need to design and call quick hitters (North and South), and use our large guards to trap block...

On defence a great DT can cover for an inept Safety if we had to live with LaRose...that's why I say that we can't live without another dominating DT...Smith and Williams outside will be okay if they get this help.

And finally if the O keeps moving Lulay's release point around, and continues to encourage him to release the ball sooner, we will continue to get better...there is a ton of talent there just waiting...

[Upper Bowl]

WHY ALL THE DOOM AND GLOOM ?

It's Lionsbackers.com dude! I’d like to see more optimism too, but I’ve come to the realization it just ain’t going to happen.

I'm actually feeling relatively positive about the season so far. I predicted a 12-6 record before the season began, and that's what they're on track for. I based that on the belief the other West teams would improve, and the Riders and Stamps have unfortunately proven me correct.

I think we all agree the Lions have room for improvement. In my view there’s considerable room on offence (partially achieved against Hamilton), moderate room on special teams and small room on defence. This isn’t a bad thing. Does anyone think the Riders or Stamps can play any better than they have?? Maybe Calgary can, but as far as I’m concerned, the Riders have peaked. Could they maintain that level all the way into the playoffs? Sure, but we’ve also seen the dangers of peaking too soon, as evidenced by recent division-winning Lions teams.

The Lions obviously can’t just expect to get hot all of a sudden in the playoffs and rip off two or three wins on the prairies. But I suggest we acknowledge that it can happen, because it HAS happened, with weaker teams than the one the Lions have this year, IMO. So in my mind, that should be cause for hope.

[Blitz]

Excellent points Blitz...the one great thing about the Lions is that their 2013 problems are not a secret or hard to define...they are very clear...the loss of Fabien has hurt the running game, you are right, but with 8 in the box, Chapdelaine must change the scheme and strategy with our runs...we must start attacking gaps and seams...Dorazio's "zone blocking system" doesn't lend itself well to that...we need to design and call quick hitters (North and South), and use our large guards to trap block...

On defence a great DT can cover for an inept Safety if we had to live with LaRose...that's why I say that we can't live without another dominating DT...Smith and Williams outside will be okay if they get this help.

And finally if the O keeps moving Lulay's release point around, and continues to encourage him to release the ball sooner, we will continue to get better...there is a ton of talent there just waiting...

I concur that if we constantly move Lulayès release point and continuing to encourage him to release the football sooner we will see more 300+ passing games. Did you notice the difference when Lulay released the football quickly to his second read against Hamilton. He was able to step up and throw by releasing the football earlier and that allowed him to be much more accurate on his throws. He also looked more confident.. I think reducing the number of offensive plays in the game plan also made a big difference because Lulay himself has complained that he sometimes thinks too much. He has also tried to escape too much at times. If Lulay can think passer first and yet still use his athleticism and running ability, without forcing it, then we have the best of all worlds with him as quarterback.

I also totally agree with you MLF that a defensive line that can get consistent pressure on a quarterback can more than make up for some weakness at safety. Actually our pass defense (best in the CFL) is so good, considering our lack of a consistent pass rush.

With regard to the running attack there is no doubt that Fabian was a very good run blocker and he will be missed. Dealing with 8 men in the box will be rectified if Lulay keeps passing for 300+ games. The defense will not be able to do that if we can pass the football like we did against Hamilton. Defenses knew we had the worst passing attack in the league prior to the Hamilton game and also that we wanted to run Harris. It was smart of them to take Harris away and blitz Lulay but if our offence can continue to pass like it did last game defenses will need to drop more into coverage.

With regard to your comments on the running game we gave up on our zone blocking scheme part way through 2011, with Kelly Bates having a big influence . Our Leos do use trap blocks and that is good to see......trap blocking went out of vogue for a number of seasons in the CFL and the time was more than ripe for its return. We also zone block for the zone read play, in about 10 different ways. However, Valli badly missed on two trap blocks last game. We also reduced the variety of our running attack lastame as we reduced our total of offensive plays but I believe you have to attack the edge and the inside. Its hard to run quick hitting run plays out of the pistol (quarterback is 5 yards deep..in the shot gun the quarterback is 7 yds. deep.

No teams in the CFL teams have their quarterback under center except for short yardage situations. The New England Patriots have Brady under center 1/3 of the time in some games. I think the time is here to use the quarterback under center more often because it adds to an offence.

[MexicoLionFan]

Again, excellent points Blitz...I also agree that Lulay should spend more time under centre...as it gives the defence a lot more to think about and prepare for.

[Rammer]

Again, excellent points Blitz...I also agree that Lulay should spend more time under centre...as it gives the defence a lot more to think about and prepare for.

One of the main reasons the Lions began to put the QB in shotgun most of the time was due to Angus perpensity to sweatan making the QB's hands soaked while under centre. That can be altered now with Norman as the centre.

[sj-roc]

We may be 6-3 but that's only good enough for 3rd in these parts. At this stage if this holds, I still don't like our chances of winning two playoff games back-to-back (three, really) on the prairies in November against a pair of teams that have yet to lose at home this year, one of whom we haven't even played yet as a true indication of where we stand in the league pecking order. Ssk has yet to have its chance to "be on them like white on rice".

Especially the way the Lions are playing on the road.

Yep. Anyone who thought there was already doom & gloom on here before today is in for a treat the next few days.

[TheLionKing]

Maybe Buono will have a meltdown a la Ed Hervey and call out Chapdelaine for his incompetence.