Leos Win Silences Buono-Bashing Bloggers

[WestCoastJoe]

Its good to see that 'bloggers' have not been 'silenced' by one victory over a badly wounded Eskimo team nor should they be. Changes need to be made in order to prevent a fourth fisaco to begin the 2012 season. I believe that, even if we win each and every game for the rest of the regular season and even win the Grey Cup..and this Leos team has enough talent to win a Grey Cup..that changes need to be made to our staff.

Confusion is the word that first comes to mind when it comes to the coaching of our Leos. We've dealt with that confusion for too long...from the confusion about which quarterback to start between Dickenson and Printers on game day in 2005, the insertion of Buck Pierce in the middle of a series in Grey Cup 2006, the confusion whether Buck or Jarious should be our starting quarterback or the constant confusion during football games when decisions are made.

However, there is absolutely no excuse for the confusion that reigned last year when we started the season with an offensive line mis-experiment that got us off to a 1-7 start, no attempt to run the football, and Printers and Lulay and Jarious for his one game like sitting ducks in a shooting galery.

You'd think our coaching staff would learn. But no..they start this season off with four receivers who have never caught a pro pass with an inexperienced quarterback and then to add misery we don't run the football again. To add even more woes we go to a 3-4 defense (its not the 3-4 that was the problem but what it did to our personell..moving Hunt to defensive end and Eliminain to one interior linebacker, on top of not having a pass rush (while playing conservative zone defence) which had our db's trying to cover forever. It was a recipe for another terrible start.

The off-season is the time for the coaching staff to evaluate personell, systems, and to improve. However, our coaching staff made all the choices to have us go backwards after a good finish to the 2010 season.

Its not acceptable. Right now Benevedes has our defense looking very good in a 4-3 structure that should get even better, with personell decisions that utilize our talent so much better than beginning of the season. Chap is now committing to the run more, has added variety and misdirection to our offence recently, as well as some innovation. However, why does it take pressure from media and fans to do the right thing in the first place.

I can go back and read posts on Lionbackers from training camp that indicate that many so called 'bloggers' were making the suggestions that are now in place. We're just fans and yet there is more sense on this board more often than there seems to be on our coaching staff to begin each season.

There were concerns expressed about how we were utilizing our personell in a 3-4 defense, our lack of committment to the run, and the use of four rookie recievers. However, there have been personell concerns expressed in the past, from not utilizing Jamal Johnson to why are we playing Gary Butler to why we didn't begin last season with Yonus Davis as our punt returner and the list goes on. Things that should be obvious are not seen by our Leos coaching staff that others can see more clearly and that is not the way it should be.

This is a very talented Leos team...one that should be in first place in the West based on our talent. Yes we have a couple of areas that could be improved..we need a rush end and the interior of our offensive line needs to get better but overall, our talent level is better than every CFL team, even Montreal, whose only advantage is they have a more experienced quarterback. There is no way this is a 2-6 team and its our coaching staff that got us in this position and its inexcusable.

The changes being made our good ones but why did it take this long again to make them, as it did last season?

Great post, Blitz.

The win caught the media by surprise, it seems. And instead of pondering coaching changes, they had to drag their humble selves into Wally's scary office or conference room. Make nice. Make nice. Plus there was not much bad, or any bad, to talk about in this game. Ha ha

Yes, one win looked very good. Our talent had its backs to the walls, unemployment looking everyone in the face. And our talent, aided by reality survival game planning, rather than agenda driven game planning, put our guys in position to make plays.

If we go on to win most of our remaining games, there will be a huge tendency to just let Wally continue on, same old same old. And one could bet money that somehow or else, old habits would put us behind the 8-ball again to start next year.

There is no doubt that many people are already thinking: "There, it's fixed." Hmmmmmm ... Take away that backs against the wall aspect, take away a badly wounded opponent, take away a coaching staff that knew they had to have a top level, aggressive game plan, and we will slip right back into mediocrity.

We were a highly motivated team, playing against a badly wounded opponent.

IMO ...

* Starting 4 receivers with no pro catches. Huge head shaker. Gore and Foster needed reps last year.

* Mis guided change to the 3.4. DC could not see the big picture.

* No running game to start the year. Hey, been there, done that, for a few years.

* We are making Ben Archibald and Jovon Olafioye look very ordinary. Still vulnerable to the blitz.

* Running back musical chairs. D'oh.

* Give us your old, your tired, your retreads. Lucky that good talent was made available. Kornegay, Bruce, etc.

* We lurched along for 6 games, and found some great things that worked, against a wounded foe.

* Worst case scenario: "Hey, we're OK again. All of our familiar stuff is good. The heck with new ideas."

[TheLionKing]

The worst thing that happened to the Lions was finishing strong and almost beating the Riders in the playoffs. It covered up alot of the warts that was there all season and part of this season.

[Blitz]

The win caught the media by surprise, it seems. And instead of pondering coaching changes, they had to drag their humble selves into Wally's scary office or conference room. Make nice. Make nice. Plus there was not much bad, or any bad, to talk about in this game. Ha ha

Yes, one win looked very good. Our talent had its backs to the walls, unemployment looking everyone in the face. And our talent, aided by reality survival game planning, rather than agenda driven game planning, put our guys in position to make plays.

If we go on to win most of our remaining games, there will be a huge tendency to just let Wally continue on, same old same old. And one could bet money that somehow or else, old habits would put us behind the 8-ball again to start next year.

There is no doubt that many people are already thinking: "There, it's fixed." Hmmmmmm ... Take away that backs against the wall aspect, take away a badly wounded opponent, take away a coaching staff that knew they had to have a top level, aggressive game plan, and we will slip right back into mediocrity.

IMO ...

* Starting 4 receivers with no pro catches. Huge head shaker. Gore and Foster needed reps last year.

* Mis guided change to the 3.4. DC could not see the big picture.

* No running game to start the year. Hey, been there, done that, for a few years.

* We are making Ben Archibald and Jovon Olafioye look very ordinary. Still vulnerable to the blitz.

* Running back musical chairs. D'oh.

* Give us your old, your tired, your retreads. Lucky that good talent was made available. Kornegay, Bruce, etc.

* We lurched along for 6 games, and found some great things that worked, against a wounded foe.

* Worst case scenario: "Hey, we're OK again. All of our familiar stuff is good. The heck with new ideas."

In many ways I do think its fixed..for the most part..in terms of personell. Hunt is back at tackle, as is either Mitchell or Eric Taylor, neither whom were true nose tackles. Eliminian is back roaming the middle, Banks shores up a weak spot at the tough shortside half position, Kournegay is an upgrade on Franks at halfback and Philips playing wideside again will result in more INT's. Henderson and Yarichuk are getting more reps and Reddick will do a good job at nickel.

Offensively, we look like we're finally found the inside receiver to compliment Simon in Arland Bruce. Bruce has worn out his welcome in his last two stops but he's a very talented receiver who usually puts in at least two good years before he becomes a headache so we should be ok for a while. Simon is much stronger as well as looks faster this year and Foster and Gore are Canadian talents who should continue to flourish. Innanuzi looks like a guy who could play in the future too.

Archibald and Olifoye look ordinary at times only because of our anti-blitz package and Lulay's tendancy to bail to the outside when under pressure. They are two excellent tackles. We've had a lot of indecision from Wally at the running back spot but a tandem should work fine..whether its Harris and Lee or Harris and Robertson or Harris and Brown.

Personell wise, we really only need improvement at two spots. One is rush end and that change is on the way with Rajon Henley coming in as well as NFL cuts looming. The second is at safety, where we have the inexperienced LaRose and I wish we would have played Hyland there. McKenzie is average at linebacker but we do have the speedier Henderson and Yarichuk to sub in there in certain situations. I think Dennis would be a good backup nickelback as well as playing in the secondary.

Offensively, we really only have a couple of question marks. The first is the interior of our offensive line. The return of Hameister-Rees should help there but one has to wonder about Reid at center. He's there due to his experience in making line calls as well as other factors and Valli has not established himself as a guard. Makes me wonder who should play right guard when Hameister Rees returns. Newman proved that he could play at a very high level in Calgary but has not established himself here as well and I'm guessing that we will be staying with Valli but at least we'll have a better backup lineman then than Kelly Bates.

Special teams look good overall with McCallum and Harris returning kicks. Hard to know if Brown will be the final answer as our punt returner yet but we also have other options.

I really believe the talent is here in B.C. this season, personell wise to have a great run at the Cup if we make the playoffs. I really believe it comes down to coaching and game planning and schemes and play calling and good game decision making in critical situations.

Its hard to believe that the majority opinion of posters on Lionbackers has been ahead of the curve again in terms of personell decisions than Wally and Co. When I look back at the posts, if Wally had been reading this website he would have been making most of the changes that he and his assistants are only making now.

Its kudos to the knowledge and perception of the posters on Lionbackers who obviously have a keen eye for talent. However, its a bird poo on the top of the head for our Leos coaches who have taken almost half of a season to figure out what many on this website had figured out in training camp and the same goes for the 2010 season. Maybe some of the regulars on this site should get together, form a company, and offer their services as a football consulting service to Wally in terms of player personell decisions. It would at least get us out of the gate a heck of a lot faster (I'm not really serious)

However, Wally should and Chap and Benevedes should be geting player personell decisions right more often than Lionbackers. They're pros who get paid to do that and i think, after a while, its gets frustating for die hard fans when the obvious takes about 8 games for our to our coaches to figure out.

[Toppy Vann]

The worst thing that happened to the Lions was finishing strong and almost beating the Riders in the playoffs. It covered up alot of the warts that was there all season and part of this season.

And now like Yogi Berra would say

"This is like deja vu all over again."

I think the Lions three-peat this year is starting to wear thin on fans. In some ways the return to BC Place is well timed as fans might just want a look-see and the team might get on an 8 and 10 repeat of last year.

But post season and next years season ticket sales are a different matter and this regime with no changes next year could be a tough sell (unless you don't care and want Toronto West in BC).

[Blitz]

The worst thing that happened to the Lions was finishing strong and almost beating the Riders in the playoffs. It covered up alot of the warts that was there all season and part of this season.

And now like Yogi Berra would say

"This is like deja vu all over again."

I think the Lions three-peat this year is starting to wear thin on fans. In some ways the return to BC Place is well timed as fans might just want a look-see and the team might get on an 8 and 10 repeat of last year.

But post season and next years season ticket sales are a different matter and this regime with no changes next year could be a tough sell (unless you don't care and want Toronto West in BC).

We really need changes to our personell department as well as scouting staff. I would like to see an eager hard working smart guy like Richard Wade taking over personell from Shivers and developing a systematic approch to scouting and player personell recruitment. In terms of coaching we really need a quarterback coach and a running back coach. Right now we have two offensive line coaches in Dorazio and Bates and two defensive secondary coaches in Washington and Miles..makes no sense to me.

Chap is making changes but its like pushing his face into a power sander to make them. He also has a receivers mentality as an offensive coordinator (which was why Simon and Clermont liked him) but we truly underestimate the work of Steve Kruck over the years in working with our quarterbacks. Lulay could have really been helped by a quarterback coach. Our coaching staff is also too incesturous, with either ex-Leos or ex-Calgary players or assistants comprising all of our coaching staff, outside of our defensive line coach. We really could use some fresh ideas, as has been mentioned many times on this stie.

I believe Barrin Miles is going to be a good one..highly respected by the players on our Leos team and a future defensive coordinator one day. You have to question the work of Travis Moore, with all the dropped passes we experienced to start the season as well as our entire offensive philisophy by Chap to start the year, without a committment to the run game for the first 5 games, as well as starting four rookie receivers or the decsions. You also have to question Chap and Dorazio in terms of why we consistently lead the league or are near the top of the league in getting our quarterbacks sacked, no matter how talented an offensive line we have. One also has to question Benevedes, in terms of both personell and defensive structure for the first 6 games..they were also a major factor in putting us behind the eight ball.

Lets hope our coaching staff continues to EXECUTE, as the did in the Edmonton game..the rest of the way for this 2011 season.

[kacbru]

Blitz... under confusion you failed to mention all the little things as well. The most glaring to me was leaving Paul McCallum off the roster for the game against Edmonton last year. To me, that epitomizes what's wrong with the Lions coaching staff. But I suppose that was a Paul McCallum "execution" error.

To everyone wondering why PJ isn't getting reps at receiver - it's because he's the backup kicker!

[Anglophone]

Blitz... under confusion you failed to mention all the little things as well. The most glaring to me was leaving Paul McCallum off the roster for the game against Edmonton last year. To me, that epitomizes what's wrong with the Lions coaching staff. But I suppose that was a Paul McCallum "execution" error.

To everyone wondering why PJ isn't getting reps at receiver - it's because he's the backup kicker!

That was ridiculous. If Whyte hadn't made that field goal, that would be remembered as the sheer dumbest thing I think I've ever heard of a team doing. Even as is, it's just plain stupidity.

[hwgill]

IMO, Friday's game showcased all the problems the Leos are having on the offensive side of the ball. The first three series we punted, couldn't get a first down to save our lives. They finally start scoring, and make it 20-1 at the half. The final score should have been much higher if the offense were capable, more like 48-1, not 34-1 (I don't count the safety because that was Edmonton giving it up, not the Lions taking it).

Lulay is NOT that good a QB. I strongly believe that he will be a good one, but he will never be a great one, I don't think he is capable of that. Good recievers make Lulay look good. To me, he's no different than Durant, great with great recievers, average with average recievers.

The O-line is still a sieve, there was no way Lulay should have been sacked twice on Friday.

The defense is not too bad, but still needs work in the secondary...those DB's need to learn how to TACKLE! This candy-a$$ bump and hope they fall down is not good enough by a long shot. The DB's should be taking lessons from Elimimian on how to hit and tackle. He is the bright spot in the Leo's defense.

[Toppy Vann]

HWG... I am sure they said worse things about Anthony Cavillo when he had some tough seasons to start. Other than the Lions losing and his receivers dropping the gimmes on him Lulay has had a pretty fair start to what looks like a promising career.

I'd not be getting him ready for a departure from the CFL any year soon. He shows a lot of promise and potential for greatness. He is still not that experienced a CFL QB.

If Lulay weren't trapped in the current system and in a team situation where for the third year in a row this team is not ready to play he'd be shooting the lights out.

The only caveat here is that if this team does not genuinely turn it around from here it could harm his growth significantly. We shall see.

[Rammer]

HWG... I am sure they said worse things about Anthony Cavillo when he had some tough seasons to start. Other than the Lions losing and his receivers dropping the gimmes on him Lulay has had a pretty fair start to what looks like a promising career.

I'd not be getting him ready for a departure from the CFL any year soon. He shows a lot of promise and potential for greatness. He is still not that experienced a CFL QB.

If Lulay weren't trapped in the current system and in a team situation where for the third year in a row this team is not ready to play he'd be shooting the lights out.

The only caveat here is that if this team does not genuinely turn it around from here it could harm his growth significantly. We shall see.

Lulay's growth can only come by winning some of those close contests when he has the ball in his hands, so far he hasn't been up to the task. He is young so that measure can come, it is just that the words right now are spoken by the fans and most HC's.

[B.C.FAN]

As bad as the Lions seem to the Buono-Bashing-Bloggers, Lulay just happens to be the leading passer in the CFL. The Eskimos are the first place team in our division and the Lions just destroyed them last week in every facet of the game. Like the Esks, the Lions were decimated by injuries, losing our starting DT, LB, D-HB, CB, OG, RB and KR...along with changing other starters. The fact is the Lions have plugged their holes better than the Esks, signing impact players like Kornegay, Dennis and Bruce...rather than Dobson Collins, RG-M and Armstead like the Esks braintrust.

I can't see how any fan couldn't be excited about the Lions defence, with the team making many of the personelle moves which were suggested in this blog. Sitting Sanchez, moving Banks to HB, LaRose at safety, platooning Phillips, Reddick to nickle, the 4-man DL, etc.

The biggest problem on offence has been the receiver drops which snuffed out too many drives. That issue has been largely overcome with the addition of Bruce. The running game has become more prominent the last couple games with Harris starting, Robertson platooning and Lee moved to RB...as many bloggers had suggested.

Do the Lions still have systemic problems? Probably, but it's not serious enough to prohibit them from winning the Grey Cup this season...and that's the whole point of the exercise...not starting the season like a house on fire, not having the coaches being more communicative or less arrogant, not calling enough running plays, etc...just win, baby!

It takes patience to allow young players to develop. It takes courage to make changes where needed. And it takes wisdom to know which situation requires patience and which requires courage. So far I like the way Wally and staff have handled this team during adversity. I'm just as confident as I was at the start of the season that the Lions will challenge for the Grey Cup.

[Rammer]

As bad as the Lions seem to the Buono-Bashing-Bloggers, Lulay just happens to be the leading passer in the CFL. The Eskimos are the first place team in our division and the Lions just destroyed them last week in every facet of the game. Like the Esks, the Lions were decimated by injuries, losing our starting DT, LB, D-HB, CB, OG, RB and KR...along with changing other starters. The fact is the Lions have plugged their holes better than the Esks, signing impact players like Kornegay, Dennis and Bruce...rather than Dobson Collins, RG-M and Armstead like the Esks braintrust.

I can't see how any fan couldn't be excited about the Lions defence, with the team making many of the personelle moves which were suggested in this blog. Sitting Sanchez, moving Banks to HB, LaRose at safety, platooning Phillips, Reddick to nickle, the 4-man DL, etc.

The biggest problem on offence has been the receiver drops which snuffed out too many drives. That issue has been largely overcome with the addition of Bruce. The running game has become more prominent the last couple games with Harris starting, Robertson platooning and Lee moved to RB...as many bloggers had suggested.

Do the Lions still have systemic problems? Probably, but it's not serious enough to prohibit them from winning the Grey Cup this season...and that's the whole point of the exercise...not starting the season like a house on fire, not having the coaches being more communicative or less arrogant, not calling enough running plays, etc...just win, baby!

I still think that rating the Lions woes as solved by a game against the Eskimos isn't a true comparison. The Esks starters performed well, but one of the reasons that I didn't think the Esks would have a good record this season was their lack of depth, but I never expected the start that they had either. Hopefully the Lions depth and perhaps the changes which resulted due to our poor start will be the difference maker between hosting a playoff date or not.

As for competing for a Grey Cup this season, I think that is still pie in the sky talk. Our secondary has to play a more physical game and learn how to tackle, plus resolve the concept of the safety position. Now, it is almost better to be in the Lions position in a way, as the Lions will still have to be on the lookout for plugging some holes, and they do have to change some aspects of our game plans, where the elite teams like the Bombers, Als and Stamps, are winning and don't have to. If the timing is right, the Lions make the playoffs, find their 'A' game close to the end of the season, it may be the momentum surge that is required to make a run. However that recipe seems close to last seasons, and even that didn't get the Lions past the first round of playoffs, but the icing to me for this season is the real possibility of gaining a home playoff date given the Riders position and the Esks now showing their green and squashed colours.

[WestCoastJoe]

As bad as the Lions seem to the Buono-Bashing-Bloggers, Lulay just happens to be the leading passer in the CFL. The Eskimos are the first place team in our division and the Lions just destroyed them last week in every facet of the game. Like the Esks, the Lions were decimated by injuries, losing our starting DT, LB, D-HB, CB, OG, RB and KR...along with changing other starters. The fact is the Lions have plugged their holes better than the Esks, signing impact players like Kornegay, Dennis and Bruce...rather than Dobson Collins, RG-M and Armstead like the Esks braintrust.

I can't see how any fan couldn't be excited about the Lions defence, with the team making many of the personelle moves which were suggested in this blog. Sitting Sanchez, moving Banks to HB, LaRose at safety, platooning Phillips, Reddick to nickle, the 4-man DL, etc.

The biggest problem on offence has been the receiver drops which snuffed out too many drives. That issue has been largely overcome with the addition of Bruce. The running game has become more prominent the last couple games with Harris starting, Robertson platooning and Lee moved to RB...as many bloggers had suggested.

Do the Lions still have systemic problems? Probably, but it's not serious enough to prohibit them from winning the Grey Cup this season...and that's the whole point of the exercise...not starting the season like a house on fire, not having the coaches being more communicative or less arrogant, not calling enough running plays, etc...just win, baby!

Very good post, JohnHenry.

The game against the Eskimos was remarkable. We played well in all facets (against a clearly wounded opponent).

I would say that our coaches responded well to the situation. The players responded well. All were well aware that our backs were to the wall. Our talent showed itself. Foster made the great play, and the team followed suit.

We can still ask why it took so many games to reach that point. We would still do well to finish with an 8 and 10 record matching the last two years. And even if we roar all the way through the rest of this year, we might still have a painfully slow start to next year. And we might even backslide this year. Who knows?

Based on the one game, things look good. IMO we will just have to play it one game at a time, and see how it goes.

I will say this: Wally is a survivor. When he sees the reality he does finally react, making needed changes. He may have seen, at its deepest level, what is needed. However, he might still slip back and go back to what is comfortable (and what has proven to be outdated). IMO our OC and DC still have some proving to do.

In the meantime, we can all enjoy the CFL games. And pro sports being what it is, if things backslide a bit, the media and critical fans will still be ready to make their views known.

Personnel-wise looking pretty good. Bit of a soft spot in the interior of the O Line IMO (Newman looks to be in poor shape. Valli has some difficulties. Reid can be overmatched physically.) Still looking for that killer rush end. Still vulnerable to the pass rush. Still liable to go away from the running game. Still liable to play too much prevent defence. The big test will be when we play Calgary, or Montreal or Winnipeg again.

Last game: Top marks. Passed with flying colours.

When we were rolling to victories in the best years, we probably took things for granted. Not so much anymore.

[kacbru]

As bad as the Lions seem to the Buono-Bashing-Bloggers, Lulay just happens to be the leading passer in the CFL. The Eskimos are the first place team in our division and the Lions just destroyed them last week in every facet of the game. Like the Esks, the Lions were decimated by injuries, losing our starting DT, LB, D-HB, CB, OG, RB and KR...along with changing other starters. The fact is the Lions have plugged their holes better than the Esks, signing impact players like Kornegay, Dennis and Bruce...rather than Dobson Collins, RG-M and Armstead like the Esks braintrust.

I can't see how any fan couldn't be excited about the Lions defence, with the team making many of the personelle moves which were suggested in this blog. Sitting Sanchez, moving Banks to HB, LaRose at safety, platooning Phillips, Reddick to nickle, the 4-man DL, etc.

The biggest problem on offence has been the receiver drops which snuffed out too many drives. That issue has been largely overcome with the addition of Bruce. The running game has become more prominent the last couple games with Harris starting, Robertson platooning and Lee moved to RB...as many bloggers had suggested.

Do the Lions still have systemic problems? Probably, but it's not serious enough to prohibit them from winning the Grey Cup this season...and that's the whole point of the exercise...not starting the season like a house on fire, not having the coaches being more communicative or less arrogant, not calling enough running plays, etc...just win, baby!

There's no question there's a ton of talent on this team and they are exciting to watch. Just as it was last year. And the year before that. And yet they were all losing seasons that did not result in the Grey Cup. Players have come and gone, but the coaches have stayed the same. Just because we win one game in a row and are now 2-6 doesn't mean Buono et. al should be let off the hook. I'll be thrilled if they're in the Grey Cup this year, but I'm not holding my breath. That doesn't mean I won't throw on my lions jersey and head down to Taylor Field when they're in town. In the past, I've measured Lions success by the ability to look down on the Riders, so I guess in that sense 2-6 isn't so bad...