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The Lions Notebook: Bye Week Edition

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With the BC Lions one game shy of the halfway point in their season and on their 2nd and final bye week of the season, I thought it was time for another edition of the Lions Notebook. Obviously the Lions would like to be better than the 3-5 record they sport, but there is still time to turn things around and make a run in the second half of the season. The question is, can they?

No Defence no Hope

The Lions offence has taken its fair share of heat over the first 8 games of the season, but if the Lions can’t get their defence sorted out, things could continue to remain bleak. Defensive coordinator Mark Washington is likely bunkered down this week trying to figure out ways to get this defence turned around. The Lions are averaging 134 yards rushing allowed per game, and they are second last in the CFL in passing yards allowed.

They also can’t seem to get stops on 2nd down and are staying on the field way too much. It would help if the offence could sustain more drives, but the Lions haven’t demonstrated any consistent results against the run or the pass. At times they are getting pressure on the quarterback, but they aren’t getting sacks and often not getting containment either.

Time for Travis to Step Up

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Let’s face it, you have to be thrilled that Travis Lulay is still playing, especially with the luck that has hit many of the league’s top pivots this season. What you can’t be thrilled with is how the offence has for the most part sputtered along.

One can’t simply point the finger at Travis Lulay, because outside of Andrew Harris he’s had plenty of help stalling drives. The Lions offence has been extremely one dimensional; shut down Harris and you will beat the BC Lions.

We all knew that Lulay would need some time to readjust to game action. But 8 games in should be enough to hope that Lulay can elevate his game in the second half and help get the offence going. The Lions have to find ways to get other players involved. They need to stop going for the deep ball they’ve done nothing to help set it up. More shirt quick passes, try to get everyone involved which will take the pressure off Harris and prevent other teams from loading up the box to shut him down.

Time for Manny to Show

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Reviews of “The Manny Show” have been mixed so far this season. The main knock on Manny Arceneaux seems to be that when a pass is contested, he doesn’t come down with the ball. Arceneaux made some comments following the Montreal game that are likely to end up in the Alouettes dressing room next week. Not respecting your opponent when they beat you in all three phases isn’t the best lesson to teach the young players on the team.

Manny is one of the hardest working Lions off the field, but he needs to use the gifts that he’s been blessed with to have the same tenacity on it to become the impact player the Lions want and need him to be.

Lions Family Mourns the Loss of Vic Spencer

The man that co-founded the BC Lions has left us. Victor Spencer has passed away at the age of 90.

“If football in British Columbia has a father then it’s Victor Spencer,” said Lions’ president and CEO Dennis Skulsky. “Without his vision, his efforts and his love for our great game, it likely would have been many years before British Columbia had a professional football team to call its very own”.

Spencer was the driving force behind securing BC a place in the Western Interprovincial Rugby Union which became the West Division of the Canadian Football League.

It took Spencer and his partners 3-years of hard work to get the Lions approved by the other teams in 1953 and in 1954 the BC Lions debuted at the brand new Empire Stadium which played host to the Empire Games the same year.

Spencer is a member of the BC Lions Wall of Fame, the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and the BC Football Hall of Fame.

On behalf of Lions fans, our thoughts and condolences go out to the Spencer family.

Lions fall to Argos as discipline, decisions and execution falter.

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Andrew Harris' first half performance wasn't enough to defeat the Argos. Photo: BCLions.com
Andrew Harris’ first half performance wasn’t enough to defeat the Argos. Photo: BCLions.com

You would think after 7 years of doing this social media thing and covering the BC Lions I would know better than to tweet something out of frustration walking out of BC Place stadium Friday evening, following the BC Lions 30-27 loss to the Toronto Argonauts.

I am a blogger, podcaster, and CFL social media enthusiast, but I am also a huge fan, not only of my Lions but also of the league as a whole, and sometimes the fan part of me takes over my emotions. Usually after a loss I wait 24 hours to let my thoughts process before I blog or tweet much, but Friday was one of those nights where frustration got the better of me.

I stand by my tweet that the 3rd down gamble by Jeff Tedford was a mistake. There was no need for such a gamble up by 11 points, regardless of whether or not you wanted to spark your offence. To say that if it had been successful it would have been genius is something we can’t know for sure. What we do know is it gave the Argos half a field to work with and they made the Lions pay.

Where that tweet went wrong was saying the loss was on Tedford, because when you break down the game, there was plenty of blame to go around and yes, you win as a team and you lose as a team.

Dumb penalties that continued Argos drives played a huge part and it seems to be some of the same culprits. Alex Bazzie’s roughing the passer call allowed the Argos to spark their offence and give QB Trevor Harris the confidence he needed after throwing two interceptions earlier. Josh Johnson took a bad face masking penalty in the 4th quarter that combined with an illegal contact penalty to put the Argos instant field goal position.

The offence, which looked so lethal in the first quarter simply dried up in the second half. Unable to react to the adjustments made by the Argos at half time, the Lions simply couldn’t get into a rhythm. The Argos brought a lot of players up to the line of scrimmage to focus on Andrew Harris and no one else stepped up to counter it.

For whatever the reason, perhaps the Argos record against the pass so far this season, the Lions decided the deep ball was their only option in the second half. Lulay is still struggling to find the right touch and over threw receivers at critical times.

Manny Arceneaux had a drop, Austin Collie had a drop and has anyone seen Shawn Gore? You may as well have put his picture on a milk carton the last two weeks. The bottom line is this team needs players other than Andrew Harris to step up when opponents focus on shutting him down. They have to be made to pay for that approach.

Defensively it was a nightmare for the Lions in the second half. No matter what happened on first down, Harris and the Argos found answers on 2nd down to keep drives alive. Every receiver seemed open when they needed him to be and Harris delivered balls on target as he was pressured little by the Lions front four.

This is a young team, and let’s hope they learned some valuable lessons against the Boatmen. A 21 point lead early in a CFL game is nothing, and the young Leos learned that the hard way.

Let’s also give some credit to the Argos here. Their half-time adjustments were outstanding and went unanswered by the Lions. Trevor Harris showed why he had the highest rating of any QB heading into the game and collected himself nicely after the two early turnovers. The Argos have weathered the storm on their extended road trip to start the season and have now set themselves up nicely in the CFL East.

Where are the fans?

Just 20,085 fans were in attendance Friday and that has to be concerning for the Lions. It’s a good thing the upper bowl was closed or the optics would have been horrible. Traditionally the Lions always seem to start slowly attendance wise and build as the season goes on and Toronto has never really been a big draw.

That said, the Riders game should have been a sell-out based on previous years, and it seems that the Lions are receiving very little in walk up numbers, leaving just the hard core fans in the building.

Everyone knows the impact that HDTV has had on live sporting events and there seems to be something to the theory that the success of the Seattle Seahawks have carved a place into some of the Lions’ fan base.

Beyond the obvious, the Lions need to engage the younger fan. Look around the league in places like Ottawa, where football is seen to be “cool” again. So many young people there are getting hooked on the Redblacks. Their marketing is outstanding and they make their fans feel part of the big picture. Yes, the Redblacks are the new cool thing in town, but you have to admire the ways they are getting to the younger demographic.

You can’t roll out ads every year with the same face painted fans and expect to make progress. Reward the loyalty of your season ticket holders. Hand out pins for 5-10-15 years of support. Create a “Wall of Fans” where long time season ticket holders have their name engraved on a plaque and added to it. Make your fans and their families feel part of something special.

A competitive winning product would help of course, and the last two seasons at BC Place haven’t always provided that. But something needs to change, because whatever the Lions are doing doesn’t seem to be working.

Lulay’s leadership and resolve are paying dividends for Leos.

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Friday night’s 27-24 win by the BC Lions to complete a home and home sweep of the Saskatchewan Roughriders was big for a few reasons. Most importantly, it should be a huge boost to a young team, with a new head coach. In the first game, the Lions had to come back to win. In the second they had to hold off a late Riders push to walk out with the victory and the season series in their back pocket.

In both cases, the Lions showed great resolve and it’s clear the Lions are buying into what Jeff Tedford is preaching early in the season.

Travis Lulay of course is the key to everything. His play in the last two games has made the difference for the 2-1 Lions, but the bigger intangible is that this team rallies around him and how could they not after what he’s been through the last two seasons?

The fact that Lulay is returning to his 2011 MOP form is a testament to his dedication and willingness to change his game from a quarterback with a win at any cost attitude, to a more cerebral pivot who realized and bought into the fact he needed to make those changes. Even before the Lions hired Tedford, General Manager Wally Buono made it clear that Lulay would need to play smarter if he wanted to extend his career.

That new approach didn’t happen overnight and the Lions and Tedford deserve a ton of credit for the way they’ve brought Lulay along. From retraining him to the way he falls, to his limited throw counts in training camp and for convincing the ultra-competitive quarterback that it his value comes from being on the field, not getting that extra yard at all costs.

Friday night it was Lulay’s feet that did most of the damage and it was a game plan that the Riders clearly were not expecting and didn’t adjust to, as they continued to crash linemen down on Andrew Harris leaving options open for Lulay to the tune of 105 yards along the ground, the best number he’s posted in his CFL career.

There is another group of course that deserves to be mentioned, and that is the offensive line. Heading into the season, the group was perceived by most as a huge question mark and the early injuries to Hunter Steward and Matt Norman didn’t help improve the outlook. But the group has been solid, and has only allowed two sacks in three games (none in the last two), which is tops in the CFL.

Not only has their pass protection been solid, but their run blocking is starting to come along as well, as evidenced by the third quarter touchdown run of Harris, who was basically escorted into the end zone.

The big concern for the Lions is the defence. The Lions had some good moments but at the same time, giving up 517 yards (454 yards on average over their 3 games) isn’t going to be a statistic that sees them win more games than they lose. As Solomon Elimimian told us on last week’s BC Lions Den Pawdcast, he expects the defence to get better as the season goes on, given their youth and inexperience with the Canadian game in some positions.

The good thing is that the Lions have bought themselves some time for the areas in their game that need to improve. It doesn’t hurt that no one in the west has come flying out of the gate, while the Lions have exceeded the expectations of many early on.

There will no doubt be more challenges thrown the Lions way, but for now the good is by far out weighing the bad and the Lions are in the thick of it in the West division.

Change has had positive for Travis Lulay and so far at least his team is displaying the determination and resolve that is a trait of their star pivot and leader, and that can only be a positive for the BC Lions moving forward.

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

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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 3rd down gamble that gave the Lions a shot to extend the game to overtime and perhaps reconsider going for it on 3rd 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 6th 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 24th at home against the Toronto Argonauts.

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

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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

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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 2nd 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.

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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.

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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.

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