Lions Late Season Woes: Coaches vs Players

[MacNews]

Success in pro sports comes down to two factors: The motivation and talent of the players and the innovation and inspiration of the coaches. The past 10-15 years the Lions have had seasons with a very talented roster, but often lack the killer instinct from the coaching staff to win the Grey Cup. The trick play, the motivational speech, the killer scheme. Coaching for the Lions rarely seems to be the 'it' factor, and instead we rely on supreme athleticism to carry the day.

Winnipeg does not win every game, and does not always win the Grey Cup. However even when they lose, they still compete and keep it close. The Lions seem to lack mental toughness and when things are not going well they fold like a cheap tent.

I think the Lions made some poor personnel decisions last off-season and did not select the right makeup for the defensive and offensive lines, and as a result the rest of the team suffers. However after the Hamilton home game, the Winnipeg home game and the Calgary home game, I think we can all say that it is not just personnel but also coaching that is lacking in BC.

The question is: What do we do for next off-season? Do we change Coach or GM? Or do we change O or D coordinator? And if so, who should we choose?

[Lion Guy]

Might get flamed for this, but I would like to see Ryan Philips move on to another opportunity and have Bene as our DC. A lot of our early success this year was pass rush, but when teams figured that out Philips had no answers. Way too soft and no run defence strategy whatsoever.

Our D was always menacing under Bene if I recall correctly.

[B.C.FAN]

It’s too early to close the book on 2023. The Lions were one play away from winning the rubber match against Winnipeg and would then have clinched first place with last week’s hard-fought win in Hamilton. Regular seasons have their highs and lows. The Lions outcoached and outplayed Calgary in last year’s WSF before falling behind and ultimately losing a hard-fought Western Final in Winnipeg. This coaching staff can’t be blamed for past playoff disappointments from the Wally era. Let’s not focus in next year until this year is over, whether that’s in two, three or four weeks.

[TheLionKing]

Prior to the season Ryan Phillip talked about an attacking defence. A defence that dictates what the opposition can or cannot do. We saw that early in the season. Aggressive blitz packages, gang tackling, tight coverage. That all changed after the second Winnipeg game in which they lit us up for 50 points. Phillips became gun shy, and the defence packages showed.

[Toppy Vann]

It’s too early to close the book on 2023. The Lions were one play away from winning the rubber match against Winnipeg and would then have clinched first place with last week’s hard-fought win in Hamilton. Regular seasons have their highs and lows. The Lions outcoached and outplayed Calgary in last year’s WSF before falling behind and ultimately losing a hard-fought Western Final in Winnipeg. This coaching staff can’t be blamed for past playoff disappointments from the Wally era. Let’s not focus in next year until this year is over, whether that’s in two, three or four weeks.

It's too early for the post-mortem or burying the bodies until the coroner declares them dead.
My sense is Rick Campbell is going nowhere and I doubt he'd turf Ryan Phillips or his OC.
That leaves the question:

Will the BC Lions face up this off-season to the major vulnerabilities that got exposed this game:
* lack of run game
* team leadership
* QB - either getting Dane Evans back to his old game play next year OR finding a couple of young keepers.


The question for now is can this team recover from the exposure of all their vulnerabilities turning up in the same game against the same Calgary Stampeders?

[Walt67]

Well, it is interesting to see a coach guide a team to a second-place finish and still have fans questioning if he or senior coordinators should be back - but the second half of the campaign has definitely put this on the table.
I'd say another concern that needs to be raised is lack of team discipline. Commentators here have correctly noted the plummet of defensive performance from the heights of the early season. What is particularly frustrating, though, is that when a stop is made too often the opposition gets new life thanks to a selfish late hit or Personal Foul call that extends the drive.
In the Calgary game it was one of the few times I saw Campbell lose it as he blasted a defender who took a blatant late flag saving the Stamps from punting. And we all can see it is amazing how often teams score when handed a penalty. Plus, the parade of flags on kick returns is also a concern.
Successful teams don't take 10 or more penalties a game for over 100 yards. The Lions are the second-most penalized team this season, with almost 1,500 yards - 500 more than the Bombers.
If we are talking about coaching shortcomings, having a lack of penalty discipline is a giant red flag.

[DanoT]

I don't know if Campbell does it but one of Wally's policies that I very much liked was if a player took an after the whistle penalty, that player got fined and the $ going to Wally's favourite charity. And this would be irrespective of whatever penalty might have been imposed by the CFL.

[Walt67]

I don't know if Campbell does it but one of Wally's policies that I very much liked was if a player took an after the whistle penalty, that player got fined and the $ going to Wally's favourite charity. And this would be irrespective of whatever penalty might have been imposed by the CFL.

That sounds very "Wally" - but clearly something is needed. I certainly can't enjoy a decent kick return - whenever we get them - until I scan the field to ensure there is no orange nylon.

[Toppy Vann]

Discipline is no doubt top of mind for coaches and players as this game is show me time for players wanting either better contracts or a job next year and more money this year.

Before the football body of Craig Dickenson got even cool, John Hodge outlined BC Lions OC as one of the top offensive minds in the CFL and one who could be a good candidate for the Riders vacancy.

A topic for another thread is the risk of hiring an HC due to his past success as an OC or DC for that matter. Think Paul Lapolice.

While the Maksymic passing game record is evident as the offensive orange, stable MAGA genius would say:
I like top offensive minds who know how to run the football as well as pass!

The stats suggest heads would be scratching if there were a firing of an OC with this record of wins and yards passing.
I'd just love BC to add an outstanding running game to the mix.

Jordan Maksymic

One could argue that there’s no better offensive mind working in the CFL today than this native of St. Albert, Alta., who spent the better part of a decade paying his dues as an assistant with the Edmonton Elks and Ottawa Redblacks before becoming the offensive coordinator of the B.C. Lions in 2020.

The 36-year-old helped Nathan Rourke take the CFL by storm in 2022 and managed to continue that success following the transition to Vernon Adams Jr., who threw for a career-high 4,769 yards and 31 touchdowns in 2023. The CFL is a passing league and Maksymic’s unit averaged 315.1 yards through the air per game this season, which was almost 25 more than any other team in the league.

https://3downnation.com/2023/10/23/six- ... ughriders/