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It is being reported tonight by Farhan L that Ryan Dinwiddie will be the new coach of Toronto Argos and Corey C will be fired. Looks like Lions will need to look elsewhere for their new OC.

That’s a bold move by the Argos. Every team that has made an offseason hire has focused on the offensive side of the ball except the Lions. Montreal re-signed Khari Jones as head coach. Ottawa hired Paul LaPolice as head coach. Toronto hired Ryan Dinwiddie as head coach. Saskatchewan hired Jason Maas as offensive coordinator. Calgary promoted Pat DelMonaco to offensive coordinator. Edmonton still has a head coaching vacancy to fill. The list of potential OCs for the Lions is shrinking fast.

B.C.FAN wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 11, 2019 9:35 pm

That’s a bold move by the Argos. Every team that has made an offseason hire has focused on the offensive side of the ball except the Lions. Montreal re-signed Khari Jones as head coach. Ottawa hired Paul LaPolice as head coach. Toronto hired Ryan Dinwiddie as head coach. Saskatchewan hired Jason Maas as offensive coordinator. Calgary promoted Pat DelMonaco to offensive coordinator. Edmonton still has a head coaching vacancy to fill. The list of potential OCs for the Lions is shrinking fast.

So true. League's best defensive coordinator in 2018 who was let go over a month ago and not a peep yet on a team being interested in landing him. Yet Maas was on the market for less than a week before being snatched by the Riders. These are good times for guys like Dinwiddie who could be the real deal or just greatly benefitted from who the Stamps head coach happens to be. Time will tell.

Argos officially announce Dinwoodie as Head Coach. So who will be our OC and DC coaches now?

Don Miller wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 12, 2019 1:46 pm

Argos officially announce Dinwoodie as Head Coach. So who will be our OC and DC coaches now?

Campbell will be the DC. He says he wants to be more hands-on as a head coach. Unfortunately, defence wasn’t the Lions’ problem under Claybrooks. Despite a lack of a pass rush and a lack of top-notch linebacking, the B.C. defence ranked third in the league in 2019 and was the league's best in the second half of the season, as measured by yards allowed.

Dinwiddie has been in two organizations for a good period of time and no org is better than the Stamps have been for developing coaches. That - as Leo fans know - does not translate to being an able and ready HC.

Something tells me that Dinwiddie has been learning and might just be ready for the jump up to HC.

Usually I like to hear the new HC speak and then assess the comments from a leadership/HC role perspective.

One flag for me always is the new HC wanting to do too much like call plays or be DC. Maas might learn for the future that a HC has to be focused on the overall game and be ready for those key few decisions that might - if not got right - be difference makers in the outcome.

Lapo with WPG as HC made some poor decisions and was being forced by the GM (bad guy ) Joe Mack to give up play calling. Now Lapo says as a new HC he's learned to let go of the things he shouldn't focus on and stay on those things that matter to a HC.

who's the 2018 #1 DC who hasn't signed yet?

saw a comment awhile back that OCs are much more in demand in nfl and ncaa football than DC's...

to me, that makes some sense as OC dictates the play on the field. not that easy to run a highly unique D if the offense doesn't co-operate. i.e. go undersized to have elite pass D and then the O runs downhill alot. all of a sudden, the DC isn't running the defense he has meticulously planned for.

apparently, some of the really successful NFL offenses this season heavily use TE and run the QB and/or use a fullback... nickelbacks (5th defensive back) apparently get lucrative contracts whereas back-up traditional LB's are basically considered special teams and/or emergency backup and very cheap. so that role isn't developed. they probably just cycle through recent college players.

Dinwiddie was asked something about Devone Claybrooks and not repeating his error and he replied along the lines of 'I don't think I know it all'. Wasn't listening carefully but it was along those lines. The less experienced interviewees produce good copy sometimes .

Dinwiddie has the personal characteristics and clear thinking for a good Head Coach. Hits the right touchstones in his opening remarks and Q and A.

Credits a number of people: Jim Popp, Hufnagel, Dickenson, Murphy as well as the adversity he faced in MTL during the debacle there where he helped Crompton go 9 and 3.

cms22 wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 13, 2019 12:20 pm

who's the 2018 #1 DC who hasn't signed yet?

If you asked Rider fans they'd tell you he's on the Cleveland Browns payroll.

If you're talking Claybrooks I read zero into that. Frankly I'm more surprised that Maas took a job right away than I am that Claybrooks hasn't. Historically it's far more common for fired HCs to forego jumping back into coaching right away. Another factor for Claybrooks could be that he did have some business interests in Calgary in the form of ownership or part ownership in a restaurant. Whether he still does or divested himself when coming to BC I don't know but if he does I can see him chilling with that for this season while planning his coaching path moving forward.

I would not be surprised to see Claybrooks land in Toronto. Not sure what leads me there. Just a hunch (and his family is from Maryland IIRC too, or he grew up there - or both).


DH

David wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 14, 2019 7:29 pm

I would not be surprised to see Claybrooks land in Toronto. Not sure what leads me there. Just a hunch (and his family is from Maryland IIRC too, or he grew up there - or both).


DH

Obviously Dinwiddie being on the same Stampeder staff for 3 years could play a role, a very significant role. For that alone I think your speculation could be spot on.

Claybrooks is from NASCAR country Martinsville, Virginia. He played high school in Bassett, Virginia (part of Martinsville on very southern border of VA bordering NC) and college at East Carolina which is in NC. A year with Cleveland early in his pro career and 2 years with Montreal to start his CFL career are about the only times he's been in the vicinity of Toronto.

When Dinwiddie said he wasn’t going to build a staff of rookie coaches I wondered whether he would bring Rich Stubler. Stubes sure pushed up the average age of the Lions’ staff last year. He has had coaching stints with the Argos and Stamps but I don’t believe he has ever worked with Dinwiddie.

Close BCF. Stubler was Calgary DC in 2014-15. Dinwiddie joined the Stampeder staff in 2016. That's when Huf turned to reins over to Dickenson. Claybrooks was promoted to DC to replace Stubler. That's as close as they came to working together.

Stubler worked with Milanovich in Toronto previously. If he was to join either Toronto or Edmonton, it would be his 4th go round with either team, tying BC. He has never coached with Winnipeg, Saskatchewan or Ottawa.

B.C.FAN wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 14, 2019 8:41 pm

When Dinwiddie said he wasn’t going to build a staff of rookie coaches I wondered whether he would bring Rich Stubler. Stubes sure pushed up the average age of the Lions’ staff last year. He has had coaching stints with the Argos and Stamps but I don’t believe he has ever worked with Dinwiddie.

Stubler will definitely not by this guy's DC. He wants an attack defense much like his offence. He stated they were not going to sit back and let them eat them up. Don't recall the words but that's his philosophy.

Not sure this HC likes a laid back style like Devone brings - but they might be tighter than to make that a deal breaker. Devone is a big delegator - Dave D said that when he moved an assistant to DC on losing Claybrooks. I don't know if that would clash with Dinwiddie's stye.