Can't argue with that post, Beag. BC inexplicably came out flat in a huge game, just as they did the week before. they couldn't move the ball at all for the first 20 minutes and couldn't tackle mmy grandma in the first half. You can't play a 35-minute game against the top team in the league and expect to come away with a win, especially on the road. Whie the offensive line, with Vali back at right guard, failed to open enough holes for the running backs but kept Demarco vertical and gave the BC pivot enough to make plays most of the time. At least a partial victory for the fa guys with the bellies floping over their belts.
Demarco missed three throws in a row to open the game and the offence went two-and out on their first three possessions. That allowed Calgary to get an early 10-0 advantage and putting BC in a hole it took another 45 minutes to get out of. Paul McCallum mishit a punt that gave Calgary good field position, which led to the Stamps first TD. #4 was late getting onto the field, which may have rushed his punt and caused it to go into the endzone, rather than his usual pinning Calgary deep. In the first quarter the run game was a disaster: 62 yars foe the Stamps and a pathetic 3 for BC The BC defense seemed more interested in causing fumbles than wrapping up ball carriers, which cost them at least one sack and numerous missed tackles. They were much better in the second half, so you have o wonder why they didn't make te changes the made a qarter earlier. A better start and BC might have made it close at the end, maybe even steal a win. Parks dropped a pick that could have gone for a TD in the first quarter, on a drive that led to Calgary's first points of the game.
Mistakes continued to hurt the Lions in the second half, though less frequently than the first half. Moore dropped an easy one ihe fourth quarter near the sideline, yet another lapse in concentration by the BC receiver. Harris let a ball slip right through his fingers. Chris Wilson lined up offside on a second down whee the Lions stopped the Stamps offence and gave them a first down instead of forcing a punt. Elimimian was flagged on a second down play where he hit the Calgary QB perhaps a bit high, a questionable call for roughing the passer which led to a fourth quarter Stamps major. Several times our receivers ran four yard patterns on second and seven and were tackled short of the first down, killing drives. Basic errors of not knowing down and distance, pretty basic mistakes for a professional team. Shawn Gore didn't turn around soon enough and misses a ball thrown right at him, what would be an easy catch. For the first two quarters BC's linebackers were either putting themselves out of the play by rushing off the edge, basically guessing, or were too close to the D line and got picked off before getting a chance to scrape to the ball carrier. Throwing to the underneath guy is a dedent first down decision for Demarco. Make the same decision on second and long and you kill the drive most of the time.
BC's impressive second half momentum dried up after they tied the Stamps with about 7:40 left in the final quarter. After that BC failed to make good first down production, a problem that continues to plague this team after fifteen games. Fair to say that BC has lost all chance of attaining first place. They've all but guaranteed Calgary will get the western final in their house, pending the result of the Saskatchewan game this weekend.
Despite all these misssteps BC had a chance to tie it uplate in the fourth quarter. But Demarco misread a coverage and threw it right to the guy in the red shirt, who took it all the way to slam the door on a Bc comeback. .
I can't imagine what was, or maybe what wasn't going through the head referee's mine, who completely ignored a roughing the kicker penalty on a McCallum punt and flagged Elimimian on a questionable tackle of Kevin Glenn late in the fourth quarter that would have give BC the ball with about 4:30 left, instead of 2:25. Instead, Calgary gets a cheap first down they don't deserve and eventually scored a touchdown to break the tie.
So the question remains: how much of these mistakes are due to execution errorsand how many are due to poor offensive coaching/play calling? I'd say it's about 85 percent poor execution, 15% a very conservative offensive coordinator, who often seems to take three or four offensive possessions to address parts of his gameplan that aren't working.
I thought Ian Smart, Nik Moore and Adam Bighill were the best Lions on the night, and Jason Arakgi gets an honourable mention for being a demon on the cover teams. BC has another opportunity to right the ship in Mosaic next Friday, in a game that wiBC's second half momentum dried up after they tied the Stamps with about 7:40 left in the final quarter. After that BC failed to make good first down production, a problem that continues to plague this team after fifteen games. Fair to say that BC has lost all chance of attaining first place. They've all but guaranteed Calgary will get the western final in their house, pending the result of the Saskatchewan game this weekend.robably determine the final standings in the werstern conference. Lets hope they can start stronger and for once, play from a lead.
Dooger in Surrey :cowboy: