Winning 1 on 1 battles is Required in This Locker Room.

BC Lions
1

I would like to see a COACH or the Lions stop feeling sorry for themselves and start Winning 1 on 1 battles.

Football is the ultimate team game my friends but it is also a lot of individual battles on the football field that the results usually dictate the winner of the game.

Why is BC always on the Resistant Side on the Field? Why are we missing tackles, how come we are not breaking other teams tackles? Why is our O line being smashed into out QB and being beaten countless times in the past 4 years? Why are we always running after other teams players? Why are we always running around on defense?

There is absolutely NO COMMITTMENT to WINNING 1 on 1 BATTLES on the football field–

CAMERON WAKE- This was the last man on this BC team that basically said okay I’m going to work and I’m going to DOMINATE my man and beat him all game long. I will win the majority of the 1 on 1 battles.

I have not seen one of our players COMPLETELY DOMINATE his OPPONENT this season- opposing teams don’t even mention any of our players because not one of our players is giving them any real trouble.

The closest form of consistent domination we have is our kicker PAUL MACALUM- This man’s leg should be Bronzed and place in a museum somewhere? This man has the smoothest and accurate leg around. He is pretty much automatic 3 points from 40 yards in_ That is a huge weapon if we had an offense that didn’t go 2 and out and could provide some consistent drives going we could get probably 6 to 9 extra points a game if we had a ball moving offense in which we ran high percentage plays -we would get into field goal range 2 to 3 more times and score 6 to 9 more points a game–
This is a huge weapon we have–

The BC LOCKER ROOM should have a SIGN- Winning 1 on 1 Battles is required in this LOCKER ROOM-

We need players to take their jobs seriously. I can honestly say that NOT 1 BC player is Winning his battle consistently every single week long except Macalum. This is not going to get us wins my friends, and this is the MAJOR REASON we are 0-5

Ruffin lost a 1 on 1 battle to Denmark- 70 yard Td- Winnipeg
Sanchez lost a 1 on 1 battle to Edwards - 30 yard Td- Winnipeg

14 of Winnipegs 25 points came on 2 plays, 2 Winnipeg players WINNING their 1 on 1 battles. It was nothing special, nothing amazing, just a PRO player being paid a PRO SALARY goes out and executes like they are being paid to do.

How many 1 on 1 battles did BC WIN today?

They won a lot of battles in the TRENCHES which resulted in them basically leading in the 4th qtr due to those WON battles.

BC did not win any 1 play game changing battles.

We need players to start looking at themselves as proffessionals with the RIGHT MINDSET and attitude–

I dont know what the hell Wally is telling or feeding them, but I can assure that it is TOXIC and NEGATIVE–

Players as individuals have to start WINNING their battles against their MAN in their next home game vs SASKATCHEEWAN.

There has to be that MENTAL Intense Attitude that will put our Player into the right Frame of mind where he is ULTRA COMPETITIVE along with exhibiting effective physical control.

Our defensive players should be ready to EAT SASK O line up, they should be VISUALIZING how they are going to DOMINATE your man. You dominate your man. One you keep beating your man, he WILL QUIT-- Cam Wake used to essentially make O lineman quit in which they were completely physchologically beaten before they even faced him a friend who played in the CFL told me.

If we start winning these 1 on 1 battles as individuals on offense, special teams, and defense we will be a completely different team. We need ACCOUNTABILITY in the worst way- It appears acceptable to LOSE your one on one battle on the BC Lions. We are routinely losing those 1 on 1 battles. What even makes it worse is that our head coach will CALL you out if you are getting burned and Humiliate you and stab you in the back on TSN—

Because Wally is basically CALLING out players which is a NO NO, he has injected a TOXIC culture in the football team aspect of the Lions. The players are DEFEATED before they come on the field. Look at the LIONS sidelines before the game vs Hamilton? Complete silence and not 1 player going Hyper or doing anything? A 80 year old bridge convention has more action than the LIons sidelines-
Hamiltons sidelines Steve Baggs was running during the NATIONAL ANTHEM like sprinting down his bench firing everyone up-

Bc was defeated before that game started- 5 missed tackles on a 5 yard pass, 7-0 right away from Hamilton- 14-0 hamilton 6 minutes later-- Hamilton was fired up before the game and played that way to start the game–

We lost all kinds of 1 on 1 battles vs hamilton also- We lost them on both sides of the ball–

Our entire organization is NEGATIVE and TOXIC- I have already explained how BC is already Starting the games LOSING due to the LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY–

We need to bring Players who understand that it’s not OK TO LOSE your 1 on 1 battles. You have to Win that battle at all cost and your performance is going to be judged on how you are doing with your 1 on 1 battles.

If I know Trestman like I think I do, I strongly think he is employing such a system in his locker room, which is why Montreal consistently is winning 1 on 1 battles- Huffnagel is a big fan of Execution and winning 1 on 1 battles also–

We need men that can lead other men, we dont need people who are negative in their coaching style. We need some positivity and a complete new direction—

I believe our NEW HEAD COACH should be a Serious-Meticulous-Hard Working-polite- Positive-Encouraging-Accountable- Type of COACH–

These are the Traits of a WInning Coach-- you need to be SMART, you need to be POLITE, You need to Encourage, You need to Yell , but more than anything YOU NEED TO HOLD EVERY SINGLE PLAYER ACCOUNTABLE.

Until the LIons do this NOTHING will change and we will continue to Lose games and Fans and in the process all the hard work BOB ACKLES did to restore the Lions. Once you lose a FAN BASE once and you regain it if YOU LOSE the fan BASE a SECOND TIME I think it would be hard to imagine the team ever coming back for a long period of time.

2

Does anyone remember going to the Lions games in 2004-2007-

Richard Harris, Dave Ritchie, we had REAL MEN leading our team- Who do we have now? Wally was basically a Stand me in Coach meaning that he would be provided with excellent assistant coaches that could eseentially COACH the team by themselves. Having such experienced assistants with WALLY has hidden the fact that Wally lacked any real coaching ability-
It also didnt hurt Wally that he had Doug Flutie, jeff Garcia, Dave Dickenson as his Quarterbacks in a pass driven league-

Since Dave Ritchie and Richard Harris left there was a HUGE VOID IN CHARACTER and COACHING- Guys like Dave Ritchie and Richard are the REAL COACHES- These are the guys teaching the Players about what to do and technique and about LIfe also because good coaches can relate to players and adapt to a players learning style.

Chapdelaine and Benevides are not RITCHIE and HARRIS, they dont command the players RESPECT for one as an older figure like RITCHIE and HARRIS would. Ritchie was an EX COACH in the bombers organization, he was a DEFENSIVE GENIUS, both Ritchie and Harris are BIG MEN, TALL MEN- That is easier and works better for players to respect, cause they know that both Ritchie and Harris are big MEN and they wont hesitate to intimidate and get right in their faces--

now look at Chapdealine and Benevides? Chadelaine looks Lost and I dont even know how to describe that look on his face, he looks like he could be in a James Bond movie, a Pro Poker player or your local mailman? He is not easy to relate to?

Benevides looks restless always moving like crazy on the sidleines, he looks like he like comics and is a collector type of guy, not the type that defensive pro player would take seriously--

If you look at the changes that are NEEDED perhaps we NEED bigger COACHES? It is true we do need the Right guys who the players respect- I doubt it very much that the DEFENSE respects or takes benevides serious and I doubt it the offense has any confidence and respect for CHAPDELAINE--

Wally when BC was good in 2004-2007 was lucky as he had basically 2 REALLy good CFL head coaches in Dave Ritchie and Richard Harris--

ALong with almost all of Wally's moves not replacing Dave Ritchie with an Adequate EXPEREIENCED CFL defensive coordinator was really bad and also not CHANGING towards the Current TREND of HIRING a former QB for offensive coordinator like Khari JOnes Hamilton, crandell edmonton, Dickenson Calgary, Toronto and Bc are 2 teams that dont have former QBs calling the offense and look how good their offenses are?

Wally has always been the guy that has been very fortunate to be in situations in which he is SURROUNDED by VERY COMPETENT Assistant Coaches and Elite Talent in the CFl- Even with all the talent he has had at the QB position and all the excellent coaches he still does not support the best post season record and is being blamed for the 2004 loss for sticking with his old boys roots and allowing a rusty Dave Dickeson to start over the undisupted MVP of the league who EARNED the start-

3

One move the Lions can DO and it has NOTHING to do with Football on the Field and can INCREASE their chances at a WIN is GET RID OF THESE DISGUSTING ORANGE JERSEYS--

-The worst Lions teams in Empire wore those Orange Jerseys-
-The Orange looks really bad when you are losing every week- You remind people of the tampa bay bucanners 1980's
-The Orange is a Finesse colour, its not an effective HOME COLOUR crowd----

Do you guys remember how much better looked with the BLACK JERSEYS? The black and orange jerseys, those were REAL COLOURS- We need a DARK COLOUR- We need every advantage possible---

Most of the really good teams in the NFl all wear dark colours at home--

Bring back the Black Jerseys and burn those orange ones or give them to value village--

Time to start hitting other teams and tackling and putting the Dark Eye Mascara on with the DARK JERSEYS--

4

OK, I can see the logic in all your past arguments now.

Thanks for my laugh of the day.

5

Ok GG, normally I think you are full of hot air, but this one you might have touched on something.

This team seems to be desperately searching for someone, anyone who will go out there and make that big play - Not with their lips but with their feet/helmet/hands etc.

It's a shame Geroy is getting too old to be 'that guy', because that one handed catch without breaking stride yesterday sure made me believe he's still giving it everything he's got. Likewise with Brent Johnson.

Time to man up some of you young guys on the team. Next week is a must win!

6

Game vs Sask is a MUST win for the LIons a loss at 0-6 really will not sit well with the LOCAL fans especially after the Canucks debacle. The sad fans will not even bother supporting a losing 0-6 team at all.

If the LIons were good lets say 4-1 at this point you would see the Local Van Community support the TEAM, I think they would be Happy to support a WINNING team after the Canucks sour taste in their mouths--

Changes are obviously needed on this team, nothing breaks down in a matter of a season, the missed tackles, the poor play, the bad coaching decisions are all part of a bigger problem.

The Lions have slowly in the past 3 years been GETTING worse and WEAKER as an organization. This is hardly a surprise that the LIons are playing this way.

The Lions should have a 3 year plan to GET BACK TO DOMINANT form- Look in the WEST Edmonton is going to be really GOOD for a while with TILLMAN calling the shots there, CALGARY will be good with HUFFNAGEL in town there.

In a 8 team league you cannot afford to fall behind other teams in terms of scouting, coaching, game planning, personnel, attitude, vision, accountability--

LIons are way behind in the above areas and for 3 years they could HIDE it with a few 8-10 seasons, and now you are SEEING a team that is just not CFl ready- I mean how could Wally think his team was good enough?
I attended a practice and noticed the skinny secondary from day 1, and thought wow this is not going to work with no physical presence in the secondary-

Every player needs to WIN their battles vs SASK and I can guarantee that we will be 1-5 after that game. Its really that simple-- Coaches also feel free to win your COACHING battle and out coach your opposition.

7

Don't get how Benevides still has a job. The Lions' defense has been crap every since he took over from Dave Ritchie and not only is Benevides still employed, but people float his name for head-coaching jobs every year or so.

The last time Chapdelaine had success as a coordinator in BC, Dave Dickenson was the starter and Geroy was in his physical prime. Not hard to look good with a surgeon like Dickenson lining up under center tossing balls to one of the league's elite receivers.

I'm not blaming Wally the coach. I'm blaming Wally the GM for keeping two assistants who haven't shown they can get the job done for a while now.

8

I would be very concerned if Benevides was our head coach next season. Its common knowledge around the CFl that he is overmatched every week vs opposing offensive coordinators. Benevides defense takes the deep ball away as he tries to cover the deeper areas of the field.

However he gives up underneath routes all day long and depending on the score in crucial drives he starts playing exotic zones which the opposing qb always finds guys open underneath for huge runs after catches.

If Benevides was our head coach and Wally is still there as GM, nothing is going to change, the game has simply passed Wally by, and thats evident in the fact that he has refused to hire COORDINATORS who are in touch with the CFl game today.

Braley needs to do the tough thing and let this entire staff go and let a new CREW rebuild it.

-A rebuild movement must be started asap- We need to get rid of most older veterans- Marsh, Philips, Sanchez, Brent Johnson, Korey Banks takes a pay cut or he can walk also-
Coaches should be cleaned out and start with fresh new coaches and a GM who can properly build a team--

Some of the young talent should be Kept, and some of the young talent should be released if they dont improve bigtime-
Dobson Collins---

If we think our Lions are bad this season just imagine for a second going to the games vs good coaches teams like Montreal, Calgary, and have Benevides going head to head vs TRESTMAN and Huffnagel-- That team has disaster written all over it-

Go to University of Tennesse, Florida, Missisipi, and inquire about a SAFETY-- You will find a CFL STARTING safety there--

Huffnagel has went to MISSISSIPI and TENNESSE to find 2 safeties on his team-- Milt Collins and Demetrius Morley--

Enough is enough, our starting safety was a 5'8 37 year old corner who has never played safety before! We had Jason Arakgi who got burned so bad vs Montreal that he will never play safety again--

I wonder if BC is doing any recruiting at all, it seems that Wally is content on picking up any available player that is CUT from any other team--

9

I agree that we seem to have had issues finding real stars south of the border lately; However I think this is more a link to Roy Shivers' decline than Buono's (unless we are saying it's Buono's fault for keeping Shivers around a la Chapdelaine). Maybe you're right and some new blood scouting the USA would help future versions of the Lions.

Oddly enough I still think this year's team is better than last year's - they just need to step up.

10

As a long time CFL and Lions fan....it's simple to me. I like Lulay's attitude and desire but he can't throw a long ball with any accuracy. Case in point last night when the game was on the line. The receiver was wide open and he overthrew him by 10 yards. I know it and so does every defence in the league. Unfortunately Wally's ego and blind loyalty won't allow him to put JJ in even occasionally. He has a rifle for an arm. Remember the successful 2 quarterback systems of the past? It has to be about the team and winning rather than individual egos and misplaced loyalty.