Wally adds 3 more coaches...... ST coach named..

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squishy35
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maxlion
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Can't say I've heard of any of them, but Marcello Simmons as ST seems like a solid hire:
“It is rare that a player makes such a smooth transition into coaching,” said Argos head coach Michael Clemons. “Marcello is arguably the most successful special teams coach in the CFL and may be the most successful in Toronto Argonauts history. Certainly, the numbers confirm this. It is because he is both diligent and intelligent that he has enjoyed his early success, but what I'm most excited about is how eager he is to grow and learn. This well rounded football star has now become a great coach, father and community member and we're so proud today to announce that he'll be an Argonaut through the 2007 Toronto Grey Cup.&rdquo

Since Simmons joined the Argonauts as a coach in 2003, the Boatmen have ruled the annual CFL awards and all-star balloting. In the past three seasons, Toronto players have led the CFL by filling five special teams positions on the East Division all-star team, three spots on the CFL all-star team and two players have represented the East Division at the annual CFL Outstanding Player awards. Under the guidance of Simmons, Bashir Levingston became the first Argo player to be nominated for, and win, the CFL's Outstanding Special Teams Player Award in 2003.
http://www.cfl.ca/2006/01/23/argos_re_s ... ordinator/
TheLionKing
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High praise from Pinball Clemons on Simmons.
JohnnyMusso
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I have no problem with these hires. Though the last guy has never coached running backs it seems. He was an OL at SFU. The ST coach looks like a good hire.
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CardiacKid
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Some new blood injected into the coaching staff is good and glad to see at least one CIS guy is making it to the CFL. These guys need to be at least considered as a source of new ideas and enthusiasm for the coaching ranks in the CFL. The re-circulation of the usual suspects regardless of past success gets a little frustrating when considered against the future of the league.

I am looking forward to see how Simmons impacts not only special teams but maybe the other teams. As SP coordinator he will be interacting with guys on defense and offense who also work on the teams. Certainly got to say that anyone who shines in Pinball's eyes is worthy of some special consideration.
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Everybody shines in Pinball's eyes. :wink:
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WestCoastJoe
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The new coaches look fine as we read about them.

Questions remain though.

Wally Buono. Head Coach. How conservative will we be this year?

Khari Jones. OC. Lots of empty backfield, spread offence last time. More of the same this time around?

Mark Washington. DC. It took a long time to get things figured out last year. Roh out of place at DT. How conservative will Mark W be?

Marcello Simmons. STs. He sounds promising. STs, of course, are one area that Wally liked to get involved with over the years. The approach was "meat and potatoes" all the way. This time? We will see.
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B.C.FAN
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I don't remember Simmons' stint as a player with the Lions for half a season in 2000 but he looks like a great hire. Hamilton plays aggressively and loves to attack on defence and special teams. Hopefully some of their magic rubs off on the Lions.
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The_Pauser
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WestCoastJoe wrote:The new coaches look fine as we read about them.

Questions remain though.

Wally Buono. Head Coach. How conservative will we be this year?

Khari Jones. OC. Lots of empty backfield, spread offence last time. More of the same this time around?

Mark Washington. DC. It took a long time to get things figured out last year. Roh out of place at DT. How conservative will Mark W be?

Marcello Simmons. STs. He sounds promising. STs, of course, are one area that Wally liked to get involved with over the years. The approach was "meat and potatoes" all the way. This time? We will see.
I'm not convinced Wally will be this ultra conservative coach that people claim. When talking to him a couple years ago we were discussing different scenarios. One involved scoring a last second touchdown to pull within 1 point. Do you kick the 1 point and take it to overtime? Or do you go for 2 points and end the game right there? I took the conservative position, but Wally suggested that he would likely go for 2.
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CardiacKid
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Hambone wrote:Everybody shines in Pinball's eyes. :wink:
This is very true. And why I love the guy.
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David
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Marcello Simmons. Could he be just the right hire to convince Chris Rainey to come back? Ultimately it will be dollars and cents (and perhaps a promise that he will be more involved in the offense in 2016) and potential NFL options, but I mean, I'd rather have Simmons reaching out to him than an old white dude like Chuck McMann.


DH :cool:
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CardiacKid
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One thing that hasn't emerged in this thread (and a little surprising to me) is a discussion of whether or not these 3 new guys are "Wally's" guys? I haven't seen anything reported that they have been mentored at some point in their football careers by Wally. Nor can I extrapolate from their timelines that they have even been part of the same organization as Wally. Simmons was a Lion as a player but pre-Wally era.

So can we maybe assume that the presence of these 3 new guys on the coaching staff indicates that Wally isn't quite as closed-off to working with unfamiliar guys or doesn't need to be surrounded by yes-men?
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