CFL coaching carousel

[WestCoastJoe]

Tweeted tonight by Farhan :

Jarious Jackson has agreed to join Chris Jones' staff w/ #Riders as passing game coordinator & QB coach. Same title he had in Edm. 2 yr deal
Jackson was offered the #Stamps OC job and had discussions with #BCLions & #Bombers about their OC job. #CFL

So BC goes from an overload of offensive coaching experience with Tedford and Cortez to basically nothing then lose out on what turned out to be a sweepstakes for Jarious Jackson. Sad state of the Lions situation and the league coaching ranks as a whole. Who the hell is left?

And this hammers home the point WC Joe, Blitz and Mexican Lion Fan bring up: Just how far the Lions have fallen in the pecking order of landing anyone.

We are in a sad state, Sammy.

Shock. Denial. Anger. Acceptance. Various fan reactions.

As noted by you some of the fans, on feeling the pain, have been calling out. You mention myself, MLF and Blitz. Yup. To no avail, of course. Wins and losses will ultimately determine the fate of this regime.

For a few years now, we have not been attracting the top free agents.

Suddenly it seems we cannot attract or keep top coaching talent. And we have let all kinds of highly qualified people move on. And now we have seen two hugely qualified men, Jeff Tedford and George Cortez, up and leave the organization. Boom. Gone. Hardly a word to the press to explain the sudden change of direction. Just up and quit with time left on their contracts. Jumping ship as we head to the rocks. I don't think Wally wanted them to go. I don't think Wally wanted to step back into the coaching ranks.

Jarious Jackson turns us down for OC, assuming Wally actually made an offer, but goes to the Riders for passing game coordinator and QB coach. ??? I guess he wants to stay with Chris Jones. Good move, I must admit.

Any common denominators here? Just Wally, it seems to this fan. Just a run of bad luck? I do not think so. Something about the culture within the organization is more likely.

Humble times for the Lions. Sad state of affairs. Too grim an assessment? I don't think so.

Can Wally save this ship? We will see.

Just IMO ...

[Hambone]

It's starting to sound like perhaps the entire Eskimo coaching staff is following Jones.

Just to show I can be just a crazy as Sir P, if not crazier here's a name. Kerwin Bell. The Kerwinator was just fired from his HC job at Jacksonville University for philosophical differences. JU plays in a bit of a quirky, for NCAA standards, conference. They are part of the Pioneer Football League in NCAA Div I. Schools in the PFL run non-scholarship programs. The Dolphins went 18-4 in the past 2 years but had their recorded reduced to 0-0 due to rules violations. Bell has publicly advocated growing the JU program from a non-scholarship into a scholarship based program. That's what got him into hot water and led to his termination there. Bell was OC with the Argos in 2000 & 2001. I suspect he will continue elsewhere in the NCAA but perhaps a return to pro football might also be of interest.

[Sir Purrcival]

That's the spirit. Kerwin Bell, the only QB that I can remember who managed to publicly smack himself in the family jewels while celebrating a TD. A Funniest Home Video moment to be sure.

[Blitz]

Tweeted tonight by Farhan :

Jarious Jackson has agreed to join Chris Jones' staff w/ #Riders as passing game coordinator & QB coach. Same title he had in Edm. 2 yr deal
Jackson was offered the #Stamps OC job and had discussions with #BCLions & #Bombers about their OC job. #CFL

So BC goes from an overload of offensive coaching experience with Tedford and Cortez to basically nothing then lose out on what turned out to be a sweepstakes for Jarious Jackson. Sad state of the Lions situation and the league coaching ranks as a whole. Who the hell is left?

And this hammers home the point WC Joe, Blitz and Mexican Lion Fan bring up: Just how far the Lions have fallen in the pecking order of landing anyone.

We are in a sad state, Sammy.

Shock. Denial. Anger. Acceptance. Various fan reactions.

As noted by you some of the fans, on feeling the pain, have been calling out. You mention myself, MLF and Blitz. Yup. To no avail, of course. Wins and losses will ultimately determine the fate of this regime.

For a few years now, we have not been attracting the top free agents.

Suddenly it seems we cannot attract or keep top coaching talent. And we have let all kinds of highly qualified people move on. And now we have seen two hugely qualified men, Jeff Tedford and George Cortez, up and leave the organization. Boom. Gone. Hardly a word to the press to explain the sudden change of direction. Just up and quit with time left on their contracts. Jumping ship as we head to the rocks. I don't think Wally wanted them to go. I don't think Wally wanted to step back into the coaching ranks.

Jarious Jackson turns us down for OC, assuming Wally actually made an offer, but goes to the Riders for passing game coordinator and QB coach. ??? I guess he wants to stay with Chris Jones. Good move, I must admit.

Any common denominators here? Just Wally, it seems to this fan. Just a run of bad luck? I do not think so. Something about the culture within the organization is more likely.

Humble times for the Lions. Sad state of affairs. Too grim an assessment? I don't think so.

Can Wally save this ship? We will see.

Just IMO ...

Paul LaPolice goes to Winnipeg as offensive coordinator but turned the job down in B.C. previously. Jarious Jackson, who began his CFL career as a Lion and played most of it as a B.C. Lion and who also began his coaching career as a B.C. Lion, chooses to be a quarterback coach/passing game coordinator in Saskatchewan rather than becme offensive coordinator here in B.C.

Four things are not adding up. Wally is a 'legend' as Head Coach whom the players love, according to his own words. He is a Hall of Famer. Jonathan Jennings is the most exciting prospect as a starting quarterback the CFL has seen in many seasons. The Riders are coming off a horrendous season, Durrant may not be able to play next year, their quarterback prospect pool does not look good, and they jettisoned future free agent Jerome Messam, who was the key to their running attack in 2015. And yet Jackson signs for a lower position in Riderville.

Why would Jackson choose Riderville as a passing game coordinator, rather than having the full reigns as an offensive coordinator here in B.C. under the legendary Buono, who gave him his first shot as a player and a coach? N, o question that one of those reasons is wanting to work for Jones and preferring to work for Jones for a lesser coaching position than working for Wally, whom he also played and worked for.

Wally may even have to ask Chap back or return Khari Jones as OC. Who knows? His options are not good right now.

This Leos team is young and loaded with potential. Jennings looks like a future star to build an offence around. Our offensive line looked dismal to start 2015, we were without a starting center, we had to start 3 Internationals as well as Player at right guard and later started Husband. Next season, Steward will play right guard. We have an excellent core of import recievers in Hawkins and Arsenault if we get him signed as well as Boldewijn, who has a ton of talent. Jeffers-Harris, is a big, fast receiver who has not been given a shot.

On defense we really only need to fix the rush end position and the weakside corner spot. Our linebackers and defensive backs are excellent, as are our defensive tackles, but need a defensive system to showcase the strengths of our style of defensive players. We are quick and fast but we play a passive zone style of defense.

McMann has retired and that, in itself, could lead to a couple more victories. Wally has a ton of money under the SMS to spend. Wally knew the talent on this team as well as its promise or he would not have returned to the Head Coaching job.

However, we have two glaring weaknesses going into 2016 - coaching and free agents. We are not attractive to assistant coaches and we are not attractive to free agents. Until we fix those two areas, it will be difficult to win a Grey Cup again.

[Hambone]

Well Blitz it's been reported that Jackson also turned down the opportunity to be OC under Dave Dickenson in Calgary. I think this says less about what Jarious thinks about working for Buono or Dickenson for that matter and more about how thinks about working for Chris Jones. Keep in mind it was Jones who lured Jackson away from BC to Edmonton and Jones was also on Milanovich's staff in Toronto when Jarious was there backing up Ricky Ray. No doubt the ability to be like an extra coach while he was playing here carried with him to Toronto and did not go unnoticed by Jones. I think the main reason Jackson is going to Regina is because he likes working under Jones and wants to continue that relationship. Another aspect to consider is that while Jackson was QB Coach/Passing Game Coordinator in Edmonton he also had responsibilities in Player Development. With Jones trying to wear 4 hats perhaps Jackson is also being offered expanded responsibilities beyond coaching. That could be attractive if he wants to develop into more than just a coach.

[TheLionKing]

That's the spirit. Kerwin Bell, the only QB that I can remember who managed to publicly smack himself in the family jewels while celebrating a TD. A Funniest Home Video moment to be sure.

That's the first thing I thought of when Hambone mentioned Kerwin Bell.

[maxlion]

Well Blitz it's been reported that Jackson also turned down the opportunity to be OC under Dave Dickenson in Calgary. I think this says less about what Jarious thinks about working for Buono or Dickenson for that matter and more about how thinks about working for Chris Jones. Keep in mind it was Jones who lured Jackson away from BC to Edmonton and Jones was also on Milanovich's staff in Toronto when Jarious was there backing up Ricky Ray. No doubt the ability to be like an extra coach while he was playing here carried with him to Toronto and did not go unnoticed by Jones. I think the main reason Jackson is going to Regina is because he likes working under Jones and wants to continue that relationship. Another aspect to consider is that while Jackson was QB Coach/Passing Game Coordinator in Edmonton he also had responsibilities in Player Development. With Jones trying to wear 4 hats perhaps Jackson is also being offered expanded responsibilities beyond coaching. That could be attractive if he wants to develop into more than just a coach.

These are good points. It's worth noting that Edmonton's coaching situation may be more uncertain at the moment even than ours, and they are the Grey Cup champs. Calgary also does not have either an OC or DC.

Lapolice lives in Winnipeg, so easy to see why he would choose to work there, all else being equal.

Cortez has worked with Buono several times over the years, and is 65 years old, so it seems that he simply retired as people that age often do. Would have been nice if he said goodbye, but did he speak to the media even once in the past year?

Chapdelaine's offense was surprisingly decent last year given his personnel. Maybe we can lure Bene back as DC too and re-live the 2011 glory!

[WestCoastJoe]

News, more or less ...

http://www.cfl.ca/2015/12/07/checking-d ... -the-move/

After bring granted permission to speak to Eskimos passing game coordinator and quarterback coach Jarious Jackson, the Lions will not land the former BC quarterback. Jackson is reportedly headed to Saskatchewan to join Chris Jones.

Ed Hervey offered his full support to Jones in the following statement:

“I thank Chris Jones for his work over the last two seasons. This is an opportunity for him to grow professionally and I wish him well in his future endeavours.”

The exact correct thing to say, even if it hurts.

Ed Hervey has not spoken publicly since the Jones move other than the statement he released, while he’s expected to address the media this week after returning from Vegas for the annual league-wide meetings in Las Vegas. The Eskimos are expected to move quickly in their search for a new head coach however, and so far Jason Maas is the name everyone’s talking about. The Eskimos have reportedly been granted permission to interview Maas while the REDBLACKS are considering their offensive coordinator as good as gone.

The Stampeders may or may not hire a new offensive coordinator, depending on whether there’s a fit to be made, after Dave Dickenson was elevated to head coach following the season.

There is the advantage of your Head Coach also being an OC in the CFL, a quarterback driven league, by all accounts.

Grey Cup-winning head coach Chris Jones is excited for the opportunity to build a franchise “from the ground up,” after officially signing with the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Monday. Jones takes on a lot of responsibility with the Riders, serving as the head coach and defensive coordinator on the sidelines as well as the general manager and vice-president of football operations.

After parting ways with Offensive Coordinator Marcel Bellefeuille {Hello, Wally , no, not making the recommendation}, the Bombers have found the man to run their offence and continue developing franchise quarterback Drew Willy. Paul LaPolice was hired as the team’s offensive coordinator on Monday as he returns for a third stint with the Bombers. According to Kirk Penton, LaPolice was reportedly waiting for the Riders’ head coaching job to settle before going to Winnipeg.

Every season at this time Orlondo Steinauer is mentioned as a head coaching candidate, but for now it appears the Ticats’ defensive coordinator will remain in Hamilton. Jason Maas is reported as the favourite to replace Chris Jones, while TSN‘s Gary Lawless tweeted on Sunday that Steinauer has told the Ticats he’ll be staying in Hamilton.

Can't get Steinauer out of Hamilton with a crowbar, it seems.

After announcing last week that they’ve signed Ricky Ray to a two-year contract extension, the Argos now turn their attention to the remaining 28 players due to become free agents in February — including Trevor Harris. General Manager Jim Barker says re-signing Harris is a priority, as the team envisions an open competition between Harris and Ray for the starting QB position:

“[Head Coach Scott Milanovich] was completely up front with both Ricky and Trevor in terms of the situation and we would love to have Trevor back,” said Barker, “and Rick knows if Trevor comes back there’s competition.

“We’re doing everything in our power to re-sign Trevor, we think it’s the best situation for him,” he added. “We’re trying to be fair to him and to the club and we’ll see what transpires here in the next couple of weeks.”

While Dave Dickenson said the exit of Rich Stubler came suddenly and unexpectedly, Jim Barker said his team did no wrong-doing in hiring the former Stamps defensive coordinator:

“His contract was up,” said Barker. “We didn’t go after him, Rich contacted us. It wasn’t like we went out and took him from Calgary, that’s not how it went down.

“After their season he went and talked to Huff and then he contacted me and said he had an interest if anything was going to be available, and I connected him with Scott and Scott hired him.”

Chris Stevenson of TSN is reporting that the REDBLACKS are considering offensive coordinator Jason Maas as good as gone to Edmonton to become the head coach. Gary Lawless reported Monday that the Eskimos had lined up an interview with Maas, while CHED‘s Bryan Hall reports that the Eskimos will look at other candidates as well.

The Alouettes have announced that Greg Quick is returning to Montreal to become the team’s linebacker coach. Quick coached the Alouettes’ linebackers in 2014 before being hired by Corey Chamblin to coach the Riders’ defence in 2015. He resigned as the Riders’ defensive coordinator last week.

– With the coaching staff almost entirely settled and Kevin Glenn primed to return as the team’s starting quarterback, the biggest question for the Alouettes will be whether they can lock up their key free agents. It was a topic of discussion as CFL.ca asked one pressing off-season question for every team.

[WestCoastJoe]

Jones also has a good starting point with veteran pivot Darian Durant poised to return under centre for the start of the year, a vaulable asset for any coach taking over a team for the first time.

http://www.cfl.ca/2015/12/07/report-chr ... ughriders/

It seemed to this fan that at times Durant ran things in Regina. That will not be the case with Chris Jones.

Jones, however, must quickly start settling the nerves among the players he wants to bring back and serve as part of the solution to the problem. Maybe start with a call to quarterback Darian Durant, like his predecessor Corey Chamblin did before he even took the job.

Jones finds his own talent in free agent camps including back to back rookies of the year; LB Dexter McCoil and WR Derel Walker.

Amongst his many strengths, Jones seems to have great judgment of football talent.

[Hambone]

That's the spirit. Kerwin Bell, the only QB that I can remember who managed to publicly smack himself in the family jewels while celebrating a TD. A Funniest Home Video moment to be sure.

That's the first thing I thought of when Hambone mentioned Kerwin Bell.

That's the first thing everybody thinks of when Kerwin Bell's name is mentioned. To paraphrase FDR it was a moment that will live in infamy.

[SammyGreene]

There is the advantage of your Head Coach also being an OC in the CFL, a quarterback driven league, by all accounts

That's my thought too. Calgary in a much different boat in search of an offensive coordinator with their former OC now head coach. Dickenson doesn't find the right candidate he can just give himself his job ala what Jones just did with the DC title in Saskatchewan. Heck even Hufnagel can chime in if he has to.

Hardly the same scenario in BC.

Have also wondered how much the soaring cost of living in the Lower Mainland is hurting the Lions too for potential coaches and players. Average home has gone up something like 25 percent this year. Renting has increased as well. Huge eye opener how far your income stretches here compared to many other CFL cities.

[Blitz]

Well Blitz it's been reported that Jackson also turned down the opportunity to be OC under Dave Dickenson in Calgary. I think this says less about what Jarious thinks about working for Buono or Dickenson for that matter and more about how thinks about working for Chris Jones. Keep in mind it was Jones who lured Jackson away from BC to Edmonton and Jones was also on Milanovich's staff in Toronto when Jarious was there backing up Ricky Ray. No doubt the ability to be like an extra coach while he was playing here carried with him to Toronto and did not go unnoticed by Jones. I think the main reason Jackson is going to Regina is because he likes working under Jones and wants to continue that relationship. Another aspect to consider is that while Jackson was QB Coach/Passing Game Coordinator in Edmonton he also had responsibilities in Player Development. With Jones trying to wear 4 hats perhaps Jackson is also being offered expanded responsibilities beyond coaching. That could be attractive if he wants to develop into more than just a coach.

Dave Dickenson will be a rookie Head Coach. Wally is a 'legend' and the most winning coach of all time. He has won a number of Grey Cups. Jones has been a Head Coach for all of two seasons, albeit a Grey Cup winning coach this season. The choice was offensive coordinator for Hall of Famer Buono or passing game coach for one time Grey Cup winner Jones.

Jarious may have some expanded duties in player development, outside of being the passing coach coordinator but he also will not coach the running game in Riderville and may not even be calling the plays.

There would also have been a greater possibility of advancement to HC in B.C. vs Saskatchewan for Jarious, since Wally will not be the HC for very long in B.C.

Of the two jobs, offensive coordinator vs passing game coordinator/some player development opportunities, even if you want the optics of both jobs being equal Hambone, of the two Head Coaches with previous experience and success, Jarious chose Jones.

To me, that says it all.

[JohnnyMusso]

If Lions have just 2 candidates: Khari Jones and Jacque Chapdelaine, who would you choose? Don't like the choices, but would rather have Chaps back than give Jones a second chance.

Will Buono think outside the box and maybe go with a dark horse candidate. Jeff Garcia and Danny Barrett come to mind. Rather have someone new than recycle someone old who has been here and was fired.

[Blitz]

If Lions have just 2 candidates: Khari Jones and Jacque Chapelaine, who would you choose? Don't like the choices, but would rather have Chaps back than give Jones a second chance.

Will Buono think outside the box and maybe go with a dark horse candidate. Jeff Garcia and Danny Barrett come to mind. Rather have someone new than recycle someone old who has been here and was fired.

I was a huge critic of Chap's offensive system from 2005-2010 because it was a spread offensive system, in fact the same spread offence and the same playbook that Hufnagel introduced in Calgary and which was the key to Buono's success in Calgary. For a time it was very innovative but like any offence, defenses adjusted to it after seeing it for so long. Chap's offence (2011-2013) was a multi-formational offence that used the spread formation at times but also used a lot of motion, misdirection, and power formations. I really liked it.

Khari Jones also used the spread offence and offensive playbook from the Calgary days but even went more spread offence in philosophy with empty backfields and six receive sets. I hated it even worse that ChapBall (2005-2010), which I really should have named WallyBall.

I don't believe Chap should come back here. While I really liked Chap's new offensive system in his later years here, as well as in Riderville this season, Chap has too many detractors. Bringing Chap back would be like bringing Casey Printers back..it was a no win situation and it would also be the same if Chap came back. Too many fans have set views of Chap' and they won't change, even though Chap has changed his offensive philosophy. Besides, Buono may insist he runs the spread offence exclusivlely - Buono is in love with that offence, no matter that its past its best due date.

Khari Jones is the last person I want coaching our offence. His empty backfields will get Jennings hurt.

We need to bring someone new in.

[VictoriaFan]

Don't really like Buono, really don't like Chapdelaine, I would like to see Garcia for OC and B.Miles for STC, but I think there's a better chance of snow for Christmas in Victoria.