'Handled Unprofessionally" says McCallum of Roster Fiasco

[Blitz]

"While there have been few scenarios the veteran kicker has not encountered in his 18-year career, it was clear that McCallum was still sorting things through Monday.

“Sean played well. That was a crucial kick,” he said. “But it was handled so unprofessionally on our end. There was so much confusion. It bleeped me off.”

Not only were the Lions embarrassed, McCallum was literally in a state of undress when he was initially told to give up his shoulder pads so his.

There’s also irony in the fact Whyte, who kicked 10 points in the loss, would not have had the chance to add a resume item if the clerical error occurred on the road. Paris Jackson or David Hyland would have been kicking field goals, as the Lions do not take their inactive players on the 46-man roster to away games.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Wow, lucky we were playing at home. If this game would have been on the road, McCallum would not have been allowed to kick and Paris Jackson or Hyland would have been our punter and field goal kicker.

[Tighthead]

McCallum didn't seem too animated when Whyte made the tying kick. Anyone else notice that?

[Blitz]

McCallum didn't seem too animated when Whyte made the tying kick. Anyone else notice that?

Probably still pissed. If McCallum doesn't win the scoring title, and its close, due to the roster error, he'll be po'd again.

[WestCoastJoe]

McCallum is not afraid to say what he thinks. He can be a cranky old curmudgeon, and is not all that friendly, but he is right about this latest fiasco. It was handled unprofessionally.

But Wally is like a Don in the organization. He has his consigliere, McAvoy, to give him that layer of protection. I do not really see that Wally is accountable for his failings. There are always the players to blame, or his assistants. Braley has pretty much given him carte blanche to do things as he wishes. There is no Bobby Ackles to talk to him every day about football and business. There is no Bob O'Billovich, no Dave Ritchie, to keep him from his worst tendencies.

[joe kapp22]

Well:

-Imo, there is a good chance Money McCallum won't be the kicker in 2011, Sean Whyte may take that job.

-Agree 100% with Money McCallum, that roster fiasco was entirely unprofessional and set the wrong tone for the game, especially after making the bold move of releasing Casey Printers.

I think Buono should take the large step of having Quality Control Coaches on staff, one on offense, one for Defense and Special Teams, the game has reached the level of complexity that having two people in charge of making sure the "i's" are dotted and "t's" crossed, along with giving feedback on upcoming opponents would be a good idea.

[WestCoastJoe]

Well:

-Imo, there is a good chance Money McCallum won't be the kicker in 2011, Sean Whyte may take that job.

-Agree 100% with Money McCallum, that roster fiasco was entirely unprofessional and set the wrong tone for the game, especially after making the bold move of releasing Casey Printers.

I think Buono should take the large step of having Quality Control Coaches on staff, one on offense, one for Defense and Special Teams, the game has reached the level of complexity that having two people in charge of making sure the "i's" are dotted and "t's" crossed, along with giving feedback on upcoming opponents would be a good idea.

I hear ya, ed.

However, re the last part ...

As I understand it, quality control is video work, not paperwork. And throwing more staff at the paperwork is not what I would want to do.

I think some of us fans look at the details of the roster more carefully than Buono did in the Eskimos game. The paperwork was not done. And neither McCallum nor Whyte was informed personally of the change. McCallum is right in calling it unprofessional.

As a critical fan, I will just chalk it up to one more sign of dysfunction in the organization.

You and I don't disagree on this, It's just how we look at quality control, methinks.

[Big Time]

McCallum is bang on. This was one of the most unprofessional things I have ever seen and it points to a critical problem the Lions have had all year: lack of attention to detail. I don't know who on the Lions is responsible for submitting the roster. Judging by the look on Wally's face, he was rightly pissed at somebody on the sidelines who I'm guessing screwed up. The problem is that this is the kind of stuff that makes the CFL look bush league. A kicker has to be called in from the dressing room and he has to borrow equipment from another player? That's bloody ludicrous. Thankfully Whyte made good on his opportunity but if I were McCallum I'd be hugely pissed. Being a professional athlete is about pride. Sure he's happy Whyte made the big kick to tie the game but he wouldn't be a professional if he didn't want that to be his opportunity. Those moments are what kickers thrive on. The fact that he was denied due to a bonehead management move is inexecusable.

I agree with others that this is yet another sign that Wally has lost total control of his staff. Everything about this year has shown that there is a level of complacency that has set in that is rotting the organization from the inside out. It will not change until there is a significant change in personnel from the coaching staff outward.

[The_Pauser]

I just find it's interesting how the BC Lions are doing business this year.

So...it's okay to break a teammates jaw, it's okay to get yourself ejected in a game and being a major factor in costing your team a key game, it's okay to speak out against your boss calling him unprofessional, but it's not okay to call out a teammate on the field (I agree actually) and call out your team in the lockerroom?

Not to bring Casey's actions into this, but you know it's going to be compared. Perhaps what Casey did on the field was unprofessional, but so is calling out your boss like that. I honestly have no idea what is acceptable conduct to Buono and what isn't.

For the record, I do agree with McCallum 100%. I also think that it's something that probably needed to be said in the media too as this Buono regime seemingly is not being held accountable at all. But at the same time, usually when you call out your boss like that you tend not to last very long in any job.

[Sir Purrcival]

As dumb as it was, lets not make too much out of this. I remember several years ago, the Canucks managed to have a player on their roster for a game that they had traded away a couple of days previous. According to Quin, he looked at the game roster before submitting it as well as (I think) Rick Ley. Both of them missed it. It can happen. McCallum is talking about unprofessional....I'm not too sure he is being professional by talking about it like this.

[The_Pauser]

As dumb as it was, lets not make too much out of this. I remember several years ago, the Canucks managed to have a player on their roster for a game that they had traded away a couple of days previous. According to Quin, he looked at the game roster before submitting it as well as (I think) Rick Ley. Both of them missed it. It can happen. McCallum is talking about unprofessional....I'm not too sure he is being professional by talking about it like this.

It also happens sometimes in baseball (AL) where the manager will screw up the lineup card and his DH will be ineligible...

[Toppy Vann]

I just find it's interesting how the BC Lions are doing business this year.

So...it's okay to break a teammates jaw, it's okay to get yourself ejected in a game and being a major factor in costing your team a key game, it's okay to speak out against your boss calling him unprofessional, but it's not okay to call out a teammate on the field (I agree actually) and call out your team in the lockerroom?

Not to bring Casey's actions into this, but you know it's going to be compared. Perhaps what Casey did on the field was unprofessional, but so is calling out your boss like that. I honestly have no idea what is acceptable conduct to Buono and what isn't.

For the record, I do agree with McCallum 100%. I also think that it's something that probably needed to be said in the media too as this Buono regime seemingly is not being held accountable at all. But at the same time, usually when you call out your boss like that you tend not to last very long in any job.

I totally agree with The Pauser on this one.

I think posters might be missing what he means by handled unprofessionally and how it led to confusion.

The Lions going to the Esks and asking if it was okay was bush and downright amateurish. We do not in amateur sports let uncarded players whatever the reason is play in a game. I have on more than one occasion told an opposition coach - go ahead but the league will deduct the points if you win. They have NO choice but to adhere to their rules.

Wally should have simply when he found out as he did within an hour of the game kept it simple and not confusing by:
1. telling Paul what happened and apologize for the error.
2. Get SW dressed and on the field.

This two step pro process means that the Lions will not actually know what happened until later or half time. Some might ask someone if they know but they will not get distracted pre-game and just play. That is what you want your team to do. Not get involved in anything and keep the confusion down. That is how we handle problems in senior amateur sport if the ref won't let a player with a cast play (some do, some dont). We just change the line up and do not involve our team in what was said so they dont start the game angry at officials even if we as coaches are frustrated. We do not let it pass over to the team.

This could have happened quick. Instead McEvoy is sent to the Esks asking them if it is okay to break the CFL rule on the game roster... They say ok but inside they must have been laughing knowing if they lost to BC the CFL would enforce the rule and like all leagues do, deduct the two points from BC and award them to Esks.

Now the CFL gets in the act and they don't make a ruling until the game has started leaving a mass of confusion and a very poor start.

Unprofessional and another blown game day call by Wally.

[notahomer]

I'm going to have to start bringing a radio (with headphones) to the game. I was baffled as to why McCallum was sitting. I guessed he had tweaked his injury during warmups. I was also stunned by the early whistle on Black's non-TD in overtime.

I think the CFl does need to take it up a few notches in terms of professionalism. The NFL has running stats (at Qwest Field anyway). You don't have to wait until late in the half to find out the first quarter stats. I also finding replays of the plays I want to see don't always get shown. Show em all.

But I guess this thread is about the Lions professionalism. Sounds like another symptom. Many fans have complained about 'soft' practice habits and the like. I just feel there is so much more of this extra junk happening due to not having Ackles around. He was such a nice person when I chatted with him (twice) and I'm not so sure things like this happen when that level of professionalism overlooks the big picture.

[Sir Purrcival]

In the example with the Canucks that I mentioned earlier, they too went to the opposition and asked if they could add a player to the roster. The opposition declined but clearly this isn't the first time this kind of thing has happened. I would also find it highly unlikely that the CFL would overturn a game result if the opposition had given consent to the lineup change. They would be after all the injured party if in fact they lost the game. If they say it is ok before hand, then the league would probably say, "You don't like the result, you shouldn't have agreed to it".

At the end of a highly emotional and charged week, is it really that much of a surprise that something like this might happen? I agree that there is a lot of things going on with this team that are unprofessional, but this was just a simple mistake that has happened before to other teams and will happen again. It might be loosely connected the other events but people are reading more into this than they should. McCallum has been around longer than anyone in the league. He above all else should have had the sense to know that with all the other things going on to take the high road and keep quiet. His speaking out will accomplish nothing in this case and clearly this team has enough issues to deal with already.

[Blitz]

I just find it's interesting how the BC Lions are doing business this year.

So...it's okay to break a teammates jaw, it's okay to get yourself ejected in a game and being a major factor in costing your team a key game, it's okay to speak out against your boss calling him unprofessional, but it's not okay to call out a teammate on the field (I agree actually) and call out your team in the lockerroom?

Not to bring Casey's actions into this, but you know it's going to be compared. Perhaps what Casey did on the field was unprofessional, but so is calling out your boss like that. I honestly have no idea what is acceptable conduct to Buono and what isn't.

For the record, I do agree with McCallum 100%. I also think that it's something that probably needed to be said in the media too as this Buono regime seemingly is not being held accountable at all. But at the same time, usually when you call out your boss like that you tend not to last very long in any job.

i coudn't agree more. I had to ask myself, if Geroy Simon had tossed his helmet on the sidelines at the end of the Winnipeg game, had gotten into an argument with Printers on the sideline, and carried it into the dressing room, would it have been considered that he broke the Code (Simon had previous incidents) and been released. The answer is NO!

The argument that Printers was a cancer is moot..he's gone..although I don't believe he ever was and when he returned here for his second stint, numerous players said publically he had been excellent in the dressing room during hsi first stint here. So, without the 'distraction of Printers' and the notion that we now had a 'healthy' locker room, we went out and stunk out the joint at home against the lowly Edmonton Eskimos.

This week Eliminian was scapegoated for our loss specifically, and our linebackers in general. At least it was a change from a quarterback to be the fall guy for Wally. However, the spotlight is more and more being focused on our coaching staff. Of course Wally told the players that he still 'believed in them' in the locker room, as if it was all their fault that they were supposed to execute a game plan that didn't account for Ricky Ray running downfield on passing plays.

Knowledgable fans are getting tired of being considered stupid to fall for the same old blaming tactics over and over again. Its time for our coaching staff to get a good game plan ready for this weekend. That's what they should be doing. Angus Reid is hopefully looking at a lot of video regarding Calgary's defensive formations and blitz calls so he can be prepared to make his line calls. Hopefully he's doing more of that than talking to the press. Hopefully Wally is having a look at his organization, in terms of roster completion, perhaps even checking it himself, examining why he has our two most experienced defensive coaches in the spotters booth, and why we didn't make adjustments to our scheme. He needs to be looking, with Benevedes, in how we plan to defense the zone read play, which Burris runs very well, so we won't be discombobulated again. Perhaps he needs to be looking over Chap's shoulder, so he can figure out how not to go for nearly three quarters without scoring a point, rather than considering who he will be prepared to blame if we lose to Calgary.

Its time to get this talent on our Leos harnessed. Hopefully the players still 'believe in Wally" too!!!!

[Toppy Vann]

You have to give Wally a lot of credit for his ability to spin and work the media and get a cancer label on a guy.

He successfully swept the beating Paris Jackson took under the carpet with NO media questioning his ethics or management on this one saying hey Wally if that is the players' room where they do what they want can they bring in the hookers and weed?

He took Casey from the pedestal with the fans giving him accolades to where he is a pariah today despite not much happening. I have looked at the video and the helmet on the ground seems to be the worst part. That argument was hardly a fight like Messam breaking the jaw of P. Jackson. It is disruptive but like Jarius said maybe some of that needed to be said to this team.

If Geroy did it and said it would have been Wally saying - he should not have tossed his helmet as that is wrong but this stuff needed to be said.

My point with the Paul fiasco is that the Lions dragged it out.

If you have been in sports in any league you know that you cannot play an illegal player or you lose the points if you win. All leagues employ this same harsh standard. You also know the opposition cannot give approval and the referees cannot stop you from inserting the player. All the refs can do is file their report that the player did enter the game and this is like being stopped and ticketed for not having a drivers license. It is black and white. You have it or you don't. If you blow over .08 it is you did or you didn't. If you are playing in a game you are either eligible that game or ineligible. I have seen senior mens soccer leagues deduct wins for 7 or 8 game due to an illegal player. I have seen pros play in the offseason and points deducted as they did not get the EPL's permission on time and it violated a FIFA rule. Harsh, unfair but leagues have rules and they abide by them. Just like Wally should know the CFL would do.

All that confusion and Wally arguing led to a start of that game was penalty filed and assignments got screwed up. Guilio said it was like the worst first exhibition game of the season not week 16.

Wally did not use good game day judgment once again and bring this fiasco to an early ending by simply telling Sean to get to ready and giving Paul an apology for the mix up. It can happen but these guys are pros. You do this stuff quick as a coach to keep your other players from getting distracted and losing focus just moments before kick off. The team can find out after the game what went down. That is how these matters get handled professionally. You admit the error and don't compound it by running around and letting the players see a huge argument before the game with officials etc.