Though the last game of the season for the Lions was a mean nothing game as far the standings are concerned it was nice to see the Lions play hard and beat Calgary. Yes, Cornish saw limited play and Calgary rotated its QBs but several of the Lions were playing as if it were already playoff game. Logan looked great and I was pleasantly surprised to see how well Lulay played after such a long lay off. He made some great passes. It was good to see his throwing arm did not appear to be bothering him.
After seeing Logan since he hit the field these past few games it appears that Harris is ratcheting up his performance level. I’m very impressed with Logan and Logan may be just what the Lions need to get a running game going. Having a good running game is critical.
We don’t really know if Calgary was on cruise control but quite honestly I don’t care. I don’t think any pro “wants” to lose or doesn’t care if the team loses. If anything, these guys play with pride and getting humiliated by a score of 26-7 isn’t something someone doesn’t take to heart.
This game gave the coaching staff a chance to give Lulay some much needed on field exposure. Pierce had a chance to sharpen his skills as did DeMarco. Harris certainly wasn’t playing like it was an exhibition game nor was Logan.
A few weeks ago I was giving the Lions low odds to beat SSK. At this point I think they can beat SSK in the semi-final and if they do Calgary had better be ready. Let us not forget what happened to Calgary last year. After knocking off the 1st place Lions in the Western Final, Calgary was beaten by team a that 9 and 9!
Shut SSK’s Cory Sheets down, force Durant to rush his passes, and keep Dresser and Getzlaf in check and the Lions could just take out SSK! :thup:
We will see what happens but I do agree with everything you have said , if the Sask roughriders at any time take the lions lightly they are in for a big surprise. I would love to see them beat the roughriders and then beat Calgary and go into there dressing room and take over there lockers for the grey cup, But I think a lot of things are going to have to happen for the lions to do that , first of all the lions are going to have to keep both quarterbacks healthy, without Lullay And Pierce this team is not going any ware AND I do not want to see demarco on the field at all,( except for short conversions) his confidence is to low if he has to take over. also Logan and Harris are going to have to light it up, without those too guys going, it is not going to happen, and of course that opens up the pass.
It was a game that bc had to win for morale and confidence reasons, and calgary could not match their intensity level, because there was really no reason for them to play the game hard. After the injuries started to pile up, you could tell the stamps were just counting down the seconds. Many of their best players either didn't play or saw minimal reps (cornish, taylor, price, west, etc.)
Yes, it's better to win, but bc better not think that is the opponent they are going to get in calgary if they make it past the riders, which i hope for but kind of doubt.
I know the OP is an unflappable optimist about his team, which is impressive, but in my opinion the lions aren't good enough to plow through to the grey cup.
"I know the OP is an unflappable optimist about his team, which is impressive, but in my opinion the lions aren't good enough to plow through to the grey cup." …by faq
Read through some of my posts and you will see that I'm not nearly as unflappable as you suggest. I've said on numerous occasions that it would be quite the accomplishment if the Lions made it to the Grey Cup. I even started a thread about the "real" Grey Cup being on November 17, aka the Western Final between Calgary and SSK. Read my opening post on that thread and the title is self-explanatory.
It is possible with a healthy Lulay and Pierce and the services of Logan to generate a solid run game for the Lions to keep things close….and even knock off both SSK and the Stamps. Possible but not probable. The O-Line will have to be strong and Sheets will have to be stuffed. Cornish too. Nothing unflappable about those observations!
Glad the post season has begun, and everybody's ready to lay it on the line in Mosaic. Looking forward to the tilt in Mosaic on Sunday. Both the Riders and BC seem pretty healthy going into the post-season, unlike Calgary, who have two weeks to find two import defensive tackles and a good go-to guy for Kevin Glenn.
What to do about Saskatchewan, to give BC a fighting chance of advancing to the Western Final?:Get Elimimian healthy. The offensive and defensive line needs to be dominant. It'll be noisy and windy, so the key is stopping the other team when they have the wind at their backs. Win the line of scrimmage, limit the production of Sheets, both a a runner and from passes, find a way to limit Dressler and spy Durant to limit his running, mostly on second downs. All 12 guys must be focussed on limiting the run, especially on second down. Keep him in the pocket and get consistent push from the defensive tackles. And don't forget about Geroy. On offence get 3 or 7 on as many possessions as possible and don't turn it over. Use both backs to keep Saskatchewan off-balance. And if you're lucky, get a break or two going your way.
"spy Durant to limit his running, mostly on second downs."…by dooger
I do not know what is but Durant is like Houdini wearing football pads. This guy is regular escape artist. So many times I've seen guys have him in their clutches only to see the guy escape and convert a loss into a huge gain. Uncanny.
The Lions hope their new ringer, ie the duo of Logan and Harris, will be the difference BC needs to prevail in Mosaic. Saskatchewan has yet to play the Lions, now that Joystick is back. One guy who simultaneously improves their run and return games. He's BC's version of a "Chad Owens" type of player.
Kudos to Wally for bringing in Logan, as well as former Lion Chris Wilson and new Lion Jermaine Reed, to bolster BC's defensive line and improve their pass rush. BC's defense have to win the line of scrimmage and come up big to limit drives to three points and get some turnovers and short fields for our offence.
Of course BC needs a great, mistake-free game from whomever is behind center. Ditto for their offensive line, who've been better lately. I anticipate BC starting Pierce, with Lulay able to run a few more series than last week. And we have a healthy Demarco who looked better last game, not having to win games by himself with his new-look run game.
Last week BC avoided any penalties against a listless Stamps team who just wanted to get it over with and get home. Continuing to eliminate or lessen these kind of lazy, selfish errors will go a long way to helping BC compete, possible flourish, against a game Riders team in their yard.
