Lions Xmas Wish List

[Lion Guy]

In no particular order, Santa.

1. House cleaning of coaching staff.
2. Coaching hires that will bring enthusiasm, excitement and innovation back to the field.
3. Death of the jumbo set on 2nd or 3rd and one. For the love of Gawd.
4. Death of the RPO.
5. Coaching strategy that actually observes and plans for what the OTHER team is doing. Death of the "we just need to execute what we're doing" garbage.
6. New ownership.
7. The return of Burnham and Long.
8. Death of the fade to the back of the end zone inside the 10 yard line. Especially on 2 point converts.
9. A defence that can stop the run. A defence that plays aggressive. A defence that tells the opposition that on second and 20 you have no hope making it, so check down.
10. A long, healthy happy retirement for Wally.

There's more, but I won't be too greedy. Your turn LB's

[DanoT]

Lion Guy, your #4 is my #1 as I hate RPO.
Your #5 is my #2 as changing and customizing your game plan to best exploit your next opponent is long overdue in the Lions den.
I have not given up on Jennings as I think he and Lulay could flourish under a more innovative O system. So re-signing those guys make my wish list.

[WestCoastJoe]

If Ed cleans house, my wish list is just about filled.

Hire a top level Head Coach. Steinauer, Thorpe or the like would be fine. If there is an OC in the CFL, at the level of these two defensive coaches, ready to move up to Head Coach, he is not apparent to this CFL fan. Jaime Elizondo will no doubt get his shot as a HC at some point.

And that is it. The rest is gravy.

[Blitz]

In no particular order, Santa.

1. House cleaning of coaching staff.
2. Coaching hires that will bring enthusiasm, excitement and innovation back to the field.
3. Death of the jumbo set on 2nd or 3rd and one. For the love of Gawd.
4. Death of the RPO.
5. Coaching strategy that actually observes and plans for what the OTHER team is doing. Death of the "we just need to execute what we're doing" garbage.
6. New ownership.
7. The return of Burnham and Long.
8. Death of the fade to the back of the end zone inside the 10 yard line. Especially on 2 point converts.
9. A defence that can stop the run. A defence that plays aggressive. A defence that tells the opposition that on second and 20 you have no hope making it, so check down.
10. A long, healthy happy retirement for Wally.

There's more, but I won't be too greedy. Your turn LB's

I agree with all of them Lion Guy!!

1. I really would like us to hire a Head Coach who is very knowledgeable, from an x and o's strategic point of view.

In other words a Head Coach who is very knowledeble regarding offensive and defensive schemes but will also adjust his schemes to his players (not just plug and play).

But if that is not his strength, then a Head Coach who will hire experienced coordinators. We can't have a Head Coach who is not good with x and o's like Wally was and hire rookie coordinators.

Strategy, in the context I am discussing, involves pre-game scouting, game planning, play calling, and in game adjustments.

I assume that our future Head Coach we hire will wear a headset and will know before the play is called, what play is being called. They all do.

2. I'm also hoping for 'character' in our future Head Coach.

I'm hoping we hire someone who will not scapegoat and embarrass his players publicly, who will not deflect and blame, but instead be a 'stand up' guy who is accountable.

3. While I hope that our future Head Coach is accessible and skilled with the media (its necessary) I hope that his focus will be more on improving the team than overfocusing on his 'image'.

The media loved Wally because he was always available for a radio talk show, an interview, and a ton of quotes. But it became the Wally Buono Show rather than the B.C. Lions. It would be nice to see some of the media spotlight shared a little more while our Head Coach is in the 'film' room looking for opposition weaknesses and tendencies.

4. I hope for a coach who has a more modern leadership style. The old fear-based style of coaching has long been past its due date since the days of Lombardi.

In the NFL, coaches such as Bill Walsh, Don Shula, Chuck Knoll, Joe Gibbs, Tony Dungy, and Pete Carolll are examples that you don't have to be an ass-kicking, yelling at players on the sideline type of coach to have team discipline and be successful.

John Hufnagel and Dave Dickenson have been the most successful Head Coaches in the CFL over the past 10 seasons and while both have or had a firm style of coaching, neither scapegoated or scapegoats players in the media or yells at their players on the sidelines.

5. I would like to see our Head Coach be an innovative rather than a cookie cutter Head Coach.

The great ones usually are, both in the CFL and the NFL. Don Matthews was innovative with his defenses and his approach to the game as was Hufnagel once again, when he came back to Calgary.

Bill Bilichick is considered the best NFL Head Coach of all time. He is very, very innovative.

Lots more I could add but those are some key ones for me.

[The_Pauser]

Bill Belichick was merely an average NFL head coach before he got Tom Brady, with a pre-Brady record of 41-55.

I think people put way too much stock in a coach. Yes they do play an important role, but even someone who's considered the best NFL Head Coach of all time was not looking very good before he got arguably the greatest QB of all time as his QB.

[Toppy Vann]

Bill Belichick was merely an average NFL head coach before he got Tom Brady, with a pre-Brady record of 41-55.

I think people put way too much stock in a coach. Yes they do play an important role, but even someone who's considered the best NFL Head Coach of all time was not looking very good before he got arguably the greatest QB of all time as his QB.

I don't grasp this concept of putting "way too much stock in a coach."

When you fly on a passenger jetliner or about to have surgery and the anesthesiologist and surgeon are about to carve you open, do you think that people play way too much stock in a pilot and these doctors?

The HC sets in place the philosophy, desired culture and framework for achieving these goals as well as hires, directs and coaches the coaches as well as make key in game decisions that can affect the outcome of the game.

A great coach has to have the right players and in the pros, if the GM and scouts aren't getting them the right fits with the right skills, no coach is going to win consistently.

_--

As to house cleaning all coaches, it sounds like the coaching money cap will force some to stay. I still think Jarius has a lot of potential and watching him run his practices and drills pre-season suggests with the right HC in place he could develop.

Everyone likes the Stamps coaches but that organization has been stable with excellent coaching and succession planning and development led by Jon Hufnagel. Continuity and stability is important .

[David]

Bill Belichick was merely an average NFL head coach before he got Tom Brady, with a pre-Brady record of 41-55.

I think people put way too much stock in a coach. Yes they do play an important role, but even someone who's considered the best NFL Head Coach of all time was not looking very good before he got arguably the greatest QB of all time as his QB.

Respectfully, the head coaching position in football is critically important. He may not succeed all the time with bad quarterbacking, but the flip side of your argument doesn't guarantee a bad or mediocre coach will succeed with good quarterbacking either. Take the 2018 Edmonton Eskimos. This team featured (arguably) the best quarterback in the league and a future Hall of Famer in Mike Reilly and didn't even make the playoffs.


DH

[David]

These are probably farther down the list but:

* My 2018 B.C. Lions includes Chris Rainey, Jeremiah Johnson (if even at a reduced role and salary), and Jeff Reinebold as ST coach.

* New local ownership (probably a pipe dream....a pipe filled with illegal substances!).

* New uniforms, a return to a more traditional, dignified look. Can live with the home unis I suppose, but scrap the road creamsicles. We don't even play well in them. If not uniforms, then at least deep-six the chess piece logo on the helmets!


DH

[DanoT]

These are probably farther down the list but:

* My 2018 B.C. Lions includes Chris Rainey, Jeremiah Johnson (if even at a reduced role and salary), and Jeff Reinebold as ST coach.

* New local ownership (probably a pipe dream....a pipe filled with illegal substances!).

* New uniforms, a return to a more traditional look. Can live with the home unis I suppose, but scrap the road creamsicles. We don't even play well in them. If not uniforms, then at least deep-six the chess piece logo on the helmets!


DH

That would be LEGAL substances in the pipe as it seems some other peoples slightly different wish list got fulfilled recently.

I would add D Line coach Randy Melvin as a keeper and Jarious Jackson as long as he agrees in writing, with witnesses, to drop the RPO Offence.

[Figaro]

Most of Bellichick's losses (41-55) came as head coach of a woeful Cleveland Browns team that moved after his last year as coach.

[Toppy Vann]

Yes, get rid of the weakest orange colour EVER - creamsicle coloured.

First ever BC Lion uniform that I didn't think was top 1 or 2 in looks in the entire CFL.

And Roar you Lions Roar.

[TheLionKing]

* New uniforms, a return to a more traditional, dignified look. Can live with the home unis I suppose, but scrap the road creamsicles. We don't even play well in them. If not uniforms, then at least deep-six the chess piece logo on the helmets!


DH

If Skulsky can get rid of the gunmetal grey unis because of their record, they can certainly ditch those creamsicles.

[The_Pauser]

I don't grasp this concept of putting "way too much stock in a coach."

When you fly on a passenger jetliner or about to have surgery and the anesthesiologist and surgeon are about to carve you open, do you think that people play way too much stock in a pilot and these doctors?

The HC sets in place the philosophy, desired culture and framework for achieving these goals as well as hires, directs and coaches the coaches as well as make key in game decisions that can affect the outcome of the game.

A great coach has to have the right players and in the pros, if the GM and scouts aren't getting them the right fits with the right skills, no coach is going to win consistently.

_--

As to house cleaning all coaches, it sounds like the coaching money cap will force some to stay. I still think Jarius has a lot of potential and watching him run his practices and drills pre-season suggests with the right HC in place he could develop.

Everyone likes the Stamps coaches but that organization has been stable with excellent coaching and succession planning and development led by Jon Hufnagel. Continuity and stability is important .

People absolutely should want a good pilot or doctor. Just like people should want good football players. But do people care if the Dr's boss or pilot's boss who are sitting in an office is good at his/her job? Doubt it.

I'm not saying coaches have zero impact, but at the end of the day even a great coach can look bad if his players aren't that good. You need quality players to have a successful team.

[The_Pauser]

Most of Bellichick's losses (41-55) came as head coach of a woeful Cleveland Browns team that moved after his last year as coach.

If he's such a great coach why weren't they better? He was still only 5-13 with the Patriots before Tom Brady took over.

[The_Pauser]

Bill Belichick was merely an average NFL head coach before he got Tom Brady, with a pre-Brady record of 41-55.

I think people put way too much stock in a coach. Yes they do play an important role, but even someone who's considered the best NFL Head Coach of all time was not looking very good before he got arguably the greatest QB of all time as his QB.

Respectfully, the head coaching position in football is critically important. He may not succeed all the time with bad quarterbacking, but the flip side of your argument doesn't guarantee a bad or mediocre coach will succeed with good quarterbacking either. Take the 2018 Edmonton Eskimos. This team featured (arguably) the best quarterback in the league and a future Hall of Famer in Mike Reilly and didn't even make the playoffs.


DH

I'm not saying it isn't important. Just that it's not as important as some people make it out to be. A great coach isn't going to be successful if he doesn't have a good team. But I've noticed a tendency for people to put way too much blame at the feet of our coaches, or perhaps they overrate the talent this team has.