Riders @ Lions -- Post Game Stats and Comments

[WestCoastJoe]

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/hope+ ... story.html

Good article by Ed Willes. Some excerpts ...

In 1974, critic Jon Landau saw a young musician performing in Cambridge, Mass., and pronounced: “I’ve seen the future of rock ‘n’ roll. His name is Bruce Springsteen.”

On Saturday. B.C. Lions’ fans saw the future of their team, and his name is Jonathon Jennings.

IMO, there is no doubt. Do we need to see another season to make a judgment? This game was his arrival. Early, Yes. We will be lucky to keep the NFL's avaricious hands off of him. IMO ...

Three games ago, the Lions had the look of a tired, stale team playing out the string in a forgettable season. Suddenly, they have a young quarterback who, in just over 10 quarters, has completely changed the perception of the team and their prospects. Against the ‘Riders, he wasn’t just stupid good, he set a standard that will long be remembered in CFL annals; making big plays all over the field, making throws from improbable angles and dissecting the Roughriders’ defence like it was a laboratory rat.

“He brings a lot of energy, and it just radiates through the group,” was offensive tackle Tommy Draheim’s succinct appraisal of Jennings’ game.

That is leadership. Tough to quantify. But, like someone said, you can recognize it when you see it.

The numbers tell a convincing enough story. But they don’t quite capture the manner in which Jennings elevated the entire team. The Lions’ offence, which has appeared dull and plodding too many times in 2015, made 11 plays of over 20 yards and finished with 526 yards in total offence. Andrew Harris ran for 100 yards. An inspired receiving corps made tough catches all over the field. The defence looked fast and mean.

“He can make plays with his feet and stretch the field with his arm,” said Harris. “That’s exactly what he did. And he stays poised no matter what the situation is on the field. Yeah, he made some amazing plays for us.”

At the very least, Jennings has given them that hope, and it’s a rare and precious gift.

“It’s because of the guy he is, the work ethic he has, the way he prepares,” said head coach Jeff Tedford, who’s been around big-time quarterbacks most of his career.

“He’s a very poised, confident guy but he’s also very humble. He comes to work each day.

“I think when you see young quarterbacks, they tend to go up and down a lot. I just see improvement with him each and every week.”

How much proof do people need? Do we ever expect to see a QB make a debut like this again?

It is his calmness that stands out. Of course the results on the field are electrifying. He electrifies his team.

Going too far? I am All-In on the kid as a QB. Makes my day. And I think there is a good chance he keeps it up. It is the calmness along with the spectacular results. As he says, he expects to make plays.

Enjoy him while he is here.

[WestCoastJoe]

From Mike Beamish ...

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/hope+ ... story.html

It wasn’t a leap of faith that made Jonathon Jennings the quarterback of the B.C. Lions. Circumstances placed the fate of the team in the hands of the 23-year-old rookie, who began the season as the third-stringer.

But, sometimes, you get lucky, although no one would have predicted that the loss of starter Travis Lulay and backup John Beck to injuries would have been fortuitous in any way for the Canadian Football League team.

Yes, it was fortuitous. Two QBs ahead of him get injured. Then Jennings gets to play.

Behind Jennings’ sincerity and approachability is a steely determination, a calmness beyond his years and, undeniably, a wondrous talent that was unleashed on the Saskatchewan Roughriders before 24,554 fans at BC Place Stadium Saturday.

Sincerity. Approachability. Steely determination.

“He’s (Jennings) phenomenal. The kid can play for sure,” said Lions receiver Austin Collie, who should know something about the quarterback position. He played in the NFL with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

“He’s well beyond his years. He’s a great player, strong arm. He did a wonderful job of making plays, extending plays with his feet.”

Yup. The Kid has some special talent.

“It was a good play at a good time,” Jennings said. “We’d just got a turnover. It was kind of like, ‘Hey, let’s make a big play and go for it.’ The funny thing is, in practice, he (Collie) was throwing purrfect balls (in rehearsing the play) and I dropped them every time. This time it just kind of worked out.”

That is a good sign. Joe Montana said something similar. A new play designed by Bill Walsh would flop over and over in practice, but at game time, it would work like magic.

“I just go out there and give it my best,” Jennings said. “Sometimes the game gives you some things that work out. Sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way you want it. We were kind of fortunate tonight. We had some guys open. And we made plays. Big plays -- the kind that win a game.”

Not too excited. Expecting good things to happen.

“When the offence and special teams are struggling, we have to be the ones to step up,” said linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis. “When the offence is rolling like they were tonight, we feed off that. It’s hard not to. We feed off the energy. It really brings a lot of momentum to our team.”

Absolutely. Jennings also energized the defence.

[TheLionKing]

Ryan Phillips 2 tackles tonight moves him into 2nd place all time tackling with the Lions behind Dante March.

[B.C.FAN]

What is wrong with Leone. Two missed converts a blocked punt and an easy missed field goal.BB

The blocked punt wasn't on Leone. A Rider came right up the middle unblocked.

The missed placekicks reflect a lack of focus and repetition. Look at Paul McCallum or almost any other kicker in the league. When the team gets in field goal range, they start kicking balls into the net on the sideline, focusing on each kick and repeating the same motion. They keep it up until they have to go on the field and do it for real. I was watching Leone standing casually on the sideline as the Lions drove into scoring position. When the field goal team was called on, he took one swing at air on the sideline, then went in and hooked his kick wide left.

Leone is new to placekicking. He needs to keep practising and repeating the same motion. A golfer is not going to his a purrfect te shot without practising his swing. A baseball pitcher isn't going to throw strikes without warming up. Leone needs to work harder so placekicking becomes a routine. The coaches have to take responsibility for his lack of preparation.

[dupsdell1]

From Mike Beamish ...

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/hope+ ... story.html

It wasn’t a leap of faith that made Jonathon Jennings the quarterback of the B.C. Lions. Circumstances placed the fate of the team in the hands of the 23-year-old rookie, who began the season as the third-stringer.

But, sometimes, you get lucky, although no one would have predicted that the loss of starter Travis Lulay and backup John Beck to injuries would have been fortuitous in any way for the Canadian Football League team.

Yes, it was fortuitous. Two QBs ahead of him get injured. Then Jennings gets to play.

Behind Jennings’ sincerity and approachability is a steely determination, a calmness beyond his years and, undeniably, a wondrous talent that was unleashed on the Saskatchewan Roughriders before 24,554 fans at BC Place Stadium Saturday.

Sincerity. Approachability. Steely determination.

“He’s (Jennings) phenomenal. The kid can play for sure,” said Lions receiver Austin Collie, who should know something about the quarterback position. He played in the NFL with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

“He’s well beyond his years. He’s a great player, strong arm. He did a wonderful job of making plays, extending plays with his feet.”

Yup. The Kid has some special talent.

“It was a good play at a good time,” Jennings said. “We’d just got a turnover. It was kind of like, ‘Hey, let’s make a big play and go for it.’ The funny thing is, in practice, he (Collie) was throwing purrfect balls (in rehearsing the play) and I dropped them every time. This time it just kind of worked out.”

That is a good sign. Joe Montana said something similar. A new play designed by Bill Walsh would flop over and over in practice, but at game time, it would work like magic.

“I just go out there and give it my best,” Jennings said. “Sometimes the game gives you some things that work out. Sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way you want it. We were kind of fortunate tonight. We had some guys open. And we made plays. Big plays -- the kind that win a game.”

Not too excited. Expecting good things to happen.

“When the offence and special teams are struggling, we have to be the ones to step up,” said linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis. “When the offence is rolling like they were tonight, we feed off that. It’s hard not to. We feed off the energy. It really brings a lot of momentum to our team.”

Absolutely. Jennings also energized the defence.

He will be signed by a NFL team after this season Guaranteed

[TheLionKing]

What is wrong with Leone. Two missed converts a blocked punt and an easy missed field goal.BB

I can't ever recall a Lion or any other kicker missing two converts in a game. Leone has really struggled the last few games with his placekicking.

[chewiesrevenge]

Jennings and the Lions looked amazing, I agree.

But perspective is everything. They won against the leagues worst team. Sask gives up tonnes of yards. They have been brutal this year. Time will show how Jennings does against a top ranked defence...

Having said that, Hawkins, Arecx, Gore, Collie, shoot... even Harris and the whole offence played decent. The Oline even punched a huge hole at one point for Harris!? It was a fun offensive display to watch. Why was it so good? Jennings throws were laser accurate. Tough to defend against perfectly placed balls. So fun to fiiiiinally watch a QB who can throw down field with accuracy. And he stands in there when needed, can scramble, spreads the ball around. Man. Sask is brutal so I'm taking some of it with a grain of salt, but still.

Special teams - rainey notwithstanding - was a low point. And little Shaq isn't up to the task of being RB option 2 IMO.

Forget the NFL talk. That is not up to any of us. What is up to us is supporting a management regime that held this guy back in favour of a broken-winged vet (lulay) and a never-won vet. What the heck?! This goes back to giving away Reilly and keeping Lulay over him when he was clearly the more complete package.

We all saw Jennings talent in preseason. So why go with Beck and busted arm Lulay?

[WestCoastJoe]

Jennings is a treat to watch. At the level of Casey Printers for excitement, with a much more mellow personality. And lest we forget all Casey did was win MOP, wearing a Lions' uniform.

Jennings clearly energized the entire team. Electrifying. So efficient. Not just against the sad sack Riders either. He moved the ball smartly against the Schmos also. Chris Jones spoke highly of Jennings.

What does it mean for our team? We have hope. Obviously with a QB playing at a high level we can compete with any team.

Can hardly wait for the nxt game at this point.

And, Yes, he was clearly rhe best QB in our camp. But the staff had him buried at #3 on the depth chart. It took two QB knockouts to give him his chance. Credit, however, to those on staff that saw his potential, brought him in, and kept him here. The fans like what they see.
........

And it was great to see Manny Showing his stuff. Great, great run after catch. Fast and strong. Also made a terrific, subtle move to throw off the last defender.
.........

Is this still Travis' team? That is a tough call. Based on his poor play prior to injury, No. Based on his dissection of the Riders twice, earlier, Yes. I am glad it is Tedford who gets the call, not Wally. Back in the day Wally dithered back and forth with Printers and Dickenson forever.

Lulay will want to play. If he does get to play, and does poorly, Jennings is right there. At this stage of the year, I think we have to ride Jennings. Circumstances did not favour Lulay.

.......

I have been a fan of David Menard since I saw tape of him at the Combine. Very, very effective player.

As noted numerous times, Wally makes a number of decisions that fans dislike strongly, but he is a survivor. He usually gets things right eventually, even if it is by scraping around until the last possible solution works. And the whimsical notions, as with Gary Butler, are finally, finally, cast aside. Some decisions do cause lasting damage. And nowadays, I think, most fans prefer attacking football.

[Hambone]

What is wrong with Leone. Two missed converts a blocked punt and an easy missed field goal.BB

Can blame the blocked punt on the guys up front. Somebody blew their assignment as the blocker shot straight up the middle untouched.

[DanoT]

WCJ posted:
"And it was great to see Manny Showing his stuff. Great, great run after catch. Fast and strong. Also made a terrific, subtle move to throw off the last defender."


Not to mention the subtle push off just prior to the catch. Geroy must have enjoyed seeing that.

[Hambone]

And, Yes, he was clearly rhe best QB in our camp. But the staff had him buried at #3 on the depth chart. It took two QB knockouts to give him his chance. Credit, however, to those on staff that saw his potential, brought him in, and kept him here. The fans like what they see.
........

And it was great to see Manny Showing his stuff. Great, great run after catch. Fast and strong. Also made a terrific, subtle move to throw off the last defender.
.........

Two thoughts. Some question why so long to get get Jennings. I think the patience was prudent. Jennings had looked good in preseason but reportedly was looking shaky in practice early in the season. The extra weeks of learning an practice have likely done wonders preparing him to produce the level of play we're seeing.

As for Manny is it just me or has there been a marked improvement in his play and intensity since he decided to drop the Manny being Manny social media schtick?

[The_Pauser]

Ok, time to eat some

I gave Arceneaux a pretty hard time a couple of weeks back but I also said I would give him credit when it was due and IMO it was due tonight. He has played pretty decently in the last couple of games and his 82 yard TD was pretty darn nice especially with the YAC yards. So here is to you MA. You had a very good game tonight and you deserve the credit.

I concur. Arceneaux has played well last two games since he stopped tweeting. He's now allowing his play to speak for him.

Arceneaux has played well all season. They just are starting to throw more to him, and have a QB who is getting him the ball.

Jennings looks amazing out there. Like someone mentioned, he looked very Casey Printers-ish on a few plays. Scrambled out of pressure, connected with several deep balls, made plays. I didn't like some passes into double or triple coverage, but he was able (lucky) to connect on them. I fear against Calgary or Edmonton that some of those passes end up picked, but that's just a small complaint given he did connect and he did take over the game.

Harris looked re-energized, Arceneaux looked great, Hawkins had a great game. O-Line had some issues. Defense was great last night, and it was very nice seeing the big guys on the interior having their way with the Riders O-line. Brooks looked pumped and had an excellent game!

Leone is showing his inexperience as a FG kicker. I think in time he'll learn that he doesn't need to boot it full power from 20 yards out, and that he can take a bit off and try to increase his accuracy. That big leg is great from outside the 45, but when you're kicking what should be chip shots it's OK to take a bit off.

Great entertainment throughout the night. Last night felt like a blast from the past in terms of on-field product and off-field entertainment. Hopefully this means we're moving in the right direction.

[WestCoastJoe]

And, Yes, he was clearly rhe best QB in our camp. But the staff had him buried at #3 on the depth chart. It took two QB knockouts to give him his chance. Credit, however, to those on staff that saw his potential, brought him in, and kept him here. The fans like what they see.
........

And it was great to see Manny Showing his stuff. Great, great run after catch. Fast and strong. Also made a terrific, subtle move to throw off the last defender.
.........

Two thoughts. Some question why so long to get get Jennings. I think the patience was prudent. Jennings had looked good in preseason but reportedly was looking shaky in practice early in the season. The extra weeks of learning an practice have likely done wonders preparing him to produce the level of play we're seeing.

As for Manny is it just me or has there been a marked improvement in his play and intensity since he decided to drop the Manny being Manny social media schtick?

Yes, we may have done it right with Jennings. Rooming with Lulay was a great start, and shows some long term thinking. It certainly does not hurt having a young QB watch for an unspecified time.

The question, methinks, is more about how the staff saw potential in Beck. Yes, he can zip the ball in practice. Long throws in a game? Just that ... Long throws that no one could reach.

Whatever, we found a seemingly sudden star. Good pedigree. Rising to the top. As mentioned, one looks forward very keenly to the next game.

We see what an accurate QB can do to a defence. Pick it apart.

[David]

I agree Hambone. I've been a huge fan of Jennings since training camp. I saw him dominate the Kamloops scrimmage and told him to his face afterward that in all the years of watching the Lions, I have never seen a rookie QB as far advanced as he (very humble guy BTW). BUT....I was also the guy that wasn't sure he was ready for the spotlight when Travis was struggling, and ultimately out of the line-up due to injury. I think practicing every day for the past 3 months has honed his timing and skills, and getting tutored by Travis has helped immeasurably too. He's clearly ready NOW but I don't regret his development time.

*************************

Hard to go back to Travis now with the team (esp. the receivers) so full of energy, as well as fans' hopes and expectations. Big fan of Travis's, but this is a results business. While it's a small sample size to be sure, we're getting the results right now from Jennings and are in the thick of a playoff run. We can't afford to sit back and watch Travis work off the rust. Nor can we afford to sit back and hope he regains early season form.


************************

Speaking of energy, BC Place hasn't been that electric in well over a year. The players clearly feed off the vibe which is why the lower bowl needs to be at least 80-90% full. ** HINT TO MGT ** - affordable tickets are a must.

***********************

Kudos to the club for ponying up to bring in the Washington Husky Marching Band, who put on a wonderful show pre game and half time (the "Go Lions" formation was a nice touch, as was performing "Oh Canada"). Finally, a game that had the feel of a big league experience. Just wondering though, on a glorious sunny day, deep blue skies and 16 degrees at kick-off (61 Fahrenheit), why in the hell would the club decide the roof needs to be closed?!? I don't understand why we went with a $563MM reno of BC Place if they're only going to open the damn thing on warm, sunny days prior to Labour Day.

To me, it reeks of Wally's interference as he has it in his head a closed roof creates more noise.

*************************

Hard to find much fault in a 46-20 shellacking - that could have been worse but for some points given in up in garbage time when the issue was decided. But Special Teams continues to plague this team. Coverage is abysmal. Penalties are almost a guarantee. Leone's kicking is an adventure. Rainey is dealing with a hamstring pull, and I am seeing little evidence of the 4'4 combine speed and ability to make guys miss that Shaq showed on film.


DH

[MexicoLionFan]

Ryan Phillips 2 tackles tonight moves him into 2nd place all time tackling with the Lions behind Dante March.

Wouldn't that be the all time BC Lion irony...Sr. Ole the all time tackler...