I’m already on record as saying that there have been some real bonehead plays called from the bench that in my opinion made no sense at all given the time left on the clock and the score. I hear you guys wanting Chapdelaine let go but let me challenge you with this:
Who was the OC back in 2005 and 2006? Chapdelaine was from what I recall. In those years the Lions finished with 12-6 and 13-5 records and won the Grey Cup in 2006. Not bad I’d say. This isn’t an attempt to defend the guy but just to make a point. He’s coaching a different team today. A team that just might not have the same ability.
What did Chapdelaine do back then that he’s not doing now? There are only so many plays in the playbook. Maybe he does lack imagination or he’s not able to adapt. Maybe he takes the attitude, “Well it worked before so why not keep using it??
On the other hand maybe Chapdelaine would have looked like a genius had it not been for holding calls, interceptions, fumbles after good gains and dropped passes that should have been caught, nullifying seemingly good play calls.
One poster said that screen passes were non-existent. I gotta agree that screen passes [and draw plays] don’t seem to be in the playbook for the Lions and I would really like to hear from Chapdelaine to explain why. I’ve always seen those kinds of plays kill the opposing D or at the very least keep them honest.
By the sounds of it some of you believe that with a different OC, a new OC will be able to get out of the O line what Chapdelaine could not. Maybe, but I’m not convinced. I still think it has to do with talent or a lack of. This is what Buono has been trying to say. It’s about execution and discipline. The Lions are the worst penalized team in the CFL.
A play that makes good sense at the time gets shut down because some guy missed his assignment. Translation? Poor execution!
Changing QBs in Saturday’s game against Calgary may have been a smart thing. Perhaps Jackson is able to read the D a little better but I’ve also seen Jackson throw like a loose cannon firing the ball 30 yards past the receiver. When he passes he seems to have two speeds: light speed and ultra light speed.
It’s only human nature to want change when a team is off to such a bad start, but if they fire Chapdelaine who replaces him? Does Wally take over the duties? Is there someone waiting in the wings?
I think you also have to look at Dan Dorazio. He has been in control of the 0-line for as long as they have been bad. It doesn't matter what your recievers, backs or QBs do if they don't have time to run their routes.
Back in 2005 & 2006, we had the talent to win inspite of Chapdelaine. Besides the no screen passes, he hasn't tried to use Jamal Lee or Andrew Harris.
My son and I had a wager to predict the BC offensive plays. Between the two of us, we correctly got 39% correct. 39%, and we are nothing more than dumb a$$ fans. The defenses (Teams) around the league get sent game tapes. They spend hours studying. If two dumb a$$ fans can predict the offensive plays at 39%, what can skilled proffessionals who study the film achieve as a percentage?
He is a big part of the problem. What has he done differently since 05 and 06? Well nothing. That's the problem. Wally's teams have always beaten others with superior talent. Well these days, you can't win on talent alone. Other coaches are getting better now and they keep changing. Chapdelaine's offense hasn't changed at all. Back in 05 and 06, our offense wasn't exactly lights out. We had Dave Ritchie's unbelievable defence that won us games. Ritchie was unbelievable at making half time adjustments. If you look at the 06 Grey Cup, if it wasn't for the great defence and Dickenson's courage to run for his life getting key first downs, we would have lost.
Printers' best year was 04 when Steve Burrato was our coordinator. Then chap came in late in the season and Burrato got kicked into the booth. As a recall, Printers wasn't able to move the ball much in the Western Final and Dickenson had the same issues in the Grey Cup.
When Chap left for Edmonton, he pretty much screwed up Ricky Ray and he had a poor year. That year we had Kruck and Dorazio as our OC's and they came up with a very clever playbook. They utilized the run a lot. Joe Smith was used. We saw lots of different looks and deception was the key instead of what the preach now which is only execution.
Chap's playbook consists of too many long crossing patterns that cause our QB's to hang on the ball for too long. What ends up happening is that they eventually get hit. Dickenson, Printers, Pierce and Jackson have all been victims of this. What is also lacking is anti blitzing packages. Chap seems to have no plays to counter the blitz. Now teams will just keep blitzing us because Chap has no answer for it. How come we don't see screen passes, dump passes to our tail backs when the QB is under pressure, sweep passes to the left or right, moving the pocket. All these are lacking and making the offense predictable. Just look at last game, Calgary loaded like 7 guys at the line for a bunch of plays and we had no answer for it.
Wally says it's execution. Which is true. There has been issues with execution like drop balls and stupid penalties, but it's hard to execute when the other defense knows exactly what you are doing at the line of scrimmage. Your percentage of execution gets lowered.
This is what I think as well Chaps tried this in Edm and nearly got Ray killed , moving the pocket around is key here Calgary uses it to perfection . you can't throw the ball when your running for your life .
Thanks for the input guys. Love the comments....especially Almo89's!
Have a go at these next two questions:
Who do you think could replace Chapdelaine and make a "significant" difference?
Would a new OC have enough to work with [eg: the O line] to turn things around?
Despite player personnel changes in the last 2 years the Lions appear to have plenty of talent to get the job done. I'd sure like to crawl into the heads of some of the players and find out what they're thinking. Maybe they would disagree with what you all are saying as far as Chap is concerned...OR...............................
I don't think firing an OC would solve anything at this point of the season. The players already spent all of training camp getting use to this playbook. We can only hope that Chap will take this current playbook and add a bit of creativity with it which can be done. Question is, will he.
Jacques was ineffective in Edmonton, and hasn't regained his edge since. His plays are all too predictable, they lack creativity. How often do you see a screen pass, or a pitch out, a shovel pass, a reverse, or a designed QB run? Rare! It appears as if he's altogether given up on the backs and keeps running short outs, posts and the odd long ball. Boring!!
Not done. I think Jacques IS part of the problem - bigtime, but I also think it's too late to try and replace him. Maybe Kerry Joseph or Joe Pao Pao is available(?)
I see one major difference between the 2005/06 offense and the current model... The playbook has not changed! The current players in skill positions are as good as what we had back then IMO. That said, the O line is weaker, but defenses know what to expect from Chap now. As one poster noted, the offense lacks creativity and is very predictable. Time to find a new direction!
Yes, him and the offensive line.
Even when the Lions were a powerhouse, the O-line and offensive schemes left to be desired.
We were really fortunate our D-line was the best in the business and our defense could turn turnovers to points at a good rate.
I actually don't have that big of a problem with the oline. They are gelling and there are guys in there playing in new positions. The only time you see the oline break down is when they get blitzed and they have no counter attack. So really it's not the oline's fault when it's just being out numbered. They need to have plays that move the pocket and have options for the QB to get rid of the ball to when the pressure is on.
Almo's comments about Chap's attack are bang on. The reason why no BC quarterback is able to stay healthy is a combination of a weak O-line and too many plays that take too long to develop. I also don't find the Lions use pre-snap motion enough to create separation for their playmakers. Too much pressure is put on individual receivers to do everything themselves on a given play. Geroy isn't a spring chicken anymore and can't be expected to beat teams by himself.
So Jarious Jackson is starting today. He might be the only one that gives the current Lions a chance under Chapdelaine’s offense. Jackson likes to set up deeper than Lulay and Printers in the shotgun which will buy him a little more time if the blitz is coming. The draw back is that if he gets sacked, it’s a HUGE loss. Jackson also shows that he likes to threaten to throw deep. I’m still worried about our offense, but I’m excited to see what Jackson can do with a limited offensive gameplan.
Maybe your OC is bad, but with your OL as it is, that's irrelevant. The Riders didn't even blitz much tonight - rushed 4 and owned the 2 tackles. The fact that they are both imports and both this bad is really shocking. For what you get, plug in some young local kid who will at least try - then you can give O'neill Wilson the big adios.
Wally has to have an airlift coming at offensive tackle. It was so bad tonight they played a good chunk of the game with 6 O-linemen, and JJ still got beaten to a pulp.
The O-line looked real slow seemed the Sask D had a automatic 1 yard head start every down. Angus Reid is such a warrior though I'm sure he's playing with a lot of pain right now , I watched the 0-Line warm-up at empire the last game and he did not look comfortable at all.
It appears the O-line is not dynamic enough. Is this due to the inexperince of the players or due to Chap? I don't know, but I think we need to take this ship off auto pilot as I see an iceburg dead ahead. Too early in the season to pull a Titanic!
Oh wait he discovered a screen pass last game.......first new play in the book in 3+ years...wow Jacques how did you come up with that play? did you think it up all by yourself?