Lions sign Brandon Bridge

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Belize City Lion
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maxlion wrote:
Mon Oct 14, 2019 6:30 pm

Kraemer is a raw rookie so no point throwing him to the wolves. There is nothing to prove at this point in the season.

It seems like seeing if Kraemer can perform is the only thing fans have to look forward to for these final games, but that's not really fair for him if he's not ready. In the long view, it's best to bring him along slowly.
If Kraemar plays now, he gets to work with the (mostly) starting receiving corps and will be playing behind the much improved O line. He will have the 1A and 1B running backs to establish the ground game. How is that not fair?

It's a much better evaluation than waiting for him to get a quarter of action in the first pre-season game of 2020, playing with a bunch of guys who probably won't be on the team by the time the regular season starts.
CrazyCanuck89
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Toppy Vann wrote:
Tue Oct 15, 2019 1:20 am
Some points to consider:

1. O'Brien has had 118 pass attempts in 6 seasons in the CFL
(not sure if that counts last game but no matter) .
Translation: he's not had much chance to develop other than in practice running other team offences (and doing air passes and handoffs while Mike Reilly takes the snaps.

2. Kraemer has only had 1 pre-season game in which he looked good - but how does that pan out when the real action is happening like it is now and BC has faces good teams.

3. Brandon Bridge has had the most experience and he should know this offence as it's also kind of what McAdoo was running in Sask when Jarius was there. Sheesh pretty much everyone knows this offence.

I agree your offense was too predictable. Cottoy and Johnson were underutilized this season. I think Bridge will do well, he is more mobile than any of the QBs on your roster.
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DanoT
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Belize City Lion wrote:
Tue Oct 15, 2019 9:49 am
maxlion wrote:
Mon Oct 14, 2019 6:30 pm

Kraemer is a raw rookie so no point throwing him to the wolves. There is nothing to prove at this point in the season.

It seems like seeing if Kraemer can perform is the only thing fans have to look forward to for these final games, but that's not really fair for him if he's not ready. In the long view, it's best to bring him along slowly.
If Kraemar plays now, he gets to work with the (mostly) starting receiving corps and will be playing behind the much improved O line. He will have the 1A and 1B running backs to establish the ground game. How is that not fair?

It's a much better evaluation than waiting for him to get a quarter of action in the first pre-season game of 2020, playing with a bunch of guys who probably won't be on the team by the time the regular season starts.
^^^ Agreed. One of the reasons that Wally had a lot of success in developing QBs is that he looked to see marked improvement in a QBs play in his second TC, if not there then that player would be released. It remains to be seen if Claybrooks will follow that approach but the opportunity to take a second look at Kraemer (and getting to play with the first stringers) after most of a season on the PR, is a rare situation that the Lions need to utilize.
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Belize City Lion wrote:
Tue Oct 15, 2019 9:49 am
maxlion wrote:
Mon Oct 14, 2019 6:30 pm

Kraemer is a raw rookie so no point throwing him to the wolves. There is nothing to prove at this point in the season.

It seems like seeing if Kraemer can perform is the only thing fans have to look forward to for these final games, but that's not really fair for him if he's not ready. In the long view, it's best to bring him along slowly.
If Kraemar plays now, he gets to work with the (mostly) starting receiving corps and will be playing behind the much improved O line. He will have the 1A and 1B running backs to establish the ground game. How is that not fair?

It's a much better evaluation than waiting for him to get a quarter of action in the first pre-season game of 2020, playing with a bunch of guys who probably won't be on the team by the time the regular season starts.
Riders and Stamps are playing to win. Lions are going to get killed.

Kraemer has never practiced with the first team offense and has never played in a real game at the pro level. I agree that he should get some live reps, but no need to anoint him as starter. Rushing a qb's development rarely works out.
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Bridge took part in practice Tuesday and was interviewed on video afterwards for bclions.com. He credited Jarious Jackson for always believing in him and giving him an opportunity to play his best football. Bridge played 12 games for the Riders in 2017 with Jackson as his QB coach. He completed 92 of 38 passes (67%) for 1,236 yards with 10 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.

POST-PRACTICE 📽 | BRANDON BRIDGE

It's also good to see Peter Godber in uniform behind Bridge in the locker room. I hope Godber gets a chance to play centre in at least one of the remaining games. The Lions can't go into next season expecting to play three Americans on the O-line.
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tedbear
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I guess my question to maxlion is when is a good time to play Kraemar?

You say Stamps and Riders are playing to win, One could say that every game teams are playing to win. Kraemar has been here all year and should be familiar with the system by now.

I agree with you that if he is not ready he should not be put in, but in retrospect if he is not ready by now when will he be ready.

If the Lions want to develop a young quarterback he needs to get opportunities to play and with that will come experience. These games mean nothing to the Lions and in my opinion this would be the purrfect scenario to give Kraemar some playing time. If the Lions get killed so what?

Seems pretty simple we have had two backups ALL year long, We are out of the playoff race, Play O'Brien and Kraemar. If they cant cut it then make a decision at the end of the year and move on from them.

I don't know if these two quarterbacks can cut it, but one thing that I can guarantee is that Brandon Bridge is not the answer.
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tedbear wrote:
Tue Oct 15, 2019 2:49 pm
I guess my question to maxlion is when is a good time to play Kraemar?

You say Stamps and Riders are playing to win, One could say that every game teams are playing to win. Kraemar has been here all year and should be familiar with the system by now.

I agree with you that if he is not ready he should not be put in, but in retrospect if he is not ready by now when will he be ready.

If the Lions want to develop a young quarterback he needs to get opportunities to play and with that will come experience. These games mean nothing to the Lions and in my opinion this would be the purrfect scenario to give Kraemar some playing time. If the Lions get killed so what?

Seems pretty simple we have had two backups ALL year long, We are out of the playoff race, Play O'Brien and Kraemar. If they cant cut it then make a decision at the end of the year and move on from them.

I don't know if these two quarterbacks can cut it, but one thing that I can guarantee is that Brandon Bridge is not the answer.
Evaluating a QB who is fresh out of college in a game against a top team fighting for first place is unfair, especially when the team he is on is already eliminated and basically playing for nothing.

If you look at other successful qbs, you will see that almost without exception, they took a few years to develop.

For example, Reilly kicked around NFL practice rosters for a couple of years, then spent 2 years on a practice roster and dressing as a third stringer in the CFL before getting his first CFL start in October of his third year in the league.

Lulay made his first CFL start during his second year after spending 3 years in the NFL and NFL Europe.

Bo Levi-Mitchell, who is an exceptional case, got his first start in July of his second year and became the regular starter the following year.

Jeremiah Masoli was still a third stringer in his fourth year in the CFL and didn't become an undisputed starter until his sixth year.

I could go on, but the point is that patience is the most important thing when it comes to young QBs.
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I'm hoping Bridge and Kraemar are stopgaps to close out the season, with the real backup candidates coming in next years training camp.
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Gridiron Ernie
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Speaking of our Lions' QBs -- I just read that Mike Reilly had successful surgery on Sunday and a full recovery is expected within 6 to 8 weeks. They inserted a plate and screws (I'm wondering if that's perhaps temporary (?) just for during the healing process, but don't know. ) I know the plate and screws in my once-fractured (long since healed) shoulder is permanent. Wishing him a speedy and full recovery.
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tedbear wrote:
Tue Oct 15, 2019 2:49 pm
I guess my question to maxlion is when is a good time to play Kraemar?

You say Stamps and Riders are playing to win, One could say that every game teams are playing to win. Kraemar has been here all year and should be familiar with the system by now.

I agree with you that if he is not ready he should not be put in, but in retrospect if he is not ready by now when will he be ready.

If the Lions want to develop a young quarterback he needs to get opportunities to play and with that will come experience. These games mean nothing to the Lions and in my opinion this would be the purrfect scenario to give Kraemar some playing time. If the Lions get killed so what?

Seems pretty simple we have had two backups ALL year long, We are out of the playoff race, Play O'Brien and Kraemar. If they cant cut it then make a decision at the end of the year and move on from them.

I don't know if these two quarterbacks can cut it, but one thing that I can guarantee is that Brandon Bridge is not the answer.
Agree on all points.
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DanoT
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TheLionKing wrote:
Tue Oct 15, 2019 10:50 pm
tedbear wrote:
Tue Oct 15, 2019 2:49 pm
I guess my question to maxlion is when is a good time to play Kraemar?

You say Stamps and Riders are playing to win, One could say that every game teams are playing to win. Kraemar has been here all year and should be familiar with the system by now.

I agree with you that if he is not ready he should not be put in, but in retrospect if he is not ready by now when will he be ready.

If the Lions want to develop a young quarterback he needs to get opportunities to play and with that will come experience. These games mean nothing to the Lions and in my opinion this would be the purrfect scenario to give Kraemar some playing time. If the Lions get killed so what?

Seems pretty simple we have had two backups ALL year long, We are out of the playoff race, Play O'Brien and Kraemar. If they cant cut it then make a decision at the end of the year and move on from them.

I don't know if these two quarterbacks can cut it, but one thing that I can guarantee is that Brandon Bridge is not the answer.
Agree on all points.
^^^ X2
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Gridiron Ernie
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Another solid piece by JC Abbott https://3downnation.com/2019/10/16/a-ba ... imination/ considers the quarterbacks currently in our den (see the "Better on the Bench" section).
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B.C.FAN
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Gridiron Ernie wrote:
Wed Oct 16, 2019 12:51 pm
Another solid piece by JC Abbott https://3downnation.com/2019/10/16/a-ba ... imination/ considers the quarterbacks currently in our den (see the "Better on the Bench" section).
Abbot's pieces are always worth reading, even if this one repeats a lot of points that have been made on this forum since Saturday. His criticism of Jarious Jackson is particularly scathing, and he deservedly points out the failings of John White and Hakeem Johnson. Here's what he says about Jackson:
In their first two meetings this season, Phillip Lolley dialled up six- and seven-man pressure routinely to completely overwhelm the Lions. Fast forward to Week 18 and, lo and behold, the Eskimos presented the exact same game plan and B.C. looked completely unprepared for it.

Facing that much pressure play in and play out is a virtual no-win scenario in pass protection. The Lions were better up front than in their first two matchups, but still surrendered four sacks.

You simply cannot block everyone on every play against that type of defence. Instead, you need to rely on effective blitz counters to punish the opponent for pressure and force them to drop more defenders. Making that change has been the struggle of Jarious Jackson’s career.

Jackson’s passing offence has been largely predicated on the strength of Mike Reilly’s downfield playmaking ability. Concepts are often late developing and put stress on the offensive line to properly protect, more so than in other offences. It’s part of the reason why the early offensive line struggles completely decimated the Lions offence and their resurgence has coincided with a more lethal passing attack.

When faced with a defence sending heavy pressure, the time is almost never there to hit those throws. Even with time to anticipate this problem, Jackson has often struggled to add quick throws, hot routes and varied screens into his game plan. Add a backup quarterback into the equation and you have a recipe for disaster.

It was easy to predict, given their previous success, that Edmonton would send the house. Jackson’s failure to adapt is his biggest weakness as an offensive coordinator and his growth in this area has been far too slow over his two years in B.C.
maxlion
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Gridiron Ernie wrote:
Wed Oct 16, 2019 12:51 pm
Another solid piece by JC Abbott https://3downnation.com/2019/10/16/a-ba ... imination/ considers the quarterbacks currently in our den (see the "Better on the Bench" section).
Apparently JC also disagrees with me about starting Kraemer. Good article nonetheless.
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tedbear wrote:
Tue Oct 15, 2019 2:49 pm
I guess my question to maxlion is when is a good time to play Kraemar?

You say Stamps and Riders are playing to win, One could say that every game teams are playing to win. Kraemar has been here all year and should be familiar with the system by now.

I agree with you that if he is not ready he should not be put in, but in retrospect if he is not ready by now when will he be ready.

If the Lions want to develop a young quarterback he needs to get opportunities to play and with that will come experience. These games mean nothing to the Lions and in my opinion this would be the purrfect scenario to give Kraemar some playing time. If the Lions get killed so what?

Seems pretty simple we have had two backups ALL year long, We are out of the playoff race, Play O'Brien and Kraemar. If they cant cut it then make a decision at the end of the year and move on from them.

I don't know if these two quarterbacks can cut it, but one thing that I can guarantee is that Brandon Bridge is not the answer.
I think they can go into the game with a plan to play him a certain number of reps or series with the potential caveat of game situation playing a role. Could give him the 4th quarter or a couple series in the 2nd quarter and a couple more later in the game. How much he could be given would be determined by how well he's performing. If he's holding his own then keep him in. If he's looking like the proverbial deer in the headlights and getting overwhelmed initially then get him out perhaps to return later in the game.

That's all of course assuming they feel he has a significant enough grasp of the offense. Regardless they've be giving him a Reader's Digest version of the playbook, things they feel he'd be comfortable and successful with. I'd expect he'd be working with a lot of run plays and shorter to mid-range pass routes to let him get the ball off fairly quickly. You just know the opposition, as all oppositions do with a rookie QB , will be doing a lot of blitzing at least until the game is well secured.
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