Johnson was pretty impressive and might be a nice pick-up; but the Argos already have Williams, Ralph, Noel, Brian Jones around as "depth" or little used receivers; assuming Coombs stays and progresses at slotback, I guess Johnson might be a good addition if he could win the wide-side WR job - he has speed and could be a deep threat, but they might think they are OK already with all those other "NI receivers".
Hunter Steward and David Menard are the 2 guys on the BC FA list I would be more interested in; Steward has potential as a solid starter at either OT or OG and might be an upgrade for the Argos at either spot; Menard has a motor and plays mostly DE, but has the strength to play some DT too = a very good rotation guy; and if the likes of Finley, Gaydosh, Waud (all very solid to play in the rotation at DT IMO) or last year;s draft pick Foster are not that highly regarded ? - but the Argos seem quite solid with those 3 DTs behind Laing (not likely all 3 are retained?); another NI DE in the mix would be nice if Foster is not given a real shot by Chamblin, but not sure he would think much of Menard ?
Herb Zurkowsky is reporting that Montreal has asked for permission to talk to several BC Lions coaches as GM Kavis Reed attempts to rebuild his coaching staff. Zurkowsky thinks the targets include:
http://www.tsn.ca/report-als-ask-to-...aches-1.919717Khari Jones is the Lions offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and Mark Washington is the team's defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach.
Also on the staff with previous head coaching experience is receivers coach Marcel Bellefeuille. RDS' Didier Ormejuste previously reported that Bellefeuille is on the Alouettes' wish list for their head coaching vacancy.
How much the CFL has fallen in terms of media attention in Vancouver is reflected in the fact that coverage of the Western and Eastern finals in the Vancouver Sun only made it to page 5 of the sports section, a long drop from its glory days or even a few years ago.
It looks like Shaq Johnson, who finished second in reception yardage among Canadians and won the BC nomination for Outstanding Canadian, is planning on resigning with the Lions although he will be a free agent in February.
https://www.bclions.com/2017/11/21/s...primed-encore/Johnson is slated to become a free agent in February. He made it clear his number one priority is to put pen to paper on a new deal long before then, and is even planning on spending a big portion of his winter on the west coast. Johnson points to the chemistry with current teammates as a vital part of his development.
Former Lion Adam Bighill is bouncing back and forth between the active and practice roster. His voice in the following podcast suggests he is very frustrated by this.
http://www.tsn.ca/radio/audio/bighil...leans-1.922132Adam Bighill admits he’s not sure what the future holds, as he’s essentially on a week-to-week schedule right now, moving between the active roster and practice roster. Adam feels he can help the team if given more opportunities, but knows he needs to wait for the opportunity to show that.
Ty Long has some strong words of praise for former Argo Swayze Waters, despite competing with and soon replacing him as the Lions kicker and punter.
https://www.bclions.com/2017/11/28/a-long-development/Not only did he get named as a CFL Western Division All-Star, Long also received the club’s nomination for both Most Outstanding Rookie and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player. He insists it would not have happened without all of the guidance he received from coaches and fellow teammates.
“I’ve said this many times, there are not many better people to learn from than Swayze Waters. We roomed together in camp. Obviously some may see that as an awkward situation, but for us it was fine,” Long explained.“At the end of the day, he just had to do his job and I just had to do mine. If I had a question for Swayze he would never hesitate to help out.
Sounds like Ed Hervey will be joining the BC Lions shortly. Still no word on what Wally does though.
Questions about how Hervey will operate in BC arose in his first media session as he couldn't leave his past in Edmonton behind himself.
http://3downnation.com/2017/11/30/ne...sues-edmonton/Ed Hervey’s explanation for the media access issues during his tenure with the Edmonton Eskimos: they were Jason Maas’ fault. And the media’s.
Hervey was introduced as the Lions general manager on Thursday and the very first question he was asked dealt with media relations during his stint with the Eskimos. Edmonton abruptly closed their locker-room to reporters in 2014, breaking with longstanding tradition, and the CFL fined the team $20,000 and Maas $15,000 after Maas and quarterback Mike Reilly refused to wear live microphones during a game against the Montreal Alouettes.
Local media complained almost constantly about Hervey’s lack of availability on issues big and small and Edmonton CEO Len Rhodes also cited “resistance to provide access” as one of the main reasons for his shocking decision to fire Hervey last April.
But Hervey’s version of events lays much of the blame at Maas’ feet.
“First of all, those are misleading,” Hervey said of allegations that he wasn’t media-friendly. “The locker room has always been the coach’s decision. It will always be the coach’s decision and it was supported by the organization.
“As far as this media market here… guys, I want everyone to understand. I am a very friendly person. I am an introvert. I don’t do a whole lot of talking, I let the coaches and players do the talking. I don’t live for the limelight.
“I’m excited about building winners. That’s what we’re here for. We want more people in the stands. I’m not here to deny anyone access to the players. I never did that, nor will I ever. I don’t deny them access to the coaches. Never did that, or will I ever.”
Hervey did acknowledge, however, that he wasn’t particularly accessible during his time in Edmonton and that was largely by design.
Three Lions made the CFL All-Star team: Elimimian, Burnham and Long.
https://www.bclions.com/2017/12/05/e...med-cfl-stars/This is Elimimian’s fourth CFL All-Star selection, and it was well earned after recording 144 defensive tackles to break the single season league record he set in 2014. He set a new career-high with 15 defensive tackles in a 23-16 win at Montreal on July 6th. That total was one short of Calvin Tiggle’s all-time single game record. Elimimian was also the club’s finalist for Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Defensive honours. ...
A second consecutive season of over 1,000 receiving yards has earned Burnham a first CFL All-Star nod. Burnham finished the season with a team-leading 1,202 yards, 81 receptions, and seven touchdowns. ...
Long emerged as one of the most pleasant surprises of 2017, earning the club’s nomination for both Most Outstanding Rookie and Most Outstanding Special Teams honours
BC Lions have purged their coaching staff, wonder if they’ll talk to Condell in regards to the OC job?
https://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/b-c-li...rvey-1.3714635
Toronto Argonauts
18 Time World Champions
Could the BC Lions owner be holding the CFL hostage for one more Grey Cup? If so, he'll have benefited from four in total, while damaging the brands of two franchises. Not too becoming of a CFL Hall of Famer.
“it's not the strongest who survive nor the most intelligent but the ones most adaptable to change.’ Charles Darwin
https://www.bclions.com/2017/12/11/b...ll-operations/
Hervey adding to football ops.
Confirmed. Lions and Als have agreed to deal that sends K/WR Chris Williams to Montreal and DL Gabe Knapton to BC. #CFL #Als #Lions
— David William Naylor (@TSNDaveNaylor) December 12, 2017
Very good move by Hervey IMO, but dumb one by Kavis. Zero chance that Williams would have stuck around the Lions for much longer, not at his salary and riding the pine.
Jarious Jackson name BC Lions Offensive Coordinator
https://www.bclions.com/2017/12/14/b...e-coordinator/
Mr. Ed + tired ole Wally + now Jarious Jackson running the Lions ? Holy GOB same-old Batman.
With old Braley hanging on as owner and letting smart promotion of the team slide while he tries to sucker some potential new owner out of big buck$ ?
Fearing for a really bad scene for BC Lions football coming up. I hope not, but they could end up as clueless and lousy as the Als with the Wet-and-alls and Mavis in charge there.
Again - the CFL just does not need 2 franchises slipping and sliding away into total mediocrity and with fans disinterested or staying away in droves.
It's us vs the rest of the country
Do all successful companies ONLY hire from within - only guys from within the clique of 9 branches in a small company in a huge industry need apply ?
How long has Jackson been coaching football ? = not very long in football terms to be given a key position. Used to be, it could often take years & years or decades of built up coaching experience in football - starting from lower levels - HS or minor ball, up thru college ball - to qualify for a key position in the pros. But the CFL features all these ex-players (mostly Americans - what a shocker) who get handed coaching jobs almost right after they finished playing (i.e. with often ZERO previous coaching experience), and within a couple of years, they are getting handed key coaching positions ? Whatever, is what it is.
So, to answer your question - about GOBness there - a) Jackson has just not been coaching football very long in qualifying for vet, super experienced coaching level status, and b) - he is another example of a CFL coaching instant re-use / recycle/ re-hire policy. Classic CFL GOB stuff - just IMO anyways.
And Jackson might be a great, super football genius of a coach. And it could also be there are just no other smart, experienced football coaches out there that Braley & Wally & co. could have turned to there
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