With another tough start to the CFL season, is it time for Wally Buono to step aside?
Three weeks into the Canadian Football League season and B.C. Lions’ general manager/head coach Wally Buono has been given a vote of confidence by team owner David Braley, whose team is 0-3.
"Never even given it a thought," Braley said in the Vancouver Province regarding the removal of Buono. "I make my decisions independently. I do have people I respect but it would be absolutely inappropriate for me to discuss them. I’m not very happy. I get a sense of discomfort about the position we’re in. There are some things where you have to shake your head. There might be one or two adjustments in personnel. But this is not a wholesale shipwreck."
Wow.
We’re not talking about any head coach we’re talking about the top-winning head coach in CFL history.
Or as Jim Lang would say Wally (Freakin’) Bouno.
Buono had a rough start last year, winning the first game and then losing seven in a row, before the team rebounded and finished 8-10.
The decision to make Travis Lulay the starting quarterback in the second half of the season and dump Casey Printers, contributed to the turnaround.
Lulay is playing decently this year and is currently third overall in passing yardage, though critics say the team has no run game.
In fact, Lulay is the team’s leading rusher, which usually means a quarterback is running for his life because no quarterback, short of Damon Allen, Tracy Ham, Kerry Joseph and Doug Flutie, had the capability to carry the ball on designed plays.
If Buono is guilty of something, it’s that he got away from the run too much last year and is making the same mistake again.
You could also suggest he is guilty of playing young receivers, who have cost the Lions dearly in their first two games. He did add some veteran presence to the lineup in the third game, using Kamau Peterson for his first start of the season.
Geroy Simon can’t do it all by himself, and you can see his frustration starting to grow.
You could also say Buono has used some bad strategy so far, which he has admitted to after the first game, when he did not gamble on third-and-five late and going for a field goal.
As the expression goes, you go down gambling.
But Buono got greedy, thinking his defence could stop the opposition, which happened to be Montreal, and the Lions lost by four.
Buono also decided in the second-last game to go for a two-point conversion, with plenty of time in the fourth quarter against Calgary, rather than going for a single.
His reason was simple: when is a good time to do it? The Lions lost by two on a failed two-point convert. Also he may have called a timeout too soon, rather than holding on to it to use late in the game.
Look, Buono just didn’t get dumb, although some of his moves this year haven’t been smart.
One thing is really pivotal: The Lions have to win at home, particularly in their temporary digs while waiting to move into their old, refurbished home in the fall.
For whatever reason, playing outdoors hasn’t agreed with them as they were 3-6 last year at Empire Stadium.
Yes, B.C. Place sucks the air and energy out of opponents – it is stifling in there because of the lid – but the Lions have to make use of their current home.
Because the Lions play host to the Grey Cup this year, there is pressure to win.
The reality is, after this season I wouldn’t be surprised if Buono gives up coaching, win or lose. What more does he need to do in his career?
It would be a hell of a way to go out if the Lions win the Cup at home but if they fail to make the playoffs, well, you know the critics will be howling for his head. Does he really need to be doing both jobs at his age anyway?
I’m not saying he’s old. Just saying he’s done enough in his career to cut back.
Only three games have expired so far, and while the Lions are winless, they do not look as helpless as, say, Saskatchewan, and no one is calling for Greg Marshall’s head – at least not in any media reports or comments from his superiors.
The Lions have had arguably the toughest schedule so far of any team, as all of their opponents have a winning record, a combined 8-1.
The Lions play host to the Ticats Friday night, who are coming off a dominating win over Saskatchewan last Saturday. Are the Ticats really that good or are the Riders really that bad?
The Ticats beat the Lions 35-31 last year, in a rare game in which the Ticats won out West.
Should be interesting to see what happens this time.
On a side note, the Lions and Toronto Argonauts are a combined 1-5 so far this year, tough times for the Braley Bunch indeed.
