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    BC Lions Thread

    After several years of decline in both wins and attendance, Wally Buono has once again taken over as head coach of the BC Lions. The question is can he re-engender his old winning form. Is Jonathan Jennings the QB who can do that or will defences have him figured out in his sophomore year, after seeing what he could do in his rookie season. Is Lulay capable of a comeback? Can the Lions resign Andrew Harris and have him lead the offence?


    The winningest head coach in the history of the Canadian Football League is back in the saddle, four years after he kicked himself upstairs, because after hiring and firing two head coaches who didn't work out, either he decided he was the best man for the job, or David Braley said: "You made this mess, fix it."
    He insists it’s the former.

    “Let’s just say I’m rekindled. I’m eager to do what I think I was made to do.”
    And though it’s not without trepidation that he becomes the one and only place the buck stops, he said, “If I’m going to be successful, that’s probably the only way I can do it. And that’s not a reflection on anybody but me.”
    He has totally low-keyed the assembly of a coaching staff, hasn’t ventured into any of the splashy bidding for the Weston Dresslers or John Chicks of early-onset free agency, and isn’t tipping his hand on what he’s looking for once actual free agency opens Feb. 9, other than to say “we have a plan.”
    Buono is entering his 14th season in Vancouver, which is fairly remarkable in a town that’s gone from hockey GMs Brian Burke to Dave Nonis to Mike Gillis to Jim Benning in that span, from Marc Crawford to Alain Vigneault to John Tortorella to Willie Desjardins behind the bench.
    None of them has escaped controversy, and five of them haven’t escaped the axe, either.
    The last couple of seasons have been substandard for the Lions. Buono is tight with the owner, but he’s also about to turn 66.
    The fans are restless, and in one of those “show me” moods that could make a mediocre year hazardous to the bottom line.
    “We have to put a competitive, entertaining product on the field. To me, I don’t have longevity to accomplish this,” he said. The smile was audible on the phone line.
    “I’m not a college coach on a five-year plan.”
    The faithful (to a point) will be glad to hear it.






    http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/cole+failure+longer+option+buono+lions/11685892/story.html






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    Wally is an all-time winning CFL coach -he's put together some outstanding teams, and deserves the kudos for that.

    However - this time around I say NO - he will fall flat as HC this attempt: the Lions don't have that much talent, and Wally is stuck in typical CFL gob ways and will not have the answers - either play-book & game calling wise, or in building a strong roster (he'll find a few good new imports but continue to have a limited view of NI talent)

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    Quote Originally Posted by OV Argo View Post
    Wally is an all-time winning CFL coach -he's put together some outstanding teams, and deserves the kudos for that.

    However - this time around I say NO - he will fall flat as HC this attempt: the Lions don't have that much talent, and Wally is stuck in typical CFL gob ways and will not have the answers - either play-book & game calling wise, or in building a strong roster (he'll find a few good new imports but continue to have a limited view of NI talent)
    Also OV, wonder what the owners strategy will be moving forward, will he put any constraints on Buono or let him carry out is own vision.
    Although I have never been a huge Wally fan you can't argue his success in the CFL, but I think Buono's best days are behind him.

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    I'll bet he turns them around this year. His record speaks for itself.
    It's us vs the rest of the country

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    Quote Originally Posted by AngeloV View Post
    I'll bet he turns them around this year. His record speaks for itself.
    With so many FA's this year it could happen, but as it currently stands, I don't think the Lions have the talent to be a playoff contender, time will tell obviously.

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    Quote Originally Posted by SnowRogue View Post
    With so many FA's this year it could happen, but as it currently stands, I don't think the Lions have the talent to be a playoff contender, time will tell obviously.

    Considering what Braley did in his last year of ownership of the Argos, its not likely he is interested in spending lots of money on free agents. The only way that I can see him doing that is if he feels he needs to do it help increase the sale price of the Lions. Since he will be 75 in May and has said he wanted to sell both the Argos and Lions by 75, that should be happening sometime this year. However, IMO, it is much more likely he will keep the Lions on a subsistence income, making Buono's task very difficult.

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    Quote Originally Posted by AngeloV View Post
    I'll bet he turns them around this year. His record speaks for itself.
    I am going to disagree with you here, AV. I just feel that Wally's best before date has passed. The Lions will be fortunate to finish as high as third in the west this year with fourth or even fifth more likely IMO. That market needs to be re-energized so I hope it works out better than that but I don't have a lot of confidence.
    Chad Kelly + Dan Adeboboye + David Ungerer + Damonte Coxie + DaVaris Daniels + Dejon Brissett = Unstoppable Force

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    Quote Originally Posted by ArgoRavi View Post
    I am going to disagree with you here, AV. I just feel that Wally's best before date has passed. The Lions will be fortunate to finish as high as third in the west this year with fourth or even fifth more likely IMO. That market needs to be re-energized so I hope it works out better than that but I don't have a lot of confidence.
    We shall see. I still don't get the best before date thing. Did he not coach his team to a championship the last year he coached? There is no clear sign he EVER lost it as a coach.
    It's us vs the rest of the country

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    I suspect Buono has been told to sign Lulay at a backup pay and forget Harris as Braley tries to run the team on the cheap.

    Buono says #BCLions unlikely to make an offer to Andrew Harris: “I dont believe that we will." A Travis Lulay return sounds likely. @TSN1040

    https://twitter.com/FarhanLaljiTSN/status/6947039495641128



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    Speaking to TSN 1040 Vancouver on Tuesday, Lions general manager Wally Buono said the team does not plan to extend a contract offer to the pending free agent.
    “At this point, I’m not saying we’re going to make him an offer. I don’t believe that we will. I think that at this point, it’s time for the club to look at doing things differently. When you look at the eight years he’s had here - he’s had eight great years. There’s times that you say, ‘okay, we’re going to go in a new direction. We appreciate all an individual has done, and sometimes it’s just good to find a new place to go.”
    Harris, who turn 29 in April, finished second in the league with1,039 rushing yards last season. The two-time CFL All-Star also carried the ball 42 more times than the next nearest player in the CFL. His 1,523 yards from scrimmage also led the league.
    "At this point I'm just going to enjoy the off-season and get some Andrew time and reassess where I want to be," Harris said after the season. "I just want to be somewhere I'm happy. I'm near the end of my career now, so there are some different factors that come into play with that."
    Harris has been with the Lions since 2010, but didn’t play his first snap with the team until 2011. Since then, he has rushed for 4,259 yards and 24 touchdowns across five seasons. He has added 2,639 yards and 21 touchdowns on 265 receptions.

    http://www.tsn.ca/buono-lions-don-t-...arris-1.432327

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    I doubt it on Buono. He has been the GM the past 5 years as the Lions have gone downhill, bringing in all the coaches and the players that are the "problem," but he has been the one constant.

    People here know better than I, but did Don Matthews have success in his last few years?

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    Quote Originally Posted by KCargosfan View Post
    I doubt it on Buono. He has been the GM the past 5 years as the Lions have gone downhill, bringing in all the coaches and the players that are the "problem," but he has been the one constant.

    People here know better than I, but did Don Matthews have success in his last few years?
    Except for the last 8 games he took over for the Argos in his very last stint, I would say he always had success. And let's face it, that was not a team he put together.

    Maybe Wally has a difficult time putting together a team for a coach other than himself. He may be signing players that fit the model he wants, but not necessarily the coach he has. We shall see. I just can't say he will fail. In his 23 years as a HC, he has only had 1 year in which his team won less than 8 games.
    It's us vs the rest of the country

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    Buono rounded out his coaching staff today with only 2 coaches in the same position as last year and several new ones.

    GM Wally Buono, back as head coach of the Lions for the first time since 2011, has his entire coaching staff in place now. Adam Blasetti (RB coach) and other new hires were officially introduced at a news conference Tuesday in the team’s locker-room.
    Defensive coordinator Mark Washington and defensive line coach Robin Ross are the only holdovers returning to last year’s positions. Khari Jones has been promoted from receivers coach to offensive coordinator while Dan Dorazio is back after a one-year stint with the Saskatchewan Roughriders as offensive line coach. He replaces Doug Malone, who has moved on to become the offensive coordinator at Western Illinois. Marcel Bellefeuille, let go as offensive coordinator of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, takes over as the receivers coach, Marcello Simmons is the special teams coordinator and Chris Tormey takes over from Johnny Holland as linebackers coach. Holland, who expressed a desire to look for NFL opportunities at the end of last season, was hired Monday by the Cleveland Browns and will coach the inside linebackers on the staff of new head coach Hue Jackson.

    http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/b...266/story.html

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    Like every other general manager in the Canadian Football League, Wally Buono builds through the draft, finds overlooked or under-appreciated talent at free-agent camps and takes calculated risks on the occasional castoff. He has never been one to take the elastic band off the cheque book for a sign-anyone approach when free agency starts. Indeed, with the off-season signings of receiver Manny Arceneaux, right tackle Jovan Olafioye, defensive back Ryan Phillips, starting guard Kirby Fabien, wide receiver Shawn Gore and others, he already feels he’s locked up starters and impact players who would have been premium free agents had they gone on the open market. The official stampede begins Tuesday at 9 a.m.
    http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/f...ons/index.html

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    Although Buono lost arguably the most important free agent in Andrew Harris, as well as Pascal Lochard and Alex Hoffman-Ellis, overall IMO he gained or kept more than he lost with the resigning of Chris Rainey and the addition of Mike Edem, Nick Moore and Brandon Stewart.

    Lions defensive coordinator Mark Washington was a big promoter of University of Calgary safety Mike Edem in the 2013 Canadian Football League draft. He never got a chance to coach Edem, however, when the Montreal Alouettes selected the now 26-year-old from Brampton, Ont., third overall, three spots ahead of the Lions.

    But Washington’s faith never wavered in Edem, even though his career did. An East Division all-star in his rookie season in Montreal, Edem’s play slipped with the Alouettes and he was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last October.On Tuesday, the first day of Canadian Football League free agency, Edem came to terms with the Lions, who also added receiver Nick Moore from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and cornerback Brandon Stewart, another Tiger-Cat. Both Edem and Stewart signed two-year deals. Moore, who started his CFL career in 2011 with the Lions, signed for a single season. ...


    “We’ve improved our team,” Buono said. “Have we made a big splash? That’s not the issue. We made a splash earlier by signing Travis (Lulay) and Chris Rainey. Today was about making our team better and stronger. We had bigger needs than in years past. Because of the loss of (nickelback) Josh Johnson and (cornerback) Steven Clarke (both to the NFL), that resulted in more openings. Trying to improve your Canadian content, with Mike Edem, is another part of it. I still believe his best is yet to come.”

    Moore, 29, had his only 1,000-yard season with the Lions in 2013, when he had 73 catches, 1,105 yards and six touchdowns before he bolted for Winnipeg in free agency. He is back — at a reduced ticket from the $185,000-a-year deal he signed with the Blue Bombers.

    “The thing I was sensitive to is the coaches went to bat for Nick,” Buono said. “It wasn’t strictly me. When we sat down, we talked about what we wanted to do in free agency, and see how we were going to build our team. The consensus was, over and over again, if we had this kind of receiver, he would definitely help us.”
    Moore’s signing received a push from Marcel Bellefeuille, the Lions’ new receivers coach, who was the offensive coordinator last season in Winnipeg.





    http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/L...493/story.html




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    Winnipeg was extremely foolish if they paid Moore $185K a year.

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    Quote Originally Posted by KCargosfan View Post
    Winnipeg was extremely foolish if they paid Moore $185K a year.
    Tell us how you really feel about him. lol

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    Yes he can. Harris wasn't a big play performer in big games and I'm more than sure that contributed to Bouno's decision to let him walk. Although a respectable Canadian back, Harris's departure does leave room for a Canadian replacement at another position and Bouno acted quickly in signing Mike Edem. It's not as if the Lions were not competitive last year, but I thought their defense ran out of gas in the 2nd half of many games last season. The offense was a little erratic learning Tedford's new offense but I thought the personnel was decent.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gill The Thrill View Post
    Yes he can. Harris wasn't a big play performer in big games and I'm more than sure that contributed to Bouno's decision to let him walk. Although a respectable Canadian back, Harris's departure does leave room for a Canadian replacement at another position and Bouno acted quickly in signing Mike Edem. It's not as if the Lions were not competitive last year, but I thought there defense ran out of gas in the 2nd half of many games last season. The offense was a little erratic learning Tedford's new offense but I thought the personnel was decent.
    They were already starting a Canadian at safety though; which is the most likely spot for Edem this season.

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    Quote Originally Posted by SnowRogue View Post
    They were already starting a Canadian at safety though; which is the most likely spot for Edem this season.
    Yes, but the Canadian (Eric Fraser) they were starting at safety isn't very good. He can throw the odd hit over the middle, that's about it.
    It's us vs the rest of the country

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