Lions at Riders GDT Sat 600PM CT

[TecnoGenius]

Oh my gosh, we lose a close one to the argos—a game we should have won had our kicker showed up, and everyone is in crisis mode

But had our O been on their game we should have put up 30 on them while the D maybe gives up 1 more score.

We can't say we just lost by a kick or 2 because (as MOS said in post-game) TOR would have played differently had we been scoring.  TOR knew they could sit back, take zero chances, and wait for us to screw up, because that's what we did all night.  They gambled we wouldn't get 2 scores and they were right.

If we go up 1 or 2 scores then Kelly would be back to normal mode and chucking the ball everywhere.  You think TOR would have kept handing the ball off for 2&outs in the 4th had we been ahead?

Bombers are fine, bc s a joke, riders are the team to beat in the west and we ll get that done when the time comes

Bombers are fine, when they're awake and on point.  The problem is sleeping through a critical game that gets us the home WDF.  Now we're lucky if it's 50/50 we can earn a home WDF.  Why do it the hard way if you can do it the easy way?

You like the idea of heading to SSK for a WDF after getting beaten up 1 week earlier by BC?

Montreal has nothing to play for in the upcoming game this and we need the win for home field and first place. I think we beat them at home watch sask beat bc in playoffs and then we take the riders out and it's am Argos vs bomber grey cup and we re due to beat them then

I haven't watched the MTL game today yet, but it will give a good sign as to how they are playing it.  They've said it's 100% full bore... we shall see.

Even if they start Alexander, we can't sleep on that future starting QB.  If they start him he'll be given free rein to see what he can do.

And if they start Cody and play him most of the game, they'll want to show the whole country they are the dominant team heading into the playoffs.  Beating a desperate WPG team would be great for their morale, especially when they can say they also "weren't really trying".  Talk about perfect bookends for MTL: beat WPG week 1 to prove they earned the '23 cup, and beat WPG in the final week to prove they are the favorite for the '24 cup.

We could have been in a situation where our final game was pointless and we started all of our backups as a reward for their hard work all season!  It's all so stupid.

[TecnoGenius]

Have to somewhat disagree. I don't think they were "playing to the best of their abilities". They did with an 8-0 run, and were playing against some equally good defences, but not that game. Zack and the O-line were off but so was the play calling.

100% agreed.  If that's the best of their abilities, we're in deep deep trouble.

Certainly hind-sight is 20/20 but on the 2nd and third down at the Toronto 3 yard line I was screaming at the TV to give the ball to Olivera! Once Toronto jammed them on 2nd down I could see it coming.

I've said it before: MOS never gives it to the RB from the 3 at the GL.  It's sneaks all the way.  And why not, Prukop would almost always get it for us.  Our new SY QBs and OL just aren't as good.

We simply are not a team who gives it to the RB in that situation.  Many teams are.  Not us.  Maybe we need to change that mindset seeing as how we have to live with our limitations...

Don't forget, TOR was often stuffing Brady on 2nd & short... I bet they stuff him there too.  The solution isn't to Brady it: the solution is to get better at SY (which most likely means upgrades to the OL next season).

[northof30]

Don't forget, TOR was often stuffing Brady on 2nd & short... I bet they stuff him there too.
[/quote]

I'd take that bet!

[TecnoGenius]

I'd take that bet!

In that game I would have given Brady 50/50 getting that TD from the 3.  Our SY geting 1.5Y x2 should have been 95%+ back in our SY heydays (LeFeve, McGuire, Prukop).

If the problem is our OL, which I think 80% of it is, then that same OL will also fail to get the holes to get Brady in.  The reason Brady can still get 50/50 is that there are so many other holes you can hit and plays you can make on a run vs a sneak to overcome breakdowns and penetration.

[J5V]

In that game I would have given Brady 50/50 getting that TD from the 3.  Our SY geting 1.5Y x2 should have been 95%+ back in our SY heydays (LeFeve, McGuire, Prukop).

If the problem is our OL, which I think 80% of it is, then that same OL will also fail to get the holes to get Brady in.  The reason Brady can still get 50/50 is that there are so many other holes you can hit and plays you can make on a run vs a sneak to overcome breakdowns and penetration.

We always do the same thing on SY, sneak it into the line. The D knows this and stacks the box. All we need to do is mix it up, keep the D guessing, with the QB taking off wide once in a while, or the FB taking off wide once in a while, or throw it/pitch it once in a while. For some reason, this doesn't appear to be a part of our offensive philosophy. We are so predictable on offense a lot of the time. It reminds me again of the Lapo years when everyone knew what we were going to do on almost every play it seemed like.

[J5V]

We could have been in a situation where our final game was pointless and we started all of our backups as a reward for their hard work all season!  It's all so stupid.

Not if you think of it as a process, which very well may be how the regular season is perceived. We may go into these games with specific, predetermined, long-term goals which get mistaken for stubborness. We're not as concerned with who our opponent is as with how we want to play our game. Maybe the goal isn't to have meaningless games at the end of the season so we can rest. Maybe the goal is to keep working on our game, focus on what we do, keep developing what we perceive to be our strengths and let the chips fall where they may. It certainly looked that way in 2019 when we had to beat Calgary, Sask, and then an unbeatable 15-3 Hamilton team. None of those teams could match our intensity by the time we got to the playoffs and then the Grey Cup.

[TecnoGenius]

We always do the same thing on SY, sneak it into the line. The D knows this and stacks the box. All we need to do is mix it up, keep the D guessing, with the QB taking off wide once in a while, or the FB taking off wide once in a while, or throw it/pitch it once in a while. For some reason, this doesn't appear to be a part of our offensive philosophy. We are so predictable on offense a lot of the time. It reminds me again of the Lapo years when everyone knew what we were going to do on almost every play it seemed like.

When we had Strev he would run to C gap or edge sometimes.  He certainly had more gap variance than we give Wilson, but it's early days for the rookie.

Keep in mind that the play that crippled Strev this season was going to be his first SY pass (2nd & 1 I think).  That may have soured MOS/Buck on passing.  Plus, Wilson as an unproven rookie might botch a pass attempt (which Prukop was also bad at).

You don't always have to have the option to pass or go edge around to have a good SY.  Just look at Mackie in BC.  He's not even a QB thus has zero threat of pass.  And he's slow so there's no threat of edge runs.  So every knows it's A or B gap, or maybe in a rare case C gap.  Yet he's making basically 100% of his attempts.

Probably has more to do with the OL capability and execution.  I think our hoggies might not be fat enough.  I wonder what our combined weight is compared to other teams.  I like that Dobson seems to have really bulked up this year, but Lofton isn't super huge, and neither is Ko-man.  And Eli is very small.  Having Wallace available again for SY might help.

[TecnoGenius]

It certainly looked that way in 2019 when we had to beat Calgary, Sask, and then an unbeatable 15-3 Hamilton team. None of those teams could match our intensity by the time we got to the playoffs and then the Grey Cup.

Or we peaked too early with the BB and HAM games...

[ModAdmin]

Or we peaked too early with the BB and HAM games...

If you are playing and believing 1 and 0 every game, which is the Bomber mantra, there is no such thing as "peaking".

[blue_gold_84]

If you are playing and believing 1 and 0 every game, which is the Bomber mantra, there is no such thing as "peaking".

Well, that and the fact that an eight-game winning streak holds a ton more water than a single loss (by all of three points).

[Blue In BC]

Lions may not have had a choice in needing to start Adams this week. The team was headed down to drain. Now how this impacts going into the play offs is a giant question. Adams is streaky and he could look good or look bad. Not all of the problems fall only to the play of their QB.

The question that looms is how does this impact Rourke going into 2025? By that I mean are the Lions going to be willing to pay him $750K. Do they have any leverage to re-negotiate his contract?  While that isn't normal it's not going to be just swept under the carpet if you're not playing well. Especially if he gets benched for the playoffs.

If Adams plays and does well in the play offs, will the Lions try to retain both QB's or does it just increase his trade value?

It's going to be an interesting game this week to see how this starts to shake out.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Or we peaked too early with the BB and HAM games...

...Maybe we should have lost that one?

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Lions may not have had a choice in needing to start Adams this week. The team was headed down to drain. Now how this impacts going into the play offs is a giant question. Adams is streaky and he could look good or look bad. Not all of the problems fall only to the play of their QB.

The question that looms is how does this impact Rourke going into 2025? By that I mean are the Lions going to be willing to pay him $750K. Do they have any leverage to re-negotiate his contract?  While that isn't normal it's not going to be just swept under the carpet if you're not playing well. Especially if he gets benched for the playoffs.

If Adams plays and does well in the play offs, will the Lions try to retain both QB's or does it just increase his trade value?

It's going to be an interesting game this week to see how this starts to shake out.

No.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

When we had Strev he would run to C gap or edge sometimes.  He certainly had more gap variance than we give Wilson, but it's early days for the rookie.

Keep in mind that the play that crippled Strev this season was going to be his first SY pass (2nd & 1 I think).  That may have soured MOS/Buck on passing.  Plus, Wilson as an unproven rookie might botch a pass attempt (which Prukop was also bad at).

You don't always have to have the option to pass or go edge around to have a good SY.  Just look at Mackie in BC.  He's not even a QB thus has zero threat of pass.  And he's slow so there's no threat of edge runs.  So every knows it's A or B gap, or maybe in a rare case C gap.  Yet he's making basically 100% of his attempts.

Probably has more to do with the OL capability and execution.  I think our hoggies might not be fat enough.  I wonder what our combined weight is compared to other teams.  I like that Dobson seems to have really bulked up this year, but Lofton isn't super huge, and neither is Ko-man.  And Eli is very small.  Having Wallace available again for SY might help.

Never did replace Bailey's success on jet sweeps, even with Demski and Lucky on the field at the same time, they haven't run many outside sweeps this season. 3 or 4 a game would be enough to spread the D out enough to widen the gaps and get the LB's chasing the fakes.

[TecnoGenius]

If you are playing and believing 1 and 0 every game, which is the Bomber mantra, there is no such thing as "peaking".

... "in their mind", you should add.  The 1&0 mantra is a belief system, it doesn't have to give results in reality.  A team that fully believes it can still "peak" at a certain time of the season.

I'm not saying that's us: I'm usually the optimist.  Just pointing out that the other voices (not just on this forum) that have invoked the "p" word could be right.

I still say the TOR game was the infinitely easier game to win instead of the upcoming @MTL slobberknocker.  The Monday game also meant something to OTT, and look how they got destroyed: by a #2 QB!!  MTL players are also "believing" right now...