Will Next Season be any Different?

[JohnnyMusso]

I really don't know how you can market this team and expect to see an increase in ticket sales when the team is a mess. How can you sell the team when very likely back next season will be Campbell, who has had 2 losing seasons in a row with Ottawa and now BC and gives me no confidence he can build a better team for next year. Reilly likely will be back and he is finished. He was basically done when Hervey signed him and he is now 3 years older. Lions have too much money tied up in too few players and too many rookies filling the rest of the team and it has been this way for 2 years. Will it change next year? I doubt it.

Also I would not be surprised is Campbell is back as DC and we retain the same OC. And maybe change 2 or 3 of the assistant coaches.

This team is in need of serious rebuild and I doubt much will change next year.

As for the last game, I would not be surprised if we lose to the Elks in the last game and come out flat.

[TheLionKing]

More of the same unfortunately. Too much money tied up with 1 player. Ridiculous that Campbell is GM/Coach/Defensive Coordinator. Really can't do justice with 1 job let alone 3

[Lui05]

If the status quo is accepted regarding personnel, I would agree that the status quo will need to be accepted regarding the results on the field. Abject failure all round.
My lone reason for holding out hope for improvement is we now have an owner. He wasn't going to do anything mid-season. But maybe he puts his stamp on things during the off season?
If some house cleaning happens (e.g. cut Reilly, make Campbell have 1 job and hire out the other 2 - I'm not knowledgeable enough to suggest which of the three he is most qualified to keep - and use the money saved on Reilly to patch some holes) then there could be some hope for next season.
The changes could all be failures and the results on the field no different, but you could market the team based on the attempt to improve.
But, if essentially the same team is presented to us next year, that would be ugly.
And that's why I have hope. I can't fathom a scenario where the new owner wouldn't think the same way.

[Luck1sOnOurSid3]

If the status quo is accepted regarding personnel, I would agree that the status quo will need to be accepted regarding the results on the field. Abject failure all round.
My lone reason for holding out hope for improvement is we now have an owner. He wasn't going to do anything mid-season. But maybe he puts his stamp on things during the off season?
If some house cleaning happens (e.g. cut Reilly, make Campbell have 1 job and hire out the other 2 - I'm not knowledgeable enough to suggest which of the three he is most qualified to keep - and use the money saved on Reilly to patch some holes) then there could be some hope for next season.
The changes could all be failures and the results on the field no different, but you could market the team based on the attempt to improve.
But, if essentially the same team is presented to us next year, that would be ugly.
And that's why I have hope. I can't fathom a scenario where the new owner wouldn't think the same way.

Reilly already took a pay cut and is leading the league in passing yards. Let’s say you cut him. How much money are you going to save? Let’s say we have Rourke on a 300k per year sweet heart deal as a starter. Do you think in his sophomore year he is going to be in the top 50% of the league in passing? Let alone leading. Do you think the 200k in extra savings buys us a defensive line that can get pressure, an offensive line that can open holes, and a kicking game?

[JohnnyMusso]

No way if Reilly retires will Rourke be given $300,000 to be the starter. He is unproven and only started 1 or 2 games. Lions would be foolish to give him that much. My bet if Reilly retires is Lions rolling the dice on Trevor Harris with a prove me contract with bonuses for around $15,0000 to $200,000. Harris is down to his final chance and will be motivated and he has a past relationship with Campbell. I could see mutual interest there. No way Lions can give the keys to Rourke and take that gamble. If not Harris, then they may try to make a trade for Dane Evans or another QB.

[TheLionKing]

Reilly has a good relationship with Jordan Myskmic and how did that turn out ?

[B.C.FAN]

Reilly has a good relationship with Jordan Myskmic and how did that turn out ?

Maksymic’s RPO offence doesn’t work well without the threat of a running QB. At this stage of his career, Reilly only runs out of necessity. Bringing Rourke in for a few RPO series each week and giving Reilly a more traditional playbook would make things easier for the QB, receivers, running back and O-line.

[Luck1sOnOurSid3]

Reilly has a good relationship with Jordan Myskmic and how did that turn out ?

Maksymic’s RPO offence doesn’t work well without the threat of a running QB. At this stage of his career, Reilly only runs out of necessity. Bringing Rourke in for a few RPO series each week and giving Reilly a more traditional playbook would make things easier for the QB, receivers, running back and O-line.

Only issue with that is you trade in a running QB that can’t throw as well so the RPO becomes more of a double option attack. Once Rourke gets his chops and matures as a throwing QB he will be extremely dangerous though. This team finally was able to run the ball last night and look how dangerous it was. It opened up all kinds of angles we hadn’t seen all season. Our lack of a rushing attack doomed the offense all season.

If we had a kicker and even middle of the road trench hogs on both sides of the ball, we might be hosting a playoff game.

[Reg18]

I agree with most of the comments Reiileyhas to go andwe need to get new coordinators and if Campbell has lost the room we may need anrw HCas well. He hasn't inspired much confidence with his blank look onhis face as we lose game after game. He looked the same when he was losing in Ottawa.

[KnowItAll]

If the Lions get rid of Reilly, by any means, they and fans will regret it.

[Sir Purrcival]

As a team that has made a whole pile of regretful decisions over the years, this would not be the worst of them IMO. Yes they would possibly regret losing Reilly but honestly, with the Oline problems, lack of a a running game (which I think is an coaching choice more than anything), it wouldn't make any difference with him there or not. We had Reilly this past season and the results speak for themselves. Reilly wasn't enough to tip the balance, he was injured before the season ever began and despite his toughness, and dedication, some of his choices at times were (as well as the play calling) was just ponderable. Part of that is on Reilly, he favours the pass, loves the long pass and used it at times when it was not the best option. If getting a better play calling structure means punting him so that OC's don't feel pressure to placate our Marquis QB, then that is worth considering.

[KnowItAll]

I think that Reilly will be healed and will have a better season no matter where he plays. Between his arm injury and how much the rest of the team sucked, how could anyone expect much better last year. As for his salary hit, I dont usually try to understand all the inner working of such, but many teams have had high paid QBs and have still been able to put forth a very competitive and even cup winning team of players and coaches. I dont buy this excuse.

[DanoT]

I think that Reilly will be healed and will have a better season no matter where he plays. Between his arm injury and how much the rest of the team sucked, how could anyone expect much better last year. As for his salary hit, I dont usually try to understand all the inner working of such, but many teams have had high paid QBs and have still been able to put forth a very competitive and even cup winning team of players and coaches. I dont buy this excuse.

As far as Reilly's salary goes, Hambone pointed out the rationale a while ago in another thread:
Consider the QB Group with Reilly's high salary combined with Rourke's second year bargain priced rookie salary. Now consider Reilly gone and Rourke as the starter, well you now have to tear up the existing contract and pay Rourke starters money. And you don't want a rookie backing up a 2nd year QB, so you need an experienced backup. So net QB Group costs with no Reilly, ends up creating less cap space than some Lionbackers had expected.

[Hambone]

One way I look at it is Reilly in orange gives BC their best chance of getting back into the playoffs. If they were to cast him adrift there are only 3 possible destinations; Edmonton, Ottawa and Toronto. If he winds up in Edmonton, where it would take less money, that gives BC their best chance of finishing 5th.

Imagine if you will going into the season with Rourke and Harris, Rourke and Nichols or if you're super lucky and win a bidding war to have Rourke and Masoli or Evans. Now consider you have to beat out two of the Bombers with Collaros, the Riders with Fajardo, the Stamps with Mitchell/Maier and the Elks with Reilly to finish 3rd. Careful what you wish for as it might come true.

[Sir Purrcival]

2021 QB Salaries

Michael Reilly, Signing Bonus, 375000.00 Salary 525000.00 1-Grey Cup as starter

Bo Levi Mitchell, No Signing Bonus, Salary 516000.00 - 2 Grey Cups as starter

Trevor Harris, Signing Bonus, 250000.00, Salary 515000.00 - 0 Grey Cups

Zac Colleros, Signing Bonus 180000.00, Salary 410000.00 - 2 Grey Cups

Cody Fajardo, Around 4004000.00 0-Grey Cups

Vernon Adams , Signing Bonus 200,000.00, Salarly 400,000.00 - 0 Grey Cups

Jerimiah Masoli, Signing Bonus, 125,000.00, Salary 287,000,00 - Zero Grey Cups

Nick Arbuckle, Signing Bonus, 150,000.00, Salary 271,000.00 - Zero Grey Cups as starter

If this shows nothing else, it shows that the Reilly signing bonus was way out of whack compared with other QB's. Collero's is the bargain of the decade given that he has taken the Bombers to the promised land in consecutive years. Mitchell had an off year this year but would any suggest that he is a lesser QB than Reilly? Trevor Harris is probably the closest in overall salary and he hasn't exactly written his name into any history books. And I am not sure I agree that starter money plus an experienced backup puts us over what Reilly is pulling in. What I see is that starter money is variable some of that is quite reasonable given the returns that some have provided.

I don't stake my life on those numbers, it is what I found but if they are correct, we are paying a hefty price with little in results to show for it. It's bad management, coaching and a lot of other things but I will return to my primary sentiment, and the sentiment that started this thread and pose the following question.

If the bulk of us truly believe that 2022 is unlikely to provide substantively better results than 2021, why are we paying for a top tier QB to lead us to those results?

If all we need is an experienced backup to help guide a new young QB, I'm sure a Matt Nichols can be had. Chances are one of Dane Evans or Masoli could be had as well.

I won't say that is what they should do but if I were having to make some decisions, I wouldn't rule out just cleaning the slate and starting fresh while keeping a core that you can build up around a QB. I would certainly explore trading Reilly and maybe trying to hook him up to a team with a shot at championship. They would be the most likely teams to want to take the plunge. Sask, Hamilton, Montreal would seem like possible candidates as teams that might want to try and make a splash in the here and now rather than wait 5 years. I've said it before, Reilly is a good guy, I am just skeptical that at his age, his mileage and the team around him, that he is going to be some kind of miracle worker. I'd rather get started building a new team now rather than continue to plow through mediocrity while tying up funds that might be better spent getting that process underway. Just my opinion.

PS. Just read Hammy's post. And while he might be correct and we finish dead last, I don't really see much materially different from finishing in 5th vs 4th. Both results are in the dumps and even if by some stretch, we managed the playoffs, it would most likely be a 1 and done. Not the primary goal in my opinion, we are looking to build a winning team that has a chance of being strong for several years. That isn't going to happen with the current crew.