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Don Matthews joins Alouettes coaching staff
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 3:38 pm
by sj-roc
http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=458314
The Canadian Press 7/30/2014 10:36:52 AM
MONTREAL -- The Montreal Alouettes are bringing back Don Matthews and adding Turk Schonert as consultants to their coaching staff.
Matthews served as a consultant for the second half of the 2013 season.
He was the Alouettes' head coach in 2002 and led the team to a Grey Cup victory in his first season. During his five years as head coach of the Alouettes, the Amesbury, Mass., native recorded 58 regular season wins, five playoffs wins and four East Division titles, guiding Montreal to three Grey Cup appearances in 2002, 2003 and 2005.
Matthews amassed a head coaching career of 231-133-1, second in wins only to Wally Buono. He is tied with Buono for most Grey Cup coaching wins with five.
He is the only coach to win the Grey Cup in four different decades and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2011 following a coaching career that spanned over 22 seasons.
Schonert joins the team as an offensive consultant and will help the coaching staff with game planning.
He was an NFL quarterback for nine seasons with Cincinnati and Atlanta.
He joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a quarterbacks coach in 1992. He later joined the Buffalo Bills, the Carolina Panthers, the New York Giants and the New Orleans Saints before returning to the Bills in 2006 in the same position. He was promoted to the Bills' offensive co-ordinator in 2008.
Sounds like a good omen for DM's health after disclosing in late 2012 his cancer diagnosis, so in this respect I'm happy to hear about this development.
WB has also won the GC in four different decades (70s, 90s, 00s, 10s) although his two 70s wins came as a player.
Re: Don Matthews joins Alouettes coaching staff
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 4:17 pm
by TheLionKing
Good to see Matthews back in the CFL
Re: Don Matthews joins Alouettes coaching staff
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 5:01 pm
by notahomer
I read on somewhere (either CFL or TSN) that Turk Schonert is AMAZED at all the motion allowed up here. So he'll be adjusting before helping, I guess...... Then again, fresh eyes may help....
Re: Don Matthews joins Alouettes coaching staff
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 5:48 pm
by Toppy Vann
I can't see how Schonert makes sense. Even Trestman took a year to understand the CFL game and he's considered an OFF genius.
I heard one of the TSN guys saying the QB doesn't come in early, doesn't do much study and basically slammed the guy.
Matthews can make sense as he knows the game. I have always felt that losing/struggling teams should turn to outside coaches to advise them rather than fire them.
I'd not make that recommendation for Mike Benevides though as he proved from my seat in BC Place that when Dave Ritchie was here he ignored this good role model who acted like a HC as a DC and did not take to strutting around like a bantam rooster in heat. You could always see Dave Ritchie with his notes and two non-dressed DEF players beside him during a game - one decoying and the other signalling in the DEF.
Ritchie not only kept two players who were injured busy and they then had their heads in the game which would be hard to do if you are not dressed and have no role.
Re: Don Matthews joins Alouettes coaching staff
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 7:02 pm
by WestCoastJoe
Welcome back to The Don.
One of my all time favourites.
Loved his attitude and philosophy. Attack. Attack. Attack. That takes guts and courage. Much easier, play by play, to play it safe. And hope. The death is slower. Some coaches just cannot take an attack approach. With Matthews, his players buy in.
I still recall when Ackles brought him over from Edmonton where he was DC. And I recall an Edmonton defender expressing his regrets. The player described how Matthews would break down the upcoming offence. How it would be attacked. How Matthews would wrap it up with "We've got them." And the players knew that to be true. And the player then saying: "Now, he is over there." LOL Yup. Now we had him. I bought in early. And I had the privilege to chat with him a bit, and to hear him speak once at a banquet, not something I think he liked to do all that much. He was not rah, rah. But his conviction and certainty were palpable. His record as a high school coach in Oregon was phenomenal.
Re: Don Matthews joins Alouettes coaching staff
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 7:27 pm
by DanoT
I have always considered The Don as the winningest coach ever and Wally as the winningest GM ever. Wally was and is more of an evaluator than teacher.
Re: Don Matthews joins Alouettes coaching staff
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 7:32 pm
by KnowItAll
damn galat.
Re: Don Matthews joins Alouettes coaching staff
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 7:42 pm
by TheLionKing
KnowItAll wrote:damn galat.
Horrendous mistake by Galat to fire Matthews.
Re: Don Matthews joins Alouettes coaching staff
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 8:40 am
by Lions4ever
TheLionKing wrote:KnowItAll wrote:damn galat.
Horrendous mistake by Galat to fire Matthews.
I think that was one of the most damaging events in this franchise's history. Horrendous blunder.
Re: Don Matthews joins Alouettes coaching staff
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 10:46 am
by TheLionKing
Lions4ever wrote:TheLionKing wrote:KnowItAll wrote:damn galat.
Horrendous mistake by Galat to fire Matthews.
I think that was one of the most damaging events in this franchise's history. Horrendous blunder.
Ranks right up there with allowing Doug Flutie signing with the Stamps
Re: Don Matthews joins Alouettes coaching staff
Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 8:45 am
by sj-roc
Jeff Garcia is now the latest addition to the Alouettes coaching staff, in an as-yet unspecified (but likely offensive) role:
http://en.montrealalouettes.com/article ... hing-staff
"Jeff Garcia is a fierce competitor who has had success in every situation he has faced in professional football," said Head Coach Tom Higgins. "The addition of Jeff is ideal because he brings the expertise he's gained over his professional years from so many different systems. We are very excited to welcome Jeff to our coaching staff in his coaching debut. His CFL knowledge and comprehension of the game are key qualities that are going to be invaluable for us to improve as a team in the upcoming weeks. Over the next few days, we will be able to better evaluate all of our coaches and establish what their exact roles will be."
Too many cooks?
Re: Don Matthews joins Alouettes coaching staff
Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 8:50 am
by Shi Zi Mi
IMHO, a brilliant move by Jim Popp.......Garcia has been running QB camps for a while and may be just the remedy for what ails Smith.
Re: Don Matthews joins Alouettes coaching staff
Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 9:32 am
by DanoT
Shi Zi Mi wrote:IMHO, a brilliant move by Jim Popp.......Garcia has been running QB camps for a while and may be just the remedy for what ails Smith.
Brilliant indeed. With his past CFL experience and the QB trainer that he has become since retiring as a player there is no better guy that the Als could have hired. He should eventually become the OC or at least the play caller.
But I would bench Smith and start Marsh. Smith at 30 years old, as a pro QB should have found the passing touch and accuracy by now. He kinda reminds me of Jarious Jackson, a great guy with a strong arm but lacked the accuracy and touch to be a starter. JJ was at his best when inserted late in a game when the team is down a bunch and it is just throw it up deep and let the WR run under it. I see the same kind of role for Smith i.e. coming off the bench but not starting.
Alex Brink? Probably not as good as Joey Elliot.
Re: Don Matthews joins Alouettes coaching staff
Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 9:47 am
by Shi Zi Mi
Alex Brink's arm strength appears seriously lacking.....obvious desperation by the Als to bring in a QB with CFL experience.
I'm guessing Smith is drawing down serious coin.....so, I doubt they can justify that for a backup.
I agree, Marsh has shown the most upside of any of the Als QB's.....but the Als are firstly going to exhaust all possible options to make Smith successful.
Re: Don Matthews joins Alouettes coaching staff
Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 9:55 am
by WestCoastJoe
sj-roc wrote:Jeff Garcia is now the latest addition to the Alouettes coaching staff, in an as-yet unspecified (but likely offensive) role:
http://en.montrealalouettes.com/article ... hing-staff
"Jeff Garcia is a fierce competitor who has had success in every situation he has faced in professional football," said Head Coach Tom Higgins. "The addition of Jeff is ideal because he brings the expertise he's gained over his professional years from so many different systems. We are very excited to welcome Jeff to our coaching staff in his coaching debut. His CFL knowledge and comprehension of the game are key qualities that are going to be invaluable for us to improve as a team in the upcoming weeks. Over the next few days, we will be able to better evaluate all of our coaches and establish what their exact roles will be."
Too many cooks?
Yikes.
"Over the next few days, we will be able to better evaluate all of our coaches and establish what their exact roles will be." -- Tom Higgins
This cannot be good for Ryan Dinwiddie. Fire Rick Worman. Dinwiddie green as grass. Garcia will have heavy input into "establishing" the role for Dinwiddie.
Not sure what Matthews' role will be? Thorpe already plays a Matthews' style of defence.
Too many changes. And as sj asks: "Too many cooks?"
Popp is not standing still however. And that might be a good thing, after their poor results.
This is kind of the polar opposite of Wally Buono: Make no changes. Go with continuity.