B.C. at Saskatchewan Aug. 6, 2021

[Luck1sOnOurSid3]

Unless Reilly's arm/elbow has gotten worse due to playing on Friday, I'd actually start him against Calgary. However, I wouldn't leave him in for long. Let him take the first few series, see what the tendencies are for the Calgary defence, and let Rourke observe from the sidelines. Then put Rourke in for the remainder of the game. If the Lions can avoid a repeat of the first quarter in Regina, they have a very good chance of beating the Stamps.

As for FGs, I think Yamasaki just needs a couple of games to get over nerves. There was a moment before one of his missed FGs late in the game during a long injury time-out where you could see him desperately trying to get advice from his teammates about wind direction. He looked panicked. The only football he's played in North America before Friday was 4 games in the Spring League last year. Now he finds himself in front of 35,000 hostile fans in a stadium where a lot of kickers struggle, on a team where no one speaks his language, and the game is on the line!

Once he settles in he should be OK. He's definitely got the leg (check out his 73 yard FG on IG https://www.bardown.com/x-league-kicker ... -1.1491655).

You could definitely see a change in Rourkes play after he had a moment to take a breath and watch from the sidelines for a bit. Seeing how Reilly went through progressions and then reviewing them on the tablet; you could see things were clicking better his next drive in the third quarter. He was moving ok on the last drive too, not going to fault him for the pick… he had to try to make something happen.

[Hambone]

He was moving ok on the last drive too, not going to fault him for the pick… he had to try to make something happen.

Agreed on that. Only 20 seconds left and 80 yards to go for TD when Riders took possession. He had to try make something happen.

[BC 1988]

I will give Reilly credit for the help he gave Rourke on the sidelines. Lots of time on the tablet discussing the plays. To me, that should have been the extent of it. None of this making the HC look like a fool on TV.

As I said at the beginning of this thread, going in there with a frozen arm, unable to even grip the ball properly is the kind of thing you do when it is the Grey Cup and there is no tomorrow.

Against any properly functioning pass defense, those ducks should have been easily picked off (one very nearly was).

If you want to see more of that, you are a bigger fan of the Via Dolorosa than I am.

You have this weird fixation with him and trying to say he trying to be a Messiah. He is a gritty QB and even watching him in Edmonton he has been. You act like his play doesn’t match his attitude. His impact was obviously felt on the field and not just on the tablet. The entire game momentum changed when he went in. And then after getting us back in the game, he took himself out when he felt Rourke could get the win… which he almost did in his first start.

And how did Campbell look stupid? Reilly obviously was getting worked on by the training staff during half time. Felt good about it as they came out and told Campbell after the interview he could give it a go and Campbell put him in. How does Campbell look stupid? Because you think no decisions can be made by a coach between an interview and game play?

I apologize--I should have realized not everyone can recognize obvious sarcasm/irony. I will be sure to use appropriate smilies when referring to Reilly. He doesn't actually believe he is the Messiah (or does He? )

Farhan just went further on what was really going on Friday night with Reilly/Campbell. Make of that what you will:

If it is all about Reilly being entirely in control (not Campbell) of if/when he goes in, it can reflect badly on the club due to this:

[CrazyCanuck89]

[*]The TSN post-game panel was really giving to the Lions/Reilly for letting him play. Basically hinting at all the things some have stated on this board (Messiah Complex). Matt Dunigan mentioned "putting the coach in a tough spot" and "shouldn't have even dressed for the game." Milt Stegall called it "a disgrace."
[*]In the sartorial faux-pas department, what was with Rick Campbell's oddball T-shirt? Only the "NS" in "LIONS" was shaded in orange? Great, if we were the Nova Scotia Lions. And Jake Ford's pants were shorter than an Australian surfer.
DH

Yes indeed. The Messiah showed up on cue (but I preferred Jim Caviezel's performance more, most of what we saw last night was the drudgery of the Stations of the Cross--we could see and feel His pain with every throw.).

Interesting reading through the post-game thread over on RF--they are relieved to get the win--despite almost throwing it away.

The Ugly: BC massively screwing up the CFL’s entry into sports betting. The team needs to be fined and at least 1 draft pick lost. That crap can’t happen. On top of that the BC Lions should have to cover all the payouts that directly were impacted by their amateur hour games.

On the broadcast note, was that a Lions love in the longer the game went on or was it just me?
Reilly, have to agree with Milt, he shouldn't have been dressed. Throwing ducks like that, there is no way that he is gonna heal up during the season.

I think Reilly is done like dinner tbh.

Lions aren't doing themselves any favors hanging on to Reilly.
I get it wanting to have that experience on the roster, but it's time to move on.
I think it was a huge financial mistake not cutting him.

Hopefully ppl realize that's why the Lions took over in the second half. If we're a half step faster, those quails that Reilly was throwing would have been picked. They are at present a better conditioned team than we are as our injury catastrophes spooked us, and for good reason.

On BC Lions play, I think they they may have come up with a gem in their young new Canadian QB from Ohio State. He only needs experience. Reilly's days are numbered. Close game and I hope that this will put more people in seats in BC Place.

As far as Rourke goes for BC, I wouldn't get too excited about him yet although he had a few good plays. I just remember back when there were other first year QB's that made plays and had good games against the Riders but never turned out to be anything great.

Diffrence is, Rourke was cool as a cucumber. No matter what blitz the Riders D threw at him, he would shrugg it off, get back up and on to the next play. His accuracy, plus his arm strength show, that he has a future in this league. He knew a couple of his throws were off and said post game that he will try to correct them in practice. Plus the kid had wheels in college, so once he learns to use them at the pro level, watch out.

Reilly is ALWAYS injured. I honestly can’t remember the last time he was healthy.

The last three could be a foreboding comment about Rick Campbell's coaching style--having the Messiah on your team may be too much to resist for him.

That BC team is at risk of turning into a grease fire. Those who were at the stadium wouldn't have seen it, but Rick Campbell did an interview with TSN at the start of the second half. He stated that Michael Reilly's arm just wasn't right and they decided to keep him out "for the good of the team and the good of the player". Less than a minute later Reilly is leading the BC offense onto the field. I assume that was Reilly's decision and the head coach/GM knew nothing. I think Rick Campbell is in waaaaay over his head. It's going to be ugly on the left coast and that ain't good news for the CFL.

I disagree on the principle. A Rick Campbell coached team was a big part of why the Lions were able to come back. If you want to look at a coach and staff that were in over their heads, look no further than the "party all the time" DeVone Claybrooks. Now that was a massive coaching blunder. Rick Cambpell will help restore some dignity over there.

With reference to both this and Knucklehead's comment...the exact same thing happened in a game here in Ottawa in 2019--I forget the specific personnel involved, but Campbell basically stated that a certain player would not be back on the field after sustaining an injury. Moments later, said player was back on the field...widespread commentary ensued in which it was implied that the coach acceded to the player's demand that he be permitted to go back out and play. Thankfully, it did not involve a head injury...

As to the shirt Campbell was wearing, it was marginally better than "nothing rhymes with orange". He would have looked better in one of those classic Lions shirts you gave away.

Starting to think Reilly took a whiz in your Cheerios. With a bum elbow, Reilly was still over 70% and 200 yards in 1.5 quarters. Let him and Rourke tag team it as long as they need to. How many promising rookies have been thrown to the fire and washed out?

His completion percentage was due to the receivers coming back to the ball. It's a good thing the Lions have a veteran receiving corps.

[Luck1sOnOurSid3]

Yes indeed. The Messiah showed up on cue (but I preferred Jim Caviezel's performance more, most of what we saw last night was the drudgery of the Stations of the Cross--we could see and feel His pain with every throw.).

Interesting reading through the post-game thread over on RF--they are relieved to get the win--despite almost throwing it away.










The last three could be a foreboding comment about Rick Campbell's coaching style--having the Messiah on your team may be too much to resist for him.



As to the shirt Campbell was wearing, it was marginally better than "nothing rhymes with orange". He would have looked better in one of those classic Lions shirts you gave away.

Starting to think Reilly took a whiz in your Cheerios. With a bum elbow, Reilly was still over 70% and 200 yards in 1.5 quarters. Let him and Rourke tag team it as long as they need to. How many promising rookies have been thrown to the fire and washed out?

His completion percentage was due to the receivers coming back to the ball. It's a good thing the Lions have a veteran receiving corps.

If that is the case, Rourke’s completion percentage would have been the same, right? Every catch has two parts- QB getting the ball into a receivers catch window and a receiver making the catch. Reilly got it to the catch window… which is enormous because like you said… we have a veteran receiving corp that makes that window massive.

Which brings me to an even more optimistic point - our receivers are amazing this year. I can’t think of a deeper corp at BC in a long time. If they did that with Reilly on a bum elbow, what are they going to do when Reilly is healthy and can throw darts and hit deep bombs?

[Luck1sOnOurSid3]

I will give Reilly credit for the help he gave Rourke on the sidelines. Lots of time on the tablet discussing the plays. To me, that should have been the extent of it. None of this making the HC look like a fool on TV.

As I said at the beginning of this thread, going in there with a frozen arm, unable to even grip the ball properly is the kind of thing you do when it is the Grey Cup and there is no tomorrow.

Against any properly functioning pass defense, those ducks should have been easily picked off (one very nearly was).

If you want to see more of that, you are a bigger fan of the Via Dolorosa than I am.

You have this weird fixation with him and trying to say he trying to be a Messiah. He is a gritty QB and even watching him in Edmonton he has been. You act like his play doesn’t match his attitude. His impact was obviously felt on the field and not just on the tablet. The entire game momentum changed when he went in. And then after getting us back in the game, he took himself out when he felt Rourke could get the win… which he almost did in his first start.

And how did Campbell look stupid? Reilly obviously was getting worked on by the training staff during half time. Felt good about it as they came out and told Campbell after the interview he could give it a go and Campbell put him in. How does Campbell look stupid? Because you think no decisions can be made by a coach between an interview and game play?

I apologize--I should have realized not everyone can recognize obvious sarcasm/irony. I will be sure to use appropriate smilies when referring to Reilly. He doesn't actually believe he is the Messiah (or does He? )

Farhan just went further on what was really going on Friday night with Reilly/Campbell. Make of that what you will:

If it is all about Reilly being entirely in control (not Campbell) of if/when he goes in, it can reflect badly on the club due to this:

Can you explain the sarcasm or irony to me? Everything you post about him is negative or saying he has a Messiah complex… whatever that means. And if any one thinks Campbell had no idea Reilly was taking the field to open the half is crazy. Between his interview and Reilly going in, there was obviously an update. He is a veteran coach who has dealt with Burris, Harris, etc. Reilly isn’t the first star QB he has coached.

As far as the betting stuff, I could not care less. They thought Reilly was good to go, he didn’t respond to treatment the way they wanted so he didn’t start. He responded to prolonged treatment and then played as long as he could. If bettors don’t understand that they shouldn’t be betting.

[cms22]

The lions handling of Reilly around and in this game was LOL bizarre

Neutral experts agreed

Reilly has some amazing apologists on here... And yes maybe some haters (me?)

[jwbavalon]

It has been over 40 hours since the game ended and we are at 10 pages of comments. It has been a long time coming and I sure missed the dialog after a game. I'm looking forward to this Thursday against Calgary.

Go Lions Go

[Coast Mountain Lion]

I'd like to ask since when do players, coaches and GMs base their personnel decisions on what's good for bettors?

[Luck1sOnOurSid3]

I'd like to ask since when do players, coaches and GMs base their personnel decisions on what's good for bettors?

Apparently the Lions put the future of the league in jeopardy by making a game time decision…

[aklawitter]

you play to win the game
hello?

[DanoT]

Bettors on the Lions might have been freaked out and pissed off that Reilly didn't start. But in the end the Lions beat the betting spread so if your bet on the Lions then you won your bet even though they lost the game. Whats not to like?

[BC 1988]

Bettors on the Lions might have been freaked out and pissed off that Reilly didn't start. But in the end the Lions beat the betting spread so if your bet on the Lions then you won your bet even though they lost the game. Whats not to like?

That was what Naylor pointed out. It took the unlikely comeback in the 4th quarter--and Riders near collapse (... "the CFL dodged a bit of a PR bullet"...).

[maxlion]

It was widely reported leading up to the game that Reilly was nursing an injury. Anyone could see that it was uncertain whether he could play. The uncertainty was entirely due to the nature of the injury and the effectiveness of the treatment.

Bettors beware!

[DanoT]

It was widely reported leading up to the game that Reilly was nursing an injury. Anyone could see that it was uncertain whether he could play. The uncertainty was entirely due to the nature of the injury and the effectiveness of the treatment.

Bettors beware!

An entire season cancelled, several teams with new coaching staffs (5?), major roster changes or injuries on many teams, 2 draft classes to evaluate in TC, no pre-season.

Bettors beware, indeed.