Saskatchewan signs Chris Jones

[JohnnyMusso]

I don't think LaPolice will come here. He rejected the Lions 2 years ago and wants to be a head coach again and will not leave TSN for a OC. I think he is staying with TSN. Going with Chaps is going backwards; we need to move forward. It will be a risk going with Jarious, a first time OC, but my gut feeling is he will be our new OC, if he wants the job. Find out soon.

[Hambone]

I am surprised that the Esks didn't keep Jones by giving him a big raise and making him HC/VP of Fottball Operations and thus Hervey's boss. Hervey would still be GM in name but really just an assistant GM. Hervey might have quit.

Apparently Jones and Hervey didn't see eye to eye, so I guess the Esks just picked Hervey over Jones. A mistake me thinks. OTOH if the Esks hire Mass as HC they may be OK.

Strange. What I've been reading recently re: Jones and Hervey is the exact opposite. From a column by Terry Jones last week:

Jones had to deal with all those thoughts at his end-of-season availability Wednesday.

“I like it here. I like winning football games.

“Certainly I’d keep my options open if opportunities arise. This is professional football and I think everybody in this room and this city would understand.

“I’ve got a good job, man. I have a great locker room. I have great coaches. I have a great support staff. Ed (Hervey, GM) has been very good to me. He gave me my first opportunity to be a head coach. And I’ll just leave it at that.

“I was brought here to be the head football coach. Certainly my personnel background was leaned on now and then. Decisions were made with the experience that I had. Ed is the GM and he writes the contracts and he gets the people signed. Paul Jones is the guy who goes out and finds the guys and talks to their agents and kind of leads into Ed.

“It’s a very, very special group. You saw (Tuesday) on stage how much they care about each other, how much their coaches care about them and how much they care about their coaches. Anytime you win a championship I think it takes a special group of guys.

[Sir Purrcival]

Here is a crazy idea. Matt Dunnigan for OC. He has a good offensive mind. If he is offerered the job with the view to becoming HC in a season or two, he could be interested. Pretty way out scenario but certainly would be a new direction.

[Hambone]

I don't think LaPolice will come here. He rejected the Lions 2 years ago and wants to be a head coach again and will not leave TSN for a OC. I think he is staying with TSN. Chaps is going backwards; we need to move forward. It will be a risk going with Jarious, a first time OC, but my gut feeling is he will be our new OC, if he wants the job. Find out soon.

I read some speculation that Winnipeg already has some sort of agreement in place with LaPolice to be their OC if a HC job doesn't come available. Right now it looks like the only such job to be filled in that carousel this offseason is Jones' vacancy. Certainly it has to be a make or break season for O'Shea which could make Winnipeg a desirable place for LaPolice. If the Bombers don't get off to a good start AND maintain the pace in 2016 O'Shea may not last the season.

[David]

I will be shocked if Paul LaPolice comes here. He has a home and a family in Winnipeg Manitoba. He commutes to TSN studios in Toronto for the cushy TV job (a job he does very well). Sure, the Lions could couch it as a "head coach in waiting" (which is the only job he's likely to take), but if things don't improve for the Bombers next year under O'Shea, he could be a very good candidate there again.

I think Jason Maas is going to make an excellent head coach, too bad it will likely be for the Eskimos. In the meantime, we're probably putting the LaPolice thing out for public consumption to show that we have more than 1 option, but the reality is Jarious (who was a great leader for us) or Khari. Who else does Wally know (other than Chaps and the club will not hire him back) that would come here as OC to work for him? He's not going to hire a qualified stranger.


DH

[InUrFace]

The new leverage these days seems to be the GM position too. So now Austin, Popp, Wally and Jones all have co-titles. A bittersweet time for Eskimos fans. Still relishing Grey Cup win and the coach is gone after just 2 years.

My first option for Lions OC is LaPolice. Hearing the Winnipeg rumours but it would take over paying to bring him back to the team that fired him to work under another coach. Wally could at least offer him the opportunity to take over as head coach if everything goes well here. Don't think that's the same scenario with the Bombers.

Jarious may well indeed be ready. Had a bit of gunslinger attitude as a player and that may go hand in hand with Jennings' strengths. But I also had pretty high hopes when Khari Jones was hired 2 years ago and that hardly went well.

Chapdelaine has worked well with young QBs before but not exactly going to pique the interest of a very restless and somewhat fragile fan base.

Let me explain something first and far most. Doesnt matter who you bring here as a OC DC ST .. Wally will run the show and call the plays and schemes ... he wants his over bent OC DC ST yes Wally men.
I want the Lions to do worse next season. I want Wally to fall flat on his face along with his ego and controlling ways about him. He has done enough damage to this organization. I want to see if he takes accountability with losses and no play offs ... I want this to be the worst year ever.
Why? I want complete change ..from top to bottom. I want new leader ship and Management. I want a team that Ackles grew to love and had passion for. I want to see new ownership with the same dream and passion he had. I pray this is the end of Wally and Skulsy etc and the YES MEN. Im with Mexicianfan. He left here outraged with you all jumping on the ban wagon of Wallys return. Yet before that every one wanted Jeff for a second year. You think you actually saw the real JT then you have no idea who he is as a coach. He just was understanding the game again and I know if he returned we would be in much better position for next season.
You think Wally will find the right personnel, then your dreaming. No good free agents will come here to play for Wally. They would of for JT. Plus NFL cuts and College. All that is now wishful thinking. Example Collie would never come here to play if it wasnt for Jeff. Would we see the way Jennings plays if it wasnt for Jeff. Jeff gave him the right mechanics and showed him so much as he as done in the past for other QBs that went to the NFL. Wally I believed took on HC for the simple reason. We have Jennings. If we didnt then he would of kept JT for another season. Thats what I think and the observation I see.
So to all you Fans of Wally ... good luck with him. Guess you his Yes men now too... As for me. Its time for a blood transfusion from bleeding orange. At least until Wally is gone and team is sold. Good luck yall!!!!! You will need it!! InUrFace!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JohnnyMusso]

I cannot speak for others, but I am not jumping on the Wally bandwagon, but facing reality that we have to accept it. It is the way it is and you cannot change it. You either can abandon the team or still cheer for them. I will not cheer against them, for that is not what I believe is a true fan is, no disrespect intended, just my opinion. There is no guarantee that after Wally is gone, they will have a better coach and GM. I remember when we had Joe Kamp and Larry K and Joe Gallant as GM who fired Matthews, which was one of the worst mistakes BC has ever done. Those were worse days. Yea Wally is controlling and probably the team will be conservative and would not be surprised if they hire Chaps again, if Jarious goes to Sask or Winnipeg. I do not expect the team to be much better, but hope they are. These are pretty dark days being a fan in Vancouver. The Canucks look as bad as the Lions were and probably will have a terrible year as well. I think most fans just have hope for better days and there is nothing wrong with that. Whether Tedford would have been better is debatable and it does not really matter now. I wish him well and hope he coaches again in US college. I think he is better suited there. And though Collie came here because of Tedford, he did not exactly make a big impact here and was a bit of disappointment. If he was not a Canadian, he probably would be cut. They will find good players to come here, for many Americans are looking for work. CFL Free agents, I agree unlikely. Not crazy that Wally will get a 2 year extension; he does not deserve it.

[TheLionKing]

Here is a crazy idea. Matt Dunnigan for OC. He has a good offensive mind. If he is offerered the job with the view to becoming HC in a season or two, he could be interested. Pretty way out scenario but certainly would be a new direction.

Wally would never offer the coaching job to Dunigan. Dunigan is his own man and won't take to Wally's "mentoring"

[TheLionKing]

Last year I waited til the Lions announced their new head coach before I finally decided to renew for another season. Wally's return for 2016 has not made any difference to me. Still waiting for what other changes are coming. It's not as if it's going to be a sellout. Lots of good seats still available.

[TheLionKing]

Jones already hard at work

http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/video/jones-wasti ... ers~764818

[Hambone]

Here is a crazy idea. Matt Dunnigan for OC. He has a good offensive mind. If he is offerered the job with the view to becoming HC in a season or two, he could be interested. Pretty way out scenario but certainly would be a new direction.

I won't disagree with the crazy part Sir P.

Let's just not go there. It's been 20 years (holy crap!) since Dunigan played. In between then and now Matt had a cup of coffee as OC at Valdosta State in the late 90s and 1 year of pro coaching experience in Calgary. 11 seasons have gone by since his Calgary coaching days. All told since his playing days Matt's spent more time coaching backyard BBQers on Road Grill than coaching football players.

[Sir Purrcival]

Here is a crazy idea. Matt Dunnigan for OC. He has a good offensive mind. If he is offerered the job with the view to becoming HC in a season or two, he could be interested. Pretty way out scenario but certainly would be a new direction.

I won't disagree with the crazy part Sir P.

Let's just not go there. It's been 20 years (holy crap!) since Dunigan played. In between then and now Matt had a cup of coffee as OC at Valdosta State in the late 90s and 1 year of pro coaching experience in Calgary. 11 seasons have gone by since his Calgary coaching days. All told since his playing days Matt's spent more time coaching backyard BBQers on Road Grill than coaching football players.

Well so long as you agree. LOL

He hasn't got a lot of coaching under his belt but as an analyst he is always looking at what coaches are doing and breaking down the strategies so I wouldn't be too concerned about him being stale but whether he could be a good coach in today's CFL would be debatable.

[WestCoastJoe]

http://3downnation.com/2015/12/10/stamp ... xt-season/

Excerpts from 3DN ...

Dave Dickenson officially took over for Hufnagel as the head coach in Calgary, which meant the 2000 CFL most outstanding player needed to fill a hole on his offensive staff. While the former QB is going to handle play-calling duties, he won’t be able to spend as much time with his quarterbacks, so the Stamps went out and got another former pivot, Ryan Dinwiddie, to work with the likes of Bo Levi Mitchell, Drew Tate and Bryant Moniz.

Dinwiddie has spent the past three seasons with the Montreal Alouettes, a team that went through myriad coaching moves during his tenure there. Dinwiddie came on board when Dan Hawkins was the head coach in 2013, then stayed on under Jim Popp that season, then Tom Higgins for a year and a half and again when Popp took over this season.

In 2015, Dinwiddie was the co-offensive co-ordinator and running backs coach, and he had success, helping Tyrell Sutton to a rushing title while having the best rushing team in the East Division. Dinwiddie spent five seasons as an active player, but he’s best remembered for taking over as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ starting QB for the 2007 Grey Cup when Kevin Glenn was unable to play due to a broken arm suffered in the East final.

Dinwiddie threw three interceptions in that game, and the Bombers lost, but he’s seen as a rising star among the coaching ranks, as he started in offensive quality control, moved up to quarterbacks coach and then co-offensive co-ordinator in just three seasons.

So the Stampeders have moved quickly to fill an O coach vacancy.

While the coaching staff is set, the Stamps are now looking to replace assistant GM John Murphy, who left for a personnel position under new GM-head coach Chris Jones.

This is key. And it strikes me as one more evidence of the sharpness of Chris Jones.

Jones will be very busy as Head Coach, and DC. Murphy can help greatly with GM duties. Logistics. Contracts. Personnel. Et cetera ...

Still interested to see when McAdoo joins his staff as OC. Surprised if he does not.

[Sir Purrcival]

So I guess that means that Calvillo is now going to be the full time OC.

[WestCoastJoe]

http://www.cfl.ca/2015/12/15/jones-reve ... nt-office/

Jones reveals Riders' revamped front office

CFL.ca Staff

REGINA — Saskatchewan Roughriders vice president of football operations, general manager and head coach Chris Jones has announced his football operations staff.

Joining Jones in the front office will be assistant vice president of football operations and player personnel, John Murphy.

Long serving Roughrider Jeremy O’Day remains with the club after being named assistant vice president of football operations and administration.Murphy joins the Riders after spending eight seasons with the Calgary Stampeders, originally joining the team during its 2008 Grey Cup winning season. He joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as director of player personnel for the 2009 season before returning to the Stampeders where he spent the last five seasons as assistant general manager and director of player personnel.

CFL.ca
Jones takes on the new task of being a GM shortly after winning the Grey Cup as a head coach with Edmonton.

Jones takes on the new task of being a GM shortly after winning the Grey Cup as a head coach with Edmonton. O’Day originally joined the Riders’ front office in 2011 as a football operations coordinator after playing 202 regular season games through 12 seasons with the team. He has spent the last four seasons as assistant general manager and director of football operations.

Last year, O’Day was named interim vice-president of football operations and general manager where he remained for the final nine games of the 2015 regular season.