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From the Couch – Lions 7 Redblacks 5

September 11, 2014 By Brian Wawryshyn

I’ve never felt gutted after a win before, but Friday night’s Lions’ 7-5 win over Ottawa sure felt like a loss. The BC Lions only manufactured two field goals and a single, but the bigger story was the loss of Travis Lulay. Here are my thoughts from the couch.

The Game

Lulay showed the predictable rust that one would expect in his first start since last season and a long recovery from off-season shoulder surgery. With two new faces on the offensive line and a running game that was shut down by the Redblacks, the offence struggled all game. The only weapon they had at their disposal was the feet of Lulay, who outrushed the rest of the offence…combined.

Andrew Harris and Stefan Logan each had six carries and produced just 14 yards between them. Poor first down production and untimely penalties resulted with the Lions facing too many second and long situations against a Redblacks defence that turned in a solid performance.

Lulay was 10-15 in the first half where the Lions were outplayed but still took a 6-5 lead to the dressing room, thanks to solid play from the defence and Solomon Elimimian. The linebacker combined with Dante Marsh to make a touchdown saving hit at the goal line to jar the ball loose from Chevon Walker who was also knocked out of the game on the play. The only scoring from either team in the second half was a punt single by Ricky Schmitt. Yes folks, it was hardly a classic.

Travis

The Lions caught a break in the fourth quarter when torrential rain came into a play. With the Redblacks moving the ball, they prepared to kick a field goal to take the lead with just over 4:00 to play. A botched hold on the attempt resulted in the Lions taking over on downs, just before the players were sent to the dressing room because of lightning in the area. The Lions had dodged a bullet, but that storm also proved to be an ominous sign of what was to come.

When the game resumed Lulay had the Lions moving downfield. After talking his coach into going for it on third and short, he completed a huge pass to Emmanuel Arceneaux to set the Lions up near field goal range, but there would be no field goal. As Lulay dropped back to pass, the ball slipped from his hands and in the ensuing scramble 6’7”, 324 pound left tackle Cory Brandon, playing in his first game as a Lion, came crashing down on topping of him, injuring the same shoulder that Lulay had worked so hard to recover.

Suddenly, the quality of the game really didn’t matter. Lulay is one of the most genuine and kind players a fan could meet and is extremely popular in the dressing room and around the league. He’s given the Lions everything he could, on and off the field.

All the excitement of Lulay returning healthy and helping the Lions get their offence on track vanished as Lulay walked directly to the Lions dressing room, his night done. The Lions hung on to win the game, but with the frustration of the game and the loss of Lulay, it sure felt like a loss.

Without knowing the exact diagnosis, its possible Lulay’s career may be in jeopardy and regardless how bad watching that game made you feel, that’s the worst part of all. It’s not a great feeling when bad things happen to good people.

What’s wrong?

Where do you start with the offence, who hasn’t produced a touchdown in the last two games? Clearly the revolving door on the offensive line isn’t helping, but that isn’t the only problem. Where are Harris and Logan in the attack? Why can’t Khari Jones find ways to get his star players more consistently involved? There are simply too many mistakes happening, whether it be missed assignments, dumb penalties or a lack of focus.

Is the team prepared to play? They had a week to prepare for a 1-8 football team and they escaped by the skin of their teeth. But this game just magnified what has been happening most of the year. There is talent on this team, and for whatever reason it is not producing on a consistent enough basis.

The offence under Mike Benevides and Jones simply isn’t good enough and that has to be questioned. Benevides has always been known as a coach that likes to play aggressively. Even though he’s a defensive guy, you would think he would want his offence to play the same way. Not only is Jones new, he’s been using a pocket passing QB who was thrust into a new offence and doesn’t have the luxury of the offensive line he enjoyed while playing in Calgary.

Regardless, it looks like this is Kevin Glenn’s team the rest of the way. The Lions should get some offensive lineman back from injury in the next couple weeks, when Jermarcus Hardrick and Andre Ramsey could return. But unless the Lions can figure out how to get their offence going, the playoffs won’t matter, even if they find a way to get into them.

What are your thoughts? Are you mad or frustrated? Can you see this team turning things around? I’d love to hear your comments, and I’ll have plenty more on this week’s BCLionsDen.ca Pawdcast.

From the Couch – Lions 33 Argonauts 17

August 28, 2014 By Brian Wawryshyn

In a week that once again saw the east giving western teams very little in the way of help, the Lions 33-17 win over the Argos Sunday in Toronto was important to keep pace in a jam packed CFL West. Here’s how I saw the game, From the Couch.

Offence

When this season began Lions fans were excited about the prospect of having Stefan Logan and Andrew Harris together for a full season. With Harris carrying most of the load so far this year accounting for about a third of their offence, Logan had taken somewhat of a complimentary role. But without Harris on Sunday, the Logan reasserted his value to the Lions offence.

Logan racked up 145 yards on 19 carries for a 7.6 yards per carry average and gave the Lions several key runs when they needed them, while adding another 49 yards on receptions.

Kevin Glenn, who passed Doug Flutie on the all-time passing yards list, had a decent game. The Lions quarterback connected on just 14 of his 25 passes, but had enough good moments to lead the Lions. The dagger to the Argos came via 53 yard Glenn to Manny Arceneaux pass for touchdown in the fourth quarter.

I wasn’t a big fan of the way the Lions attempted to get Travis Lulay into the game as I felt it gave him little chance to succeed. Out of the blue in the first quarter, with Glenn having decent success, was a strange time to bring Lulay into the game and I thought it kind of killed some momentum the Lions were building.

With Glenn walking off the field with an ice bag on his left leg, Lulay could be declared the starter early this week. A full week of knowing he’s going to start and taking all the first team reps will hopefully put Lulay in a better position to have success. Surely the Lions would have liked to get out to a big lead to get Lulay some more time, but they would have been better off just sticking with Glenn than the way they handled it, in my opinion.

Defence

Alex Bazzie continued his strong play on the defensive line and should be entering the conversation for rookie of the year. Last week on the BCLionsDen.ca Pawdcast I questioned whether Bazzie was benefiting from being an unknown and having three other veterans along the line that were commanding more attention from opposing teams. After this game, I’m pretty confident in saying that Bazzie is simply a really good football player.

Coming into the game there was some concern about all the changes in a battered Lions secondary, but replacements Torri Williams and TJ Lee stepped in admirably for Josh Johnson and Dante Marsh whose short side corner spot was occupied by Ronnie Yell. Yell’s pick six late in the fourth salted away the win for the Lions.

Anytime you can hold Ricky Ray to 181 yards, you’ve had a good day, no matter who his receivers are. The Lions also shutdown Argos running back Curtis Steele who had 49 yards on 10 carries.

Special Teams

Is there a guy on this team that makes you feel good for him more than Tim Brown? Brown is the consummate team player and no matter what his situation is, when he is number is called, he delivers. Brown’s 70 yard punt return led to the Lions first touchdown and he was a definite spark plug on special teams. How nice would it be for the Lions to get Brown on the roster along with Logan and Harris? It would relieve Logan from having to do kick returns, keeping him fresh, along with giving a really good guy the spot he deserves.

Miscellaneous

Playing their second game in five days was a challenge for Toronto, and you have to give them props for a solid effort. On this night Ricky Ray alone wasn’t enough, thanks in large part to the solid play of the Lions defence.

I don’t know what the command centre was looking at on an apparent no brainer pass interference penalty on Marco Iannuzzi in the third quarter. Branden Smith had a hold of Iannuzzi’s jersey for a good 10 yards but somehow the league saw things differently. Not only that, they penalized Kirby Fabien for a chop block he didn’t do.

The Lions spoke about modifications to their gun metal uniforms to make the numbers more visible, but to be honest I didn’t notice much difference and I don’t think complaints about that issue are going to for some. But that’s fine, they’re the best damn uniforms in football.

Kudos to the BC Lions who held their first viewing party of the season at The Pint in downtown Vancouver. There was a great turnout of Lions fans and prizes included, hats, footballs, game tickets and a Lions jersey. The club his planning to hold another one later in the year at the soon to be reopened Shark Club. If you weren’t able to check it out this week, try and make it out to the next one. It’s always great to watch the Lions with fellow fans.

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on the game. Post a comment, or hit me up on Twitter @BCLionsDen. Make sure to check out BCLionsDen.ca for all of our Lions coverage and Pawdcasts as well.

From the Couch – Lions 24 Roughriders 22

September 26, 2013 By Brian Wawryshyn

Paul McCallum celebrates his game wiining field goal in Regina (Ottawa Citizen)

The BC Lions played their biggest game of the year Sunday at Mosaic Field in Regina, and it took the last-minute heroics of Thomas DeMarco and Paul McCallum to come out with a huge 24-22 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Here’s how we saw it through all the nail-biting, From the Couch.

Thomas DeMarco

Thomas DeMarco certainly had some struggles in the first half. After a strong first drive of the game, DeMarco looked to be a little off on many of his throws. He was facing second-and-long a lot and didn’t have a lot of success. Buck Pierce was inserted for a drive and helped move the Lions into Riders territory for a field goal, giving DeMarco a bit of a chance to calm down and take things in from the sidelines.

In the second half DeMarco played much better, converting on two passes for touchdowns and threading the needle on several key completions.

Even more important, DeMarco managed the game well and didn’t turn the ball over. On the final drive, he showed tremendous poise. All in all it was a great debut for the quarterback in a tough environment with huge ramifications on the result.

Offence

In addition to DeMarco the Lions offence as a whole struggled in the first half. Once again the running game was tough sledding and the Lions simply have to find a way to improve in that facet of their game. Andrew Harris did have a huge first down on the final drive of the game on a draw play, but to me he seems to be running a little tentatively at times perhaps as a result of a lack of touches for much of this season. It’s been a long time since Andrew Harris has dominated a football game and it remains a legitimate concern after this big win.

In the second half the Lions capitalized on Saskatchewan turnovers and receivers made big catches for a sharper DeMarco. Nick Moore beat his man deep for an easy one and Ernest Jackson made some nice catches in place of Manny Arceneaux. But once again it was Courtney Taylor who was the go-to receiver when the Lions needed those extra yards for the final field goal attempt and once again, he delivered.

Defence

The Lions defence was the main story of this game, despite all the other side stories. The secondary was outstanding, not only in coverage but on first tackles. Josh Bell had his best game as a BC Lion in my opinion but it didn’t stop there. Dante Marsh, Cord Parks, Korey Banks all had solid games and for the most part held the dangerous Riders receivers in check.

The Lions defensive line got good pressure on Darian Durant, who fumbled twice behind centre. Eric Taylor was giving the Rider offensive line all sorts of problems up front and the Riders for the most part abandoned their running game after the first half.

Several fans had an issue with the roughing the passer call assessed to Chris Wilson that gave the Riders another chance and led to their last minute touchdown, but unfortunately in today’s CFL any time an arm goes to the head of a QB it’s likely going to draw a flag. He Lions benefited from a questionable call in the second quarter as well.

Geroy Simon

He came close, but the all-time best BC Lions receiver didn’t get his receptions record against his former club and likely won’t with a game sandwiched in between their next meeting. It was clear watching the pre-game stuff that it was a great reunion between the Lions and their former star, and it still didn’t feel right watching him play against the Lions and it likely never will.

In a way it would be nice to see him break the record at BC Place, so all of his fans in BC could salute him but I’m sure a few bags of his chips will be making the rounds on the flight home.

Operation Orange

This game marked the start of three fan road trips that the club as named Operation Orange. Fans get to travel with the team, stay in the team hotel, eat with them and of course represent Lions fans in the stands. It’s a fantastic initiative by the club that they started last year. They will do it again next week in Winnipeg and again for another date in Saskatchewan. I’m sure they are in for a fun flight back to Vancouver in what must have been the road trip of a lifetime for many.

More Officiating

The Riders touchdown to end the first half was certainly a puzzling one to many. On the post-game show the official league explanation was that Garrett caught the ball, ran with it and then was knocked into the endzone. Because of the “running motion” he didn’t have to survive contact when he crossed the goal line. I beg to differ with that explanation as I think he was hit as he caught the ball by Adam Bighill. The frustrating thing was the time the league took to review the call, which was seemingly none. Mike Benevides threw the challenge play flag simply to ask for an explanation of why the play wasn’t being looked at more closely…and the beat goes on with CFL officiating.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the game. Leave me a comment or follow me on Twitter @BCLionsDen.

From The Couch: Riders 27 Lions 21

October 11, 2012 By Brian Wawryshyn

The BC Lions knew going in that Mosaic field is hostile territory, especially when you allow the home side to get a lead. The Lions had a sloppy and inefficient first half and dug themselves too big a hole, falling 27-21 to the Riders. Here is how I saw the fourth loss of the season, from the couch.

The Weston Dressler Show

I’m not sure how you game plan for the Riders and aren’t prepared for a heavy dose of Weston Dressler. The talented Rider receiver is going to make his plays, but it seemed at times he was a forgotten man by the Lions defence. Cauchy Muamba had a front row seat for the show and had a tough night but there were other miscues as well. Muamba is starting to be a target for opposing offences and the Lions may need to address that soon.

Play Calling

The play calling was very suspect at times in this game. The Riders had three starters missing from their defensive line, although with the pressure they got you wouldn’t have known. Despite that, the Lions rarely ran the ball and Andrew Harris didn’t even get a touch until 4:00 into the second quarter. Then with the game on the line after a successful onside kick, the Lions go deep twice with 1:18 left on the clock, failing on each attempt. The funny thing is Harris had 8 carries for 78 yards which says he maybe should have been a bigger focus in the game plan, especially with pressure Lulay was under. He has to be a bigger part of the offence, especially when you lose your two best receivers to injury.

Riders Offensive Line

While Lulay was under constant pressure in the first half, the Lions defensive front was for the most part held at bay. The Lions dressed one less defensive lineman (Mitchell) to get Solomon Elimimian into the lineup, so you have to wonder if that had an effect fatigue or continuity wise. I thought the Riders clearly won the battle in the trenches overall and when you do that you generally win football games.

Elimimian’s Return

Solomon Elimimian was credited with one tackle on the night. At times there looked to be a little confusion between himself and Bighill when they were on the field together. For his part Bighill had another solid game with 13 tackles. Some are wondering if the Lions should have upset the apple cart but Elimimian is a solid player, and hopefully as things progress the unit will get tighter. Overall there was sloppy tackling by the Lions as a defensive unit, and that is going to have to get better in a hurry with Jon Cornish coming to town.

Marco Iannuzzi and Kierrie Johnson

Both receivers stepped up when Simon (Hamstring) and Bruce (Concussion) went out. Johnson who led all Lions with 75 yards on the night made a key catch on 2^nd and 25 while Iannuzzi had two TD’s on three catches. Paris Jackson also showed he can still contribute and had one called back on an iffy offensive pass interference call. If Bruce and Simon can’t go next week the Lions should have the depth to get by for a week or so with Ernest Jackson and Nick Moore also available.

Anthony Stewart

The Lions are likely hoping that Tim Brown will be ready to go next week after a shaky debut by Anthony Stewart. The rookie bobbled a couple of punts and didn’t show too much on the ones he caught. First game jitters sure, but the Lions can’t afford to risk turnovers on special teams down the stretch.

The Right Decision

Arland Bruce (@RUNAKORETH) tweeted after the game to thank the doctors of the BC Lions for following the proper procedures in regards to the concussion protocol. Reports during the game suggested Bruce wanted back in but he was shut down by the team. Earlier in the day Buck Pierce took a hit to the chin, left the game and returned, only to leave again. I’m not suggesting I know the situation in Winnipeg or that they did something wrong, but kudos to the Lions staff.

Adversity

Really, for the first time this season the Lions are facing a little adversity. The offence is inconsistent and they may enter next week’s first place battle with the Stamps without their two top receivers. All of a sudden their comfortable lead atop the West division isn’t so comfortable. It will be interesting to see just how they respond next week against the surging Stampeders.

From the Couch: Lions 19 Eskimos 18

September 23, 2012 By Brian Wawryshyn

The BC Lions came into Edmonton on a roll and snuck out with a 19-18 win over the Eskimos. It was a tale of two halves with Edmonton controlling the first and the Lions dominating the second. Here is how we saw it, from the couch.

A Tale of Two Games

The best way to describe this game is that each team won a half of football. The Lions just got one more point when all the dust had settled. The Eskimos defence was able to get good pressure on Travis Lulay in the first two quarters. While they didn’t record a sack they often hurried the Lions QB forcing him to throw the ball away or miss his targets. While the Lions offence was out of sync, the defence was again steady, although they gave up the only major of the half.

In the second half the Lions defence cranked it up and the offence got on the back of Andrew Harris. Lulay once again showed his leadership and poise leading a much more efficient attack.

You know your defence played pretty well when Fred Stamps has just one catch for eleven yards. Adam Bighill continues to send a message that he isn’t going anywhere as a starter in coming weeks. His pursuit of the ball and spying of the QB was brilliant.

Eskimos Game Plan

The Eskimos seem to have a good game plan when it comes to playing the Lions. In the first half Jyles had good protection and went 12-13. His throws were crisp and on target. Hugh Charles is a nice weapon and Kerry Koch had some very nice receptions including one that will be on the year end best of reel.

Their defence was getting good pressure without three starters. The tide changed in the second half after the Lions started to control the line of scrimmage. It was a similar game plan to what the Eskimos displayed in the first game between the two teams in Vancouver. Regardless, the Eskimos have given the Lions a lot of problems this season.

Carrying the Load

Andrew Harris carried the offence on his back with 103 rushing yards and 78 through the air. In the second half he was amazing, especially with second and third efforts that at times just bowled over defenders. His big run to set up the Simon touchdown was the turning point in the game. Harris had to carry the full load with the injury to Tim Brown, who may not be in the lineup when the Lions face Saskatchewan next week.

Is it just me or was the Simon TD the same play call that Joe Burnett picked off for a TD in Vancouver? Gutsy call if so.

Khalif Mitchell

All eyes were on Khalif Mitchell, in the stadium, on the field and on TSN, where he seemed to be the topic of the night. Mitchell was simply having his way with the Eskimos offensive line between the whistles. But the attention was once again cast his way for his antics after the whistle and before the snap. Mitchell was seen for what appeared to be throat slashing gestures on three occasions. He claimed after the game that he was making a cross. Mitchell and teammate Khreem Smith also had words on the sidelines and teammates intervened.

Mitchell is an all-star defensive lineman. When he is on his game he is a force that is hard to contain. He was on Twitter after the game asking fans what they thought of TSN’s constant attention on him. If he would cut out the animated stuff and just let his play do the talking he would be getting attention in a totally different way. I get that he’s a unique guy and likes to play with passion, but there comes a point where you need to represent yourself and your teammates in a certain way. Away from the field Mitchell is a totally different person, on it he needs to learn how to reign himself in a bit.

Twitter Thoughts

I asked for some comments during the game on Twitter using the hash tag #fromthecouch and here are a few, with my two cents in response. I’d like to make this a regular part of the blog.

@Greasy_Munky: Champions do not simply prevail, they fight…ALWAYS! Lulay has given BC a comfort last had only with Dave Dickenson. #FromTheCouch

I wouldn’t say I was ever comfortable with Dickenson like I am with Lulay, just because of the durability difference between the two. More than giving them comfort Lulay has given them consistency at the position, which is huge in developing an offence.

@AviewFromABroad: @BCLionsDen @Bighill44 & @andrewharris33 were spectacular tonight. Ugly or not, a win is a win. #FromTheCouch #bc

@BClionsuperfan: Even when they don’t get the breaks the #BCLions still find a way to win #FromTheCouch

Absolutely, and the Lions made the better adjustments at half time. Steven Jyles didn’t complete a pass in the 3^rd quarter. Good teams know how to win and the Lions have a veteran leadership group. That was the difference tonight. As far as getting the breaks, I was surprised that they overturned the Banks fumble recovery, as I didn’t see enough evidence to suggest Charles had the ball when he was down. As I said above I think they got the Johnson call right, for the same reason. That said this league really has to look at what constitutes intentional grounding, as one I thought should have been called on Jyles wasn’t, leaving them in position for a field goal which they made.

@MissLilDvl: Proud of KJ right now!! And noticing it’s taking 3 & 4 guys to take him down!!! Boy’s HUNGRY!!! #FromTheCouch #WildWest #BCLions

I thought Kierrie Johnson had a nice return to the lineup. He was certainly a focus of the offensive game plan at times and was getting behind defenders. When Brown went down he filled on kick returns as well. His fumble was unfortunate, but I think they got that call right.

Next up for the Lions is another western division battle against the Roughriders of Saskatchewan. Enjoy the rest of week 13 everyone!