BC Lions Football :: BCLionsDen.ca

You are here: Home / Archives for Michael Brooks

A Few Reasons the BC Lions Will Make the Playoffs

By

Sports are full of examples of teams that have had that defining moment where the switch went on. Whether the BC Lions had that moment in a convincing 40-13 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats remains to be seen, but if this team get on a roll and makes the playoffs, you can certainly consider it one.

At the beginning of the year, we had former BC Lions offensive lineman Angus Reid on the Pawdcast who told us that he saw the BC Lions starting out slowly and getting better as the season went on. With 22 new faces and the youngest team in the league, it wasn’t hard to agree.

Over the past few weeks, the Lions have played some good football. A Winnipeg loss, combined with the Lions win on the weekend has put the Lions back in control of their own destiny. A win next week in Toronto would eliminate the Bombers, a Montreal loss combined with that win would see the Lions join the playoff dance for the 19th straight season.

So there is work to be done, but in the spirit of looking at the positives, let’s take a look at some reasons the Lions will make the playoffs.

Jonathan Jennings

Jonathon Jennings

Cue the coronation, the Lions have found themselves a new quarterback. The poise and confidence that Jonathan Jennings displays at just 23 years old is impressive and has revived the Lions offence. As he continues to grow and get more experience, it should continue to improve not only in the passing game but in opening things up for Andrew Harris.

The Lions offence is no longer one dimensional, and Jennings has his receivers making plays for them by simply trusting in them to do so and getting the ball to them quickly and accurately. The resurgence of Manny Arceneaux and the contributions from Bryan Burnham, Lavelle Hawkins and Shawn Gore over the past few weeks have been key.

Jennings is going to make the odd rookie mistake, but the good far outweighs the bad and for the Lions and their fan base there is a lot to get excited about.

The Defence

Michael Brooks, Matt Nichols, Selvish Capers

The Lions defence was scorched by opposing defences early and often in 2015. It’s no coincidence that with more success on the offensive side of the ball, the defence has improved as well. In too many games this season they were on the field way too long.

The secondary is starting to gel under the leadership of Ryan Phillips as well as the strong showings of players like TJ Lee and Ronnie Yell who is starting to look more and more like long time Lion Dante Marsh every game.

The defensive line has found its groove led by newcomers Mic’hael Brooks, Zac Minter and Craig Roh. The Lions are rotating players in throughout the game and national David Menard continues to impress, while the Lions have moved up the sack total ladder in recent weeks, boding well for the team down the stretch.

Coaching

Winnipeg Blue Bombers v BC Lions

Some of you may disagree with this, but I think Jeff Tedford is on track to getting this team playing the way he wants them to play. There have been plenty of examples to dispute this theory, but in the end hindsight is 20/20 in the coaching profession.

But consider the fact that Tedford has been able to keep this team together through some very tough losses. There has been no finger pointing, no visible discord in the locker room and Friday’s performance against the Ticats showed that the players are behind their coaches.

Just as the start of the year was a learning curve for the new players, it was also the same for their new coach. The offence has become more aggressive under Jennings, and Tedford was brought in with the reputation of being a fast tempo, aggressive offensive coach. We’re now starting to see that as Jennings is able to go down field.

The Schedule

The Lions best chance to qualify for the post season is this week. The win against Hamilton was key, especially since the Alouettes won. Montreal now travels to Edmonton where the Eskimos are looking to clinch the CFL West and will be amped to do so at Commonwealth Stadium. The Lions travel to Toronto to take on an Argonauts team that is coming off back to back losses, but will be playing just their 4th game of the year at home and will have Ricky Ray at quarterback. If the Lions win and Edmonton wins, the Lions are in.

The Lions made their own bed, but they still have a chance to make it to the dance. Ryan Phillips told his teammates after last week’s game that he’s never missed the playoffs in his career, and he doesn’t plan to start now.

If they do get in, you would think both Calgary and Edmonton, teams they played tough this season will be in for a tough fight in the Western Semi. The Lions are starting to roar, whether they get to eat or not, will be decided in the next two weeks.

BC Lions Gameday: 5 areas to watch in tonight’s game.

By

The BC Lions play their final pre-season game tonight at UBC against the Edmonton Eskimos. Unlike in Calgary, the starters are expected to play the first half of the game and it will be the first real chance to see what the systems of Coach Jeff Tedford will look like in 2015.

This is a new offence, and the Lions want to use this game to define what kind of team they are going to be.

Here are five areas to watch in tonight’s game.

Travis Lulay

lulay-940x400

This is obviously the most important area to watch in the game. Lulay seemed like a kid in a candy store following this week of camp, and he is eager to get into game action. The off-season rehab plan has been a success so far, and all that’s left to do is face some live ammunition.

Lulay is slated to play the first half of the game, and will be doing so against the very aggressive starting defence of the Eskimos. Chris Jones only knows one way to play, so the Lions offensive line had better be ready to protect their starting QB.

Lulay has spoken about the Lions using this game to dictate what kind of team they want to be, and a huge part of that hinges not only on him staying healthy, but whether or not he’s able to return to his MOP form of 2011.

The Lions have worked hard to have Lulay adapt certain traits of his game so it will be interesting to see those subtle differences and how quickly he can get back into a groove following a long layoff from game action.

Andrew Harris

Damaso Munoz, Andrew Harris

By all accounts Andrew Harris is ready to go, and will play football for the first time since dislocating his ankle last season. The plan heading into camp was to have Harris ease into things, but injuries to other players sped that process up and Harris hasn’t looked back since.

The only test remaining is to put his ankle under the stress of real game conditions, but there seems to be a maturing attitude with Harris.He’s assumed a real leadership role on the team and feels he has something to prove. Harris looks bigger, and to me anyway, looked faster at training camp. Like Lulay, his return is crucial to the Lions chances this season.

The Trenches

The Lions offensive line will face a stiff test versus the blitz happy Eskimos. Jovan Olafioye holds down the right tackle spot, while on the left the battle seems to be between Josh Aladenoye and Tommie Draheim. The new man in the middle is Jason Foster, and at the guard spots it should be Kirby Fabien and Dean Valli starting. Fabien had been backing up Matt Norman who won’t play because of a knee issue. It was reported last week that Fabien may have also suffered a knee injury, but thankfully he returned to practice the next day.

Also keep an eye on T-Dre Player who won some praises from coach Tedford following the 1st preseason game, and Cameron Thorn. Campbell Allison, the Lions 2015 5th round selection should also get a look along with Cody Husband.

On the defensive side the starting four will likely be Jabar Westerman, Khreem Smith, Michael Brooks and Alex Bazzie. This is an area that has to be better for the Lions in 2015, not only getting to the quarterback but plugging up holes against the running game. Newcomer Ese Mrabure-Ajufo will likely get a chance to show his talents in the second half.

Receivers

arceneaux

The Lions have brought in some solid talent at the receiver position and will look for their holdovers to have better years. The featured attraction of course is the ‘Manny Show’, and by all accounts Emmanuel Arceneaux had a very strong training camp.

Beyond Arceneaux, Bryan Burnham has also showed well and newcomer Tim Vizzi is impressing the Lions as well. Shawn Gore and Marco Iannuzzi should start the game along with Austin Collie and Lions fans will also look forward to seeing the two new big tight ends the Lions brought in, Cam Morrah and A.C. Leonard. Both of them not only have great speed for their size, but will also be counted on to provide blocking when the play calls for them to do so.

Special Teams

The battle between kickers Richie Leone and Anthony Fera will come to a head on Friday. Both have been very impressive on kickoffs and punting the ball so it’s likely the winner will be chosen based on their field goal kicking.

The return game is a big question mark following the release of Tim Brown. No one has really stood out, but expect to see a plethora of candidates auditioning against the Eskimos. Some names to look for; Alex Tillman and Darius Lane.

The Lions Notebook: Training Camp Edition: June 9th

By

hillside-940

A nice breeze made things a little cooler for today’s sessions at Hillside Stadium in Kamloops, much to the relief of the players and this blogger sitting in the stands. The Lions continue to install the offense of Jeff Tedford in preparation for Friday’s preseason opener in Calgary.

Here are some observations from today’s sessions in this edition of the Lions Notebook: Training Camp Edition, June 9th.

The Scene

The Lions practiced without pads for the morning session but had them on in the afternoon for the last time before their game in Calgary on Friday. The afternoon was a spirited affair that saw a player skirmish involving DB Torrie Williams and an unidentified player on offence that was broken up quickly by Jeff Tedford.

Watching: Solomon Elimimian (afternoon), Courtney Taylor, Lavelle Hawkins, Courtney Taylor

Behind Centre

Jonathan Jennings continues to separate himself as the front runner for the backup/third string role to Travis Lulay, just ahead of Greg McGhee. Both players can expect to see a fair bit of work in Calgary (Lulay will not play) along with Travis Partridge who will likely get the start. Partridge is going to have to really show something in my opinion to not get over taken by Jennings or McGhee in my opinion. John Beck is back in camp and threw light passes in drills early in the session, but was not a full participant.

In the Trenches

The Lions appear to have settled on a starting five on the offensive line, for now at least. Jovan Olafiyoe of course stays at right tackle, Dean Valli at right guard, Jason Foster at centre, Matt Norman at left guard and newcomer Josh Aladenoye at left tackle. Kirby Fabien continues to participate on the second unit, and this is a big disappointment, as many were hoping he was going to rebound from an inconsistent 2014 after returning from injury. Right now, Fabien is backing up Norman, who seems to be settling in nicely at guard after moving from centre.

Dante’s Corner

Anyone concerned about the loss of Dante Marsh should rest easy, as Ronnie Yell has really stood out for me at this camp and looks to be in midseason form. He’s been battling against Manny Arceneaux and has showed very well. He’s quick, physical and has been in Arceneaux’s grill constantly. He doesn’t always win the battle, because let’s face it, Manny is pretty good, but Yell seems to be adjusting just fine to not only his role, but the new rule changes imposed on defenders.

Here is a bit more from Yell himself, courtesy of the BC Lions on Twitter:

Kicking Battle

We have been very impressed by the two kickers in camp, Anthony Fera and Richie Leone, but Tuesday wasn’t a banner day for either. Both players missed some field goals and shanked some punts, so Friday is going to be interesting to see which player emerges as a front runner for the job. Still there is no denying the leg strength of both candidates, both kicking 47 yard field goals to the back of the endzone and both launching some absolutely spectacular punts in both sessions.

Receivers

vizzi-940
Make note of the name Tim Vizzi (Photo: BC Lions Den)

Marco Iannuzzi had a strong day, getting open to make several TD catches during passing drills. One name to watch out for is Tim Vizzi, who has some people drawing comparisons to Weston Dressler. The Penn State product isn’t big in size, but runs good routes and has a solid set of hands. When you add the likes of Bryan Burnham, Austin Collie, Terence Jeffers-Harris, Shawn Gore and Manny Arceneaux and this group looks talented. Nevermind the additions of Cameron Morrah and A.C. Leonard, both of whom continue to impress. Now the Lions must find a way to keep as many of these talented players as possible.

There is some mystery to the status of Courtney Taylor whose participation in camp has been minimal since I’ve arrived.

Harris Watch

Rest easy Lions fans, Andrew Harris looks very, very good. Harris show no signs that his injury from last season isn’t healed. He looks quick and explosive hitting holes. Like Lulay, I wouldn’t expect him to see any action in Calgary, because there is no point, and the Lions have other backs they need to evaluate, like Shaquille Murray-Lawrence, Brendan Bigelow, Rickey Galvin and of course Keola Antolin, With Murray-Lawrence and Antolin missing earlier sessions with minor injuries they will be looking to impress in the preseason.

The Injury Bug

The Lions appeared to have taken a blow to their defensive line when DT Michael Brooks went down with what appeared to be a right knee injury. Brooks was carted off the field near the end of practice and it didn’t look good. Brooks had been impressing and it’s a tough break for him if the injury is as bad as it looked. Tim Jackson (North Carolina) is the next man up on the depth charge and will look to take advantage of Brooks’ bad luck.

As my friend Lloyd Bruneau noted, Jason Vega is currently sitting in Winnipeg, waiting for a phone call.

Offensive lineman Cody Husband and Cameron Thorn continue to follow concussion protocol.

Just For Fun

We leave you with this. The Lions cranked up the music for their warmup session and we caught this video of linebacker Adam Bighill who dances across the screen like he was in a Broadway show.

 

One more day at camp for us, with an hour walk through in the morning, we’ll spare you the details of that and will take in the afternoon session before heading home to Vancouver.

Thanks for reading, everyone.

Great CFL Resources

CFL West Fan Sites

CFL East Fan Sites

Creative Commons Licence
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada License.

Privacy Policy