Over the past week the Alouettes announced the recruitment of two very bright and experienced minds to the coaching staff; Don Matthews and Jeff Garcia. The team has been struggling this season, with a 1-4 record, most likely due to the absence of team leader and retired quarterback Anthony Calvillo.
General Manager Jim Popp couldn’t have chosen a better time to bring these two men in to become consultants for the team. Garcia is specialized as the offensive consultant, he will help with the quarterback situation with struggling Troy Smith, one-hit-wonder Tanner Marsh and newcomer Alex Brink flipping the duties the past two games, producing a grand total of 10 points against B.C. and Toronto.
Now is a good time to make some changes to the coaching staff, right? Their neighbors the Canadiens did it in 2012 when they finished dead last in the Eastern Conference & President Geoff Molson stripped down the management top to bottom. The Impact, last place in the MLS, just got rid of their GM (sporting director) Nick De Santis, who has been with the organization since its founding in 1993. However, GM Popp took a different approach to a struggling team, instead of firing key staff members, signalling a white-flag approach for the players, Popp will see what adding smart men can do to the team. It certainly can’t hurt them, as they sit last in the league but still have a very strong chance at the playoffs.
Only time and games played will tell what this move can do to the organization, but right now it does look like a good move for the direction of the franchise forn the time-being.
Don Matthews
“The Don has Returned” read a headline on the Alouettes website last Friday when they announced that he will be returning to Montreal once again as a consultant to the coaching staff, the same position that he held at the end of last season.
He is referred to as “the Don” not solely because of his name but also because of his experience in the league, his calmness but willingness to attack and win, his poker face that will never grow with emotion and his ability to handle young players and iron them out into men ready to win championships; qualities a mafia-related Don would have (for other activities), such as Vito Corleone in the “Godfather”.
Matthews began his CFL coaching career in 1983 with the BC Lions after winning 5 Grey Cups as the Edmonton Eskimos defensive coordinator. In his first season in Vancouver he coached them to the Grey Cup but lost, only to bring them back two years later and win it all. He then coached Toronto for one season in 1990 before being at the helm for three mediocre seasons in Saskatchewan. In 1994 he crossed the boarder to coach the American team, Baltimore Stallions to back-to-back Grey Cups, winning in 1995, the last team outside of Canada to win the championship.
The Cup was the first of three consecutive for him as rejoined the Argos for title wins in 1996 and 1997. He coached one more season in Toronto before going back to Edmonton for two seasons to finish off the century.
After a year off in 2001, he joined the Alouettes organization with young Anthony Calvillo behind center, and right away he won their first Grey Cup in 2002. That would be his last Grey Cup as a head coach as he lost the big game in 2003 and 2005 with the Als before stepping down in the fall of 2006. In 2008 he coached his final games as a head coach as he was the interim coach for a struggling Toronto squad at the end of the season.
His best years were with Montreal coaching them to a 58-28-0 record with 4 Division Championships and 1 Grey Cup, the longest and best record with any of his teams. A career record of 231-132-1 makes him the second most successful coach in CFL history, behind Wally Buono.
Matthews and seen and been part of many games in the league a lot more than anyone in the Montreal organization and knows what it takes for a winning team. His leadership should provide a lot of help to the coaching staff.
Jeff Garcia
Garcia is there for a very different reason then Matthews, he can easily relate to the players, especially the QBs, Smith, Marsh and Brink, having been in their position. He was a member of the Calgary Stampeders organization between 1994-1998, becoming their starter in 1995, the first of four seasons in which he was named a West Division All-Star. He won the Grey Cup in 1998, his last year in the CFL and was also named Grey Cup MVP.
Following the CFL, he went down south to play in the NFL for 10 full seasons as starting QB for the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles. He was a 4-time Pro Bowler, being invited to Hawaii in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2007.
“(Jeff Garcia) brings tremendous experience, great leadership, competitiveness, and the drive to be the best. We feel that by tapping into Jeff’s knowledge, he will be another key addition in getting our season turned around.” said Jim Popp to the Alouettes team website.
“Jeff Garcia is a fierce competitor who has had success in every situation he has faced in professional football. The addition of Jeff is ideal because he brings the expertise he’s gained over his professional years from so many different systems… 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…” coach Higgins also told the website on Monday.
After all is said and done on the CFL season, and we take a look back on the Alouettes record, whether they dropped down and flew up, it will be easy to pinpoint an event that could have changed the Alouettes season, this past weekend with the addition of these two great men, will be it.
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