I was just wondering if the Lions Game plan would be to finish 3rd in the west or go for the crossover .
This might be something to consider since today the Olympics will be starting in 6 months if the Lions hold the Western final that means they will be in the Dome till mid November leaving 3 months to finish off the renovations for the Opening Ceremonies . I wonder if Vanoc has approched the Team and advised them Of there plan. 
I believe if anybody'll make the crossover, it'll be the Eskies. I am very unimpressed with them this year. I don't see a whole lot of potential there anymore.
Just in case you were a little confused these are the TSN ranking for week 6.
- (1.) Montreal
- (5.) Hamilton
- (3.) Calgary
- (2.) Edmonton
- (8.) B.C.
- (4.) Saskatchewan
- (6.) Winnipeg
- (7.) Toronto
Haha the eskies are 3-3 and you're starting the thrash talk?
Well bring it on!!!
i think he's being a troll rather than trash talking.. and why the thread hasn't been removed by a mod is beyond me as this is obviously a trolling thread.. no team aims for 3rd... every teams goal is to finish first, get home field advantage and win the cup...
he also seems to forget that while we may be in last in the west right now we managed to thump the Esks. 40-22 a few weeks back.
The season is FAR from over
I wasn't trolling if you would just read . I was mearly stating that they may be pressured by other sources to vacate BC Place ASAP so the Renovations could take place sooner rather then later . not a knock against the lions coaching staff, players or fans.
At the beginning of the season I predicted the Lions to finish 3rd. Its been well talked about that this is a rebuilding year. I predicted before the season and still feel this is how that Standings will End up:
WEST
Calgary
Edmonton
BC
Saskatchewan
EAST
Montreal
Hamilton
Winnipeg
Toronto
Winnipeg and Toronto are so bad, I wouldn't be surprised if fourth place in the West Crosses over again.
Missed last nightās game did you? Too bad, it was a good game to watch.
I did read your post... and to me it looks like trolling with an "excuse" cover up. It strikes me as a troll post because i can't believe that anyone would actually think that ANY team would aim for 3rd or worse for ANY reason.
But if you somehow posted the thread with a straight face and you say you're not trolling then i'm sorry... i retract my earlier trolling statement and will now say that this is one of the dumbest threads started... right up there with the "is Ricky Ray done" thread.
To suggest that a team would throw games so they could avoid a home playoff game is just plain stupid no matter what the reason.
Sure... to fans, football is a sport and entertainment, but to a team it's a business and a job. I'm pretty sure the Lions don't give a rat's ass what VANOC wants, they want to WIN. The goal of every team at the start of a season is to finish first, get home field advantage for the playoffs and win the Grey Cup.
Throwing games and looking like a crappy team is not in the best interest of any team... even more so here in Vancouver where there are a lot of "fair weather fans" and where there is plenty of competition for entertainment dollars. Doing so would result in a loss of fans in the stands which turns into a drop in revenue for the team and in this city i can guarantee that due to the large number of fair weather fans the lower attendance would carry over into next season. So not only would it hurt the team in the short term but the long term as well. In addition, missing a home playoff game also means lower income for the team and hosting a playoff game can be the difference between losing money and turning a profit.
You stated that your comment was "not a knock against the lions coaching staff, players or fans".. but to that i'd counter that it's a HUGE knock against the staff and players to suggest they would even think of agreeing to anything where they would have to willingly lose games and make themselves look bad just to please VANOC.
Well throwing games is a bit more then what i was implying, but maybe this would be a good time for the Lions to make some wholesale changes and free up some big contracts . In someways it's actually a great time for it since next year they will be playing in a smaller Arena anyways .
i am a Lions fan too but the Esks are my favorite team . I just threw this out here to see what Peoples reaction to it would be and if anybody else had the same idea. With the Lions draft picks this year ,in a couple of years this team will we a powerhouse again Which co-insides with the new dome or lack of.
Not to mention that all leagues kind of frown on teams throwing games, particularly when those games are intertwined with a gambling element. And, the last I checked Sport Select (Pro Line etc.) was using CFL games on their betting cards.
Well like I said throwing games was not what I intended . don't Lions fans know how to read. Maybe the Lions were forced to maybe rebuild a year or two sooner then what they wanted .
Again I am not trolling , I live in Vancouver so a lot of what I hear on the sports talk shows is about the Lions and I'm also a season Ticket holder .
We can read fine, I suggest you read and comprehend your own posts before getting into a unnecessary arguement. We arenāt mind-readers, we can only base our posts on what you post, not your intentions.
When did I say anything derogatory about the Lions ? Where did i say they were throwing games? Where did I Trash talk ? If I had crossed over any Boundaries the Moderators (which are Lion Moderators ) would have locked down this thread . All I wanted was for someone to maybe argue the fact that I might be wrong on this and maybe read their version but all I get is being accused of trash talking and Trolling. Maybe I'll take my threads to another Forum where people will actually read them and have an Educated reply.
First off... sorry, not trying to be a jerk here, but you did kind of set yourself up for the negative comments with the title of the thread, the way you worded your first post and it coming from someone with an Edm. logo by their name it sounded a little like you were suggesting that the Lions had decided to, or should just putt along and squeak into a playoff spot. Then when someone first responded instead of clarifying your position and stating you weren't trashing the Lions and that you were looking for opinions you said in case he was confused here's the power rankings that had Edm. a whopping one spot up on the Lions which only added a little fuel to the fire. And i'll be honest, it was that second post with the power rankings that really made me think you were just trolling and taking a stab at how poorly the Lions had been.
ok.. so you weren't suggesting they "throw" games. But by asking if their "game plan" should be to finish 3rd or 4th to get the crossover you are implying (directly or indirectly) that they not go out and try to win every game. And if their "game plan" is to aim for 3rd or 4th then they would not be playing at 100% on purpose. To me that's really no different than "throwing" a game.
In any case, I'm pretty sure that no matter what VANOC might or might not have said to the brass in the Lions office... or even what VANOC would like to see happen does not factor in to the Lions "game plan" at all. While i may not be a part of the Lions organization (so i don't know for sure what their game plan is) i'm pretty sure it's to go out and win every game and finish as high in the standings as they can.
As for it maybe being a "good time for the Lions to make some wholesale changes".... are you suggesting they just blow up the whole team? Because wholesale changes happened in the off season (some planned, some not) and that's one of the many reasons they don't look as strong as they have in years past. Of the 53 players on the active and practice roster i count 20 that are 1st year Lions. That's 38% of the team. I also count 16 of the 53 (30%) players being rookies. Of the 24 O and D starters i count 10 (41%) that weren't starters here last season (some were with the team but playing as back-ups, some were starters elsewhere and some are rookies). I don't know how many more changes they would want to make and judging by their play so far this season i'm not sure how many more they could afford to make and still be at least a somewhat competitive team (and they need to be for one big reason i'll mention below).
Another thing to keep in mind is that as it stands right now the Lions are only 2 points behind 1st in the west and have a better +/- than the 2 teams tied for first. Even though the Lions haven't looked like a powerhouse by any means, it's not as if 1st is out of reach. There is a lot of season left to be played and the team can only get better as they build chemistry and get used to and comfortable with the way their team mates play around them. In seasons past there was very little turnover in players (particularly starters) so most of the players knew where everyone would be and how they played. However with 41% of the starters being new starters on the team they are still in some ways learning about the play of those around them.
Going out and making "wholesale changes" at this point in the season can and more than likely would have a negative impact on not only the team but the fans as well. As i stated in my previous post (and i'm sure you're well aware of it since you live in Van.), Vancouver has plenty of competition for entertainment dollars, and it's been even more competitive with the economic downturn and people being hesitant to spend as much as they did even a year ago. In addition, Vancouver is full of fair weather fans. A good number of them will jump on and off the bandwagon depending on how the team plays (unfortunately this, unlike the economy problems, is nothing new to Vancouver). If the team makes even more changes the quality of play on the field will surely drop as it will take time for the new players to learn the system and develop chemistry with their new teammates. That further drop in performance will drive more fans from the stands and the team will bring in less income not only from ticket sales but merchandise as well. I'm sure one of the last things the Lions front office wants is a drop in attendance because as we have seen in the past it can take multiple seasons to win back fans that have jumped off the bandwagon... hence the need to field at least a somewhat competitive team.
So because of all the changes that have already taken place and the need to keep as many fans interested for as long as possible... my opinion is they need to play as hard as they can and win as much as they can... regardless of what VANOC wants... and if they feel the need to make some more big changes to wait until the off season when there will be time for the new players to learn the system in training camp rather than mid season.
I never went to university.. so this is about as educated as i get 
.. hope it's educated enough for you
Well I did and that was succinct enough. 
Yeah it is too bad about the fair-weather-fans in Vancouver. Iām from Ontario and have been a die hard Lions fan since the early '80ās (When I got into the CFL). Iāve never been to B.C. but team allegiance hardly matters where you live (As Oilersrock can testify) they donāt even sell B.C. Lions stuff here, I have to order everythingā¦ I canāt even sign up for the many promotions for the Lions, I understand why, it just sucks and it is like (I know this isnāt true) even the Lions organization donāt think there are die-hards outside of B.C. 
Iām sure Saskatchewan fans have something to say about that.
Yeah I can Understand your Guys confusion with my post , as I've looked back and some of them are missing not sure why they would have been removed as I'm not Trolling I still support the Lions even though I'm not a Fan of the Team I go to Games at the Dome .
I not saying Wally would deliberatly lose , but I just wonder if there are any time constrants with getting the Dome ready for the Opening Ceramonies the way VANOC has been the last few years in controlling everything in the city I just wonder . not to knock the Lions in any way. I hope this clears this Up . I do post from time to time on the Lions board as a sports fan and fan of the CFL living in Vancouver I hear all the Talk about the Lions in my day while listening to 1040 so I natually like to comment on things.
I live in Vancouver too. As a Riders fan, Iāve found most Lions fans to be good people who are willing to discuss whatās going on in the league. Iāve also found that there are only about 5000 Lions fans, and another 40000 people who pretend to be Lions/CFL fans. Those 40000 give the other 5000 a bad name. Members of those 40000 have thrown beer and garbage at me, as well as threatened to fight me. One 70 year old woman went so far as to tell me that I was a traitorā¦that was the only time in my life Iāve ever wanted to tell a grandma to eff offā¦but I held back.
God people should chill. That sucks sheepā¦ well you can tell they are not real fans, I mean any CFL fan knows that there are die-hard Rider fans EVERYWHERE, I think it is cool that you guys hang in there and have the faith. Hell I really donāt like the Eskimoās but I have nothing against players or the fans, you just need a team on your hit list and that is mine.
It is only a game so stop acting like a child. From one true Lions fan Iāll apologize for the jerks that ware orange. :lol: