We are going to need to play well in these next two games. Hopefully the spotlight on George Cortez has done something to get him out of his black and white rigid thinking. Hopefully Tedford worked with the offence this week, after working successfully with special teams last week. Hopefully Mark Washington will come up with some defensive strategies that work, rather than just character clichés. Hopefully, going with four International lineman, including the return of Draheim, will benefit our offence.
Hopefully Brooks and Minter can continue to shore up the inside. Perhaps our Leos will consider putting our defensive sack leader on the field, Roh, at defensive end, instead of the aging Smith and the undersized Bazzie but don't hold your breath at this common sense idea.
An upset win, on the road, against the reigning Grey Cup champs would be huge for this Leos team. But its going to take more than character to make that happen. Its also going to require great game planning and play calling on both sides of the football, as well as very inspired play. It hasn't happened so far this season. If there is a time for it to happen, its now.
Willes: Beleaguered Lions have to turn this around
Negatives far outnumber positives as club faces crucial matchups in Calgary and Edmonton
By Ed Willes, The Province September 16, 2015
Willes: Beleaguered Lions have to turn this around
Lions head coach Jeff Tedford says the locker room is edgy, but ‘dissension is a whole different thing, and that’s not what it is.’ — The Canadian Press
Here’s a list of the positive stories around the B.C. Lions these days.
— Their rookie kicker, Richie Leone, is having a helluva year.
— Chris Rainey, who’s now played two games, has been dangerous as a kick returner.
Now here’s a list of the not-so positive stories around the Lions.
— On Sunday, they dropped a 31-18 decision to the Ottawa Redblacks in a game in which they ran for 11 yards and produced minus-one yard of net offence in the first quarter. In three of their last four home games they’ve lost to Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto.
— Not co-incidentally, attendance is at its lowest point since 2002.
— On Tuesday, Sportsnet’s Arash Madani posted a tweet that reported the Lions’ veteran leaders have talked to head coach Jeff Tedford about discontent in the locker room. “Real tension there,” according to Madani.
— That same day star running back Andrew Harris talked publicly about his frustration over his limited role in the Lions’ offence over the last four weeks.
— The Lions are currently 4-6 and in the midst of a dogfight for a CFL playoff spot. Their next two games are on the road in Calgary and Edmonton. Two straight losses and suddenly the Lions will be 4-8. It isn’t a stretch to say their season is riding on those two games.
Sorry. Leone is having a great year. But it isn’t enough to push those other stories out of the papers.
With a Friday meeting looming with the Stampeders in Calgary, the Lions are in a dangerous place. They are in a spiral. Virtually every talking point around the team is soaked in angst and negativity. Where are the fans? Where is Tedford? Why is the offence so inept? What’s with Harris?
Individually, those stories can erode a team’s will. Collectively, they become a wave that threatens to overwhelm the entire organization. If you’ve spent any time around professional sports you learn to recognize the warning signs of a team in peril.
Right now, that’s the B.C. Lions.
Winning is one thing. But this team has to offer some hope to their following and to themselves; some sense that they’re not the incompetent bunglers they’ve appeared to be too many times this season.
The defence, for the most part, hasn’t been the problem. But the offence has been a catastrophe. Tedford came to the Lions with a reputation as an offensive mastermind; someone who’d install an exciting, wide-open attack that would thrill the masses.
Instead, the Lions’ offence has been dull, predictable and unproductive, and it’s sucking the life out of the team. On Sunday, the defence played hard for three quarters but eventually folded because they were on the field for three-quarters of the game. Literally.
The Redblacks had the ball for 41 minutes and 45 seconds. The Lions’ time of possession was 18:15. With John Beck making his first start at quarterback, they also produced five first downs over the first three-and-a-half quarters.
Five first downs in 50 minutes of football. How can this be?
Somehow, some way the Lions have to find a spark, and that’s the responsibility of the head coach because, well, that’s the way it works in pro football. Tedford came to town with an impeccable resumé. He also understands the criticism, the frustration and the unease that surround the team; just as he understands the danger they pose.
On Wednesday, he answered all the questions honestly and directly, including the ones about the team’s internal strife. It’s what you’d expect from a professional, a leader.
But will it translate to the field?
“There’s no negativity on this team,” he said. “We can’t put credence into someone’s opinions that are really misinformed. Is the locker room a little edgy? Of course. And that’s the way you want it to be when you don’t win. But dissension is a whole different thing, and that’s not what it is.
“For somebody — and this is the last time I want to talk about this because it’s not really worth talking about — who doesn’t know and there’s no responsibility to put it out there, it’s nonsense to have to deal with.”
It would be brilliant if somehow this turned into a rallying point for the Lions; if they’ve become fed up with all the manure kicked in their faces over the last month and used that as their motivation. True, you would have liked to see evidence they’re capable of turning their season around, but stranger things have happened.
Tedford has had significant success everywhere he’s gone. Beck was a second-round pick in the NFL. Harris, Bighill, Phillips, Olafioye, Gore. You know these guys. You know they can play.
“I can tell you in this locker room the guys are driven,” said Tedford. “Of course they’re edgy because we all want to win. There’s nothing worse than losing.”
And that’s the one point concerning the Lions on which we can all agree.
ewilles@theprovince.com
