The CFL off-season is always a churning cauldron of change, rarely leaving any team the same in June that it was the previous November. And while this year has seen the usual turmoil in players stacking up on the bench and attending the camps, there are only a couple of significant changes to the sideline staff for most teams.
CFL coaching is a funny animal. Head coaches usually sign for three-year contracts, and if they’re fired, the team is usually paying the coach to sit at home for the remainder of the contract, unless they can shave a little off with a buyout.
And coaches’ salaries aren’t subject to limits the way their players’ are; splash out for a new coach for three straight season openers, and you could be throwing a million dollars a year down the drain.
So coaching is an intricate and delicate matter, and getting coaching decisions right is usually a key problem for the front office staff. Here’s a roundup of the coaching situation throughout the league over the off-season, with a close look at Hamilton and Montreal, where the biggest shake-ups occurred.
Hamilton
The sacking of George Cortez, who had a very poor year at the helm of the Tiger-Cats, was still a surprise. The axe fell not long after the Grey Cup. An offensive-minded coach who had previously worked as the Buffalo Bills’ quarterbacking coach, Cortez was rough on some of the finer details of the CFL game. Hamilton fans grew angrier each game with Cortez keeping the challenge flag securely in his pocket. But it was his last place 6-12 record that probably sunk him as the coach, as well as the availability of his replacement, Kent Austin.
Austin’s hiring was a surprise–it wasn’t telegraphed by the team, and the rumours broke only hours before the official announcement. But his pedigree is solid, and his credibility in the league is high, with Grey Cup rings with Saskatchewan as both a quarterback and coach. Few Ticats faithful seem worried about his prospects this year.
One other major change in Hamilton was with at the defensive coordinator spot. While Cortez struggled at head coach, Casey Creehan was an utter disaster, with the defence at the bottom in almost every statistic while the offence racked up more points than any other team in the league. His departure is a relief, and Orlondo Steinauer, coming off a reasonable coaching career with the Argos, will likely do better in the position this year.
Montreal
The only bigger coaching change than Hamilton’s came in Montreal, where Marc Trestman, who had just won his fourth Eastern championship again for Montreal, took the head coaching job with the Chicago Bears. Indianapolis and Cleveland were also in the mix, so it surprised no one that he moved on. His back-to-back Grey Cups in 2009-10 and 59-31 record with Montreal leave a huge hole at the sidelines for the Als.
His replacement is Dan Hawkins, who has never coached in the CFL before, but who has a stellar resume in the American college system. He’s been the head coach at Willamette, Boise State, and Colorado, and his overall college record is 112-61-1, including a record 31-game winning streak in the WAC.
However, he left Colorado in shame after a poor 2010 season, and he’s very much an unknown quantity in the CFL. Luckily he’s still got the apparently immortal Anthony Calvillo, backed up by Hamilton cast-off (and former starter) Quinton Porter, so he has the tools he needs to succeed, if nothing else.
Saskatchewan
The Roughriders’ Corey Chamblin had a tough year last year, ending 8-10 after a 5-game losing streak towards the front of the season, and ending with four losses at the back. There was one interesting move in Saskatchewan: the running backs coach, Bob Dyce, is now Special Teams Coordinator after guiding two backs to 1,000-yard seasons. Dyce seems destined for even better roles in the seasons to come. Meanwhile, the Riders have picked up Hamilton’s cast-off, George Cortez, in the Offensive Coordinator role. Hamilton management are probably wishing they had stuck him there themselves.
Toronto
Scott Milanovich returns as Head Coach after an overachieving 2012; his 9-9 record was good for second place in the East, and his stunning arsenal of offensive weaponry was enough to win the Argos the Grey Cup. In his staff, the biggest move was to bring in Marcus Brady; they coached together in Montreal, and now Brady has caught up with him, becoming Offensive Coordinator for the Argos.
British Columbia
A 13-5 record and top spot in a tough Western conference made Mike Benevides a lock for a second year with the Lions. The only dark spot on his record was the surprising loss to Calgary in the Western final, and he’ll be looking to do at least as well this year.
Calgary
John Hufnagel has had five winning seasons with the Stamps, and he coached his way through quarterbacking problems to get to the Cup for the second time, even though Calgary lost to Toronto. He’s not going anywhere. He might be in for a tougher year this year than last, though, unless Kevin Glenn has another banner year.
Edmonton
Kavis Reed remains in charge at Commonwealth Stadium, despite his 7-11 record last year. Presumably the team has bigger fish to fry, with a new Offensive Coordinator in Doug Sams (moving from the Ticats’ QB Coach position) and a lot of unknowns at the pivot position. The Eskimos were fortunate indeed to pick up Greg Marshall as their new Defensive Coordinator. Reed would be a bit naive to think Marshall wasn’t being groomed for a promotion, so Reed will need a much better outing this year to stay at the wheel.
Winnipeg
Tim Burke came in as Interim Head Coach after Paul LaPolice was jettisoned from the Winnipeg sidelines. His 4-6 record, along with a lack of better options, was good enough for the team management, and they dropped “interim” from his job title over the winter. Granted, most high school flag football coaches would have looked good after taking over for the LaPolice gong show. Burke still has the famously fragile Buck Pierce to deal with, though, and he’ll be fighting to stay out of the sewer in the East if anyone bumps Pierce too hard. Unfortunately he’s picked up the useless Casey Creehan as a DC, so the Bombers will be easy prey again this year.
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