United We Grow, Divided We Fall!
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 7:36 am
There is a little wiggle room as the season still has 2 weeks left in it and no decisions will be make publicly until then; however, it is crucial for the people on this wonderful website to understand that these next 2 weeks are perhaps the MOST IMPORTANT in Lion's history! This site isn't a collection of stiffs, or just moaners and groaners that *beeotch* about anything. The level of intellect and football insight is likely unparalleled in football land. Plus, the Lions organization is fully aware how many important season ticket holders are on this site and the power of the combined message from this site! If we get together, UNITE, on this issue that major changes must occur or else, then the Lions will listen. I guarantee it.
Right now the Lions are in a very difficult spot within the CFL because of Wally Buono. And I understand all that Wally has done for the CFL and this franchise...he came in at a time and gave this team exactly what it needed. It wasn't purrfect, far from it, but it was consistent and effective. However, Wally operates with certain beliefs about football...playing it, coaching it and managing it. Wally has come to see himself as an institution (and I don't blame him, anyone would likely have with this success and tenure) and he has RUTHLESSLY applied his beliefs about football year in and year out. It has meant some very, very harsh decisions/actions against legends, good players and even coaches. Wally believes that football is a business and to be successful every year you must keep the talent pool at the top...So if Alan Pitts, Geroy Simon or Jason Clermont think they can still play and dominate, and Wally believes they can't, he will show them the door. Cold? Maybe, but when you play in a league where the competition is constantly trying to overtake you, then you HAVE TO field the best possible team each season. Competitive sports does not allow for compassion and sympathy, only wins..."Just Win Baby!"
BUT, and this is a HUGE BUT, Wally has not been consistent with his cold, calculating approach. Over the past 8 years Wally has developed a "soft spot" for himself, his religion and those that he deems his family! Mike Benevides, Dan Dorazio, Chuck McMann AND Wally Buono have all been given a FREE PASS and this becomes a MASSIVE PROBLEM when every other aspect of your business approach is Cold and Calculated! It flies in the face of his decision making towards others. Korey Banks was unceremoniously cut loose after last season, a season which saw him play very well. Two years ago Geroy was traded for postage stamps. Our dominating DT, probably the most dominant DLineman in the league was traded to TOR for behaving like the child he was and making a mistake. Bold, Cold, Decisive moves by Buono which completely CONTRADICT how he handled himself and his inner circle! His inner circle are exempt from his cut-throat tactics because they are part of his religious family, following principles that are supposed to espouse acceptance, forgiveness and help...there were none for Khalif Mitchell. Mitchell needed a helping, loving hand and he would have changed...in fact, he did change and we lost his services for two precious seasons. Wally brought him back when his talents had dropped off...forgiveness to bring him back? Why not INSTANT forgiveness, why the 2 year kind? What makes players like Banks, Simon and Mitchell angry with Wally is the INCONSISTENCY of his ruthlessness! When you are not consistent, then you are just picking your spots...and that's exactly how Geroy and Korey saw Wally's decisions! Hey, why me? Why am I the guy being singled out when I am a star, I have been a legend for this team when you allow the likes of JR LaRose, Dean Valli, Marco Iannuzzi and Kito Poblah to start and ALLOW (like a favour) Chuck McMann and Dan Dorzaio to have jobs??? Why???
Thus the problem for the Lions around the league...players have now come to see Buono as not only Cold, but a guy who plays favourites and favours those who are openly Pro-God (JR LaRose and his rebirth to Christianity through Wally Buono!). Why did we sign so few FAs? Why did our first coaching choices turn us down? Because there is a widely held belief around the league that things aren't FAIR or EVEN in Wallyworld! Why did many coaches turn down the chance to become our OC last year? If a genius like JC can be thrown out of town with pitchforks, what about me? Going to Lions as we are structured right now is a guaranteed fail. Think about Khari Jones...just before he signed, a news article was released suggesting that there was "nothing wrong" with JC's playbook, it was more about the play selection. A couple of weeks after the Jones signing, there was an article with Jones saying that he didn't really have that much work to do, he was going to base his offence around JC's but focus more on a new, fresh approach to game planning and play selection. WOW!
Khari Jones inherited a guy's playbook (which because it was so good that EVERY OTHER DEFENCE IN THE LEAGUE built their systems around stopping it), was asked to operate from it, was forced to accept Dan Dorazio (and because JC was forced to accept Dorazio too, it meant all blocking schemes in this playbook were DORAZIO'S) as his OLine coach, was forced into accepting Dean Valli as his starting RG (coming off his 2nd knee surgery in 2 years at the end of his average playing days), wasn't given a healthy LT on the entire roster and practise squad, was lied to about Lulay's health and was given Kevin Glenn as his starting QB on draft day, just a month before camp! And people want to blame Khari Jones or Kevin Glenn for this mess???????????????
CAUSE AND EFFECT...that's how our physical world functions! For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction! Welcome to Wally's world! If Buono had just kept personal views and beliefs out of his business life, none of this would be a problem! Players like Banks and Simon would have nothing to say other than "it stings a little". But when you play favourites...when you fire your OC and DC who were both established, intelligent and successful football minds, and keep your inept HC, and incompetent OL and ST coaches then you have questions that need answering...all of this just BLEW UP IN WALLY'S FACE SUNDAY! Haven't you read Skulsky's and Braley's comments as of yet? They do NOT blame injuries, they do not excuse first year coaches...they put their focus on the LEADERSHIP of this football team and that's Wally because he hired Benevides, and participated in the process to fire JC and Stubler and replace them with 2 guys who weren't ready!!!!!!
With JC and Stubler under Bene we hosted the 2012 WF and lost...in 2013 we lost a heartbreaker in SSK and they went on to win the GC! With Jones and Washington we lost to an AVERAGE football team at best and got BLOWN OUT...how often can you say a 50-17 score flattered the losers???? After the game what did Bene say? "That's a hell of a football team we just played over there, one of the best we have seen, they have a hell of a chance to win the GC!" WTF???? You just got steam rolled by a team that had to win 8 of their last 10 to squeak into the playoffs, with a young QB who has proven nothing and only passed for 150 yards in a game where they could have HUNG 70 on us!!!!!!!!!!!! Not to mention their GM OVERHAULED his coaching staff and staring QB DURING THE SEASON so that MTL wouldn't have to WASTE a year!!! Now, talk about taking personal responsibility for your actions and making amends...talk about Cajones...WOW...Popp has 2 ten pound nuts...Scientists are now using laserscopes to find any existence of balls in Lion's land!
Why did we lose so many games at HOME this year??? Because we got killed in the 2nd half! Someone can look up and find out just how badly we were outscored AT HOME in the 2nd half of games...and it could have been worse if teams didn't build such big leads...So many people here were willing to give Washington a pass after our defensive collapse to end this season...WHY??? Teams could have hung 50 around our necks every week if they simply exposed our GLARING WEAKNESS! Our defensive success (and I started saying this back in week 6) was only SMOKE and MIRRORS. Washington must have been a roadie for Deep Purple, gathered up all of their dry ice and black strobe lights to create his playbook! Seriously, while so many were talking about Washington being a genius hire and the best DC we have had in a long time, I was on my tiny island saying, "maybe not"! What did Washington say after the MTL game? His system was EXPOSED for all of its weaknesses, from players, to schemes to coaches...as Joe said, he threw himself on the sword which is admirable in a strangely Japanese way, but does NOTHING to make up for Sunday!!! Khari Jone's remarks were very, very fitting...he had NO ANSWERS for what happened...the same as Washington and Benevides...None of them had any answers after the game Sunday...which was fitting because none of them had any answers during the season when we experienced problems, and that included Washington.
As a franchise we have a well earned reputation under Wally of not being big about all the X's and O's stuff...all those little details...we just show up, line up and play...and as such we have lost a lot of BIG GAMES on home turf! We have also greedily consumed player talent over the last 12 years unparalleled in CFL history. We have won with lining up staggering talent! We have also witnessed an unparalleled run of OUTSTANDING QBs in BC under Wally...the problem was that NONE of them played very long for us...because they were constantly in and out of the hospital...for the last 10 years (from 2004 on) CFL defences have ALL OUT blitzed us to try and stop our staggering offensive success. Its 2014 and we are as a fan base are STILL WAITING for an answer from the Lions organization! Now is that the fault of the Line coach? The OC? The HC? Or the GM for allowing this SLAUGHTER to happen to his most valued of players again, and again and again. We are now, fittingly, at the end of this 10 year period with only 2 GC's, a dwindling fan base and NO QBs going into next season.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you CAUSE and EFFECT! I also give you Einstein's definition of INSANITY! Welcome to your 2014/15 Wally Buono led BC Lions!
Regardless of whether you have a soft spot for Wally and don't want to see anyone get fired, or think that I am a raving lunatic...its time for us to come together and DEMAND A CHANGE with our beloved Lions before the damage has gone too far and its too late. We are now BEHIND every other team in the league (OTT included) in coaching and teaching. Our Talent daily is becoming similar to other franchises. Unless we clean house from Top to Bottom and hand the reigns of this storied franchise over to BRIGHT, INTELLIGENT FOOTBALL MINDS with cutting edge ideas on how to exploit the opposition's weaknesses, we will enter the DARK AGES of BC football once again. We can't attract FAs here...we won't attract top ASST Coaches here under Wally and Bene...we will have to trust on a scouting dept. that is as good as everyone else's and our coaches to teach CDN draft picks, and that hasn't been happening!
So PLEASE, let's just all put our combined efforts together here and demand an overhaul from the Lions...Wallyball no longer works in the new CFL with the likes of Hufnagel, Jones, Chambliss, Austin, Milanovich, O'Shea and even Rich Campbell...and those new MTL assistants are SMART! Wally has passed over on EVERY ONE of these guys to keep himself as coach and then promote his adopted hamster! We must, as a franchise, go out and implement an exhaustive search for the brightest coaching minds in football...someone young who needs to put a championship on their resume before taking on the NFL!
Right now the Lions are in a very difficult spot within the CFL because of Wally Buono. And I understand all that Wally has done for the CFL and this franchise...he came in at a time and gave this team exactly what it needed. It wasn't purrfect, far from it, but it was consistent and effective. However, Wally operates with certain beliefs about football...playing it, coaching it and managing it. Wally has come to see himself as an institution (and I don't blame him, anyone would likely have with this success and tenure) and he has RUTHLESSLY applied his beliefs about football year in and year out. It has meant some very, very harsh decisions/actions against legends, good players and even coaches. Wally believes that football is a business and to be successful every year you must keep the talent pool at the top...So if Alan Pitts, Geroy Simon or Jason Clermont think they can still play and dominate, and Wally believes they can't, he will show them the door. Cold? Maybe, but when you play in a league where the competition is constantly trying to overtake you, then you HAVE TO field the best possible team each season. Competitive sports does not allow for compassion and sympathy, only wins..."Just Win Baby!"
BUT, and this is a HUGE BUT, Wally has not been consistent with his cold, calculating approach. Over the past 8 years Wally has developed a "soft spot" for himself, his religion and those that he deems his family! Mike Benevides, Dan Dorazio, Chuck McMann AND Wally Buono have all been given a FREE PASS and this becomes a MASSIVE PROBLEM when every other aspect of your business approach is Cold and Calculated! It flies in the face of his decision making towards others. Korey Banks was unceremoniously cut loose after last season, a season which saw him play very well. Two years ago Geroy was traded for postage stamps. Our dominating DT, probably the most dominant DLineman in the league was traded to TOR for behaving like the child he was and making a mistake. Bold, Cold, Decisive moves by Buono which completely CONTRADICT how he handled himself and his inner circle! His inner circle are exempt from his cut-throat tactics because they are part of his religious family, following principles that are supposed to espouse acceptance, forgiveness and help...there were none for Khalif Mitchell. Mitchell needed a helping, loving hand and he would have changed...in fact, he did change and we lost his services for two precious seasons. Wally brought him back when his talents had dropped off...forgiveness to bring him back? Why not INSTANT forgiveness, why the 2 year kind? What makes players like Banks, Simon and Mitchell angry with Wally is the INCONSISTENCY of his ruthlessness! When you are not consistent, then you are just picking your spots...and that's exactly how Geroy and Korey saw Wally's decisions! Hey, why me? Why am I the guy being singled out when I am a star, I have been a legend for this team when you allow the likes of JR LaRose, Dean Valli, Marco Iannuzzi and Kito Poblah to start and ALLOW (like a favour) Chuck McMann and Dan Dorzaio to have jobs??? Why???
Thus the problem for the Lions around the league...players have now come to see Buono as not only Cold, but a guy who plays favourites and favours those who are openly Pro-God (JR LaRose and his rebirth to Christianity through Wally Buono!). Why did we sign so few FAs? Why did our first coaching choices turn us down? Because there is a widely held belief around the league that things aren't FAIR or EVEN in Wallyworld! Why did many coaches turn down the chance to become our OC last year? If a genius like JC can be thrown out of town with pitchforks, what about me? Going to Lions as we are structured right now is a guaranteed fail. Think about Khari Jones...just before he signed, a news article was released suggesting that there was "nothing wrong" with JC's playbook, it was more about the play selection. A couple of weeks after the Jones signing, there was an article with Jones saying that he didn't really have that much work to do, he was going to base his offence around JC's but focus more on a new, fresh approach to game planning and play selection. WOW!
Khari Jones inherited a guy's playbook (which because it was so good that EVERY OTHER DEFENCE IN THE LEAGUE built their systems around stopping it), was asked to operate from it, was forced to accept Dan Dorazio (and because JC was forced to accept Dorazio too, it meant all blocking schemes in this playbook were DORAZIO'S) as his OLine coach, was forced into accepting Dean Valli as his starting RG (coming off his 2nd knee surgery in 2 years at the end of his average playing days), wasn't given a healthy LT on the entire roster and practise squad, was lied to about Lulay's health and was given Kevin Glenn as his starting QB on draft day, just a month before camp! And people want to blame Khari Jones or Kevin Glenn for this mess???????????????
CAUSE AND EFFECT...that's how our physical world functions! For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction! Welcome to Wally's world! If Buono had just kept personal views and beliefs out of his business life, none of this would be a problem! Players like Banks and Simon would have nothing to say other than "it stings a little". But when you play favourites...when you fire your OC and DC who were both established, intelligent and successful football minds, and keep your inept HC, and incompetent OL and ST coaches then you have questions that need answering...all of this just BLEW UP IN WALLY'S FACE SUNDAY! Haven't you read Skulsky's and Braley's comments as of yet? They do NOT blame injuries, they do not excuse first year coaches...they put their focus on the LEADERSHIP of this football team and that's Wally because he hired Benevides, and participated in the process to fire JC and Stubler and replace them with 2 guys who weren't ready!!!!!!
With JC and Stubler under Bene we hosted the 2012 WF and lost...in 2013 we lost a heartbreaker in SSK and they went on to win the GC! With Jones and Washington we lost to an AVERAGE football team at best and got BLOWN OUT...how often can you say a 50-17 score flattered the losers???? After the game what did Bene say? "That's a hell of a football team we just played over there, one of the best we have seen, they have a hell of a chance to win the GC!" WTF???? You just got steam rolled by a team that had to win 8 of their last 10 to squeak into the playoffs, with a young QB who has proven nothing and only passed for 150 yards in a game where they could have HUNG 70 on us!!!!!!!!!!!! Not to mention their GM OVERHAULED his coaching staff and staring QB DURING THE SEASON so that MTL wouldn't have to WASTE a year!!! Now, talk about taking personal responsibility for your actions and making amends...talk about Cajones...WOW...Popp has 2 ten pound nuts...Scientists are now using laserscopes to find any existence of balls in Lion's land!
Why did we lose so many games at HOME this year??? Because we got killed in the 2nd half! Someone can look up and find out just how badly we were outscored AT HOME in the 2nd half of games...and it could have been worse if teams didn't build such big leads...So many people here were willing to give Washington a pass after our defensive collapse to end this season...WHY??? Teams could have hung 50 around our necks every week if they simply exposed our GLARING WEAKNESS! Our defensive success (and I started saying this back in week 6) was only SMOKE and MIRRORS. Washington must have been a roadie for Deep Purple, gathered up all of their dry ice and black strobe lights to create his playbook! Seriously, while so many were talking about Washington being a genius hire and the best DC we have had in a long time, I was on my tiny island saying, "maybe not"! What did Washington say after the MTL game? His system was EXPOSED for all of its weaknesses, from players, to schemes to coaches...as Joe said, he threw himself on the sword which is admirable in a strangely Japanese way, but does NOTHING to make up for Sunday!!! Khari Jone's remarks were very, very fitting...he had NO ANSWERS for what happened...the same as Washington and Benevides...None of them had any answers after the game Sunday...which was fitting because none of them had any answers during the season when we experienced problems, and that included Washington.
As a franchise we have a well earned reputation under Wally of not being big about all the X's and O's stuff...all those little details...we just show up, line up and play...and as such we have lost a lot of BIG GAMES on home turf! We have also greedily consumed player talent over the last 12 years unparalleled in CFL history. We have won with lining up staggering talent! We have also witnessed an unparalleled run of OUTSTANDING QBs in BC under Wally...the problem was that NONE of them played very long for us...because they were constantly in and out of the hospital...for the last 10 years (from 2004 on) CFL defences have ALL OUT blitzed us to try and stop our staggering offensive success. Its 2014 and we are as a fan base are STILL WAITING for an answer from the Lions organization! Now is that the fault of the Line coach? The OC? The HC? Or the GM for allowing this SLAUGHTER to happen to his most valued of players again, and again and again. We are now, fittingly, at the end of this 10 year period with only 2 GC's, a dwindling fan base and NO QBs going into next season.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you CAUSE and EFFECT! I also give you Einstein's definition of INSANITY! Welcome to your 2014/15 Wally Buono led BC Lions!
Regardless of whether you have a soft spot for Wally and don't want to see anyone get fired, or think that I am a raving lunatic...its time for us to come together and DEMAND A CHANGE with our beloved Lions before the damage has gone too far and its too late. We are now BEHIND every other team in the league (OTT included) in coaching and teaching. Our Talent daily is becoming similar to other franchises. Unless we clean house from Top to Bottom and hand the reigns of this storied franchise over to BRIGHT, INTELLIGENT FOOTBALL MINDS with cutting edge ideas on how to exploit the opposition's weaknesses, we will enter the DARK AGES of BC football once again. We can't attract FAs here...we won't attract top ASST Coaches here under Wally and Bene...we will have to trust on a scouting dept. that is as good as everyone else's and our coaches to teach CDN draft picks, and that hasn't been happening!
So PLEASE, let's just all put our combined efforts together here and demand an overhaul from the Lions...Wallyball no longer works in the new CFL with the likes of Hufnagel, Jones, Chambliss, Austin, Milanovich, O'Shea and even Rich Campbell...and those new MTL assistants are SMART! Wally has passed over on EVERY ONE of these guys to keep himself as coach and then promote his adopted hamster! We must, as a franchise, go out and implement an exhaustive search for the brightest coaching minds in football...someone young who needs to put a championship on their resume before taking on the NFL!