Richie Leone Archives | BC Lions Football

Not so Special Performance Leaves the BC Lions in Tough

October 11, 2015 By Brian Wawryshyn

The BC Lions were in complete and total control of their game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Saturday evening at BC Place Stadium. The Lions were playing well on offence and defence, building a 23-6 lead by half-time, before their special teams performed a collapse that would let the Bombers back in the game.

A few morning after thoughts for your Thanksgiving Sunday reading.

Jennings Continues to Impress

Yes he threw two interceptions, but Jonathan Jennings was outstanding in the first half. There is still a lot of growth to occur, but you have to love the way he stands in there and delivers passes on a rope. It’s been a long time since the Lions have seen this type of talent at QB and fans should be very excited about the future.

There were of course, some blips. An intentional grounding call that should have been thrown out of bounds, an interception that was on Jennings and one that looked like some miscommunication between himself and Manny Arceneaux, and of course the Lions not being able to sustain drives in the second half.

I saw a tweet following the game that Jennings accomplishments should be ignored because the success has come against the Riders and Bombers. Funny that neither Mike Reilly nor Bo Levi Mitchell had the same success against the Bombers defence, who have played pretty well all season.

Let’s give the kid a little credit shall we?

The Manny Show

Earlier this season, both online and on our podcast I’ve had some criticism of the way Manny Arceneaux competed in some games. But over the last few weeks Manny has definitely elevated his game, whether it’s the change at QB or the result of more passes being thrown his way, he’s become a force to be reckoned with. His stiff arm of Demond Washington in the first half will be on the year’s best highlight reel package, and it’s good to see the Manny Show getting rave reviews once again.

Special Teams

Last week following the win over the Riders, special teams captain Jason Arakgi refused to give out a game ball, saying the squad’s performance simply wasn’t good enough. If the Lions had managed to win last night, that game ball would have been withheld again.

Two missed converts, a blocked punt, two turnovers and two fake punts allowed will not win you many football games, and quite frankly it lost this one for the Lions.

Something has happened to Richie Leone and he needs to get it figured out or the Lions may as well just use the talents of Jennings and go for two after touchdowns. The towering spiralling punts have disappeared as well and the Lions might want to give the ball to Anthony Fera next week who has been biding his time on the practice roster, and is a more natural field goal kicker than Leone. It worked for the Bombers this week with Lirim Hajrullahu relegated to punting only and newcomer Sergio Castillo going 5 of 5 on field goals, including a 41 yard winner. Whether the Lions have the ratio flexibility to dress two import kickers is another story.

Chuck McMann had better figure out the issues real quick because his job may depend on it.

The Officiating

I hate whining about officiating, and the Bombers certainly know what it’s like to have a game taken away by a botched call, but the blatant pick by the Bombers Troy Stoudemire on the game tying touchdown and the non-call is mind numbing. Just as they apologized to the Bombers for a bad call a few weeks ago, you would hope the league would at least acknowledge the fact their officiating crew blew another one Saturday night.

There was also the phantom holding call in the fourth quarter that eliminated a huge play from Jennings to Bryan Burnham.

This is the play-off stretch and fans and the teams expect that the officials will be on their game during a period where every point is crucial to teams battling for their lives. It’s simply not good enough and Commissioner Jeffrey Orridge needs to take a long hard look at improving this aspect of games not only for the fans, but especially for the players who work too hard to have their livelihood affected by ineptitude.

The Attendance

Another Lions home game, another crappy scheduling job for the Lions. With Thanksgiving weekend and the Canucks home opener across the street at the same time as the football game, another disappointing crowd was at BC Place. Last night’s result won’t do much to bring fans back, and this season combined with the last two at home have created a storm the Lions need to weather. Jennings certainly gives Lions fans hope for the future, but the team has a lot of work to do this off-season.

The Lions have not raised season ticket prices for next season but really a small decrease in price would have been a nice gesture. There is a cheaper season ticket available but at the same time, there is a lot more to be done. What you’re seeing at Lions game is the core group of fans with few outside that core coming to games.

The Final Four

The Lions really missed an opportunity to secure a play-off berth with this loss. They do have a game in hand on the Bombers, but they have to travel to Edmonton next week, come home to play Hamilton, go to Toronto to play the Argos before finishing at home against Calgary. The Bombers have a home and home with Ottawa and finish in Montreal.

Can they do it? We’ll soon find out, but they have certainly made it very hard on themselves.

Lions Notebook: Win over Riders shows progress but plenty still to clean up.

July 13, 2015 By Brian Wawryshyn

For much of the BC Lions first home game of 2015, it looked as though the same problems that plagued the team in their season opener in Ottawa were still an issue. Lack of red zone production, defensive breakdowns and untimely penalties were handing the game to the Saskatchewan Roughriders before the Lions pulled together and completed a classic CFL comeback for their first win of the season.

Sadly, only about half of the 23,062 in attendance knew that no lead is safe in the CFL, leaving those that left early without the experience of a great ending to the game by the home side.

Offensively, it wasn’t a bad effort by the Lions; they simply lacked finish. In the fourth quarter however, the Lions started to gel and it was sparked by a drive that was all Andrew Harris, capped off by a seven yard touchdown lob to Rolly Lumbala after Harris had the Riders defence focused on him.

Travis Lulay is starting to show signs that his confidence is growing, and he was clearly emotional after the game. His teammates rallied around him in the locker room following the game, knowing what their star QB has been through.

If there is one thing that is clear, it’s that chemistry is quickly developing between Lulay and receiver Austin Collie, who is proving to be a key signing for the Lions. Collie’s polish and pedigree has been on display in the Leo’s first two games and he’s become the Lions go to receiver in short order.

The Lions offensive line had a strong game, not allowing a single sack on Lulay but the running game was somewhat dormant until the fourth quarter. Still, this is a positive sign for the Lions, and if the line can stay healthy and continue to gel, that aspect of their game should improve as well with the talented Harris in the backfield.

Defensively, plenty of work remains for the Lions. What was considered a strength of the team heading into the season, the unit is giving up too much yardage, especially against the run. Adam Bighill stated that communication among the group was the worst he’s ever witnessed as a Lion versus the Redblacks, and it didn’t seem to be much better against the Riders.

It was Bighill that came up big with a key stop on a Riders 3^rd down gamble that gave the Lions a shot to extend the game to overtime and perhaps reconsider going for it on 3^rd down in the extra session.

The Lions run defence is a concern, giving up 312 yards (171 against the Riders) over two games. The defensive line is getting owned against the run and that must improve, as does the ability to get to the quarterback and contain him to the pocket. When you’re letting Kevin Glenn escape pressure, you’re doing something wrong.

Lastly, the Lions have to stop taking penalties. There were too many mental mistakes, like Collie calling for a pass interference call (the dumbest rule in football), offside calls, procedure calls, roughing the passer, and on and on. Jeff Tedford demands discipline and he won’t be putting up with these mistakes for very long if his reputation is accurate. Those penalties (17 of them) could have cost the Lions their first win of the season, and will cost them games more often than not if they aren’t cleaned up.

In the end it was a game that showed progress. A game that showed why the Lions went with Richie Leone over Paul McCallum, and a game that showed this team has the will and fortitude to stick together and fight. All three facets of the game contributed to the win down the stretch and that’s a very good sign.

Now they must build on that and do it all again in Regina this week.

Extra Yards:

The new lower bowl configuration looked much better than the empty seats and the Lions have added some good features to the game day experience. A new beer garden (I refuse to call it a Tailgate Party) has been created, a new BC Lions drumline is now situated in the lower bowl, similar to what the Seattle Seahawks do with their Blue Thunder drumline. There are drink specials up until a half hour before game time inside the stadium, and for the first time ever, I was able to buy a beer in my seat from a vendor.
Gone is the voice of Chris Palliser, the man who urged fans to make noise on defence. I know some people feel that such a person is not necessary and some find it annoying, but without him it was clear that the majority of the fans don’t get or don’t care about becoming part of the game. This needs to change, as the atmosphere when the Lions were on defence was dead for much of the game. I’m not sure how you fix it and I’m starting to come to the realization that such participation may never happen in Vancouver, unless the Lions can attract younger fans to the games on a regular basis. Sadly it seems like long time season ticket holders have little desire to participate and are more concerned with beating traffic than staying until the end of the game.
It was fantastic news to learn that long time Lions employees Bill Reichelt (Trainer) and Ken Kasuya (Equipment Manager) will be added to the Lions Wall of Fame on August 6^th when the Lions host the Edmonton Eskimos. A deserving honour for two of the best in the business who have devoted more than seven decades of service to the club combined.
Cam Morrah took a shot to the knee late in the game from Tristan Jackson will be doubtful for the rematch in Regina and there is a good chance that special teams captain Jason Arakgi could be in the same boat with a pulled hamstring.
Ryan Phillips told TSN’s Farhan Lalji during the game that he expects to miss one more game before returning the lineup on July 24^th at home against the Toronto Argonauts.

All Three Phases: What to watch as the BC Lions open in Ottawa

July 4, 2015 By Brian Wawryshyn

The start of the 2015 season for the BC Lions begins today in Ottawa against the 1-0 Redblacks. It’s anyone’s guess as to what we will see from the Lions and with a new head coach and no fewer than 22 newcomers, the Lions are now the youngest team in the Canadian Football League.

Let’s take a look at what to watch in all three phases.

When BC Has the Ball

The return of Travis Lulay and Andrew Harris provide a big boost to the Lions offence. But the key to any success for both players is going to be the play of a new offensive line.

Only Jovan Olafioye remains from 2014’s group of starters and two other imports, have been added in Centre Jason Foster and Left Tackle, Tommie Draheim. Kirby Fabien and 2^nd year national T-Dre Player fill out the starting five that will hope to protect Lulay and open holes for Harris.

Helping to provide protection will be the dependable Rolly Lumbala, who shed some weight in the off-season to also play a bigger role in the offence. The Lions also signed too big bodied tight ends in Cam Morrah and A.C. Leonard, who both have good speed and hands.

The Lions intend to run a high paced offence, but that doesn’t mean rushing to the line and getting off the next snap. Watch for the Lions to quickly get to the line and send receivers to stop and look for tells from the RedBlacks defence. The receivers will reset and if they like what they saw they will run the same play, and if not they will switch to a different option.

Harris has lead the league in combined yards in the past for a reason and the Lions will look to get him into open space out of the backfield. When he comes out look for Shaquille Murray-Lawrence to switch up the pace as the smaller scat back type of runner.

With the extra practice time the Lions got in with their bye week, Travis Lulay will have had more time to establish timing with his receivers and the Lions have some solid for him to utilize. Manny Arceneaux had a very strong preseason and will be counted on as a deep threat. The Lions went out and signed former NFL receiver Austin Collie who is an excellent route runner and should provide reliable hands, while national Marco Iannuzzi looks to be primed for a more prominent role in the offence.

The Lions will be without Courtney Taylor who will be replaced by the promising Bryan Burnham, and it will be interesting to see if the Lions can find a way to get Shawn Gore more involved in the attack.

When Ottawa Has the Ball

If the preseason was any indication, the Lions defence is in pretty good shape, with the one question mark being the defensive line. They weren’t very effective getting to the quarterback or plugging holes against the run and the interior of the line is of particular concern. Jabar Westerman will be counted on to take his game to another level off the right side while Khreem Smith returns on the left. In the middle the Lions will start two new additions in Michael Brooks and Craig Roh.

Pressure on Henry Burris will be critical if the Lions hope to stop the veteran pivot from utilizing his improved crop of receivers led by former Lions Ernest Jackson. When Burris gets rattled that’s when he starts to commit mistakes. The task will not be easy against a much improved Redblacks offensive line led by tackle Sir Vincent Rogers.

But the line will also have to do a good job plugging the run, especially with the always dangerous Chevon Walker in the lineup for the Redblacks. If they can slow him up, that should leave the cleanup work for Solomon Elimimian and Adam Bighill.

In the secondary the Lions will have their hands full with an improved crop of Redblacks receivers. Ronnie Yell and TJ Lee had strong preseasons and will have to contain Jackson and Chris Williams. While on the other side, Cord Parks will work against Greg Ellingson.

Special Teams

The kicking game will be a big factor with the always dangerous Williams returning, and that’s where the Lions will look to take advantage of the leg of new international kicker Richie Leone. With new rules regarding lineman downfield this should be an asset to the Lions and it showed in the preseason.

Where things get iffy are field goals, as Leone is a punter first. He’s shown he has the ability to do the job, but his consistency is the concern, along with not experiencing some of the elements the CFL game can bring.

As for returners, it’s a work in progress after the release of Tim Brown. Marco Iannuzzi is likely to get the call at least to start the game but also watch for Murray-Lawrence and Alex Tillman.

Coaching

Jeff Tedford comes with an impressive resume. He’s been away from the Canadian game for a long time, but has solid CFL experience surrounding him on his staff. While Tedford gets his team finely tuned on offence, the defence should be able to keep the Lions in games. It’s just a matter of if that will happen and how long it will take.

Lions versus Esks thoughts, and the final cuts.

June 20, 2015 By Brian Wawryshyn

Friday night at UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium the BC Lions closed out the CFL preseason with an 18-13 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos. There were positives and negatives that came from the evening, so let’s get at it in this recap of the night.

Of course the main question of the night was how Travis Lulay would look and would he survive the night and the result was a success on both fronts.

Lulay wasn’t spectacular, but he led the Lions on a (penalty aided) touchdown drive on the first series of the game, connecting with the ‘Manny Show’ to open the scoring. As a body of work, Lulay was able to accomplish what he wanted to. There was some rust, as he overthrew open receivers on a couple of occasions, but his vision downfield seemed solid, his composure in the pocket was impressive and he showed that he’s still going to use his feet when the opportunity presents itself.

Jonathan Jennings was next up and wasn’t quite as effective as he was in Calgary, going 4 of 8 for 63 yards, while also throwing an interception. He did connect with Terence Jeffers-Harris for 40 yards and survived a big hit. Greg McGhee impressed with his limited time, showing the running skill he has as well as a strong arm.

With the uncertainty of Lulay’s long-term future, the Lions will keep all four QB’s, with John Beck starting the season on the disabled list.

Emmanuel Arceneaux looked solid scoring the Lions only touchdown of the game, and Austin Collie showed the value he will bring to the roster. Jeffers-Harris showed well again with his second deep reception of the preseason. Bryan Burnham and Tim Vizzi did not shine, while Courtenay Taylor still hasn’t seen action with a lingering hamstring injury. Marco Iannuzzi had a solid game, including the Lions biggest play of the night, a 64 yard catch and run from McGhee. The Lions continue to struggle to find a way to get Shawn Gore involved in the offence.

Generally speaking I thought the offensive line played decent, especially versus a talented Eskimos defence. Lulay got good protection in the first half, and don’t be surprised if T-Dre Player has surpassed Dean Valli for a starting role. At left tackle, it looks like Tommie Draheim will at least start the season there.

In the second half there was a drop off and both Jennings and McGhee were hurried or flushed out of the pocket often. The unit continues to be a work in progress, but new centre Jason Foster looks to be solid and can start looking for accommodations in the lower mainland.

The defensive line registered just one sack on the night, and had issues plugging gaps against the Eskimos running game in the first half. Running back Shakir Bell averaged 10.8 yards a carry against the starters and that’s just not good enough. Alex Bazzie was ejected for spitting on an opponent, and on a Jeff Tedford team that preaches discipline, that certainly won’t have him in the coach’s good books.

It was fun to listen to the oohs and awes from the crowd watching Richie Leone launch missiles with his punts. Sadly when it came to field goal kicking Leone missed two which should have been automatic and one of them was ugly. Anthony Fera connected on a 48 yarder, but his punting wasn’t as impressive. With that, Lions have decided to go with Leone and hope he improves his place kicking while offering Fera accept a spot on the practice roster.

The Flags

God help us all if the preseason flag fest continues into the regular season. The game became virtually unwatchable because of all the linen being thrown around. I get that in the preseason you want to crack down, especially with the new rules, but I am not that confident that much will be different when the season starts. For the sake of fans and the game itself, let’s hope so.

The Setting

The BC Lions and the University of British Columbia deserve huge props for the way the game went off. From the clear directions to the stadium throughout the campus, to the crowd control afterwards it was very well done. Director of Fan Engagement, Jamie Pitblado and his team did a fantastic job.

Allowing the fans to watch from field level was a brilliant idea. There were tons of kids throwing footballs around and hanging out with Leo the Lion. For the diehard fan it gave them a chance to see the game up close and personal.

With the lush trees in the background and a beautiful west coast sunset, there couldn’t have been a better night to play football.

Because I needed to write about the game I stayed in the stands in order to see the action clearly, so the only negative from the night came from the sore butt and back from sitting on the wood benches.

BC Place, I love you.

In the End

Don’t lose sight of the fact that this a new beginning for the BC Lions, and coach Tedford will likely be continually tweaking things into his mold over the next few weeks. The Lions should become more proficient on offence with more targeted game planning reps.

The team will start the season with a bye, which will give Lulay more time to work on the timing with his receivers. The Lions will also have game film to work with on the Redblacks, while Ottawa will have only preseason footage at their disposal.

Final Cuts

No real surprises here but here is the full list of roster moves made by the Lions on cut down day. In all, 12 players were released, 10 were offered spots on the practice roster, 3 were placed on the 1-game injury list, and QB John Beck added to the disabled list.

Notable names offered practice roster spots were RB Keola Antolin who was injured through the first half of training camp, Terence Jeffers-Harris who was impressive after if his arrival in camp and in the preseason, and second year linebacker and special teamer Casey Chin.

Of their 2015 draft picks who were in camp, only DB Josh Brinkworth was released.

It all starts for real on July 4^th.

Full list of the Lions roster moves:

Released:

DB Jordan Rwiyamilira (N), DB Josh Brinkworth (N), DB Jeremiah Johnson (I), DB Myron Lewis (I), LB Cody Acker (I), DL Tim Jackson (I), DL Andre Monroe (I), FB Brandon Deschamps (N), RB Rickey Galvin (I), RB Damien Thigpen (I), WR Tim Vizzi (I), WR Whitman Tomusiak (N).

Offered practice roster spots:

DB Darious Lane (I), LB Casey Chin (N), DL Craig Roh (I), DL Maxx Forde(N), DL Jamarkus McFarland (I), WR Terence Jeffers-Harris (I), K/P Anthony Fera (I), RB Keola Antolin (I), OL Josh Aladonoye (I), OL Campbell Allison (N).

Placed on one-game injured list:

DB Steven Clarke (I), OL Cody Husband (N), OL Matt Norman (N).

Placed on disabled list: QB John Beck (I).

Returned to juniors:

OL Anthony Daley (N), WR Derek Yachison (N).

Follow all the CFL final cuts.

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

June 19, 2015 By Brian Wawryshyn

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

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

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 1^st preseason game, and Cameron Thorn. Campbell Allison, the Lions 2015 5^th 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

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.

Not so Special Performance Leaves the BC Lions in Tough