Kent Austin To Be Named Rider Head Coach.........Scoop

[DerekDD]

http://www.cjme.com/

News Talk radio has learned former Saskatchewan Roughrider quarterback Kent Austin will be named the team's 26th head coach in franchise history. Austin arrived at the Regina International Airport Tuesday night. When asked to confirm the speculation in a News Talk radio exclusive, Austin responded by saying "I've been told by my soon to be boss, that I need to wait to answer those kind of questions till tomorrow(Wednesday) at the press conference, I wanna make sure I honour and respect that." Austin says he doesn't blame fans for still holding anger toward him for his unceremonius departure from the Riders back in 1994, but adds he is willing to try and mend those fences.

Brendan McGuire reporting

[Robbie]

It would really be interesting how well Kent Austin does as a head coach after being an assistant coach through all these years, including with Toronto with they won the Grey Cup in 2004.

Austin says he doesn't blame fans for still holding anger toward him for his unceremonius departure from the Riders back in 1994, but adds he is willing to try and mend those fences.

It's too bad and unfortunate that Roughriders fans don't remember him for the 1989 Grey Cup instead. I still don't know the exactly circumstances behind the three way trade prior to the 1994 season that brought Kent Austin to BC. But from the looks of it, it seems like Austin had demanded a trade. In return, Saskatchewan got back a former QB who was fairly good - Tom Burgess.

[TheLionKing]

Interesting what the fan reaction is going to be. Looks more and more the Lions assistant coaches will be intact for next season.

[Don Miller]

Good news for us Lions fans.. we keep Dave Ritchie..I doubt Chappy will get the job in Hamilton. He would be easier to replace than Dave Ritchie..Toronto didn't exactly have a wonderful offence under Austin..Joseph is still not a passer..Austin will have his work cut out for him.

[Sir Purrcival]

Now completely engaging in some rumour mongering here so if someone has a better grasp on this, feel free to contardict. I have heard at various times that KA is not the easiest person to get along with. Part of that scenario is that he can be inflexable and rigid in his courses of action. That he has an idea of how things should work and even if they aren't working, he will doggedly pursue the same course unwilling to admit that a different approach might be required. Am I way off base on this?

[TheLionKing]

Now completely engaging in some rumour mongering here so if someone has a better grasp on this, feel free to contardict. I have heard at various times that KA is not the easiest person to get along with. Part of that scenario is that he can be inflexable and rigid in his courses of action. That he has an idea of how things should work and even if they aren't working, he will doggedly pursue the same course unwilling to admit that a different approach might be required. Am I way off base on this?

I think you're dead on. One of the reason given for his firing in Toronto was his refusal to run the football even with the presence of Ricky Williams and John Avery.

[Lionut]

I've heard the same rumblings about Austin, i.e. the fact that he doesn't always get along with the other children. Now, being an arrogant control freak doesn't discount you from being a head coach -- in fact, it is often a defining characteristic of the successful ones. (I saw an NFL Films feature on Parcells once, and in watching it found myself amazed that one of his players or assistants didn't deck him halfway through practice.)

In bypassing a safer choice like Ritchie, Eric Tillman is hanging his butt out a mile here. Austin is "his guy", and if he fails as a head coach the blame shifts directly to Tillman. It should be interesting.

In terms of Hamilton, their first choice is clearly Charlie Taaffe. If they are unable to lure him back north, however, it then becomes a two way race between Chapdelaine and Winnipeg's Greg Marshall...

[Sir Purrcival]

Lionut wrote:

I've heard the same rumblings about Austin, i.e. the fact that he doesn't always get along with the other children. Now, being an arrogant control freak doesn't discount you from being a head coach

This is a good point and I agree but even Wally who has had the label now and again has had to chill a little in recent years. I think the game strategy in the 2004 Grey Cup was sort of the straw that broke the camels back on that one. It will be interesting to see how a team that is used to playing under a guy like Danny Barrett will adjust to a completely opposite style. Could mean some turmoil for the Riders next season as a few players probably won't make the adjustment well or at all.

[Shi Zi Mi]

Now completely engaging in some rumour mongering here so if someone has a better grasp on this, feel free to contardict. I have heard at various times that KA is not the easiest person to get along with. Part of that scenario is that he can be inflexable and rigid in his courses of action. That he has an idea of how things should work and even if they aren't working, he will doggedly pursue the same course unwilling to admit that a different approach might be required. Am I way off base on this?

Completely agree.......errr......oh, sorry.........I thought you were talking about Chapdelaine........my bad.

[Hambone]

Good news for us Lions fans.. we keep Dave Ritchie...

Personally I was never too concerned about Ritchie departing. I thought he was a longshot for the Regina job or at best Plan B for Tillman if he couldn't come to agreement with Austin. Tillman has long had relationships with both Ritchie and Austin. Interviewing Ritchie may have been more a courtesy to an old friend than anything else. To me if you're starting a new regime that may involve a certain amount of rebuilding such as the situation Tillman finds himself in Regina you don't hire a 68 year old head coach. Tillman has to be thinking long-term and with all due respect to Ritchie he isn't a long-term solution at his age.

[Arny]

I'm not so sure Kenton Keith is all too happy about this development. He just saw his touches go way down.

[Reider]

Does anybody else see the trend in Saskatchewan other than me and another rider fan who visits this site... that GM's lately have been picking rookie head coaches who are their buddies?

IMO Austin wasn't the best candidate of the 4.

[Rammer]

Does anybody else see the trend in Saskatchewan other than me and another rider fan who visits this site... that GM's lately have been picking rookie head coaches who are their buddies?

IMO Austin wasn't the best candidate of the 4.

I agree with your assessment, but Ritchie is too old for the position, as once he gets started it would be time for him to call it a day as a HC. Based on the three year contract being the guidleline for the results the Riders (Tillman) are looking for.

Oh, I guess you could have meant Cortez.......to me either or would be alright as you won't know until they assume the position. One thing is for sure, while Tillman may have been nice in Barrett's exiting, his diecision to hire a polar opposite in Austin tells me he wants more from the players than he saw Barrett doing. It will be interesting to see if there is more in that lineup or not. Pinkfreud should have a thesis done on the personality differences between Barrett and Austin with the same group of players, and how the Alpha male personality does with the team in 07.

[Blitz]

Personally I was never too concerned about Ritchie departing. I thought he was a longshot for the Regina job or at best Plan B for Tillman if he couldn't come to agreement with Austin

I felt that Ritchie was going to be the runner up in the Saskatchewan Head Coaching position but I would have been very worried if he had left our Leos. Just listen to the Leos defensive players talk about Ritchie and it's obvious how very highly they regard him.

Regina would have been wiser to hire Ritchie as Head Coach and Austin as offensive coordinator and Associate Head Coach. Austin could have learned some from the experience and then transitioned in as the Head Coach in a couple of seasons. Tillman has made a risky decision..especially when it's obvious how rigid Austin is in his offensive philosophy, as evidenced in Toronto. Austin was the weakest of the four candidates, with Ritchie, Cortez, and Hall being stronger candidates, based on merit!

[TheLionKing]

It's big news in Regina. CTV Regina lead off the evening news with Austin's hiring. They interviewed his wife as well. Sounds like Austin is anxious to get on with the job as he's moving his family before the end of the year.