Looks like the biggest problem Mike Benevides and his staff will have is figuring out who gets to play which positions in the secondary, now that Banks, Marsh and Phillips are signed and former Argos Lin-J Shell and Byron Parker will be wearing orange, black and white in 2012. Great work by Wally. Shell and Parker will add experience, size and big play capability wherever the coaches decide to play them. I'd hate to be a coordinator or opposition QB trying to find weaknesses in this new group. Talk about an embarrassment of riches.
Looks like Aaron Hunt will change area codes for next season, since he turned down Buono's offer. Sad to see the big man leave and I wish him luck wherever he ends up. Except when he plays BC.
I agree. IMO we had the best defence in the league last year and certainly the best front seven. But this defence looks downright stupid right now. Don't forget both Davis Sanchez (probably will retire or get cut, but still) and Stanley Franks were both injured for most of last year.
Is it possible that Benevides goes with an Import at safety? I mean how do you get all these guys on the field?
My guess, is we move back to the 3-4 we started with last year. Banks goes to the nickel, Sanchez at safety (like he did a bit last year), Marsh & Phillips patrol the wide side, while Shell and Parker the other. Reddick comes in off the bench... Was reading Lowell's blog and Franks is likely out till 2013...
I think the improvement was directly related to the D-Line we could field… more pressure, less holes to run in, less time for the QB… having Elimimian running around didn’t hurt either! One shall see, but I think the 3-4 is a foregone conclusion at this point.
To MadJack: I agree with some of what you say, but I suspect Banks and Marsh will again work the short side in 2012 and Shell and Parker will patrol the wide side. I can see Reddick getting more work at the nickel spot; he's done well there when he had his chances. The truth is the Lions defensive coordinator often moves guys around, to confuse opposition QBs, get more guys playing time and keep them fresh for a long season. I think we'll see times when they play 3-4 but most of the time they'll play that 4-2-6 scheme, especially on second and long. I can see Jerome Dennis, J.R. Ruffin and the other DBs giving opposition teams different looks and substituting for the starters when they get dinged or need a rest. I also think J.R. Larose performed well enough last season to keep his safety spot, traditionally a position manned by non-imports in this league. That allows another import elsewhere on D, probably another import middle linebacker now that "Aluminum" is gone to the No Fun League. .
Still waiting for news on Aaron Hunt. C'mon big man; you know you want to play here again. Don't you want to contend for another Grey cup this year? You don't really want to lose most of the time, or get your ass handed to you while playing in Toronto or Saskatchewan all year, do you? What's a few extra $$$ compared to that awesome feeling of being on a consistent winner?
Anyway you look at it, the Lions are a stacked team on both sides of the ball. They also have the best all-purpose kicker in the league and some excellent up-and-coming special teamers who can cover and tackle with the best of them. And we have the kind of depth that every other CFL team wishes they had. My suggestion to opposition teams? Don't bother flying to BC: save the money and mail us the two points!
Oops! Sorry MadJack, I meant to reply to rtk350's post and put your name on it by mistake. My bad. BTW, has anyone heard anything about additional running backs signed or nearly signed, now that Foord is signed?
With only Tim Brown as an import RB, you’d think there has to be at least one more RB in the picture perhaps two (1 import, 1 N-I). There are a few RBs that will get drafted but none that are ranked very high, so how does the RB hole get filled for training camp?
At first glance, linebackers and defensive line appear weaker without Hunt and Eliminian. But defensive secondary is stronger. For most teams, a strong secondary is hardest to build. Good depth in Canadian receivers but sparse non-imports elsewhere on team. So BC might need better Canadian backups in the future.
Pour diriger une défensive 3-4 efficace, il faut une forte pression du quart cumulée à des secondeurs agressifs, soit en couverture, soit en blitz. Je ne vois pas de lacune au niveau de la ligne offensive avec Williams, Taylor et Mitchell. C’est certainement le meilleur trio de la ligue pour diriger une défensive 3-4.
Par contre, du côté des secondeurs, je crois qu’il y aurait peut-être du renfort à aller chercher. Si le quatuor de 2ième ligne n’est pas suffisamment rapide et puissant, l’équipe peut devenir vulnérable au sol et au milieu de terrain contre une ligne offensive qui sait créer les ouvertures. C’est encore plus vrai sur une défensive 4-2-6.
Par contre, Shell, Banks et Parker peuvent permettre un style de jeu hybride car leurs talents leur permettent de jouer un style qui emprunte à la fois des demis et des secondeurs.
J’ai parfois l’impression que Popp a un peu coupé l’herbe sous le pied de Wally, non seulement en débauchant Hunt, mais aussi en allant chercher Rod Davis. Je crois que ce dernier aurait bien complété le personnel actuel des Lions mais que Popp l’a soufflé à Wally. Je spécule, c’est certain, mais on ne le saura jamais de toute façon.
Oui, la défensive des Lions s’annonce comme une des meilleures de la ligue encore cette année, mais je crois qu’il y aura de la concurrence.