FOR BETTER OR WORSE.
It was an embarrassing loss for our Leos in a game they were predicted to win. Our Leos had beaten Calgary twice this season and our Leos also had twice as many victories as the Stamps this season.
There were many good reasons for our Leos to be motivated to play this game. It was our last regular season game, we were playing at home in front of a boisterous home crowd all decked out in Halloween orange and ready to celebrate a Leos victory. For Leos fans, this game was no treat but one could not blame them if they felt they had been tricked.
Vernon Adams said he really wanted to join the Leos quarterback 5,000 yd. passing in a season club. 5,000 yards is a commendable goal to achieve in a single season. An outstanding game by Adams also kept him in the hunt for CFL MOP for the season. Mathieu Betts, the CFL leading sack artist this season, also had the opportunity set a record for sacks by a Canadian in a single season.
The outcome could not have been more disappointing or concerning. Penalties, turnovers, undisciplined play, and a dismal performance by both our offence and our defense led to a 41-16 beatdown. Instead of Leos fans feeling excited about the playoffs, the humiliating loss not only took almost all the air out of the building. It also took away a lot of excitement about this Leos squad as it enters the playoffs.
Here are some post game thoughts.
FOR BETTER
A major reason for using the format of “For Better or Worse” and my old format “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly was that the script forces one to look for areas of weakness to work on, even after a convincing victory and to also look for positives, after a humiliating loss.
Looking for ‘better” was not easy after this dismal performance but there were a few bright spots in the dark sky of Leo Land.
OUR CANADIAN RECEIVERS - IT DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER
The two stars of our offence in this contest were Justin McInnis, with 7 receptions for 108 yards and Jevon Cottoy, with five receptions for 64 yards. McInnis. We haven’t had this kind of Canadian receiver talent other than the good ol’ days when Jason Clermont and Ryan Thelwell lined up together and that special time of the 60’s when Sony Homer and Pat Claridge were double trouble for the opposition.
I have made this case before, during this season. Our Leos would be better off lining up McInnis in Lucky Whitehead’s spot and bringing in Whitehead for specific packages. These days, all Lucky Whitehead is usually good for is a 5 yard underneath pattern. As soon as he catches the football he hits the deck, rather than attempting to utilize his quick feet for YAC yards.
CAMPBELL GETS ONE RIGHT
Head Coach hasn’t appeared to be a very bright light bulb this season, in terms of throwing his flag to dispute an official’s call. In fact, he only had one overturned challenge call this season. Campbell not only doubled his success rate with his challenge for pass interference on Cameron Judge but it was also a wise choice to do so. With momentum in the Stamps favor, the challenge was not only successful but opportune.
Our Leos, who had been miserable on offence to that point, continued their drive to the Stamps one yard line. Campbell’s challenge call could have become the key determiner of the contest. While it did not turn out that way, Campbell deserves credit for getting this one right.
SOMETHING GOOD AFOOT
Sean Whyte and Stefan Flintoft were not key factors in this contest but once again they did their job. Going into the playoffs, having a field goal kicker and a punter that can be relied upon is a tremendous asset.
FOR WORSE
This contest illuminated all the issues our Leos team has that will prevent playoff success unless addressed.
RUN TO DARKNESS
The football term ‘run to daylight’ originated during the Lombardi era when Lombardi gave fullback Jim Taylor the freedom to bounce an inside running play to a different hole if the intended gap was plugged. Our Leos running attack could be described as ‘run to darkness’ because most often there is no hole for our ace back to bounce to. Making matters even worse, is that it does not seem to matter whether it’s a scatback like Smoke Mizzell at tailback or 225-pound Jaquan Hardy, both go down as easily as a ten pin, unable to break tackles for extra yardage. Its poor run blocking and poor tailback play.
HOW DID THAT FEEL?
Asking our defence to shut down the run is like asking an enema to be a solution for diarrhea. Diarrhea describes our run defense. It awful and it stinks! No we don’t have a huge defensive line. But this is more than just about size. Teams run inside and outside on us with ease.It’s a combination of bad defensive line play and linebacker play. Its undisciplined play, it’s a lack of gap cancellation, and its poor technique against the run.
Calgary ran the football against us like they were the neighborhood teen bully on Halloween taking candy away from a little kid. They did it with ease. Calgary rushed for 216 yards against us – yes, 213 yards. Jake Meir completed less than 50% of his passes for 123 yards (Calgary receivers had a couple of big drops) but that is all he needed.
Winnipeg and Toronto are playoff favorites because the run the football well and defend the run well. Calgary now becomes a tough playoff opponent because the are now running the football well and if they are our West semi-final opponent they are going to attempt to run the football up our butts again and that is more than a concern – its anxiety producing. Teams that can’t run and can’t stop the run in November are not usually holding up the Grey Cup at the Big Dance.
DANE WANES AND ADAMS SHAMES
Well, for those fans who lost perspective after Evans last minute heroics last game and believed he might be a better answer than Adams may have found some newfound awareness. Evans threw three interceptions and only averaged 6.3 yds per throw with more playing time than his last outing. There Is a reasons he is our second string quarterback.
However, for a quarterback with a goal of entrenching himself as an elite CFL quarterback, Vernon Adams play in this game showed that the book is still open on him. Adams can look like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning with more mobility for one half of play. He reads the defense well, throws darts, and his mobility is an asset.
The next half he can look like a third string quarterback with little CFL experience. When that happens, he lacks the ability to know when to throw or take off, his pocket presence is off, and he does not see the field. He will struggle badly against the blitz and be very hesitant and take sacks against a three man rush.
In our Leos long history. Oly Four B.C. Lion quarterbacks have thrown for over 5,000 yards in a season. They are Doug Flutie, Dave Dickenson, Casey Printers and Jonathan Jennings. We did not win the Grey Cup in any season in which our quarterback threw for over 5,000 yards (although Printers did not get the chance in 2004). A balanced attack is a much better offense than an offence that is a one dimensional passing offence.
Our one-dimensional offence relies much too much on Adams play and whether he is on or off for a game or within a game. Adams desire to hit the 5.000 yard mark was why Campbell started him. However, Adams, instead of showing the CFL and his teammates that he is an elite quarterback not only played his way out of any consideration of an MOP Award but his shameful performance has created doubt as we prepare for the playoffs.
PURGATORY
Rich Campbell and Jordan Maksymic are on the hot seat in purgatory this week and deserve to be. They also are honorees of the Wally Buono Incompetence Award for Short Yardage Play. One hoped that the long era of short yardage incompetence was behind us in recent years, after so many seasons of the Jumbo team under Wally being a bigger flop than elephant ears.
But Rich Campbell and Jordan Maksymic, bless their hearts, must be nostalgic. Why? Because this season they are on hell bent on a continuous Charlie Brown type scenario of Charlie attempting to kick the football and landing on his ass. For us, we keep throwing out Davis on third and short. It’s a role for a developmental quarterback who can run the football rather than a 34 year old third string quarterback who can’t run the football and has no future as a quarterback.
The question is why does do we keep doing it? Stupid is doing the same stupid thing over and over again and expecting a different result. In the movie Forest Gump, “Stupid is as stupid does’.
TWO YARD TOMMY VS NO YARDS DAVIS (AND A FUMBLE)
The key play in this game that turned this game around was Davis failed attempt and fumble. If Davis scores, we have a close game and momentum. He fumbles, Calgary marches 101 yards, and it’s a 14 point turnaround. It was a knife to the heart for Davis to fumble and there is a sense, that if we score there, the outcome of the game could have been very different. Regardless, it was stupid not to have changed our strategy and personel before this game.
Other CFL teams bring in a short yardage quarterback who is tough to stop on short yardage. In this game Calgary had Two Yard Tommy, alias Wild Thing, when they needed short yardage success. All we have is NO YARD Davis and the gong show of short yardage incompetence. Davis is an analytics buster for short yardage play.
Lionbackers posters are dedicated and knowledgeable fans but they are not paid professional coaches. Yet many Lionbackers have warned, over and over again, that continuing to use Davis for short yardage was going to cause some serious pain. Imagine losing a playoff game because of this type of scenario
Oscar Wilde said “There is no sin except stupidity.” In the context of this quote, Campbell and Masydic remain in purgatory until its addressed.
WRAP
There is a lot of work to get done in short order if this season is to not turn into more disappointment than it should. A semi-final playoff loss looms unless we do.