The new season is upon us as the Penrith Lions get set to not only match up against the rest of the league, everyone bright-eyed and bushy tailed and ready to take on the challenge of taking the title away from the Zena Soneros and the BC South division, who have won the last four titles in a row, but also seeing how they staked up against the rest of the league after everything from the offseason and preseason games. The Lions come into the regular season off the back of a 2-2 preseason, with some wondering if this is again another season of seeing the Lions performing on the field, but just unable to get the points on the board.

The Lions have made some changes across both sides of the ball in the offseason, namely welcoming new backup quarterback in Rueben Hankins from Porth Emmett, many wondered whether last season, the Lions would trade for him when there was talk of Joe Chacon being out of favour with Head Coach Roy Rodriguez, but they stuck with Chacon and were very lucky to make it into the postseason, losing out to a Paris team that made it all the way to the title game. Penrith have also welcomed in several new faces to the offense including former draftee in Anthony Rodriguez, who will play backup to tight end Wayne Snyder. The most interesting call of the preseason seems to be the decision not to run with a dedicated fullback, with the Lions opting to go down the road of using their running back group in that position, so could it be a master stroke or a disaster waiting to happen?

Much of the offensive line have returned, with the only real additions being the sole drafted player by the Lions in tackle Ernest Morley and free agent rookie guard John Ward, who was released by the Corpses after being drafted but has seemingly found a home at Penrith, only allowing three tackles in the four preseason games. Defensively, there have been some changes, but with a defense that let in the third least number of points last season (bettered by only Paris and Edlington), there may have been the thought of seeing very little change. They have welcomed in several new players namely rookie safety Jackson Real, who was traded from the Kings during the offseason and Todd Vick, who signed from Heliopolis in free agency. There is the hope that the defense will again be the performers for the team, allowing the offense to get back on track after scoring the seventh most points last season, the Lions will be looking to move up the table in that respect.

Many have questioned the decision for the Lions to only draft a single player in the draft, with the questions being more about how the team plans to improve, rather than the number of selections they used. For a team that went 9-7 last season, many may think that the improvement is there, but they just can’t see it. Speaking to the media this week, as Head Coach Roy Rodriguez heads into his second season with the team, he was asked about how the team is shaping up heading into the season and how they are managing expectations, with many saying that the Lions will either tread water this season or go backwards:-

“That’s not how we see things, we are always looking at where our team can improve and where are we going. We felt that in the draft, that we were in a better position to draft in the first round and then go after undrafted free agents and undrafted rookies, it gave us a better chance to spend more time evaluating our players that we have already, evaluating the free agents on the market, and even the trade market; and we feel that as a team we have come out of the offseason, the draft and even preseason with a solid foundation from last year and through this offseason to keep on striving for the next step. It may take time, we don’t know how it’s going to play out, but we are confident in our abilities, confident in what we have in place, and confident that we can achieve our goals this season”

Penrith have a tough first matchup, facing off against the Florence Fools away from home, but it doesn’t get any easier after this, so they are going to need to get off on the right foot straight away and take charge of the game from the outset, otherwise, it will not only be a tough matchup, but a tough season ahead. The Fools are coming into the season off the back of a slow 1-3 preseason, managing only a victory over the Rhinos, and being blown out by both Batman and Edlington, with a tight loss against the Violent Vermin rounding out their preseason. They were one of the quieter teams during the offseason, very much relying on the draft to rebuild a team that improved to 6-10 last season, after some leaner years prior. Their first round pick in safety Bombo Rivera looks to be the improvement at safety that they needed, managing 17 tackles from only three games played. Last season, Florence let in on average 12.9 points per game, and if the two games last season between these two teams is anything to go by, the form guide is out the window and through the shredder, with the Fools winning the earlier game 18-13, but then Florence in Week 9 being blown out of the water by Penrith 25-0. The last time these two teams met in the season opener, it was a 10-6 victory to Florence, but a game that had many wondering if the Lions threw it away with four straight punts and an interception in their last five drives while they were trying to get into a position to take the lead, it was only a field goal by Trip Blewit that sealed the game for Florence.

If Penrith want to get off to a solid start this season and mark their territory that this is their division, and to show that they are the real deal, they need to get off to a solid start against Florence. The schedule doesn’t get any easier moving forward and with the schedule they have this season, the away games are going to mean a whole lot more this season. If they fall back into their old habits, fall backwards early on against Florence, then the team and the fans are sadly, in for a very long season coming up

Game Prediction: Thinking this will be a close one, but the Lions to just edge it out and get the first win on the board

The season didn’t get off to the start that the Lions had hoped for, going down in a whimper 10-3 to the Fools, leaving many to wonder if the season is all but over, or if the Lions are just a flash in the pan team, one good season and then back to the old ways. A solitary field goal from kicker Jeffery Paz was all that the Lions could muster, and even that happened when the game was all but over, following Florence’s absolute stranglehold on the game, six punts and an interception on the opening seven drives of the season from Penrith, it makes some to wonder if this is all the Lions are good for.

Nobody really showed the performances that fans saw last season, and even new additions William Cole and Jeffery Ottman were effectively shut down from the outset, quarterback Joe Chacon was again having to manage an offense that struggled from the opening kickoff, managing only 129 yards but again, another two interceptions and two sacks, as well as one of his lowest QBR figures, being the second game in his last three starts under 40.00. Questions seriously need to be raised about what the Lions are going to do moving on from this, whether a line in the sand needs to be drawn. Head Coach Roy Rodriguez was not impressed by what he saw out there and effectively put everyone on notice:-

“We can’t play like that in this league, any team plays like that, they are eaten alive drive after drive and that is what Florence did to us, they put their mark on the game early, and they basically proved to us and to the league that they are the real deal, and that we are almost-rans. It is unacceptable. Every single player on this roster needs to be made aware that performances like that again, they won’t be here much longer. We can’t accept that, we just can’t. I don’t think the fans will either. We have to play the football we are known for, not just lying down and being forced into the doldrums again”

Unfortunately, the Lions task to get back on track doesn’t get any easier, with a visit to Forbidden City to play the Dragons, who were first start winners 19-7 against the Auctioneers, and basically did the same thing to Porth Emmett that Florence just did. Despite a shaky start, going four-and-out on their opening drive, they got it together and saw an overall solid performance, quarterback Yuan Shao throwing for 189 yards and a touchdown, whilst running back Huang Zu saw a solid 71 yards on the ground, to go with the 83 from Lu Bu, the Dragons kept on rolling from where they were last season. Despite a gallant effort from Clifford Blake (22/31, 217 yards), it just wasn’t enough to get the Auctioneers back into the game, they were outmatched from the start.

The Lions are going to have their hands full managing the aerial attack from Shao and receivers Liu Biao (5 receptions, 53 yards) and Zhang Yun (3 receptions, 38 yards) and new recruit Norman Frippery, as well as the run game with the double attack of Lu Bu and Huang Zu, it is going to be tough for the Lions defence to get some traction, any traction, despite 11 tackles last week from safety Miguel Logan and three sacks on Florence quarterback Hmmm Goodenough, whether the Lions defence can stem the bleeding and keep the slaughter to a respectable margin, it will all depend on what team shows up, because if it is the same team as what showed up in Week 1, then it is going to be a long 60 minutes and an even longer season for the Lions, but if it’s the Lions team that blew out four opponents last season and managed a 9-7 season, the Lions may get close to a victory. I guess time will tell.

On the injury front, it looks likely that cornerback Tom Henson will miss at least the next two weeks with a foot complaint, whilst tackle Brian Fernandez passed a fitness test today and will stick it out on the offensive line despite reports of an arm fracture, doctors reporting that it wasn’t and just a light sprain, with further reports being that Thomas Wright will play more of a role in support on the right side of the ball. Both defensive end Robert Campbell and linebacker Paul George are recovering well and will likely be able to return part way through the opening four game home stand coming up for Penrith, whilst the only other concern being linebacker John Omar, and he looks set to begin full training next week.

Game Prediction: Sorry Lions fans, can’t see this one happening. Let’s just hope the Dragons don’t run the score up on us.

The Lions were never really meant to be winning the game, and the scoreline may not have actively reflected it, but another defeat, this time by another close margin, going down 10-6 to the Forbidden City Dragons. The Lions never really got into the game, forced into five straight punts, managing an average of 5.4 yards per drive, comparing to the Dragons, who managed almost 20 yards a drive on their opening five, it just got worse, with 33-yards, 49-yards (producing a touchdown) and 22-yards on their next three. The Lions struggled offensively, Joe Chacon having another poor night, going for 183 yards and being sacked three times, while Dragons quarterback Yuan Shao not seeing the ground once.

After the game, Head Coach Roy Rodriguez took responsibility for the defeat and for the poor start that the Lions are in now, sitting at 0-2 for second time in three seasons:-

“We are just not in the place that we want to be in right now, we are not performing to the standard that we want to be at, we are not performing to the standard that we should be at, and it is disappointing and upsetting to be where we are. The guys in there are hurting, they are hurting for each other, they are hurting for the fans, and they are hurting for the community. We just need to have a deep and honest conversation and a deep look at ourselves this week and come into the game against the Corpses with a better understanding of what needs to happen, otherwise, it is so many people’s backsides on the line and I’m first”

Penrith have got to get things back on track very quickly, as they head off to Gravesend to face off against a Corpses team that seem to have made some improvements in the offseason and despite a tough 24-21 loss to the Harbourmasters, they have made strides forward and look to be stronger than they were last season. It could have been a remarkable victory had it not been for a final drive from Harnosand and a fantastic touchdown with 63 seconds left in the game, taking away the victory in the dying moments. Even with a solid 120 yard performance from Marino Vista-Print, and 133 yards in the air from Morris Owens, besting his rookie week 1 performance, it looks likely that the Corpses have drafted well, and have seen the best out of a team that nobody rates any higher than fighting for a third-place finish in the division.

Already, the Lions are going to find themselves on the outer, they need to manage straight up both the two above, but also the likes of linebacker Thomas Rawson (8 tackles) and safety John Devore (10 tackles), the Corpses have been firstly unable to stop the flood of points (25.5 points on average so far), but they have also kept opposing quarterbacks to only 170.5 yards on average, so the defense is there, and a Lions roster that has given up 20 points so far, and has struggled to get itself off the ground, with not a single touchdown to show for their efforts, and a defense that has dropped off significantly, the likes of William Williams (3 tackles so far, compared to last season, 5 through two games) and even safety Miguel Logan (18 tackles, compared to 13), it is going to be a tough road to manage, and with the Lions already a game back in the division and looking like competing more towards that #1 overall draft pick than a championship winning team, this team is going to need to get it’s rear end in gear and very quickly.

When it comes to injuries, the Lions do have some players coming back, with cornerback Tom Henson and linebacker John Omar looking very close to a return and could provide an uptick in the fortunes, with Head Coach Rodriguez noting that both could play this week against the Corpses, but the team would at the moment take a more careful approach with the injuries they suffered, whilst also waiting on the return on defensive end Robert Campbell looking like being another three to four weeks away from his knee injury, whilst linebacker Paul George is also about four weeks away from his knee injury.

Whatever is going on at Lions HQ, something needs to change and it needs to be fast, otherwise the Lions are just going to be left at the start line and this season will be nothing but a wasted opportunity, and another season of wasted dreams and aspirations for 53 players looking for that one day, that one taste of glory and the one part of the career they all want at the beginning of the season, a championship ring and a banner at The Lions Den.

Game Prediction: Come on Lions, let’s get that first win.

Things have just gone from bad to worse for the Lions, managing a 17-13 defeat to the Corpses, a team they have now not been able to defeat two times in a row now. The only shining light being that both games have been very close, and we think the Lions can take that a positive. The other positive being that finally, Joe Chacon has thrown a touchdown this season. Three weeks into the season and to only have one touchdown, fans have got to start wondering when the season is going to get going. Being 0-3, with another away defeat (that being the sixth in the last eight away games), many have to be wondering if the Lions are just another also-ran team, and whether they even have a chance to get that first victory. With four straight home games coming up, the Lions have got that chance to make something of this season, otherwise, they may just give it up, pack up and focus on next season.

The Lions looked to be the stronger of the two teams in the game, twice coming back after a strong display on offense by the Corpses, with a brilliant 75-yard touchdown pass to Tony Lockett, his first touchdown since Week 11 last season, and another 61 yards on the ground from William Cole, it makes people wonder how the Lions managed to wrestle a defeat from the claws of victory. They were going into halftime down only a touchdown, but two straight punts and five punts in six drives in the second half was not what they team needed, and a defensive show by the Corpses, limiting Penrith to only 16.2 yards per drive in the second half, was enough for the Corpses to close out the game. The Corpses were not out of the woods themselves, forced into seven punts themselves in the second, it was just out of reach for the Lions. Despite managing double the first downs, more net yards, even seeing Chacon with a 233-yard performance, it was just not enough. After the game, Head Coach Roy Rodriguez was adamant that the Lions could get out of this slump, their sixth straight defeat, going back to last season.

“We just are not playing the football we should be playing; we know we are better than this. The guys are hurting, they are hurting and a loss like this makes a lot of us wonder when the next victory is coming. We all sit there after the game, and start reviewing the game film, we have to find out where we are making these mistakes and where in fact the positives are, and it gets to not just myself, but the whole coaching staff, all the players and the administration. We are better than this, we know that we have proven it time and time again, but we have to also start looking at the mirror and wonder to ourselves, having that conversation as to where the mistakes are, and what we can do as an organisation to get things back on track and pointing in the right direction”.

The Lions now have a massive matchup, the final game in this road trip, a matchup against the Nottingham Arrows, a team that the Lions have had good success against in the past, and despite a shock defeat in Week 1, the Arrows have bounced right back and are sitting at 2-1, after strong victories against divisional rival Florence and North York. Nottingham have truly become the bounce back kings of this season, having been at the bottom last season, they surprised most of the league in giving up the first overall selection in the draft but have wisely spent that draft capital in finding suitable replacements and upgrades across multiple areas of their roster and it has shown, as they have kept their opponents so far to an average of 11.6 points per game (last season, after three games it was 27 points per game). They have also limited the use of the quarterback, managing on average to limit quarterbacks to an average of 16 pass completions, 108 yards and 0.3 touchdowns per game, compared to last season of 22.3 pass completions, 168.3 yards per game and 1.6 touchdowns per game. That is what an improvement looks like.

On the other side of that, the Lions have gone from a team limiting quarterbacks to 177 yards, 22 pass completions and 0.6 touchdowns in the opening three games of last season to allowing 13 pass completions, a touchdown a game, and 116 yards per game, but it doesn’t tell the whole story, with the Lions looking like being a defensive side, the offense is what is letting them down, with only the one touchdown, the offense has struggled, with on average only managing 189.6 yards in the air (down from 210.6 last season through three games), and 73.6 yards on the ground down to 58.3 yards per game. There needs to be something done about the team, because it is just going to be a very long season if this is all that the Lions can produce, they may as well call themselves the kitty cats if it goes down any further.

Is it the player’s fault, or is it the coaching... or is it management? There needs to be a very big improvement with this roster coming soon, otherwise, what is the point of the season, may be time to just pack up and go home, come back next season and try again.

Game Prediction: We can’t go 0-4, seriously???

The Lions have sunk to a new low, going down 6-3 to the Nottingham Arrows, and now sitting with a 0-4 record and even more questions than answers coming up for a side that looks all but lost and looking like they have all just given up 100%. Despite a massive game from quarterback Joe Chacon, going 26/47, and 200 yards, and running back Steven Alvarado with both 110 yards on the ground and 59 receiving yards, there was not much else that the Lions could do right, despite a strong showing, another field goal from Jeffery Paz was all they could manage. Penrith struggled from the outset, with both of Nottingham’s points coming from their opening two drives, while the Lions saw three punts, two fumbles and a missed field goal from their opening six drives, it was not a pretty sight for Lions’ fans to see once again.

Despite repeated requests, Head Coach Roy Rodriguez did not take that many questions in the post-game press conference, but directed the requests to Team Owner Leam Mark Farrar, who publicly spoke for the first time this season about the direction of the team and what is going on at Lions HQ:-

“It’s a disaster, we can’t be any clearer than that., We had a direction, and we just have not managed anything that we had planned on. It’s not just one person’s fault about where we are sitting right now, it’s everyone. We all take responsibility for this position and where we are now. Making rash decisions now won’t help us, it just won’t, it will send us deeper down the hole than we think it will. We have to take a top-down approach from this, and really start figuring things out and quick smart. I have to take full responsibility for it, I’m the owner and the buck stops with me, and I can’t apologise any more for the failures, because that is where we stand now, as a failure of an organisation and honestly speaking, we have to have tough conversations in the coming weeks to plan to dig ourselves out of this hole”

The Lions further announced that they are going to be undertaking a full organisation wide review, starting with the leadership and ownership. Team Owner Leam Mark Farrar announced that it will also look at his ownership and seeing where things can be improved.

The Lions now get to head home and take on the first of their four-straight home stands and starting off with a game against a fellow team that is also 0-4, being the Wausau War Elephants. The War Elephants are coming into the Den off the back of a 23-12 loss to Edlington. The last time these two teams met, back when Wausau was in Catacol, was a 27-3 victory to the Lions. Times have very much changed for both sides. Wausau are in the same boat, a quarterback with very little to show (1 touchdown, 3 interceptions, 570 yards) and very little offensively through four games, with the War Elephants averaging 6.75 points per game (Penrith are at 6.25 points per game). Both sides have four sacks each across their defense and the four top tacklers are averaging 22.2 tackles (Wausau) and 22.75 for Penrith. Neither side seems to be ahead of the other, and this could be a game worth of defence and not offense. Either way this happens, one of these teams is going to manage their first victory of the season and putting themselves in a better position.

On the injury front, the serious concern is with both offensive tackle Brian Fernandez, who looks to be out for the next four to five weeks with a serious foot injury, while defensive tackle Aaron James is out for the next two weeks with a knee injury, however, doctors are awaiting a second opinion, as there was concerns James could face three to four weeks on the sideline. The only other injury concern is with linebacker Paul George who looks to be out for another week, possibly two but is looking much closer than a couple of weeks ago to returning.

It may be a short article this week, but either way, the Lions are going to get a victory or drop down to 0-5.

Game Prediction: Come on, it may not look pretty, but let’s hope we see a 1-4 record this week.