Riders 38 - Lions 25 -- Post Game Comments

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Blitz
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Another loss for our Leos, as this time we faced our third string quarterback of last year, Cody Fajardo, and he played excellent football in leading the Riders to a big win at home over our hapless B.C. Lions.

As Grid Iron Ernie expressed and I am in the same boat - its not easy to identify with this year's Leos squad. I usually feel sick in the stomach after a Leos loss but I havent' felt that way once this year.

Ed Hervey has turned this roster over so much, gotten rid of some Leo players who should have been signed again, not brought in any new International rookies to get excited about, and signed so many Edmonton cast offs that it just feels like a convention rather than a team.

I watch Andrew Harris ripping up the CFL since he left our Leos and the loss penetrates deep. Yesterday afternoon, as I watched Louchez Purifoy make a key interception for the turning point of the game and then Cody Fajardo drive the Riders offence for a go ahead touchdown and I say to myself, these players would not be performing as well in a Leos uniform so I am happy for them.

THE BLAME GAME

For this loss, there is more than enough blame to go around. Mike Reilly threw an interception he didn't need to throw and Purifoy made a key interception and return. It was the turning point of the game.

Foucault and Boyko could not pass block Charleston Hughes from their tackle positions. Boyko was playing his first CFL game at left tackle while Foucault had been bounced from left guard to right tackle, where he has rotated all season.

Defensively, Gary Peters, whom Edmonton did not want two seasons ago, is now supposed to be our shut down corner this year. He was beaten badly twice. T.J. Lee, who played magnificently as our boundary halfback has been shifted to wide side halfback to make way for Aarron Grymes.

Anthony Thompson was let go at the end of last season, signed just before the end of training camp to play safety and then was shifted to wide side corner. Thompson is not a cornerback and should never be starting there.

On special teams, we gave up a huge touchdown return just before halftime, which was a real momentum shifter. We also were fortunate to not give up a Rider fake field goal that was called back by penalty. That penalty took either 7 or 3 points off the Rider team scoreboard.

COACHING

Davone Claybrooks is taking a beating as is his mostly rookie coaching staff. Claybrooks and his mostly rookie coaching staff bear some responsibility. Certainly Claybrooks does not look in charge when Reilly refuses to come out of a game when he should or Duron Carter acts like an idiot out on the field.

Our decision making, for both our offensive line and our defensive backfield starting lineups bear scrutiny,

THE ELEPHANTS IN THE ROOM

However, when I look at this Leos squad so far, to me, two things are very obvious. They are 1) offensive scheme, play calling, and adjustments and 2) talent of lack thereof in certain areas of this team 3) lack of player leadership and team cohesion.

1. OFFENSIVE SCHEME, PLAY CALLING, ADJUSMENTS

When Devon Claybrooks was hired by our Leos, he was considered the best candidate available as a future Head Coach. However, Claybrooks only had coaching experience with one team (Calgary) and had only been a defensive coordinator for four seasons.

Claybrooks was mentored as a coach in a very good organization. John Hufnagel, Dave Dickenson, and Rich Stubler were very good mentors. But he is a rookie Head Coach and has not ever faced a lot of coaching adversity in his young career.

But Claybrooks has also been dealt a tough hand by Hervey. Hervey brought in talent in Reilly, Durant, Carter, and Chungh. But he also saddled Claybrooks with Jarious Jackson and his offensive scheme and play calling.

Its also not an easy task for a rookie Head Coach to be the boss of an established veteran highly paid quarterback in Mike Reilly, with no backup to challenge him. Making it even worse is that Reilly is not making it easy for Claybrooks either. Nor is Duron Carter making it easy either, as he looks like he belongs in therapy, rather than on a professional football field.

ADDING TO CLAYBROOKS WOES

Adding to Claybrooks woes on offence is that Jarious Jackson is also very limited in his knowledge and experience on offence, as well as rigid. The RPO offence is a spread offence with a twist in that the quarterback makes his read after the snap of the football.

Jarious Jackson's pro career has been limited to Wally's simplified spread offence as a quarterback and quarterback coach and Stephen McAdoo's RPO Spread offence, as an assistant offensive coach. He doesn't know anything else.

Nor does he know how to make adjustments. For example, last night, our tackles could not handle Charleson Hughes. But Jackson does not change anything based on game circumstance. He could chip Hughes with a back, roll away from Hughes, with a slot helping block on the backside of the play, or he could go with a tight end to Hughes side. He could go two back and insert Mackie.

But Jackson is a one trick pony who has also been 'schooled' in a rigid philosophy of offence in which the belief is that the scheme is great and the only problem could be 'a lack of execution'. Jarious is like Ebeneezer Scrooge on Xmas Eve - he doesn't 'get it and he will 'never get it' unless visited by the Football Gods.

Why would Jarious get it when Wally couldn't get it after 25 years of coaching. Wally' last game in Hamilton, a 48-8 humiliating playoff loss featured an experienced quarterback getting hammered, Wally still trying to hammer the run game exclusively up the gut, and Jarious Jackson at the controls.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT?

What is different than last season? Not a whole lot. An experienced former MOP quarterback can't make Jackson's scheme work. Receivers like Carter can't get open but neither could Posey or Ricky Collins get open last year (and Collins is sure getting open in Edmonton this year).

Our offensive line is also struggling again - and the causes are the same - a bad offensive scheme, a too simple running game, poor pass play design, a constantly shifting starting lineup for the offensive line, and offensive linemen being asked to play outside their comfort zones.

WHO IS PLAYING WHERE?

Lets face it - Foucault never deserved to be a starter. Wally started him because he traded for him. Foucault is too tall and does not have the leverage for the guard position and he is too upright a blocker to play tackle. Making it even worse, we keep shifting him from left to right. Foucault played right guard last year and left guard and right tackle this year. You can't keep doing that to an offensive lineman as his stance, footwork, punch hand are all very different on each side of the line plus playing guard is very, very different to playing tackle.

Brett Boyko is Hervey's new shiny toy and he cost a lot to sign. But Boyko was not ready to start so early this season and Boyko was also shifted from the left side to the right side of the line., where once again, stance, footwork, etc, are opposite.

Then there is Hunter Steward, who must not have a clue what is going on. He was doghoused and benched despite excellent play in 2016 because he took a late game penalty. He was moved to center just before our first game of the season and then moved back to guard. He had a great game against Calgary and was then benched to make way for Boyko to get back in the lineup at right tackle and Foucault was given his spot.

OUR BEST OFFENSIVE LINE

When all return from injury our best offensive line that should be starting is Figuroa at left tackle, Steward at left guard, Roy at center, Chungh at right guard, and Kneval at right tackle (he deserves to start) with Boyko and Foucault as backups (as their play deserves)

Then we have the center position, a key position not only in terms of blocking but also making blocking calls. In two seasons we've had at least five centers from Husband to Greaves to Pierson to Steward to Roy. We really did not have a good plan in place for the center position going in to this year.

2. WE DON'T HAVE THE TALENT ON DEFENSE - THIS IS MOSTLY ON ED

Its Ed Hervey who put all the big bucks into our offence and then saddled Claybrooks with Jarious Jackson. Its also no secret that Jackson is very protected by Hervey. Just look at what Hervey did last year to protect him.

But Hervey has decimated our defense. In terms of a pass rush, we have an aging Odell Willis and no one else at defensive end. At linebacker we have Maliki Harris, Herdman-Reed and Chris Edwards. Quite simply they are not good enough.

Same goes for the secondary. Peters is not a shut down boundary corner. Thompson is not quick enough to play field corner. Dozier is a cast off who can play steady but not give us anything special. Lee should be playing the boundary side and Grymes should have been shifted to the field side.

Hervey quite simply has not given our Leos enough talent on defense. Heck, he even had Castillo trying to be a punter for our first four games. And Hervey did not go out and get us a returner either.

WRAP

With Jarious at the controls or our offence and with Ed Hervey continuing to pull straws, our Leos are in trouble. Wally let Jackson do his thing last season and he hired Ed to do his thing last year and Wally left the game with a wimper.

Claybrooks has started his Head Coaching career with a wimper. The recipe is the same - Jarious and Ed. If order for this football recipe to begin tasting good, we need some different ingredients.

Stupidity is doing the same thing and expecing a differentr result.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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Sir Purrcival
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That the Leo's have reduced some of our most knowledgeable and devoted fans to a state of numbness is probably the worst thing to have seen this season so far and we are only 6 games in. I agree with the general sentiment that our HC looks way to docile out there. I believe that he needs to take charge of the talent that he has and the coaches. Right now, he looks like he is just along for the ride, one of the guys and that is something that a coach cannot be. It is also something that I expect a GM to help a rookie coach with. Problem is that our GM doesn't seem like much of a GM either. At least if you look at the roster moves he has made so far, that is the conclusion you might draw.

I am willing to give Claybrooks a bit of leeway to learn his trade. He did well under the tutelage of Hufnagel and Dickenson and under the right circumstances, I think he can probably excel but it may take him time to get there. Hervey, I'm not so sure about. I had mixed feelings about him when he was hired, just as I had mixed feelings about him as a player . I'm not sure he recognizes the issues we have had. Otherwise, why would he make some of the inexplicable moves that he has? Left some of the problems so badly unresolved? I'm still not sure that he can effectively guide this ship and I have been that way since the beginning. With Wally looking over his shoulder, you could perhaps see how his looming presence might get in the way of Hervey making moves. Well, Wally is now gone and so far, Hervey has not impressed. This has become the worst Lion's franchise in since the early 90's. At this rate, they will be lucky to win 5 games this year.

It is time for the powers that be to recognize that this team is in serious crisis. The season is basically a write off so might as well start looking to the future.

1. The HC, needs to be a HC which means he has to start acting like a coach and not one of the boys. Players need to respect him and be a little fearful of him as well. Reilly needs to get in line with this as well. If he needs to come out, he should be taken out and no one should be worrying about him sulking.

2. If Jarious is a problem with his scheme, then he needs to go as well. I would rather let Travis Lulay go in as a rookie OC for the rest of the season and see if he can do something better. Jarious was a so - so QB. Has never been accused of having a great football mind and it shows.

3. Hervey had better start finding some young talent. His Edmonton imports haven't gotten the job done and trying to get better performances from a bunch of retreads isn't likely to happen. If he can't do it, then he should be jettisoned as well. He has to the end of the season and if this team doesn't show any kind of promise or the promise the likes of which it is currently displaying, then he needs to be gone as well.
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David
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If I am David Braley, I am wondering why TF I am paying for all of these free agent tryout camps across America and Torey Hunter's salary (and Geroy Simon's travel expenses) when all it produced for 2019 is:

Grant Kraemer - a promising QB but a tiny sample size
Mat Boesen - a starting DE with hussle but not much QB pressure. His last year of college was 2016. He's 24!
Carson Ketter - a PR safety. Seemed to be a decent tackler in preseason
Marquis Bundy - didn't show much at camp or when he has played. Currently on PR

Thank goodness Jevon Cottoy fell on our laps or we might not have a rookie of the year nominee.


DH :cool:
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David
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This, my friends, is what leadership is about.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nick Saban💯<br><br>“Mediocre people don’t like high-achievers — &amp; high-achievers don’t like mediocre people.”<br><br>“My goal for spring practice — get the right guys on the bus. Get them in the right seats &amp; get the wrong guys off the bus.”<br><br>📽 <a href="https://twitter.com/TheCrimsonWhite?ref ... onWhite</a> <a href="https://t.co/awenI4i5xN">pic.twitter.co ... </p>&mdash; CoachTube.com (@thecoachtube) <a href=" 20, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


DH :cool:
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WestCoastJoe
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Passing game and run game.

These results are good enough.

2019-07-21_1523.png
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John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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WestCoastJoe
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Receiving

Even these results are good enough.

2019-07-21_1530.png
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John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
JohnnyMusso
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Does anymore think Lions can go 9 and 3 or 8 and 4 rest of the way to finish at least 9 and 9.

I don't unless they make major changes soon that gives them a boost, but even then that is a tall order.
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B.C.FAN
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WestCoastJoe wrote:
Sun Jul 21, 2019 3:25 pm
Passing game and run game.

These results are good enough.


2019-07-21_1523.png
Yes, Reilly has thrown for over 300 yards 3 times in 6 games, and had 272 yards against Toronto. His only bad games passing were against Edmonton, when he took 12 sacks. If the Lions can get Figueroa and Chungh back healthy and fix the right tackle position, most of their problems on offence will be solved, even with Jarious Jackson as OC.
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WestCoastJoe
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Reilly is getting pounded, as we all know. Of course fumbles will happen in the mayhem, as he tries to pass while being swarmed.

This is on Hervey, Claybrooks and Reilly. Mike should spend some time on the sideline in certain situations. Short yardage. Change of pace. End of game. Time to develop a backup. That is not happening. And to this fan it seems like a superstition or conceit by Mike. Do not take me out. And they let him have his way. Well, he will be injured, if not already. I think his knee got badly rolled up on.

Fumbles and Reilly's health are issues.

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John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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WestCoastJoe
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And then, of course, there are the sacks. Unacceptable. Solutions? Not easy.

Not just sacks either. Reilly carried the ball 5 times. Plus he got hit perhaps 15 times. Just not acceptable. He does not have to prove to anyone how tough he is.

I think Figueroa, Steward, Chungh, and possibly Roy are plenty good enough to play. I think that is obvious. Right tackle? Boyko has had his issues, as a new player to the CFL. Foucault just might not be talented enough. Footwork. Hand skills, etc. Time to go with an INT? Maybe. All the shuffling? Not good. Anyone knows that. Is Bryan Chiu a good enough OL coach? I expect so.

So why all the sacks? Complicated. Jarious has responsibility. Reilly has responsibility. Playbook. Game plans. Play calls. Execution.

* Too many slow developing long passes.

* Not enough release passes.

* Not enough chip blocks.

* Not enough double teams, at certain times. I expect Foucault and Mackie together could keep Hughes away from Reilly. I think. LOL But mix things up. Double team Hughes a lot, in runs, and on passes. Different combinations. Do not have the hubris or stupidity to think one of our tackles alone can handle him.

* Use more tight end offence.

* Not enough roll outs.

* Not enough variety in pass protection.

* Earlier, too much reliance on RPO, which, imo, can destroy OL players' confidence. Pass or run? IMO they need to know pre-snap.

* Mixing things up. Run. Pass. Routes.

Defence cannot get comfortable, knowing exactly what is coming. It is a complicated package, and no one says it is easy. But other teams, good teams, do it, with changing personnel also.

* Reilly needs to use short routes more readily.

* Dump offs. Recall the days of Lulay to Harris all game long. But Harris has magic in timing and finding the hole in the defence, and Lulay knew exactly how to find Harris.

2019-07-21_1539.png
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John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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WestCoastJoe
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STs? Tricked once again, but saved by penalty. Teams know we can be fooled, and they prepare special plays against us. D'oh. New coach? Yup. Kick return for TD given up.

Defence? Unable to get pressure on the QB. Personnel not good enough? I think so. Systems? Possibly. Not able to stop long drives at key times. Talent just not good enough? Possibly. But I think Stubler and Claybrooks can fix this, with some personnel improvements. Hard to do at this point. Rush end? Boesen has not shown any special abilty for the CFL at this point. Willis is aging, and seemed ineffective vs the Riders. 0 tackles. 0 sacks.

By the way, excellent posts by the bloggers. They are appreciated. And Blitz with his usual researched, detailed analysis. :thup:
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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hwgill
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Reilly needs to get the *frig* out of the pocket. That'll give everyone more time.
" ... a team not being prepared to play is the head coach’s responsibility.” - Jim Barker
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B.C.FAN
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JC Abbott weighs in with his thoughts on the game at 3downnation.com, and he pulls no punches .

Players in positions to fail (and 6 other thoughts on the Lions’ loss in Regina)
TheLionKing
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Bang on with the assessment.
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WestCoastJoe
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B.C.FAN wrote:
Sun Jul 21, 2019 8:29 pm
JC Abbott weighs in with his thoughts on the game at 3downnation.com, and he pulls no punches .

Players in positions to fail (and 6 other thoughts on the Lions’ loss in Regina)
Money doesn’t buy happiness

The Lions might have made Mike Reilly the league’s highest paid player, but he looks like a man spiritually defeated in ways I’ve never seen before.

I’ve always held Reilly in the highest esteem as a leader who says all the right things in public, deflects praise onto his teammates and fights to the whistle. He is someone I’ve looked up to and advised young athletes to emulate. These qualities remain, but he looks physically exhausted and visibly frustrated with the situation around him. Its hard to blame him, he faced some rough early years in Edmonton but nothing quite like this and not at this age. The toll on his body is showing for the first time in his career. He continues to go through the motions, fight for touchdowns and battle until the end, but football doesn’t look fun for him right now.

Even at the lowest point in Edmonton, Reilly had players and coaches around him that he trusted. That has yet to be the case in B.C. and I feel for the strain that places on his psyche. The Lions staff and players need to win him back with decisive changes and improved effort in the coming week.
Abbott is a good reporter. Lots of coverage of the Lions also.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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