The first of many changes for football clubs looking for answers has happened, and very quickly: Lions GM Wally Buono has announced today that Mike Benevides will pay for the Lions’ .500 season and playoff loss with his job.
The club looked great on paper, and as Vancouver will host the 102nd Grey Cup this year, Lions fans and players were looking forward to another home final. Even the branding for this year is “Roar on the Shore”. However, after an embarrassing defeat in the East Semi-final, the Lions showed their disappointment by relieving Benevides of his duties.
Hand-picked by Buono
Wally Buono himself hand-picked Benevides to take control of the team after Buono and the Lions won the 2011 Grey Cup at home. But as the head coach for the B.C. Lions, Benevides never won a playoff game, going 0-3 since receiving the reins. He leaves the Lions with a very respectable stellar 33-21 regular season record.
The Benevides firing is the first of many changes expected for the club after a very inconsistent regular season performance.
The move itself seemed to be in the cards for a while. In the regular season, the Lions could not consistently put points on the board. This is part of the business in the CFL: if you don’t produce, you have to answer to your boss.
Is Benevides to Blame?
How much blame can be places on Benevides?
There were rumblings that he lost the locker room and confidence of his players. There were also concerns that his game plans were too conservative. However, Buono never really gave him help at the quarterback position.
With Travis Lulay coming back from a injured shoulder before the season started, the Lions chose to add insurance by picking up the ageing Kevin Glenn. Glenn has respectable numbers, but ultimately has never won the big game and always seems to find a way to lose instead of finding a way to win.
For Buono to take the journeyman backup and expect Benevides to get this team to the big show is ludicrous. Who could have expected that Lulay would come back this year and re-injure that shoulder? Buono should have, of all people. We all remember Buck Pierce, right?
What’s Next
Benevides may likely surface in different colours again. With a stellar record and with the Buono’s pressure no longer on him, he may do very well elsewhere. Is his firing from B.C. A shock? No – Buono gets it his way. After all, he did personally choose Benevides, right?
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