With the end of the Canadian Football season comes the inevitable revolving door of CFL coaches. In a small league with few teams, it is unlike any other league in the way that coaches are often dropped one year and pop up in another organization shortly after.
CFL Coaches: The Revolving Door Continues
Grey Cup champion Chris Jones is being linked to the Riders after reports have surfaced that the Riders have been granted permission to speak with Jones. While this in itself is a odd situation considering what Jones has accomplished in his short time with the Eskimos, it has been reported that often Jones does not get along with Eskimos GM Ed Hervey.
The Riders are in the midst of a complete culture change. General Manager Jeremy O’Day and Head Coach Bob Dyce still have the interim tag on them, and the fact the Riders are open to talks with other candidates shows their lack of faith in both O’Day and Dyce. Stay tuned: this could be quite the story moving forward.
In recent news it has also been reported that the one year head coach of the B.C. Lions Jeff Tedford has resigned from his position. While Wally Buono will continue to stay on, you have to think that since Buono officially gave up double duty of HC and GM, he has gone through two coaches in four years, not exactly a sparkling statistic under his watch. An offer from a NCAA team for Tedford is the reason that he has executed his option to resign his position. Will this story play out as a magical run for Buono and the Lions? Or will Buono have a Jim Popp-like moment in Vancouver?
In Calgary, John Hufnagel is gone from behind the bench, taking over the GM position full time, and he leaves behind massive footprints for his successor to fill. Many believe Dave Dickenson will be the first choice for the Stamps; he has done well in his role in the Calgary coaching staff and surely deserves a shot at the position. Given his working relationship with Hufnagel, this move just seems to fit.
In Toronto, reports surfaced that Milanovich is in talks with the University of Maryland football program. If he were to pursue this opportunity that would leave another team without their leader for next season. Milanovich showed he can get the best out of his players despite the distractions facing the Boatmen over the past two seasons. Jim Barker will likely still be on as the GM of the Argos after the Riders request to begin talks with Barker were denied by the Argonauts.
Stay tuned for the carousel of CFL coaches. This is when the work begins for all teams to reach the top of the CFL mountain. In a league where change is a constant, one thing is always present: the desire to find the perfect fit as bench boss to get the best out of their squads.
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